Reviews

Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé

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lib_and_lynx's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

rouge_red's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

4.75

marmoo's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a heavy read, but one that rewarded the emotional investment. Even more than the plot mechanics or magical realism trappings, this story’s sense of place really made the novel, deeply rooted as it was in Anacostia and the histories all its occupants brought with them.

restlessreader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

fluffaloes's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

katiegilley's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. This is a difficult book to write about. Going into it, you might want to do a bit of research about the Egyptian gods, Nephthys and Osiris, the twin siblings this book centers around. This is set in the 70s in the foggy outskirts of Washington DC and is full of supernatural activities that were unsettling, to say the least.

This was a difficult book to read, full of trigger warnings: child abuse and neglect, violence, drug and alcohol abuse. It was uncomfortable to read and showed the United States' vast chasm between the haves and have nots. It was written almost as if the author was in a dream and boy, did she take us on a journey.

I keep making a comparison between the characters in this book and another on the Women's Prize Long List this year: The Paper Palace. In both books, children are neglected and abused. But for the young children in this book, the consequences are much more dire. Again - we are not on an equal footing in the United States. Not by a long shot.