The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

The Shadow King

Maaza Mengiste

fiction historical literary challenging dark emotional slow-paced

448 pages | first published 2019

Edition information

Description

Ethiopia, 1935. With the threat of Mussolini’s army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid. Her new employer, Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie’s army, rushes to mobilise his strongest men befor...
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Content Warnings

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Community Reviews

Summary of 1378 reviews

Moods

challenging 68%
dark 66%
emotional 62%
tense 42%
sad 41%
reflective 37%
informative 34%
adventurous 18%
inspiring 14%
hopeful 3%
mysterious 2%

Pace

slow 67%
medium 30%
fast 2%

Plot- or character-driven?

A mix: 64% | Character: 26% | Plot: 8%

Strong character development?

Yes: 68% | It's complicated: 23% | No: 7%

Loveable characters?

It's complicated: 59% | No: 29% | Yes: 9%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 91% | It's complicated: 4% | No: 3%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 56% | It's complicated: 26% | No: 14% | N/A: 2%

Average rating

3.65

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