A review by madfield
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

"you are merely, crucially, no one but yourself, as anyone else is themselves—mere stewards, gifting recursively over the divide of time this spear, that memory to the people and the place from which they had come and who, in turn, gift back to you your strange, and sad, and wide-eyed futures."

two warriors—keema and jun, escort a moon goddess to defeat her sons that use their power for evil. it also followed an anonymous narrator who watched these characters in a theatre.
———
god this was such a really good book, i can't find another synonym to describe it. it was devastatingly and insanely good. although it only stands as one book, but the plot felt complete with no rush. the complexity of the characters add so much to the story, i freaking love the protagonists. i haven't even reached the greatest part yet which was the writing... it feels whimsical and lyrical-ish. took me a bit while to get used to it, but it's so worth it and i thought it fit the storyline. i was not familiar with any simon jimenez's books and i haven't read anything like this before, but i'm beyond happy that i came across this title. i don't think i will get this book out of my head anytime soon. an exceptional one.

it's true what lots of people said, this book isn't meant for everyone. but if you do love epic-fantasy, complex characters, told in a lyrical writing, this might be for you.