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A review by destdest
Silk by E. B. Roshan
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
Given a free copy for an honest review
On my initial read I thought the message was a bit muddied, or I just didn't grasp it well. Is this about being true to yourself and standing up for what you believe for? How technology cannot replace nature? Pro-hunting? Pro-environment? My takeaway is that we (readers) have to advocate for issues we care about to those in authority.
The silki situation confused me at first but as the story progressed, I understood. Farz and his sister Djinn don’t agree on many things as it relates to the silki industry except that silkis make their land beautiful. A good question for younger readers will be “what’s something that makes the place they live beautiful?”
Breakdown on the silki situation: Farz and his family were silk-charmers, skilled people who knew how to lull these dangerous spider-like creatures to sleep without harming them to retrieve their silk. After their government got too cheap or too impulsive to hire skilled charmers, some travelers were killed and a total ban on silkis happened. The patrols began exterminating the creatures overall to Djin’s horror. Farz doesn’t completely agree with the ban, but his role in the patrol allows him the fund and status to be with his lover whose father also owns fake silk-spinning factory.
I think the art style has a quirky, alien cartooniness to it. There are all types of creatures here in this scifi rolodex world, and it uses the gray color scheme effectively. I think I saw one humanoid person here and I remembered from Roshan’s other book (a cute easter egg!)
Word bubbles could be more even;y balanced and centered. Sometimes, too many words are crammed into one bubble whereas splitting it up into multiple bubbles would read better.
Overall, I did not have a bad reading experience though I enjoyed Roshan’s other book more. I think her ideas are interesting and many readers will think the same. She knows how to convey conflict, action, and differences in ideals without talking down to readers.
On my initial read I thought the message was a bit muddied, or I just didn't grasp it well. Is this about being true to yourself and standing up for what you believe for? How technology cannot replace nature? Pro-hunting? Pro-environment? My takeaway is that we (readers) have to advocate for issues we care about to those in authority.
The silki situation confused me at first but as the story progressed, I understood. Farz and his sister Djinn don’t agree on many things as it relates to the silki industry except that silkis make their land beautiful. A good question for younger readers will be “what’s something that makes the place they live beautiful?”
Breakdown on the silki situation:
I think the art style has a quirky, alien cartooniness to it. There are all types of creatures here in this scifi rolodex world, and it uses the gray color scheme effectively. I think I saw one humanoid person here and I remembered from Roshan’s other book (a cute easter egg!)
Word bubbles could be more even;y balanced and centered. Sometimes, too many words are crammed into one bubble whereas splitting it up into multiple bubbles would read better.
Overall, I did not have a bad reading experience though I enjoyed Roshan’s other book more. I think her ideas are interesting and many readers will think the same. She knows how to convey conflict, action, and differences in ideals without talking down to readers.