on
3.5/5
Non-Fiction
- Get link
- Other Apps
 |
Rating: 3/5
Started: 15 April 2022
Finished: 16 April 2022
Summary:
Years ago, Badriya and her mother escaped from accusations of witchcraft and seduction to a walled city in the middle of a dangerous desert. Though she intended only to seduce the king enough to guarantee her daughter's safety, Badriya's mother succumbed to the poisons she dealt, and made enemies out of too many important people.
Now, with her mother soul held captive by a Witch of the desert, Badriya struggles to walk the line between help and hurt, potions and poisons, assistance and assassination. She must earn enough silver to free her mother's soul before she flees to a land where no one hates her, but there are still forces in the city that clamor for her destruction.
Thoughts:
I'm torn about this book. There were a lot of parts of it that I really liked, and a lot of parts of it that I absolutely hated. The premise was cool. Walled city, desert full of ghosts, girl selling potions and consuming poison--this is exactly the kind of book I adore. The world building, too, was pretty cool. The poisons and their plants were well thought out, and I liked the mythology and the astronomy.
My issue, sadly, was the execution. A lot of the book was just so frustrating. Badriya's talents were so freaking cool, but she never felt powerful. She was clever and resourceful, but never got a chance to prove her badass-ness or redeem herself from her mistakes. I liked Najma a lot at the beginning, but rather than cleverly showing her knowledge and working with Badriya on some genius save-the-day plot, by the end she seemed more like the main character that Badriya. While that might be a good set up for the second book, it very much frustrated my loyalty-to-the-protagonist issue.
The writing was pretty impressive; the symbolism and world building felt distinctly artistic, which is always good. But something about the book frustrated me: I'm sitting here typing louder than I need to, because I still feel angry, both with Badriya and for her. She never got to explain herself and be believed, and she didn't take the opportunities she was given.
I'm not upset I read this book. It was published by Ooligan Press, which is Portland State University's publishing press, which I shadowed at in 8th grade. It's cool how close I am to this book and author, and it's very hopeful that I could be involved in a project like this in the near future. (I know there are a few things I would have changed, had I helped edit the book). Regardless, it was an interesting experience, and despite my persisting sense of frustration, I have no regrets.
Also, in the off-chance I read the sequel, if there is one: Petra is definitely gay, and so might be Namja, Najma will be a better protagonist than Badriya, and I'm guessing that she will bargain to become a Witch.
Words:
Gamboled (v) run or jump about playfully
Accrued (v) received or accumulated in regular or increasing amounts over time
Slattern (n) a dirty, untidy woman
Soporific (adj) tending to induce drowsiness or sleep