2.5 Stars

This book had so much potential. Gods have fallen in Lagos and everything has gone to shits. David Mogo, demi-god, is a godhunter. Woven with Nigerian mythology and legends, we see various gods and battles take place. And David finds trying to get Lagos back to normal isn't easy.
The mythology behind the book is what really makes it stand out -the various gods, pantheons, and tales that come along with them. Imagine Rick Riordan but Nigerian tales. There's the same humour and electricity that flows within this book.

However, there's a lot of telling and explaining. Instead of being guided and shown through scenes, we are told in a quick and snappy manner. Anything that needs to be revealed is told through David's monologue. Had this been otherwise, my rating would have been much higher. With this, there was also a lack of foreshadowing that leads to the plot twists and reveals. Rather than planting seeds and eggs throughout the novel, we are just told when it comes to the time.

My other issue relies on the fact that David gets knocked out a lot. It seems as soon as battles, or a scene starts to become interesting he gets knocked out. In the end, every other chapter feels as if it's ending with him passed out in one form or another. Especially the bigger battles, the ones where it's life or death, it feels like he just passes out and then we're told what we actually missed.

This book was really difficult to read for me. English is my second language and I had to read really slowly or google search for me to get some of the phrases. BUT, the story was so interesting that I'm not mad about it!
Of course, I didn't know anything about the culture and the deities in this book, and it was really fun to learn about them in this setting. This is a self discovery story all around a demi god and set in Nigeria, yes please!
Unfortunately, I think the writing style was not for me and all the problems I had with understanding really affected my overall enjoyment of this.

Characters 9
Atmosphere 6
Writing style 5
Plot 8
Intrigue 7
Logic 6
Enjoyment 6

DNF at about 35%
Nigeria, post-apocalyptic, fallen gods, and a half-god main character being shaken out of merely surviving and into heroics by the appearance of an evil wizard in the slums.
It sounded so good! I like the scenery a lot, it's very nice to be somewhere other than "medieval England" for a change. The worldbuilding was original and interesting. I wanted to know a lot more about how this world, what the rest of the city was like, how the rest of the world was reacting, how society was dealing with all of this "gods" stuff. I wanted to know so much more than I was given, but not really in a good way. It felt a little like being caged up in a small area and wanting to get out and explore.
Unfortunately, the main character fell really flat for me. Actually, all of the characters did. I couldn't relate to him, and I wasn't able to care about the place or the people he was trying to protect. There was no connection between the reader and the characters. The dialect was very difficult to parse sometimes (although it wasn't too hard to guess from context), and the plot felt... undirected. There was no impetuous. I needed to Care about the people he was trying to save, to have more personal details about their lives to relate with, to appreciate this decimated part of Nigeria as somewhere worth saving. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of that and as a result, I just don't care enough to find out what happens to them. Papa Udi came close to making me care, but he's not enough to carry the Whole story, especially since it's always jumping around. I think the whole "3 novellas" structure confused me. It was perplexing to have climax scenes occurring so early in the book.

David Mogo, Godhunter is many things. It’s an in-depth look at African gods and the rich mythology surrounding them. It’s an expose of a future where class structures have warped further to force poverty on any who aren’t incredibly wealthy. Above all, it’s a unique character piece centered on a demi-god whose job brings him in contact with all manner of fascinating beings.

The narrative and language choices were most interesting. Instead of straightforward storytelling, Okungbowa weaves a crooked path between spotlights on the somewhat dystopian society, the practice of otherwordly magic, the constant goings-on of the many roaming gods and godlings, and the typical day-in-the-life activities of David and those around him. It makes for a wonderfully complex reading experience that stands alone as a unique creation. Dialects shift unexpectedly, giving you further insight into the culture we’ve been immersed in. This feels like a realistic experience, lending further awe to the mythology-laden narrative.

Overall, David Mogo, Godhunter is an undeniably unique reading experience. Between the always running main character, the incredible mythology, and the smart conversation on this multi-faceted society of the future, you’ll discover a world in which every corner holds something waiting to be unearthed.

This isn’t an easy read full of familiar places, soft language, and common tropes. But rather, it’s diverse, challenging, and wholly fantastic. The dialect takes some time to adjust to, especially as a North American reader, but if you give it some time and put some effort into paying attention it quickly becomes second nature. The premise is unique, with a set of gods that have been cats out of their own world and since taken over Lagos, along with a whole hoard of godlings and taboos. The desolation and reorganization of society gave a very different feel to the standard post-apocalyptic narrative and injected a healthy dose of culture.

That’s not to say that there isn’t any magic, because it’s present in wild abundance. The wizards and gods are both exceptionally well written with unique and distinctive qualities. I appreciated the differences between the two types of abilities with the magic of the wizards being tied to real and tangible things while the power of the gods were entirely intangible and otherworldly. All of the gods powers and personalities were deeply varied, creating landscape that is both exciting and difficult to navigate.

There are some uncomfortable moments, especially when it comes to Fati and the implied acts against her. But as uncomfortable as these moments were, I am glad that they were included as this is not the kind of books that skates around the darker side of life – especially when the societal structure favours a few with power and the masses subservient and impoverished. Now add in an ambivalent government that only cares about the upper echelons and would prefer to live in denial of reality and you have a pretty wicked storm.

I didn’t mind that the whole of the work is actually three novellas packaged together as a single unit. Each instalment had a clearly defined arc, villain, and objective and played extremely well off of the previous sections. They helped to clearly delineate the evolution of David’s development as both a character and powerful demigod. Plus, they facilitated some pretty serious jumps in time without injecting any tedious and extraneous text for plot advancement. My only really complaint is that the dispersal of the world building information throughout at times took on the feeling of massive info dumps. And while this may work better in a. novella setting where you need to pack a whole lot of information in a tiny space, but with the novel format I felt that there was more latitude to spread the spread the information out for a smoother presentation. But, and this is a big but, I am aware that my storytelling preferences are defined by the traditions that I have been brought up in and aware that this criticism might be based entirely on personal preferences and cultural constructs.

David himself is a complex and interesting character. He lives between two worlds in more ways than one – half god and half human he constantly walks a fine line between humanity and hypocrisy in his god hunting. He is also further divided between mainstream culture and the world of wizardry having been raised by Papa Udi, and again by the sleeping and waking worlds as he shifts between planes. These divisions are further emphasized by David’s constant code switching between the normalized western speech that he uses for business and the local dialect that he uses in the comfort of home. Don’t get me wrong, we all do this to some degree, utilizing different speech patterns at home than we do at work, it’s just much more evident in David and Papa Udi’s speech.

Finally, I enjoyed the variety present in the supporting characters. I loved Papa Udi’s unwavering support and complicated past, the complexity if the High Gods personalities and powers, and the depravity of the villains throughout. I would have loved to see some of these supporting characters developed a little more, but that’s just because they were so interesting! If Okungbowa were to put out a collection of short stories or novellas focusing on everyone else I’d be chomping at the bit to read it.

All together I really enjoyed David Mogo: Godhunter. It was a welcome introduction into the world of god punk and Nigerian urban fantasy as well as being a fabulous own voices read.It’s complex, imaginative, and full of action. If you want tottery something that’s both fantastical and far from the typical westernized conventions, this book is sure to please. Give the code switching and dialogue a chance to settle in and Okungbowa will take you on a fantastical ride.

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

David Mogo, Godhunter is set in Lagos, Nigeria, and is an African-inspired story about a half God who's occupation is being a Godhunter. In this book, Gods and higher deities have fallen to earth after a heavenly war. David Mogo, our protagonist, spends his days hunting down fallen deities and capturing them for money. When a deal to catch two twin Gods lands in his lap, he knows he's going to be in trouble.

In the beginning of this book, I struggled with the voice of the book and the language. It was a lot more modern than I was expecting and it ruined the mythology-inspired story I was looking forward to. After getting used to the voice, I started enjoying myself a bit more, but there were still some issues. Mainly, the book had way too many unfamiliar words and names for me, it kept throwing me off balance. This also made me struggle to separate characters from one another, as I struggled remembering who was called what. I also found the ending of the book very anti-climatic to the rest of the story. It felt very rushed and I wish the final clash had begun a little earlier in the story, or had lasted a little longer.

My favorite parts of the book were for sure the mythology and lore behind the Gods and why they were on earth. I also loved the morally grey characters, even though I felt the attempt at making them grey fell a little flat. I always love delving into unfamiliar worlds with mythology from new parts of the world, and this was for sure a new experience! I loved the Gods and how they interacted with the ordinary people in the book. I also loved Papa Udi, even though I sometimes struggled to understand what on earth he was saying.

In summary: this book was a fun experience. There were some amazing aspects and some not-so-good aspects. A solid 3-star book. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to read stories based on African/Nigerian mythology or lore!

I started reading this book with good intentions of finishing it in a timely manner but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The book is well written but I found it a little hard to follow. The main character has a goal but he also seems to have other roles he has to be in his life. I have half completed the book and have found that it does not really interest me enough to finish it. It’s different than the normal books I read and I cannot seem to make myself want to go back to finish it. As I stated, it is a well written book but just not the kind of book I enjoy reading.

So I'm super late in reviewing this and I'm really sorry to both the book and myself because this book was spectacular! Honestly it was so much fun even though there was a serious learning curve (I had no idea what was going on for the entire first story) The writing itself was great but many of the characters spoke in (I'm guessing) a dialect of Nigerian English which made it difficult to understand what they were saying. I'm sure it would be lovely for people from Nigeria who speak this dialect and I don't doubt it is 100% authentic but I found it difficult to read :/
Something which I wish I knew going in was that the story is made up of 3 parts (or 3 short stories) which are interconnected and are in chronological order. While I didn't have an issue with the story being in this form I wish I knew it before hand because when we were reaching the climax of the first story I was so confused because I was only 30% into the story lol.
All three stories were very entertaining and action pact and were tightly plotted and paced well. I almost wish it was longer and more slowly paced at times because I had a lot of difficultly understanding the magic and world building. It might just be me but I felt a lot was thrown at me at once.

I absolutely loved the mythology and how the Orisha and the Yoruba religion was integrated into the story and how all the Orisha were described and explained. It might be a bit confusing if you know nothing about Orisha (and a lot of them have similar sounding names) the authors takes time to explain the various gods' appearances, powers and attributes.

I kept going back and forth between giving this 4 stars and 5 stars while reading this but then Eshu showed up so I'm giving it 5 stars because Eshu is perfection in this story.

David Mogo is a good hunter. He is quite well placed to do this job and he has an advantage as he is a demigod. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, this story is one of the gods, demigods and wizards. The area is embroiled in a battle after the gods fell to earth and try to carve out their own home, pushing people out or taking them over.

David himself is quite a complex character, well you would be if you were a demigod surely! Trying to work out who he is and finding a place to fit in. He would rather be human than part god. In some ways this story is like a two-sided one, yes there are the battles, confrontation, and power struggles but there is also David’s story. Finding where he belongs and who he is and it runs alongside the gods taking over story well.

I did find this book challenging at times for a couple of reasons. There are quite a dark and disturbing section set around a character called Fati. The conversational language took me a little getting used to, though it is not used all the time in conversations. But that being said it sort of adds something to the story.

This is a book that is quite fast-paced and has a reasonable sized cast. I have to admit Papa Udi was by far my favourite, even though it was his speech that caused me to scratch my head working out what he was saying!

The setting has not been glamorised at all, the author paints quite a picture of the more destitute people in his story. Now I don’t have much knowledge of Nigeria, or it’s culture, traditions or religion. What I did find with this story was that these things came through very nicely through the story. This led me on an interesting internet search of the various Nigerian deities mentioned.

This book is one of those that will divide readers, but for me, it was a chance to read a book about a different culture to my own. A chance to broaden my reading horizons and discover a new to me author.

It is a book I would recommend.

Not a big fan of this one, even though I really thought I was going to enjoy all the Nigerian folklore, myths and legends. I actually couldn't finish it for some reason. Somewhere I got lost and I just didn't want to go back on track. I am sorry though. It has much potential

Overall
This is like three books in one. I think this could have been so much more and such an epic tale if they were split into three books and each laster 300-400ish pages. But at the same time, these three parts fit nicely into just under 400pages all together and forms a well-rounded, fun and entertaining story filled with magic.

The story
I liked the story. I did not expect there to be three different books in one though. They are all continuous stories all following David Mogo and his life and problems escalate, and are treated more like parts. However, each part is a year apart which is why I feel they would have been better as separate books.

The story in itself is good and rich and inviting.

The world-building
I felt the pace and steepness of the world-building were good. It was not too steep and not too info-dumping but at the same time, you get a lot of information which helps you understand this new world. The information was also drip-feed to the reader throughout the story.

There is a lot of cultural pieces in this book. It was fun to see the Orisha gods come to life and have issues with each other. There were also Nigerian food, clothing, tools/weapons included which added to the cultural background on the story and its setting.

The magic/science
There are gods here and demigods, and with that comes power. There are also wizards, humans who wield their own god essence into spells and charms and potions. A lot is going on.

The characters
The story is narrated by David Mogo as the title of the book suggest. He is a demigod and eats only three times a week, and hunts godlings for money. He doesn't want trouble but trouble seems to find him. He has a real moral compass and tries to fight for what is right without hurting the innocent.

Papa Udi is a wizard and he raised David. He also helps out on David's jobs with potions and wards and other spell stuff. He is a father figure and a teacher for David who was orphaned as a newborn baby. The way his dialogue is written in the text was very difficult for me to understand, but I caught the gist.

The writing
Some of the dialogue is written in a local dialect which can be confusing or it can be giving the story that little bit extra.

There is a lot of telling, but it's written in 1st person so it doesn't feel as much of telling me and forcing me to believe it as if it was written in 3rd person. A wise choice in choosing the type of narrative and voice for the writing style.

The author also talks straight with the reader, something which I'm not overly a fan off but thankfully there isn't that much of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I have been dying for a book in which the pantheon of Orisha gods get to run amok in all their glory, and this didn’t disappoint.

David Mogo, Godhunter reinvents Lagos as a post-apocalyptic world in which the Orishas have fallen from Orun and now David Mogo (demigod, Godhunter, master of sarcasm, and now unwilling hero) must keep them from destroying Earth.

You know, as you do. While this book wasn’t quite everything I had hoped for, it was a really interesting read and full of life, culture, and fighting, which is always fun.

My Thoughts:

- This is an #ownvoices story, and it shows. Okungbowa spins a masterful portrait of a post-apocalyptic Lagos, blended with all the fierceness of the Orisha. There were so many aspects of this that I loved, and of course, this is going to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Lagos felt real to me, some schmuck sitting in nowhere America who’s never even thought of visiting Nigeria. On the other hand, were there things I had to look up? Sure. For me, that’s part of what I love about reading about other cultures, but if you get easily annoyed at that, this will probably be more of a con.

Part of what I loved the most was the obvious code-switching in the dialogue. Nigeria is a country of many languages, and things like pidgin, English, Yoruba, and Nsibidi all make an appearance in the story. As a linguaphile, I just loved the richness this brought to the story (and also, code switching is real and beautiful but also sometimes frustrating and oh, the struggle is real and so relatable).

- At its core, David Mogo, Godhunter is a Bildungsroman for the slightly older crowd. Because we older people also deserve to find ourselves. I’m actually not sure exactly how old David Mogo is, but I’d say right around 30. So he’s not quite young, but not quite old. It’s a perfect time for self-discovery. For David Mogo, finding himself is a teensy bit harder than the rest of us, because he’s sort of a demigod fighting a war against gods and by the way, if he fails, Earth is doomed. No pressure.

- I am all about reluctant heroes, and David Mogo is about as reluctant as they come. What I loved most about David’s reluctance is that he genuinely tries to do what he figures is the right thing. But when it inevitably fails (because of course it does), man knows how to grumble. Like only a 30-ish-year-old could, because we have had practice.

- The writing is really descriptive and beautiful, and there were so many images that I just loved. It wasn’t entirely pervasive. The prose wasn’t all purpley or anything, and the majority of the book read really easily. But every now and then, there was a zinger of a line that really made me stop and think about the description, because I just loved the image it conjured and the way it sounded.

- Papa Udi is a treasure and says all the things we were all thinking. In some ways, he’s the typical mentor archetype. He’s David’s moral compass, his literal guardian, the man who’s tried to teach him what he needs to know, etc. But he’s also so much more than that. Despite being extremely old, Papa Udi doesn’t just kick back and let the youngsters handle things. He’s right there on the front lines and plays a pivotal role in the story and in the action. Old guy can hold his own.

- The magic system in this book is so nuanced and detailed. There are different kinds of magic, each unique and with its own powers and limitations. For David, obviously, being a demigod, he has considerable Godessence, which is derived from the Ashe the Yoruba have. It’s a dulled down version, though, since it’s mixed with human (gosh, we ruin everything, don’t we?). But even the Yoruba have different methods of power (you know, as you do with gods that reign over various realms) like Ibeji with their chanting and charmcasting and Sango with his lightning. For humans, there’s plenty of different charms that can be made, with a basis in charmcasting, herbs, runes, etc. I enjoyed reading all the different forms this could take.

- Can we take a second here to appreciate the Orisha, since that’s really what I came here for? They have personality, and it’s not always a good thing. If you’ve never read about the Orisha … well, for me, it’s sometimes hard to find the stories, but if you can, it’s so worth it. Talk about an interesting pantheon. What always drew me to them was that they had so much personality (much like the Greek gods) and such rich lore. This book really stayed true to that.

Sticking Points

- This book is told in three acts (Godhunter, Firebringer, and Warmonger) which all do tie into the main story, but each has its separate arcs and can be taken as their own little novellas, with time gaps in between. So to me, this book felt a bit episodic. When Firebringer and Warmonger start, it takes some time to get acclimated back to the story, which is very jarring because at that point, it’s already one- to two-thirds of the way into the dang thing. However, each opens like a new story. Not that there’s anything wrong with this particular approach, but for me, the book didn’t feel particularly cohesive.

- As beautiful as the writing is, I think there were times when it reached a little too far with the imagery, which abruptly yanked me out of the story. There were times I felt like that reading this, because some of the figurative language just caught me so off-guard and tripped me up and sounded a little wonky to me.

- I just could not, for the life of me, get into this story, and I’m not even sure why. I think maybe it was a combination of the following factors:
Exposition: There’s a lot of this. Despite being written in first person present tense, the story just didn’t feel immediate or accessible. I always felt at an arm’s length to what was going on, and I think that’s because a lot of what happened was told through exposition rather than action.
Travel: There is a lot of traveling in this, in detail. Which on the plus side, for those who love to draw mental maps, it makes it easier to understand Lagos. But for me? I don’t picture an overall setting in that much detail, so it just dragged for me and really slowed down the story, in my opinion.
Time Skips: These were jarring, and often, I felt left behind and had to reorient myself all over again.

- I don’t always understand David Mogo’s choices. They sometimes feel like they come out of nowhere, only for the purpose of driving the plot, without having any explanation for them. Case in point: early on in the book, David is tasked with what we’ll call Quest A. If Quest A fails, the world goes to crap. This is pretty well established. You’d think he’d be super motivated to make sure Quest A succeeds no matter what, right? Wrong. Instead of completing Quest A, he’s derailed early on by saving a character he’s met once.

I know the "giant alien object that transforms its surrounding area" idea is a neat metaphor for the impact of colonialism when used in African-based SF, but at this point we've seen it, just off the top of my head, in Ian MacDonald's Chaga books, Nnedi Okarafor's Lagoon, and more recently Tade Thompson's excellent Rosewater series. It's here as well, and at this point it's like reading another epic fantasy novel about a lost heir to the kingdom who finds a magic sword and defeats the Dark One. There's nothing particularly wrong with "David Mogo, Godhunter", (part from the endless info dumps!) but it doesn't do enough to elevate it above the pedestrian for me, and it all felt a bit hackneyed.

A post-apocalyptic, own voices urban fantasy featuring gods and wizards was always bound to tempt me and the gorgeous cover art by Yoshi Yoshitani sealed the deal. I was particularly intrigued to read about gods from a pantheon I'm unfamiliar with and the deities here are inspired by the Yoruba Òrìṣà. However, whilst the appearance of the various gods and goddesses are fascinating, especially regarding their appearance and the unique smell which seems to accompany each of them, they mostly fulfil a similar role throughout, as either antagonists or assistants to the main character, David Mogo.
Written from his first person perspective, this is very much his book and he is an appealing and multifaceted main character. At the start of the novel, he is a godhunter, employed on a freelance people to remove troublesome godlings. The story is set ten years after The Falling when the gods fell from the sky and ended up in Lagos. Parts of the city, pricipally Ìsàlẹ̀ Èkó (the local name for Lagos Island) have now become almost uninhabited by humans and are described as godland; black, cold and dying for human warmth. Godlings have a habit of wandering from their epicentre where they become disorientated and forced to take a material form. They are potentially dangerous but for a demigod like David, are easy enough to deal with. His latest job offer is much riskier as he is employed to find Ibeji - twin high gods. He knows it's a really bad idea but when the roof caves in on his house he feels he has little choice but to accept. As part-god, part-human, he doesn't really quite fit in anywhere. He is not trusted by humans or gods and after being left by his goddess mother, has been raised by Papa Udi, a venerable wizard on the edge of the dead zone.
What follows is actually a story of three parts; Godhunter, Firebringer and Warmonger. Each section is essentially a novella but combined they form David's arc as the opportunistic misfit eventually learns of his true capabilities. Although it's no real surprise to discover his origins mean he is destined to be more than just a godhunter, I appreciated that he continues to make mistakes and is a reluctant, often fallible hero. His battles with the various gods are certainly thrilling - they are violent and bloody and there are many casualties along the way but I was just as interested in his internal conflicts. There are a number of times in the book where he is forced to consider the impact of his actions on others and by the end of the novel, there is a definite sense that this is a more nuanced story than merely good versus evil. With that in mind, I was left with conflicted feelings about the outcome of the third part of the book. I understand why it had to resolve in the way it does but there is a part of me that wishes there could have been some other solution. However, I don't see this as a fault of the writing but rather an acknowledgment of David's assessment of the bleak reality of the situation.
As this is David's plot-driven story, told through his eyes only, the secondary characters are less developed although there are inviting little glimpses in to the back stories and motivations of some, most notably Papa Udi and Ogun. The setting of Lagos, however, is brought vividly to life, from the sights and smells to the speech, as the novel is peppered throughout with the local language and dialect. Papa Udi, in particular, speaks pidgin and there is no translation given which means the reader is left to figure out what he is saying. Some people might find this interrupts the flow of the writing but I thought it added an authentic rhythm and reflected the melting pot of languages in Nigeria. The city might be largely abandoned and desolate but the essence of the place and its citizens remains. Although there are numerous mentions of faeces and of the stench of the place, both before and after The Falling, I couldn't help but feel this is an affectionate portrayal of Nigeria's largest city, written by somebody who loves it, despite its flaws. The same could be said of David's eventual understanding of what family and belonging actually means and that flawed and unconventional lives can also equal home.
David Mogo Godhunter playfully twists the traditional mythology and includes several contemporary references to create a fresh and riveting storyline with a witty and engaging protagonist. I don't know if this is the last we'll see of David Mogo - I hope not - but I do know that this will definitely not be the last book I read by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.

Ohh this was an interesting read. I wasn’t quiet sure what to expect here but I was pulled in straight away.
We arrive in Lagos after ‘The Falling’ and meet David and his father figure Papa Udi. David is a Godhunter, charged with relocating godlings that have wondered too far from their designated zone. Papa Udi a wizard with a past.

The book is all told from David’s point of view, so we see everyone through his eyes. Papa Udi was a very interesting character to me, I loved seeing his character slowly revealed through the course of the story.
Lagos

I enjoyed the descriptions of Lagos, the language Suyi uses really invokes the atmosphere of the place. The comparisons between what it was like before The Falling makes you realise just how much the people have lost.

The Gods

They are some of the most interesting characters. Each with different gifts and different motivations. The story really begins when David is employed to snatch twin God’s. From this point on we come across a variety of different deities and we learn the reason for The Falling.

As you would expect when God’s are involved there are some amazing battles. Imagine the power of the wind, water, fire and a God that can give birth to creepy black godlings – you have the mix for some incredible scenes.

Final Thoughts

This book is told in three parts which allows the plot to jump a few days/weeks each time. I found it a little disjointed at first but I easily slipped back into the story. There is a mix of really good characters, however, we don’t get to see them fully develop which is a shame. Possibly because the story is told in first person.
The female characters are well written and are all portrayed as strong and equal. I would have liked to see more of them or have their characters developed further. There is also a female/female relationship hinted at which I know a lot of people will appreciate.

One thing I did really struggle with was the speech pattern when David and Papa Udi where talking. I found myself loosing the thread of the story and relying on the narrative to fill in the gaps. It’s by no means a deal breaker as their conversations are usually short and few and far between. However it did break the flow for me.

Overall I really enjoyed the story, it’s fast paced but also has moments of real tenderness. It’s unlike any fantasy book I have ever read and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys urban fantasy.
Many thanks to Tracy for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Suyi and the publishers for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had fun reading this book. A story about Nigerian God and the richness of the world-building.

There are certain thoughts for me that this book is trying to be successful as Children of Blood and Bone since it consists of some certain points which we can see also in Children Blood and Bone but the paced was so slow and it lacks for me this great execution.

Furthermore, it is not a bad story but somewhat a good one. I hope to hear more with this author.

Since the Orisha War that rained thousands of deities down on the streets of Lagos, David Mogo, demigod, scours Eko’s dank underbelly for a living wage as a freelance Godhunter. Despite pulling his biggest feat yet by capturing a high god for a renowned Eko wizard, David knows his job’s bad luck.

He’s proved right when the wizard conjures a legion of Taboos—feral godling-child hybrids—to seize Lagos for himself. To fix his mistake and keep Lagos standing, David teams up with his foster wizard, the high god’s twin sister and a speech-impaired Muslim teenage girl to defeat the wizard.- Goodreads

Jumping right into this. The world building was fantastic. I loved how well the author was able to build a world that is already existing but make it much more visible. It clear, detailed without feeling as if the author was reaching and I enjoyed the colors and the life the author brought to this book. 

My issue with this read came from the dialect. Let me rephrase issue is a bad word. This book is true to African culture/ urban fantasy and to say that is an issue is wrong. It was difficult for me to read, HOWEVER, if it was taken out, this book wouldn't have felt real. . . it wouldn't have been real. 

I like David and I like that his smug ass gets put in place. I love the history the author gets into about the world and its Gods. It it just the right amount of backstory to make this nerd girl happy. The pace was alright. There could have been a lot more going on to keep it on a fast track. 

But overall, I enjoyed this book and would read another book by this author. 

3 Pickles

I started this book with a certain expectation. I was under the impression that it was a novel, but it turns out to be strongly connected stories, which was a pleasant surprise.I really did enjoy this unique African Urban Fantasy, once I got past some of the language issues.

The writer pretty much just throws you in the deep end, as far as worldbuilding, and culture, which is a nix of various gods and humans, and although most of the events are explained well, you are still left to your own devices as far as interpreting whether or not what you're reading is a real event, or taking place in the minds of the characters. I don't know much about the culture depicted in the book (Nigerian), so that may have hindered my understanding.

This book was a lot of fun to read, too. I liked the characters, the situations, and once I got used to it, the use of language. Its unlike any Urban Fantasy book I've read lately, and I want more of it. Perhaps the closest comparison would be Neil Gaiman's Anansi's Boys ,which is an amalgam of British and African fantasy, except there's a level of authenticity, and tiny details, when the writer is from the culture they're writing about, like the unique way of talking to one's elderly father, or local traffic conditions, (and I enjoyed reading these little tidbits.)

This is definitely worth the read, and I will recommend to others.

I marked this book as "did not finish". I read about 25% of it. Although the mythology is super interesting, the narrating choices were very jarring to me. The unexplained switch between a Nigerian dialect and typical Western English every now and then kept forcing me out of the story - the characters spoke in dialect but David's
internal voice didn't, which didn't make sense. And it's very telling, not really showing.

In general, I was very disappointed with this story.

I really enjoyed this novel. Definitely one of a kind with rich world-building and well-rounded characters. An amazing author to look out for! Full review to come.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐