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Nicky's Reviews > Rosewater

Rosewater by Tade Thompson
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it was ok
bookshelves: speculative-fiction



I struggled with this book so much. I’d read such glowing reviews from a whole range of people, but I just couldn’t get into it. Probably part of that is my own fault for reading it on the treadmill (though that normally isn’t a problem) and in little bits, but a lot of it was the narrator’s obsession with sex. I don’t know how many orgasms he had during the book, some of them spontaneous, let alone the number of erections he talks about (seriously), but everything for him seemed to revolve around sex. That’s what women mostly seemed to be for, for the narrator: the first question through his mind always seemed to be a variant on “can I fuck her?�

I especially did not enjoy him in gryphon form fucking a butterfly-winged stranger on what amounts to the astral plane. Just� no thank you.

There is some fascinating stuff here with the setting (Nigeria), the isolation of the US, the xenoforms, Wormwood� but for me it was buried under the general unpleasantness of Kaaro. He’s not particularly ashamed of using his talents to become a thief, and he’s definitely not ashamed of his objectification of women and his complete shallowness. There was an awesome potential whole different book here about Oyin Da, or Aminat, or Femi, but instead they’re sidelined and putting up with Kaaro’s shit.

I don’t know. I don’t get it, guys. I appreciate some aspects of it � SF set somewhere other than the US (or to a lesser extent, the UK/Europe)! The concept of a network of fungal infection allowing mindreading in sensitive people! Awesome! But.

I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series.
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Reading Progress

Started Reading
February 22, 2019 – Finished Reading
March 1, 2019 – Shelved

Comments Showing 1-3 of 3 (3 new)

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Rachel Having read this review after writing my own brief one and consider that this review very much reflects my own thoughts, and says, very much what I should have written also I've I'd been more brave.


Tess Yeah the sex stuff was way too much. It grossed me out a lot and made me super uncomfortable. I feel like there is a way to show your character is sexual & selfish without being objectifying and explicit, and this was not one of those books


Lottie Staples I feel so vindicated reading this review - I really don’t understand all the glowing reviews and responses. This book was creepy and audibly groaned and rolled my eyes at the ridiculous sexualisation of every female character


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