With thirty-two speculative stories, ‘Africa Risen’ is a diverse collection that had a mix of hits and misses for me.
Almost 4-stars
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THE OBELISK GATE by N.K. Jemisin
‘The Obelisk Gate’ brilliantly expands on the foundation set in The Fifth Season, but I did not find it as gripping.
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DEFY THE NIGHT by Brigid Kemmerer
‘Defy the Night’ presents an entertaining blend of political intrigue and romance, although the character-driven storyline is fairly simple.
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THE LAST BLOODCARVER by Vanessa Le
A simple, casual writing style with good prose and details smoothly brings this story to life. I was particularly impressed by the bloodcarving ability of the main character, which was brilliantly presented and explored. However, the worldbuilding felt somewhat thin and underdeveloped, especially since some concepts, like the constabulary, were mentioned but played no role in the story.
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WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
The descriptive writing style is simple yet filled with vivid descriptions that make the narrative eerie and atmospheric. However, the heavy-handed foreshadowing made some of the tension and suspense fall flat for me.
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DAUGHTERS OF NRI by Reni K. Amayo
The rich descriptions, touches of humour and cliffhanger chapter endings made it incredibly easy for me to lose myself in this story. I also loved the smooth world-building and fascinating world, even though some aspects were confusing and underdeveloped.
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FANGIRL DOWN by Tessa Bailey
The casual writing style is filled with great descriptions, making this an easy and entertaining read. I also loved the dual points of view, as this made the story very satisfying.
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A TEMPEST OF TEA by Hafsah Faizal
Although the third-person narrative initially made it hard for me to immerse myself in this story, I was impressed by the captivating, vivid descriptions that effortlessly brought the characters and world to life. I was also fascinated by the intriguing and creative world that was established. However, I struggled with the clunky worldbuilding information dumps and wished some concepts, like the tea house, had been better developed.
