Book Review: The Black God’s Drums
BOOK REVIEW: THE BLACK GODS DRUMS BY P. DJÈLÍ CLARK
Creeper, a thirteen-year-old pickpocket living on the streets, is inhabited by the spirit of Oya, the Orisha of storms, who gives her a vision of a skull moon hanging over New Orleans. In an attempt to barter the information to Anne-Marie, the captain of the airship Midnight Robber, both are thrust into foiling a plot that endangers the entire city.
What I liked:
– The alternate history of New Orleans. It’s a steampunk version of the Civil War aftermath, where the states are divided in between the Union and Confederates.
– The Orisha. As someone who has been learning about them, I admit that it was one of the main reasons that I had purchased the book, and I’m glad to say that the author did a wonderful job with them.
– Strong heroines. Amazingly written and fleshed out!
What I didn’t like:
– The dialect. It had its charm and was easier to understand the further along you got, but as someone fluent in French, reading it made me cringe.
Overall:
– I absolutely loved this novella. It was a quick read, and now anything written by P. Djèlí Clark is on my auto-buy list.
Let me know if you’ve read The Black God’s Drums or not!
Raine