Binti

This was alright - I definitely kept picking it up and wanting to read it and I finished it pretty quickly (I mean it’s under a hundred pages long so how could you not). Now that I’ve finished it though I feel a little underwhelmed.

It was interesting but felt a little simple. I feel like the resolutions were rushed and too easy. The inciting incident was exciting but then everyone holds hands and makes nice.

I also wanted more things explained. I don’t care at all about math so I truly did not want more math, but they kept saying that they were using math and equations to do things but that tells me nothing. I don’t care to understand the math itself but I’d like to understand how it was being used to accomplish anything.

Not entirely sure if I’ll continue the series. It’s short and an easy read so maybe I will but I don’t currently feel compelled to do so.

A novella is a challenging form and hard to do right (Capote and Sparks come to mind as authors who really have a feel for what makes a good novella). This is a good story, but I wish it were a novel rather than a novella. I super enjoyed Okorafor's world-building and wanted more! I also feel like it would have given the character of Binti herself, and the events of the story, more time to breathe and get comfortable. I'm definitely reading the sequels though!

I LOVED the beginning of this but ended up finding the actual story a little underwhelming by the time I reached the end. However, Binti is a wonderful character with lots of courage, tenacity, and heart, and I would be interested in reading more about her since she was easily my favorite part of the book!

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/07/mini-review-binti-by-nnedi-okorafor/