Storm of Locusts

Sloppy. (I'm sorry.) Parts of it just didn't cohere, other parts felt too hard to relate to. A few too many conveniences for advancing the story, never you mind the characters or their motivations. I had the sense that there were missed deadlines, rushed editing, and don't even get me started on the lack of proofreading! Grrrr!

Roanhorse really can write, but it takes a team to make a book: we need editors to catch weaknesses, reviewers to note subject gaffes (such as: airplanes don't work that way), and, dammit, proofreaders, not just spellcheck (there are no misspelled words in “airplane hanger” or “knife sheathe”, yet no way to program a computer to cringe when it sees words used that way). I may have cringed often, but I eagerly kept going and consider it time well spent: I really do love how Roanhorse writes, her dialog, how she builds tension, the way her characters demonstrate decency and integrity without going preachy or saccharines. (Sometimes just by a hair). I love the relationships between her characters. And I will unabashedly look forward to her next, but please, Ms. Roanhorse, take your time, don't rush; and please, Simon & Schuster, don't skimp on editing.