CBR18 BINGO: Versus (for Chosen Ones – good vs evil), Wealth (Reluctant Fundamentalist), and Map (His Face Is the Sun)
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
What happens as the dust settles after defeating the world’s greatest evil, in this case the Dark One? That’s the premise of this interesting take on the chosen one trope. There was a prophecy about who the chosen one would be, but five people ending up fitting that description. They end up working together to defeat the Dark One.
But that was 10 years ago. Now those 5 chosen ones, while still friends, are trying to live their lives and cope in their own ways. The POV character is Sloan, the prickliest and possibly most publicity-shy of the bunch. As the book progresses, something happens to one of the other chosen ones (the book blurb spoils it, IMO), and the group realizes that perhaps there is evil left to defeat after all.
We get partial flashbacks and descriptions of what happened 10 years ago, and a lot of information is filled in with interstitial FOIA documents, articles, and book excerpts. I enjoyed this way of laying out the information and felt like we got enough of an idea of what happened the first time around. The premise felt unique, and it was well executed. While I was never uninterested in the book, my interest did pick up partway through when there is a significant shift in the plot. This was a creative novel, and I had a good time with it. 4 stars.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Hamid had some convincing to do when I first started this book. The framing device used second person POV, and while I don’t typically mind that, I wasn’t convinced it was the right format for this novel. The narrator is Changez, a Pakistani man living in Lahore, who begins relating a partial story of his life to a nameless American man over tea. He explains how he was essentially living the American dream after being recruited by a valuation firm upon graduation from Princeton. He works hard and is a valuable member of the firm, and meanwhile is in a quasi relationship with an American woman. The attacks of 9/11 begin to change things, especially as Changez sees how America treats Pakistan in the aftermath.
By the end of the novel, I believed that Hamid had made, if not the best choice, at least a defensible one in his choice of POV. The use of “you” does sometimes make the writing awkward: “I see that you have noticed the scar on my forearm, here, where the skin is both darker and smoother than that which surrounds it.” However, readers can tell that both the outer frame and the main story that Changez is telling are leading to something. This book has probably the most ambiguous ending of any I have ever read, and it will leave you questioning your assumptions and maybe everything that was revealed before. 4 stars.
His Face Is the Sun by Michelle Jabes Corpora
Are you in the mood for an Egyptian-inspired fantasy? Then this might be a book for you. It’s a YA fantasy with four POV characters: a princess, a priestess-in-training, a farmer, and a tomb robber. (There’s also a prologue, middle chapter, and epilogue from a cat’s POV, which was awesome). These four characters are destined to come together as part of an oracle, because the kingdom of Khetara is in danger. The pharaoh was greedy and the son who will follow him is . . . problematic.
The character work is strong, with each character being distinct, and the novel is well-paced and well-plotted. My favorite character was Neff, the priestess-in-training. She was taken from her old life when it was discovered that she has visions, and I loved her fortitude. There was also a dog, which of course I loved. I also appreciated the immersion in Egyptian culture and mythology.
This is the first book in, I believe, a planned trilogy, though the third book isn’t out yet. I’ll be starting book 2 ASAP. And there is a map. It’s not highly useful, though I’ve seen worse (I’m looking at you, Daevabad trilogy). 4.25 stars
