Monday, January 31, 2022

2022 book 17

 Alaya Dawn Johnson's Trouble the Saints

So the world building here is really interesting—certain people (all minorities) born with magical hands that give them various powers, and the story starts off strong with a white-passing Black woman gifted at throwing knives, working as an assassin for a (white) mobster on the eve of WWII. But things get more muddled as the POV shifts to her boyfriend (his hands can detect threats), and then to a friend of theirs who is a dancer and oracle. Parts of this are very powerful and moving (the ending, oof), especially the examination and condemnation of racism, but the middle parts are just kind of all over the place. B+.

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