Magonia - Maria Dahvana Headley

Ugh. There is nothing more disappointing than having your very big book expectations fall flat. Magonia was, sadly, just that. Disappointing and really weird.

 

Drawn by the beautiful cover and the blurb, I thought I was in for a much more different experience than what I got. This book had way more tropes than I wanted (instalove, love triangle, girl doesn’t know she’s beautiful) and while the world building was pretty unique, it wasn’t consistent. I still don’t understand half of what was happening or how anything worked.

 

Also, being stuck with Aza for most of the book was annoying as all hell. I couldn’t differentiate when she narrated and when, to quote Nenia, her manic pixie dream boy aka Jason narrated. Their voices were pretty much one and the same. I connected more with Aza’s parents than with Aza herself. Maybe I’m just getting old.

 

And don’t get me started on the other love interest

aka Dai. I didn’t notice at what given point he flipped the switch from being a jerk-face to suddenly stroking her hair and her cheek and her back. Dude, you’re laying it on too thick. All of a sudden, Aza is struck by the faithfulinstalove arrow and it feels right to be by Dai because they are the Magonian equivalent of soulmates. Come.the.hell.on.

(show spoiler)

 

The crazy font drove me nuts. The writing also drove me nuts. Both took me out of the reading experience. I was expecting beautiful prose and instead I got cut up, awkward sentences and [[[ ]]] and so much nonsense. Half the time I wasn’t sure what I was reading, then I just stopped caring.

 

I also felt that the author tried to cram way too much stuff (like a lesson on environmentalism and how we are destroying our earth

and also destroying the parasites that feed off us

(show spoiler)

) but in the end didn’t properly explain anything. So I am left hanging and with no desire to read the sequel.

 

At least the cover is pretty.