sweko
8/22/2021
I loved the setup and the characters - people that were not living in nice times, and so could not afford to be the nicest of people. Even the big bad's motivation is somewhat explained. The magical realism contrasted with a modern inner-city setting definitely works, and put me in mind of Octavia Butler or Lucius Shepard.
What I did not especially like was the small-world setting. Everyone was somebody's mother or long lost lover. Sorry, but I need that level of coincidence at least lampshaded. I don't know, a line about blood calling to blood would have been enough.
However, what really prevented me from putting in that fifth star is the ending. The buildup is great, but I felt that the end itself was described in an anticlimactic way. Everything was there, only the execution left me wanting more and better.