Member Reviews

This book is perfect.
Mythology made modern- check!
Heist - check!
Complicated love story - check!
well executed time jumps - check!
twist at the end - check!

Seriously I am in love with this book, I went and bought the physical book as soon as I finished the ebook. The way this author modernized the mythology used was so good and enjoyable, the idea that gods are doing menial labor for prayer pay and complaining about their workload is too good, it reminded me of something Neil Gaiman would write and I mean that as the highest of compliments.
I also will. never say no to a good heist and this one was perfectly done. I could honestly write an essay on how much i enjoyed this book.

PLEASE PLEASE write more in this world or at least more modern takes on mythology, or lets be real I'm going to read what you write next whatever it is so you do you.

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There's so much to love in this book that I don't know how to start. The idead of Yoruba Gods involved in mundane affairs like a heist at the British Museum was very intriguing.
I had fun, loved the well developed characters and world builiding, the solid mystery kept me turning pages.
Excellent storytelling, it was like listening to an ancient storyteller, who tell stories of Gods and humans.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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Gods involved in an heist novel? And they are queer? I'm so in love with this story and romance so recommended

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I’ll be honest here, I really was only interested in this book for the heist and the introduction to the Yoruba gods. The latter was done really well. I enjoyed getting to know about the gods and the culture and I thought the idea of a spirit company was really interesting. But the heist, which was the main draw, only took up about 20% of the book. Most of the book was flashbacks to introduce characters or set up certain things and I just wanted the writer to get on with it and get to the actual heist!

As I said, the gods were really interesting and I found the different descriptions of the characters interesting as well. I love how they melded different religions into it and made a space where everyone’s gods could exist together.

I really wish I could have been less bored by this. It was such a great idea and had real potential for excitement. It just didn’t hit the mark for me.

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4

Listen after this book I have developed a deep craving for fantasy books that incorporate Nigerian Mythology and Folklore.

Nigerian Gods facing lack of faith diversity and become a company 🤌🏿🤌🏿.

This book made me laugh and raise my blood pressure at the same time. I will forever remember oshey shine shine bobo because in the context it just eased the tension and made m cackle at 2am.

I can't wait to read more of his work!

Thank you to Net Galley and Gollacz for the e-arc 💕

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A mesh-up of a sticky romance novel, American Gods, soft erotica, and a heist film. Our protagonists, Shigidi (a god in the Orisha pantheon) and Nneoma (a succubus), are trying to build their lives as a couple while paying off a debt to a senior god. As the biggest task they were ever given by their senior god unravels, we, through flashbacks, learn about our protagonists, what brought them to where they are, and some of their acquaintances.

The book is a lovely introduction to some of the Orisha pantheon, and is written, at least to some extent, as a thriller, making it a relatively straightforward read. I did manage to finish the book, though not without struggling to force myself to finish it.

Much I didn't like. First, the love story at the centre of the book confused me a lot. It stuck out like a sore thumb, and the dialogues between the protagonists about their relationship were almost physically painful to read, both because of their substance and their inept placing in the storyline. The erotic elements I found almost endearing - they felt to have been written by someone who had too much sex on their mind. I actually didn't find the protagonists as overly sexualised - the succubus uses sex as a weapon, and, in my view at least, that's one of the redeeming aspects of the book. That being said, the numerous sex scenes added nothing to the plot, and indeed felt like they were written more for the author's benefit than the reader's.

Second, the plot itself meandered quite a bit, and the pacing was off. The protracted fight and chase scenes at the end of the book were, frankly, badly written - fitting more with a YA TV screenplay than what this book aims to be. Rather than do more character development (like the first glimpses we had of Shigidi before his transformation), the book spends time describing fight scenes, intra-god political manoeuvring, and sex scenes. Huge potential wasted.

Finally, the book tries too hard to build a world where sequels will be possible, but fails to make me want to find out anything about this world. There are attempts at hooks, but the inner workings of this world are dull (deus ex machina moments, no real explanation of the powers the gods have - varying to serve plot points rather than acting as a constant and more "credible" aspect of worldbuilding, etc).

Strong pass. Can't recommend it anyone. There are way better to read about West African gods, and way better urban fantasy books with gods. Comparing this book to American Gods is like comparing cardboard to bread.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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A heist story. But this is a heist with a difference because it’s a God that wants the supernatural item. A God can choose supernaturals to get it. So, with an offer they can’t refuse, in steps a pair who are trying to go their own way, a Succubus and a maybe not so minor Deity of Nightmares. This is a pacy story that stretches across the years and the world. A story that asks - can even supernaturals find their true self and have enough strength to trust an other to say I love you and mean it? Thank you to Orion Publishing group and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

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I got this eArc to review though Netgalley but unfortunately I decided to DNF half way through.

I did like some aspects of this book, specifically some of the world building about the gods and spirit companies. I thought there were some really interesting ideas about how that and the spirit world worked.

Unfortunately there were a few issues I struggled with and ultimately made me decide not to finish the book.

1. The dynamic with the love interest made me uncomfortable. She's a succubus which I think could have been done well, and instead just goes all in on the weaponisation of sex and jealousy. I struggled a lot with that especially when combined the consent issues inherent in her powers.

2. The plot skips around in time and you get a lot of flashbacks showing the history of the characters. Some of them are interesting but overall I felt like I was being given way too much background information that had already been hinted at and I didn't need to know the details of. It got to the point where I stopped caring about the main heist plot and lost all motivation to find out what happens.

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Shigidi is a short, wild ride that introduces you to a cast of Nigerian gods, goddesses and spirits, and watch as they undertake a heist on the British Museum. The novel introduced me to a whole fleet of gods and monsters I had no prior knowledge of. In particular, the corporate approach to prayer and worship taken by the Orisha Spirit Company was a really fun idea, and created a world in which gods could share with mortals in the drudgery of a 9-5 job. The scene where gods in a board meeting are discussing falling prayer figures in the last quarter will stay with me for a long time!

This book is first and foremost character driven for me, with a key focus of the book being on the relationship and sense of identity of Shigidi and his work partner Nneoma. Our lead character Shigidi is an ex-nightmare god who has found alternative employment, and is hired alongside succubus and work partner Nneoma to lead a heist into the British museum to reclaim the Brass Head of Obalufon. From the blurb, I was expecting more of an emphasis on the heist itself - there is undoubtedly a heist involved acting as a thrilling finale to the novel, but I wouldn’t recommend this one to readers who are solely here for that aspect. This is also definitely not a book for younger readers –Nneoma is a succubus with their own unique brand of ‘sex magick’, so you’d expect there to be at least a few sex scenes while introducing their character. That being said, the sheer number of sex scenes at the start of the novel was still somehow surprising!

Though I appreciate it more upon finishing the novel, the ‘flashback-heavy’ nature of the book felt a little confusing and disjointed at times. The flashbacks were a necessary addition to help flesh out the characters, though I’d advise readers to pay closer attention the dates and times at the start of the chapters then I did initially, as they really are necessary for following the story! Shigidi has all the elements of a fantastic novel, but didn’t quite scratch the itch enough for me to give it 5 stars, though I wanted to love it a little more than I did. The book has stayed with me a while after reading though, so I’ll certainly be watching out for anything else Wole Talabi writes in the future!

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This is a contemporary fantasy novel based on Yoruba mythology.

We follow Shigidi, a nightmare God who is unsatisfied and questions his existence and his role in the bigger picture, on a mythical tale across continents and spirit worlds.

I enjoyed the world-building- all religions have their corporate structures and territories; the 'spirit companies' make their earnings from the offerings of humans. There are board meetings, member votes, and prayer targets!

The story is driven by the main character, Shigidi, but there is a lot of plot. There is a hostile takeover of a spirit company, a heist, and a love story. The story is told through different POVs, spanning centuries, and jumps around a lot so readers are advised to pay attention to the location and time given at the start of each chapter.

The pacing was a bit slow at times, especially during the numerous flashbacks. The love story between Shigidi and Nneoma was a slow burn however, we didn't see it develop; I felt like it just was. This made it a bit difficult to believe/invest in. I understood more why Nneoma couldn't love Shigidi than why she did. I would have also liked a bit more of Nneoma's story.

Highly recommended for fans of American Gods.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy.

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Unfortunately this was a DNF for me (did not finish) at the 54% mark.

I really wanted to enjoy this: Yoruba gods stealing back an artefact from the British Museum? Sign me up!

The main thing I couldn’t get past was the treatment of women. Apart from the main female character (more about her later) every woman existed solely to be sexualised, usually in the form of waitresses wearing skimpy clothing, or else just exists as the ‘hag’ trope.

But Nneoma is our main female character; she is a succubus. I’m not against the use of these in fiction but I’m not convinced this book progressed beyond the misogynistic origins of the succubus myth. Despite being the second main character, Nneoma’s role consists of having sex and mentioning a mysterious loss of her sister. They need someone (a man) to help them in their heist? Don’t worry! Here’s a flashback where Nneoma had sex with a guy and now he owes her a favour. I kept waiting for her to perform some part in the plot that wasn't sexual and it just never came. Oh and the sex is never fully consensual by the way, the first time this happens, it’s with Aleister Crowley, who is gay, and she magically seduces him right in front of his male partner, which was such a nice way to treat your queer characters (/s). The second time this happens, she quite literally rapes a man while he is saying “No, please” and crying thinking about his family. He then dies. This was the moment I DNF’d.

Beyond that, our main character Shigidi did not have enough characterisation for me considering I was at the 54% mark, and the writing style also wasn’t for me - way too many adjectives and adverbs man 😩 I don’t need a paragraph of what the sky looks like every time we change scene.

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I don’t think this book was right for me, but I think it would be a massive hit for others. I thought the writing was beautiful in parts, but sometimes too flowery. I didn’t connect with the main characters, although I enjoyed learning about them - I would recommend readers who are even a little interested give it a go, it may be a new fave.

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I am a big fan of heists, and American Gods-style takes on deities, and also burocracy and takedown of the British Museum. Which are all things that this book has, and that's delightful, but where I fell short from really loving the book is the absolutely wall-to-wall levels of chaos in it that impacts the clarity of the narrative, and the succubus lens of one of the characters. I know, it was right there in the blurb, so I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was, but I think it was a matter of taste - I don't like the extensive focus on sexuality from a narator in any form, and i guess that includes from a succubus character as well.

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DNF at 60%.

I really struggled with this book because there were parts of it I enjoyed, but the whole thing felt a little chaotic and underdeveloped for me to truly enjoy it.

I liked:

How the god's were used the themes of capitalism and colonialism & how Talabi used the God's and their various 'companies' to show this.
The fight scenes and descriptions in general.

I didn't like:

The lack of character development. There was one female character especially who was seemingly used for the sole purpose of adding some sex scenes to the story and was wholly underdeveloped other than that.

The flitting between past and present tense made the story feel jumpy, took away from the main plot of the story which was supposed to be the heist and didn't really add sufficient development to warrant the amount of flashback chapters.

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Shigidi is the african version of American Gods and it's really good!
The spiritual realm is a bureaucracy, and gods and spirits are the working force. Shigidi and his partner, Nneoma, are "independent contractors" hired to retrieve a very important item.

It's a typical urban fantasy heist story, but at the same time it's god tier with cool battles and powers.
The plot is super interesting and it's a fun mix of mythology and modern.

The only thing that threw me off a little is the pacing of the book and the constant focus on the sexual aspect of the characters. It kinda makes sense since Nneoma is a succubus, but at times it was a bit to much.

But that is just my preference. All in all I really liked the book.

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