#Binti #NnediOkorafor #YAscifi #scifi #ownvoice #amazingreads #booknerd #scifinerd
Hello friends and welcome back! As promised I’m posting more than just ARC and Blog Tour reviews!! This past weekend in the facebook group that I help Admin, The Reading Corner Book Lounge, we held an 8 in 48 Readathon. For those who don’t know what 8 in 48 stands for or what a Readathon really is I’ll provide a little breakdown. A Readthon an event set for a specific length of time, 24/48/72 etc, that you forget all of your adulating and just read!! There are some that are more strict and involved and some that are more lax (like in my facebook groups) and you can read as much or as little as you’d like. So, an 8 in 48 Readathon is where your goal is to read at least 8 hours in the 48 hour Readathon span. These tend to be a bit more popular than the others as we all have our own busy lives and can’t always spend every waking moment reading for 48 hours straight, even though I try my damndest!! LOL. Where was I? Oh yeah, so we held an 8 in 48 Readathon over at The Reading Corner Book Lounge facebook group and it was focused on reading diverse authors. I took it as a great opportunity to finally finish the Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor and I’m so glad I did!! Shout out to my book bestie Danny for recommending this trilogy to me.
Trilogy Summary –
In her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella, Nnedi Okorafor introduced us to Binti, a young Himba girl with the chance of a lifetime: to attend the prestigious Oomza University. Despite her family’s concerns, Binti’s talent for mathematics and her aptitude with astrolabes make her a prime candidate to undertake this interstellar journey.
But everything changes when the jellyfish-like Medusae attack Binti’s spaceship, leaving her the only survivor. Now, Binti must fend for herself, alone on a ship full of the beings who murdered her crew, with five days until she reaches her destination.
There is more to the history of the Medusae–and their war with the Khoush–than first meets the eye. If Binti is to survive this voyage and save the inhabitants of the unsuspecting planet that houses Oomza Uni, it will take all of her knowledge and talents to broker the peace.
My Review –
I thought it unique that the first book was less than 100 pages, and each book after that got bigger by about 100 pages or so and each had very strategic endings. They made for incredibly quick but powerful reads. Not like anything I’ve read before! I was really intrigued by the familial structure of Binti’s family, and the concept of “the root” which is the name for their home, and the tribal communities. The Medusae are a very intriguing species and I loved everything about them from their jellyfish like bodies to the relationship they develop with Binti. I’d have loved to get to know more about them though, just not enough of the Medusae in the books to satisfy me. Although, it would be a great spinoff idea!
Some of the other aspects of the books I enjoyed were the bio-ships that transport Binti to and from the infamous Oomza University, where the brightest of all species come to study and learn and become great scientists and such in the galaxy. The whole concept of a Master Harmonizer is incredibly brilliant and the mathematical basis behind it far exceeds my math skills! In the third book we see Binti go on her pilgrimage that initiates them as women into their tribe. I loved the idea of this, in Australia it is known as a walkabout, in the Amish belief system known as the Rumspringa. Most cultures have a sort of “coming of age” celebration or ceremony and I thought the version in Binti was very creative, spiritual and full of self-awareness.
Overall each book got a 4 star rating from me. They were creative, exciting and had a very unique viewpoint. For anyone who loves #ownvoices reads, Scifi and strong female characters then this trilogy is 100% something I suggest you read. I think the story of Binti will most definitely stick with me throughout the years, and even will warrant a reread down the road.
Thank you to all who took the time to check out this review. If you’ve read the Binti Trilogy please share your thoughts on it in a comment. I’d love to hear what you thought of it. If you have other book recommendations you think I might like based off of enjoying the Binti books feel free to share those as well! Like I mentioned in a previous review post, I’m trying to read more Sci-fi as it’s a genre I really enjoy but need to read more of on a consistent basis.
Until next time, Happy Reading! 🙂
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