Member Reviews
This was a great sneak peek, and while I'd added the book to my TBR already, this shot it to the top of the list. The focus on future cyborg tech, androids, and the way science undergirds more traditionally "fantasy'/magical elements made for more-than-intriguing world-building, and the very OTT cliffhanger/cut-off for the sample was very savvy marketing. Will definitely be picking it up.
This was a great sneak peak. Despite how short it was, I know that I can not wait to continue on with the story as soon as possible! Definitely going to be my next read.
Before I even finished this sneak peak, I knew I’d be ordering the full book!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this preview eARC!
I've been debating buying this book for a while now, and when I saw that the sneak peek was available I was so excited! The Civil War in Nigeria was one of the key topics in my Norwegian Primary Education English course this spring, and reading a dystopian novel about it seemed really interesting!
First of all I appreciate that this sneak peek has 4 whole chapters! I feel like sneak peeks often only contain 1 or 2 chapters, so reading 4 was really nice. I really liked the worldbuilding so far, the direct links to the Nigerian Civil War and the shifting narrative makes sense. I am still a little bit confused to how the little community works, but I can't wait to find out more!
I have already preordered the paperback version of this book after reading this, and I can't wait to read more!!!
Sneak Peek Review:
2172 in Nigeria. Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, are fighting to stay alive. They live in a camp of all girls. There are wars all over the world, including Nigeria. The technology has advanced. Onyii has a robotic arm, nanobots are part of their way of life, and a droid helps take care of Ify.
For me, while the technology was interesting and really is almost a character in this novel, it was distracting for the storyline, almost like learning a new language. Onyii an Ify have strong personalities that you are able to get a sense of quickly. I have a feeling this book will be a great fit for many.
Tochi’s ability with magnetic prose and superb world building makes WAR GIRLS one of the best novels out there! Such a compelling story and dynamic characters.
Pretty unique book, I am intrigued enough with where the story is going that I have purchased a copy. At this point I am not 100% sure what is going on, but I suspect we will get some back fill to how these War Girls were created and for what purpose as the story unfolds.
I have never read a futuristic/dystopian African story before, so that is what first drew me to War Girls. It takes place in Nigeria in the year 2172, where radiation plagues the land and many people have mechanical limbs that they need to care for. It seems like a fascinating story and I want to know what happens next.
This sneak peek was okay, but nothing in particular drew me in. The writing was fine. I don't know too much about the plot or charters yet. The premise from the summary is intriguing, though, so I may continue on in the future.
This sneak peek contains the first few chapters, and it's definitely a great hook. We meet our protagonists and get enough of a look into how this society works. The war girls include those that are augmented as well as those that are not, and they're all hiding from the government and using its dregs as well as scavenging for equipment.
I really wanted to see more of this story, and would love to see the entire book!
What a captivating sneak peek! The technology and the world-building is so well thought out and written. I breezed through this sneak peek, and that ending! Gosh, I am so glad I picked up this sneak peek (and, more importantly, the book when it was on sale last month). What a fresh story. I love me some good sci-fi but it's much less common than fantasy these days. When a really good sci-fi idea comes along, I get so excited and boy is War Girls shaping up to be just that. The bond between the girls is just so heartfelt and real. I can't wait to see what happens next!
It's hard to judge this book just by the sneak peak, so I'm going with 3 stars! I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but if you are, you'd probably enjoy the tone of this novel. Ultimately, it's more about the plot and how it ties up, which is hard to judge off of 30 pages.
WHAT!?!?!? WHAT!??!?! HOW CAN YOU JUST END IT THERE!? I'm so glad I am getting a copy of this book because where this sampler ended is NOT NICE. Not nice at all!
Okay, love the writing. Love the world. I think this is a super cool science fiction novel and I'm really curious what happens to these sisters. One thing I really like is how technology has mixed with biology. Bionic arms and legs, nanobots, this stuff is so cool and I really want to know more about the technology too. This preview has gotten me really excited for this book and I can't wait to read the rest of it!
I was very excited to see this preview of War Girls on Netgalley because this book is one I want to read, but I've been hesitant to buy it because its not my preferred genre. Now I am seriously considering doing so. This preview to War Girls was full of heart, strong and feminist Black girl protagonists, and some cool sci-fi worldbuilding. It is clear, even after reading a short excerpt of this book, that Onyebuchi's writing style is electric. I enjoyed this sneak peak very much.
I have had <em>War Girls </em>on my TBR for a <em>long</em> time now. It's been one of those books that I've been anticipating pretty strongly, but haven't had the chance to open up. Well, I got my hands on a sneak peek copy from NetGalley recently and, initially, I was ecstatic. By all accounts, I should have immediately fallen in love with this book and moved it to the top of my to-read list. And I very much would have were it not for this one <em>perpetually</em> irritating piece that I could just not get past.
I want to preface this by saying that I find everything about the plot of this book incredibly enticing. It features strong female leads with vastly different skill sets, one that of war and fighting and the other of education and intellectualism. The book educates its readers about the history of civil wars in Africa, specifically Nigeria, in an incredibly exciting and commendable way. I loved the premise and the plot, I loved what I saw of the characters and I genuinely do not have any complaints about a single piece of them.
Why, then, do I feel like reading this book would be a massive chore that I, frankly, have a seriously difficult time getting past?
<b>Everything, and I do literally mean <em>everything</em>, is written in the <em>present-effing-tense</em>.</b>
I don't know if you've noticed, but the vast majority of books published these days are written in the past tense. Sentences flow in a manner such as, "Seff ranted vehemently about her hatred of present tense in novels," not "Steff rants vehemently about her hatred of present tense in novels."
And while you might look at those examples and wonder, well, what's wrong with it?
To be fair, nothing.
But I personally <em>cannot</em> stand to read books in the present tense. I spent a good portion of this sample <em>hating</em> the writing so much that I nearly put the book down after I finished the second chapter. And I remember thinking to myself, wondering why I was so utterly <em>jarred </em>by the writing that I genuinely felt as though I couldn't carry on. Present tense writing is <em>immensely </em>distracting.
<b>I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.</b>
And I'm <em>so majorly </em>disappointed because this book genuinely sounds <em>amazing</em>. I feel like <em>War Girls</em> has so much to offer and I <em>hate </em>that it feels like a chore to read each page. I don't want to impose my opinions for how a book should be written on other authors, but damn...why present tense? Maybe I'm a minority on this one, but I just cannot stand it. It more or less killed my ability to read this book.
Part of me feels like I should try to just power through it, read the novel anyway, and get over my absolute hatred of this style of writing. And considering the fact that I feel this book would be an important one to read I feel even more guilty about how difficult it was for me to get past. So, maybe one day I'll pick it up and try again. But I dunno.
This was one of the hardest books to get into and it's the first time I can say that it's entirely due to one minor choice that could be fixed <em>super</em> easily. It's the first time I can say that I couldn't get through a book based on something that is related to the writing style but isn't reflective of poor writing. The writing is <em>good</em>, the book appears to me, by all measures, brilliant. It's just that stupid present tense.
<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>
After finishing this, I can't wait to read the full book. Unlike anything I've ever read with a distinct voice, I want more. And the way the sneak peak ended made me more than excited to finish the book.
A very interesting sneak peek of the book War Girls. I'm inmediatly adding it to my wishlist cause I'm so intrigued!
It is fascinating reading about this sci-fi technology, I really liked it. I also loved the characters. The whole situation they were in was so interesting and also heartbreaking.
For a sneak peek this was amazing, these first chapters are filled with empathy, world (and technology) building, character introductions and even a bit of action.
Tochi Onyebuchi's writing is as gorgeous as always, and had me hooked from page one! So stoked for this one!
Intriguing sneak peek that includes the first three chapters of War Girls.
It's perfect as a sneak peek, giving just enough information to draw you in but not so much that you're satisfied.
It was engaging from the very beginning, despite being a bit info-dumpy. The worldbuilding is intriguing but leaves a lot of questions open, and I'm honestly not quite sure where the plot is heading.
I liked the two protagonists, though i was surprised by their youth. Onyii is only 15,and Ify even younger.
This definitely raised my interest and I'll be keeping the book in mind for the future.
Content warning inlcude: amputation and prosthetic limbs, cybernetic augmentation, civil war, child soldiers, bullying, animal death, mentions of violence and injury.
Wow!! This is one of the best chapter samplers that I’ve read. I was instantly hooked by the writing, the world-building, and felt a strong connection to these sisters. One of the things I appreciated the most was how information about the world is communicated via showing and not telling. I loved meeting both sisters and learning about their goals and frustrations. To set up such a vivid world, create memorable characters, and tease the start of an engaging plot? Pretty difficult to do in a short amount of pages, but Tochi Onyebuchi nailed it. I will definitely be buying this book to find out what happens next, because what a cliffhanger!! Thank you to Tochi Onyebuchi, Razorbill, and Netgalley for a free chapter sampler in exchange for honest feedback.