The Spear Cuts Through Water

Quotes

Genre

• Fantasy
• LGBTQ+
• Romance

Trigger Warnings

• Cannibalism
• Death
• Violence
• Animal Abuse
• Alcoholism
• Sexual Content

*There may be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some need to be brought up to be discussed.

Summary

Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.

But that god cannot be contained forever.

With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

Both a sweeping adventure story and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy, and belonging, The Spear Cuts Through Water is an ambitious and profound saga that will transport and transform you—and is like nothing you’ve ever read before.

Characters

• Keema – One armed soldier who travels with Jun
• Jun – Son of the First Terror
• Grandmother (Lola) – The Storyteller
• The Grandchild – Listens to the story
• Moon Emperor Magaam Ossa – Father of the Three Terrors
• The Moon goddess, his empress – Enslaved and wants her freedom
• Saam Ossa, the First Terror – The First Son of the Emperor
• The Red Peacock Brigade – The sons of the First Terror
• Luubu Ossa, the Second Terror – Second Son of the Emperor
• The Third Terror – Third Son of the Emperor
• Commander Uhi Araya – Commander of a fortress
• Shan – Daughter of Uhi

Setting

The Land

The Inverted Theater

Overview

It is weird. The narrative voices jump all over the place. There were strange moments where the mythology shaped the action and I had to stop to process what had happened. I loved every moment of it. It felt new and unpredictable, events hurtling forward in a way that forced me to sprint alongside to keep up.

There was a good mix of emotions, a dark sense of humor tagging along with bleak action. There were a lot of moments of horror, many scenes where the power difference was made stark and clear. There were even more tender human moments, where kindness and empathy hold ultimate sway.

It was intense, it was new, it was engaging. I wouldn’t throw it at a lot of people to be honest, like I said before it was strange but it is one of those that will pull you along in its wake to where ever the heck it’s going.

Pros

The thing that got me at first was the voice. Listening to the audiobook, it took more focus to figure out who was who without the visual triggers. The second person narrator was unique already but then using first and third to denote different points of view is something I haven’t seen on this scale. It cleverly places appropriate distance between the reader and events as things escalate.

The characters are intense. The world is pretty extreme so it makes sense that the story follows people that stand out in it. They are complex and layered, making the reader question how they feel about each one. Except Luubu. I did not waver on how I felt about him.

I don’t know if the mythology is based on anything “real world” but it has so much to it, it feels established. The tortoises and their place in the world, as slaves and technology were an intriguing element making the world rich. The people have an earthy realistic bent to them and the harsh ways of their higher beings influence the nature of the world.

Jimenez introduces different realms in a creative and well-thought out way. Having the narrator of the story be removed and still a large part of the workings works really well with the mythological setting and the emphasis on family ties and descendants.

The creativity was really the biggest draw. The change in voice to denote different points of view was jarring at first, but was a lot of fun to follow. The characters were ambiguous on morality, the world is rough like that but it makes it all the more of a victory when they make a good choice. The world felt new yet established, the storytelling was something brand new for me, and the message on family and compassion is so well delivered it feels like I’m learning it all over again.

Cons

The shift in voice and narration can be confusing. I listened to the audiobook and became incredibly attentive to the shift. Jimenez uses person (like first and second) to show where the story is coming from. Personally, I think it was brilliant and it makes me want to read it over and over again just to see how he did it. Bigger picture though, I know it will throw off a lot of readers. It adds a layer of complexity that can be hard to follow, especially when it is set in an unfamiliar world.

Rough as in brutal. I could argue that this is a good thing, but I struggle with cannibalism. It was what the story needed especially to fit the world and tone, and Jimenez made sure that the name Terror was earned.

I feel like I say this more than I should, but this was another one I really didn’t find a lot of fault with. Besides the nitpicks it really was amazing.

Final Thoughts

I already want to read it again now that I understand more about it. It was a wild ride with a very fresh approach. The mythology and characters were a lot of fun and the dark turns the world took us through were loud enough to quantify the stakes.

The writing would probably throw readers off but if you can, try and make it through, it is really worth it. The clever switch between person really does work the narrative into a different level.

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