I don’t wanna write this, dammit.

I was sent author Micki Janae’s debut novel Of Blood and Lightning by her publisher in exchange for a review. It’s been sitting on my shelf for a while now, mostly because I wanted the review to come out close to release date and the book comes out next Tuesday. I felt like it was going to be right up my alley based on the description I got. And any time the cover of a book features a young Black woman holding a sword, I’m gonna pay attention. The blurbs about Micki Janae make it clear that a big part of the reason she wrote this book is she wanted to see representation of Black people and specifically Black girls in fantasy, and I absolutely, wholeheartedly support that goal.

The problem is the book really needs some more time to cook. Don’t misunderstand me; I know I was sent an uncorrected proof, and I’m not talking about, like, grammar errors or typos or the occasional clunky sentence. There aren’t that many to begin with, and “uncorrected proof” means uncorrected proof, and I’m not holding that against the book. No, this needs structural edits. Story-level edits. Big chunks of it need to be either beefed up or rethought entirely, and especially for something that boasts of the worldbuilding on the back of the ARC, I feel like a lot more thought needs to be put into the book’s basic premise.

And that’s all very general, I know, and it’s entirely possible that one of the problems is a me problem, which is that Micki Janae didn’t write the book I wanted her to write, or at least the book I wanted to read. And I don’t really like criticizing books for not being different books.

The problem is that my specific gripes about this book are probably not gripes that a white guy has any real business making about a book about a Black girl written by a Black woman. Particularly when it’s not like anyone is sending my books to her for review. And I think that rather than sticking my hand into the buzzsaw that that conversation could very well turn into, I’m going to refrain from going into details.

Of Blood and Lightning is not a bad book. But there’s a much better book hiding inside it, and I feel like it’s a missed opportunity, particularly in a world where Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn or Ladarrion Williams’ Blood at the Root exist, or, perhaps, a certain Greek mythology-themed megaseries that is already dominating the YA fantasy market. If you read those books already and you’re looking for more, or if you’ve got a young person in your life who you think might enjoy a book about a young Black woman who inherits the powers of Zeus, well, pick it up. I’d be happy to see this book be successful! I really would! I just wish I could be more enthusiastic about it.

Of Blood and Lightning releases October 8th.