by Angie Henry
“No one I know has six vices like I do. Even those with five vices are few and far between.”
Basically: For Auben Mtuze, ignoring society’s view of him because of his vices is hard but silencing the voice in his head urging him to embrace his dark side is even harder in Nicky Drayden’s Temper.
Holy moly! There is so much going on in this book. Imagine an alternate South Africa, untouched by colonialism, where the majority of the population are twins. Now imagine you are distinguished from your twin by the number of vices you have, which are branded onto your skin for all the world to see. Toss in sibling rivalry, family secrets, demonic possession, science, magic, and religion, and you’ve got a perfect mix of afrofuturism, sci fi, fantasy and horror.
Temper follows Auben Mtuze and his twin brother Kasim. With six vices to Kasim’s one, Auben is considered the inferior twin. This doesn’t bode well for his future in a society that only sees your vices. Not surprisingly, this puts Auben at odds with Kasim in the face of his brother’s much brighter future and strains their relationship. This is further complicated by the need for twins to maintain a certain physical proximity with each other at all times or they’ll get sick. And if that’s not enough, Auben starts hearing voices urging him to do very bad things.
Using a newly uncovered family secret as leverage, Auben and Kasim—who has his own issues—set out on a journey to slay their figurative and literal demons. There is some very intense world-building in this book, which I found utterly fascinating and just a bit confusing at times. And did I mention it’s funny? Well it is. So check out Temper By Nicky Drayden when it releases August 7th. And as always this is Angie with Geek Girl Riot!
In the end: Read it! This is a tale of brotherly love…with demons.
