Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 13%.

It almost doesn't seem fair to write a review for this one - I think it just wasn't for me. I had a hard time paying attention, a hard time figuring out who and what was happening. The imagery and inner monologue were beautiful, but after two-ish weeks of forcing myself to read one more page, I admit defeat for the moment.

Perhaps I will pick it up again. Perhaps it will make sense after reading earlier books by this author.

2.5/5 rounded up to 3

This book is the sequel to Will Do Magic for Small Change. (Which would explain why I fell into it's grasp feeling as if I were in the middle of the story. I did not check for other books because sometimes authors just dump you in the middle of the story like that.) Since I haven't read the previous book or the prequel, which features Cinnamon's grandparents, most of this review is going to sound like this book is a stand alone. It is not.

Archangels of Funk is a combination of cyber and solar punk, with a huge wedge of voodoo mixed in. Our Protagonist is a woman named Cinnamon who lives out on a farm in the back of beyond during a slow-motion apocalypse and the ensuing collapse of society. Despite "nostalgia militias" and "desperados," and a nearby gated community with an electric fence and armed guards,Cinnamon's community is doing well for itself thanks in part to a combination of technology and hoodoo centered around Cinnamon's farm, and an annual festival that takes place near the farm.

This year though, Cinnamon's inspiration is lacking, the slow motion apocalypse is speeding up, and
desperados have kidnapped one of the robots Cinnamon uses in her performances. On top of that, people from Cinnamon's past are showing up, making problems and demands. It turns out that before she was a farmer and community organizer, Cinnamon was a hot shot cyber punk programmer who was fired from her job after her girlfriend stole her work. (Which Cinnamon promptly stole right back--along with their new puppy--before blasting off to the family farm.)

This is a fast paced book with the feel of a prose poem. Despite the fast pace, it is not a book I would advise reading quickly. The rhythm is quick, but the poetic aspects of the prose mean you might miss something if you read too fast. (This book took me a long while to finish, it was one of those books where you have go do something else in between pages or chapters while everything stews in the background.)

I was strongly reminded of Pat Murphy's The City, Not Long After and to a lesser extent, Emma Bull's Bone Dance. (The former due to the way Cinnamon's community is centered around the arts and education. The latter due to the use of African Diaspora spirituality, and the idea of preservation of the past and the arts.) I am at some point going to have to check out the other two books, Will Do Magic for Small Change and Redwood and Wildfire.

This review is based on a galley copy received from NetGalley.

Cinnamon is trying to keep her community going in a post-environmental apocalypse world. She has the ghosts of her ancestors to keep her company, as well as some amazing animal companions, but things are not all well. Trying to create space for a diverse community, and meet people's needs in an increasingly resource-impoverished world is a challenge.

Parts of this book drew me right in. The language is stunning and it flows musically, particularly when talking about the musical heritage Cinnamon has been given by her grandparents and their songs. I am a middle-aged woman who cycles as much as I can, and so I felt a real link to Cinnamon, and identified with her frustration with the state of her world.

This was, at times, hard to keep the flow going. There were a lot of different viewpoints happening and it was easy to get confused. I also struggled with the diverse use of pronouns here, as it took me a while to realize that was what was happening for one of the characters. Somehow I needed that connection to be drawn in a clearer way for me.

This is a beautiful book, but not an easy one to read. I struggled at times to pick up the flow of what was going on and re-situate myself in Cinnamon's space.
3.75 stars rounded to 4.
Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the e-arc.

Archangels of Funk was an interesting concept. However, this style of writing is not one that I enjoyed, though I am sure that many others will enjoy it. The pacing jumps and feels abrupt in moments as points of view change. It leans more science fiction than fantasy (and I think I prefer the latter more), but the concept of the world was so interesting (and the undertones of the necessity of forgiveness and second chances was incredibly appealing).

While this is not in my wheelhouse of reading, I did finish it and would recommend it to my friends who shy away from a heavier fantasy read, but still want elements of magic mixed into their futuristic worlds.

I always appreciate trying unique stories because I get tired of the same tropey SFF. Unfortunately sometimes trying something unique leads to disappointment. I thought I would like this one but I found the actual narrative wasn't grabbing my attention. I didn't connect to the characters and so I didn't necessarily care what happened to them. I think this one has an audience but it's not me.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

The writing style/voice didn’t work for me. I couldn’t tell if we were in third-person limited or omniscient. I stopped after the first chapter (2%). It’s certainly different, which I’m excited to see from that perspective. I couldn’t even guess how this would go over with audiences, so just leaving five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC