Official Review: Rhino Blood by Dawie Botha

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CataclysmicKnight
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Official Review: Rhino Blood by Dawie Botha

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Rhino Blood" by Dawie Botha.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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Rhino poaching in Africa has become quite the epidemic thanks to claims from Vietnam that they can cure cancer, and the way that the horns are extracted is brutal. This is the central theme in Rhino Blood by Dawie Botha, which follows both sides of poaching - the hunters who do the poaching and the folks who live among rhino and own rhino of their own.

Rhino Blood takes place in a small town called Alldays. Here a hunter named Pango is infuriated that someone removed part of a rhino's horn to try to protect it from poaching, so he mercilessly hacks the small remainder of the horn out with his panga (knife). While he's doing so, the rhino's calf approaches so he slices it open as well, leaving both for dead. The folks who live in Alldays find out and are terrified for the lives of their rhino, wondering what they can do to keep them safe. Armand, a game ranger, hires a private investigator to figure out just what's going on. Beneath what seems like a simple yet terrible poaching threat is far more, with even some of the more innocent people hiding secrets.

While the book has plenty of surprises, it moves at far too quick of a pace to tease them. The book is approximately 90 pages total, with chapters that are frequently 2-3 pages and bounce back and forth between different sets of characters. I actually had to keep notes about who everyone was, and referred back to them several times. With some more character building and some additional time with characters before jumping between them each time, this story had some major potential. As it is now, though, it just feels rushed.

I was also a bit confused about how the book's introduction is related to the rest of the book. It's all about a man named Dean Davidson, who I had assumed would be the main character. However, he isn't mentioned again until about 75% of the way in and it's a really odd reference. It isn't even clearly said in the book who he is, to get verification of who exactly Dean is one must go to the Amazon description. In fact, the Amazon description is a huge spoiler! Finally, there's one major plot twist in the book that just makes no sense at all. The way it happens makes no sense, and then when the twist regarding the event is revealed near the end of the book it makes no sense then either.

As for the theme of the book - rhino poaching - Rhino Blood does a decent job. Rhino aren't always killed before the horn is removed, an removing them is brutal and gory. Seeing the poachers actually do it from their point of view is a great touch, as is seeing what happens to Bongani, another poacher. Bongani and Pango poach together once, and Bongani makes the mistake of trying to take a horn while the rhino is still alive. In doing so, he ends up stabbing himself badly. To preserve his manly pride and his status as a rhino-hunting hero he downplays his injury, which costs him dearly in the end.

I feel like Rhino Blood needs 2 different review scores. As a story, it feels like a 1.5 or 2. As a method of pointing out the atrocities of rhino hunting, I feel it deserves a 2.5-3. Overall, I'd give it a 2.5 if I could, but since I can't do that I'll give it 2 out of 4 stars. For those who want to learn a bit more about rhino poaching, it's a quick read and explores the subject pretty well, just make sure to keep notes on who the characters are as you go!

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Rhino Blood
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