Che-Michelle Tales

House of Gold, Pure Perfection, in my OPINION!

Book: House of Gold

Author: C.T. Rwizi

Published: April 2023

Wine Choice:  Jupiter De Halos Syrah or Brown Estate House of Brown Red Blend

Stand Alone, Series, or Other: Standalone

Type of book: Novel

Genre: Afro-Futurism/Science- Fiction/ Fantasy

How long did it take me to read this book?  Two Weeks

Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 (x 2)

In 2023, Three books stole my heart; I wrote about two of the reviews in a previous post link down below: https://chemichelletales.com/2023/11/26/what-more-can-i-say-go-read-this-book/

https://chemichelletales.com/2023/12/27/princesses-you-stole-my-heart/

House of Gold by C.T. Rwizi was the first book to steal my heart. It was beyond amazing. It had everything I wanted (want) in a book: 

✔️Plot Driven Story

✔️Mystery and Intrigue

✔️Character Development

✔️Unique and Original (to me)

✔️A Well thought Plot Twist (not a plot twist to have a plot twist)

I read this book because I had just come off the high of reading the Amazon series Black Stars, A Galaxy of New Worlds (I should do a review on all these books). Book 4, “These Alien Skies,” is my favorite book of the top three books in the series. The premises were fresh, and the world-building intricate and detailed. I wanted to know how the protagonist would survive and if she would be reunited with her loved one. You must read the book to find out what happens. I think LEVAR BURTON READS HAS AN EPISODE WHERE HE READS ONE OF HIS BOOKS, but I cannot find it ( this may be a Mandela Effect or just me willing Levar Burton to read one of C.T Rwizi’s short stories). If you would like to hear an interview with the author C.T. Rwizi, the link below: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xkLSev5SjpFHxrF1EpvJF?si=UBkA5QEZTF2sFou4r0aLYA.

I digress; I found out C.T. Rwizi has several books and decided to read one of his books after falling in love with the Amazon short I read. On Goodreads, this book has a 4.3 rating. I am unsure why it is not five, but I do not care. It is a five-star book in my heart. The book is set on an Earth-like planet, but we start underwater. A group of people are creating superhumans, not just any type. These individuals are trained in physicality, intelligence, arts, and strategy. Imagine taking Air Force and Marine training, then adding advanced IVY league Ph.D. education for intellectual study with the rigor of Julliard training. You have done this to a group of children and adults for almost 20 years. You create the perfect sleeper agent or super soldier. You train them using a leaderboard and mind games to make them compete and kill off the weakest links. Just to let you know, this is only the first three chapters.

As the story progresses, more layers are revealed about the main four characters, and you realize you are in a real-life Reindeer game scenario and wondering who two of them will do their best to topple the other. The story does fall into lulls, but the lulls are short, usually to set up the following plot or close out a plot. It is scarce; I love all four main characters equally and can empathize with each one. I loved the themes discussed and highlighted in the book, such as how elite status harms a community. Overall, influential individuals will hoard resources and never allow middle-class and poor citizens to achieve a better quality of life (hmm…sounds like issues we face today). What should you do when you are in an oppressive system? Should you work within the rules or blow everything up? Thus forcing society to start over, creating anarchy or building a better community.

 As the reader, you watch each protagonist struggle with the morally right thing to do while dealing with their conflicting beliefs, such as anarchy vs. working with the current system. It does not stop; there are twists and turns throughout the story: attempted murders, assassination setups, and near-death experiences. This was the first book this year, and I gave it a ten out of ten. I only rate it on a five out of five scale. I told anyone who would listen to me “TO READ THIS BOOK!”. I offered to buy this book for my friends for them to read. It was a magnificent display of storytelling, world-building, and character development. For example, Jamal is one of the characters. When the book starts, he is an annoying, conniving asshole. Does he end the book as an asshole? Yes, but Rwizi shows Jamal’s humanity and love for his proxy. I started to love Jamal’s character by the end and wanted a one-off story about him living his life after the events that took place.

My favorite character is Hondo. He reminds me of Black men today—the ones who want to enjoy life and live in peace but get shot by the strays of the red pill, misogynistic rhetoric. How sometimes they get sucked into the drama, whether protecting a friend or trying to help liberate people from an oppressive regime. Hondo, to me, is the definition of loyalty to a fault. Hondo is, by far, a gentle giant and is trying to protect his friends while living his authentic life. I still have not even gotten into all of Hondo’s complex nature.  What stands out about Hondo, which allowed me to connect with him as a character, is that all he wants out of life is peace, reading books, and drawing.  He wants to sit in a café and drink coffee or go to a jazz concert and enjoy the music. Hondo is consistently caught up in the schemes and plots of those he cares about, trying to ensure they are protected from their actions.

If you can read anything in 2024, READ THIS BOOK! It is incredible; it starts slow, but the reward at the end was all worth it to me, and honestly, it makes me want to reread it to see what I missed. I love this book; I had a red wine bottle while reading it. I do not remember which red wine. I would suggest the Halos de Jupiter Syrah due to the Fantasy aspect. The label has Jupiter and stars and deep sensual notes with an essence of mystery. I know I should suggest a Black-owned wine, but I am enjoying the Halos de Jupiter Syrah right now of Gold Nicey because of its oaky, cherry essence; it reminds me a little of a Southern BBQ. I believe Nandipa enjoyed red wine, and if I had to pick a red wine based on Nandipa’s personality, it would be Brown Estate House of Brown Red Blend. This wine perfectly encapsulates Nandipa: complex, sweet notes, yet spicy with lingering memories of how amazing the experience was sipping the wine.