Like the title says, I really enjoyed A Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez. I thought that it struck a good balance between giving vivid descriptions of the characters and environment and keeping the plot moving along. I think another book I like that I think does this well is Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark. I also recently read Jade City, and while I feel like it fits the description of what I’m looking for, I found it a bit too political for my tastes which made me feel slightly detached from the characters.
by bread-is-my-friend