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guessgreenleaf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.25
This is my first read by S. Jae-Jones and WOW it was great! Such beautiful and intricate world building, characters that are easy to relate to and love. We get to meet a cast of, mostly under 18 year old's, who are finding out they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Being a teen is hard enough but imagine trying to save the people you love from possession and destruction?
Fantastic read and I can't wait to see what will happen in the continuing books!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Genocide, Confinement, Transphobia, Animal death, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Ableism, and Homophobia
ezwolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The way the author used English to mimic how characters would have spoke in other languages was so interesting and gave it a unique quality. The magic system, while similar to others I've read about, still felt different than what I've read before.
I loved that both Zhara and Han had younger siblings that they were fighting to protect. And Xu! I loved Xu, they are probably my favorite character with Yuli coming in close second. Even though there was a romantic subplot with Zhara and Han, the friendship between them and Xu and Jiyi and eventually Yuli felt genuine and just as important as the romance. And the inclusion of queer characters was a delightful surprise.
The writing was a bit repetitive at times, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, Grief, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Homophobia, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Animal death
chronicacademia's review
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Medical content
writteninmagic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
I thought the premise and the world were interesting. The writing was simple and easy to follow along with for the most part; there were instances, such as mentioning locations in the world and not really having something like a map to indicate where they were in relation to one another, that made it confusing to keep up with when I was reading the story. Unfortunately, the writing style was written as telling everything as it is, which took out any tension the action scenes/battles would've had.
There's a diverse cast of characters, but I felt like none of them really stood out as characters except Xu. All of them basically remained the same throughout the book. However, this is the first book in a series, so there's room for character growth and I'm curious to read more about the magical world and the adventures they'll go on.
Something that frustrated me while I was reading was when something major happened, but then none of the characters mention it until a few chapters later. And then when it gets outright explained several chapters later, Zhara is somehow still surprised even though it should've been really obvious.
The writing got really repetitive with all the instances of Han being like "But how?" and then immediately going "Oh" afterward.
I'm not a fan of instant romantic attraction between characters. Han is instantly drawn toward Zhara and there's also an instant attraction between the two side characters.
Despite the criticisms I've written, I'm curious to read about the story's world (more about the history, the magic, and the elemental Guardians' powers).
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
kay_rose's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Murder