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lennie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
So I'm going to *attempt* to form my thoughts into coherent sentences that aren't just me constantly gushing about this book.
This story is kind of like Mulan meets GoT in South America. I'm not saying the world is meant to be like South America but that's the vibe I got and I'm sticking with it 👍
So a few things that I ADORED about this book were;
Veronyka
Sev being gay AF
Tristan being the cutest little bi cinnamon roll ever
The trans acceptance from Veronyka
THE TWISTS
The characters
The Phoenix's
The world building
The relationships
The multiple POVs
The hugs & affection 😭 (this is something I don't think we see enough of in Fantasy books and I really enjoyed it)
The writing style was excellent and genuinely Very funny in places. The battle scene at the end felt so tense and exciting and that's not an easy thing to achieve on paper.
The magic style was also unique. An affinity with animals isn't a new power idea as such but for it to be the protagonist's main power, and for the book to identify the good and bad ways it can be used, felt very refreshing.
My only qualms with this book are that Avalkyra (a historic character) should have been older. She was a very intense and mature character and for her to die after a war at the age of 18 felt off. I assumed her and her sister would at least be in their mid-20's, if not older. (Avalkyra is already dead when the book starts, this isn't a spoiler).
My other qualm is that as animages, I thought it was a bit odd that they still ate animals. It was sort of quickly explained that all creatures have their place but, as a vegetarian, I was like hmm, could just not eat meat 🤷♀️
Either way, I'm super excited to read the sequel!
This story is kind of like Mulan meets GoT in South America. I'm not saying the world is meant to be like South America but that's the vibe I got and I'm sticking with it 👍
So a few things that I ADORED about this book were;
Veronyka
Sev being gay AF
Tristan being the cutest little bi cinnamon roll ever
The trans acceptance from Veronyka
THE TWISTS
The characters
The Phoenix's
The world building
The relationships
The multiple POVs
The hugs & affection 😭 (this is something I don't think we see enough of in Fantasy books and I really enjoyed it)
The writing style was excellent and genuinely Very funny in places. The battle scene at the end felt so tense and exciting and that's not an easy thing to achieve on paper.
The magic style was also unique. An affinity with animals isn't a new power idea as such but for it to be the protagonist's main power, and for the book to identify the good and bad ways it can be used, felt very refreshing.
My only qualms with this book are that Avalkyra (a historic character) should have been older. She was a very intense and mature character and for her to die after a war at the age of 18 felt off. I assumed her and her sister would at least be in their mid-20's, if not older. (Avalkyra is already dead when the book starts, this isn't a spoiler).
My other qualm is that as animages, I thought it was a bit odd that they still ate animals. It was sort of quickly explained that all creatures have their place but, as a vegetarian, I was like hmm, could just not eat meat 🤷♀️
Either way, I'm super excited to read the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
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