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frostlywild17's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was the strongest book in the series, for me. I really enjoyed Cresta's character development and the journey the characters went on to collect magical artefacts, however they weren't enough to really make me like the book.
Kiva was still a wet blanket, though some of the new characters, like Ashlynn, were nice.
I found the portrayal of the two black, African-inspired kingdoms to be very racist and rather offensive; one, Jiirva, was said to be a nation of barbaric brutality and rife with corruption, and the other, Hadris, was literally described as "where the worst of humanity resides", having a prolific black market industry and an extremely lewd, sex-obsessed king who couldn't stop ogling women's bodies. Given that and the fact that Naari, the only "good" black lead in the entire series, was only virtuous for actively denouncing and insulting her cultural background to her white companions, it's fair to say this series has done major disservice to the thoughtful portrayal of racial diversity in YA literature.
Kiva was still a wet blanket, though some of the new characters, like Ashlynn, were nice.
I found the portrayal of the two black, African-inspired kingdoms to be very racist and rather offensive; one, Jiirva, was said to be a nation of barbaric brutality and rife with corruption, and the other, Hadris, was literally described as "where the worst of humanity resides", having a prolific black market industry and an extremely lewd, sex-obsessed king who couldn't stop ogling women's bodies. Given that and the fact that Naari, the only "good" black lead in the entire series, was only virtuous for actively denouncing and insulting her cultural background to her white companions, it's fair to say this series has done major disservice to the thoughtful portrayal of racial diversity in YA literature.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
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