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josisteacup's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
The best books are those you finish in only one or two days and you stay up until 1pm, not thinking about having to get up early and when you fall asleep you continue the plot in your dreams. This is one of those books. I immediately ordered the sequel. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow and I'll probably finish it very fast.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Slavery, Child abuse, Trafficking, Ableism, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content, Child death, Death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: War, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Child death, and Domestic abuse
farfetched's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I started this book a long time ago, then realised it ended on a cliffhanger when I read the blurb of A Darkness at the Door, the sequel, and put it down again. Now I'm trying to read more, it was high on my list of things to read first, and I'm very glad that I've managed to finish it.
I really love Rae. She is disabled, but she is strong, fierce and clever. Her disability does mean that she cannot do some things as well as other people, but she does her best. Her loyalty to her family, especially Nita is really harming, and her grappling with her new environment was fascinating to watch. The turns were foreshadowed well - I felt that I only caught some of them a little before they happened, if at all.
This book does directly deal with slavery, more like modern slavery as mentioned in the afterword, and this has a slightly darker tone than Thorn, but it is excellently written, and I'm excited to see Rae get out of her situation and prosper!
I really love Rae. She is disabled, but she is strong, fierce and clever. Her disability does mean that she cannot do some things as well as other people, but she does her best. Her loyalty to her family, especially Nita is really harming, and her grappling with her new environment was fascinating to watch. The turns were foreshadowed well - I felt that I only caught some of them a little before they happened, if at all.
This book does directly deal with slavery, more like modern slavery as mentioned in the afterword, and this has a slightly darker tone than Thorn, but it is excellently written, and I'm excited to see Rae get out of her situation and prosper!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and Trafficking
Moderate: Confinement, Child abuse, Blood, Death, and Kidnapping
_rowantree_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Slavery, Ableism, Child abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual violence
teenbrarian's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Confinement
Moderate: Trafficking
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Slavery, Ableism, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, and Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Rape, Sexual violence, and Grief
bananja's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Trafficking
Moderate: Ableism
towardinfinitybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Trafficking
Moderate: Physical abuse, Slavery, and Emotional abuse
uraveragelesbianreader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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
How this book is not a staple of teen/YA fantasy I do not understand. The flow of this book was gorgeous and the dialogue flowed beautifully and never felt janky or forced. The world building was deep and immersive but did not overshadow any other elements of the book but instead worked with them to create complete and cohesive scenes. The single perspective of the main character and the way the author uses this to show information to you only as Rae herself acquires it leads to intriguing and action packed scenes. This book genuinely had my heart racing as I read it, the overwhelming almost existential threat of the snatchers that grows the deeper she goes into the mystery is incredible. Watching the subtle character growth of Rae throughout even just the first book was beautiful. Every choice she makes feels like it has real ramifications. The strong morality of Rae stands in stark opposition to the characters around her and she is the perfect choice of main character for a novel like this. The way her morality is pushed to its limits and she is forced to make increasingly tough decisions and the reader is dragged right along with her. Every twist and turn this book takes feels earned and even those that come out of nowhere at first fit the plot and are never just a cheap scare. Tension in this book is built through beautiful passages and every moment no matter how small feels like it could spiral into a significant plot point. This leaves you wanting to read every page thrice over just to ensure you havent missed anything and really helps put you in Raes position. I have already mentioned a few times how much I love Rae as a main character but I truly cannot say it enough. She feels like someone we either are ourselves or know well, she is not perfectly moral, she is not without flaws and she is not above failure. She manages to avoid all the typical sexist tropes female main characters can fall into and as the story grows she grows with it. I cannot wait to see how she will develop across the next book(s?). On the note of harmful stereotypes, I would like to applaud the diversity of this book and the unique way it was done. This book has several female characters specifically characters of colour and yet there is no misogyny or racism in this book. I find it oftentimes upsetting how much unnecessary bigotry often finds its way into books like these with various excuses for it. Although this book does contain ablesim it feels purposeful for the narrative and the main character (who is disabled) is never cured of her disability and it is not treated as a grand hindrance to her, it simply is. This was a wonderfully refreshing take on disability in fantasy novels and I wish more authors would follow the lead set by the author here. There is a small romantic subplot that I found thoroughly enjoyable despite there being no explicit romantic scenes between the two. I also found this wonderfully refreshing as it feels many modern fantasy books have become romance books with a fantasy subplot. I have been reading teen/YA fantasy since I was 11 years old and I can confidently say I have never read a book like this before. If you are bored of the typical fantasy format, a mystery lover looking for a good first YA fantasy book or a seasoned fantasy reader and enjoyer like myself I would recommend this book to you. I cannot wait to see where this series goes and I fully intend to spend the next days bingeing on Kahanis other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Ableism, and Slavery
Moderate: Grief and War
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Trafficking, Ableism, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexism, Classism, Slavery, Death, and Child abuse
Minor: Grief
young_adult_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Premise:
Snatchers have been taking children from all around the country for years, but when they strike close to home Rae decides she must do something. After joining her cousin in court and making a few unlikely friends, Rae starts a dangerous investigation into the secrets of the snatchers. But what she finds might just be too big a conspiracy for her to handle.
Review:
I just loved this book, from the character to the plot everything just kept me engaged and wanting to read more. Every time I put the book down I was already looking forward to when I could pick it back up again. Just marvellous.
The main character, Rae, was such a strong, bold and powerful character and personality. She knew what she wanted and stuck to it, always stopping to help people whenever they needed it. I also loved how she interacted with her disability and how she reacted to other peoples reaction to it. Do what she could do with her disability, working with it and not against it, accepting it as a part of who she is.
I need to know what happened to Rae and how this amazing story is resolved, for Intisar Khanani is an evil genius for that cliff-hanger. The second I can buy the next book in this series I will for this story and Khanani’s writing is amazing.
If you are looking for a story that is adventurous, emotional, mysterious, sad, tense and has a cliff-hanger that will make you curse the author, Theft of Sunlight is for you.
Favourite Quote:
“Sometimes, when you think things are finished, they are only just beginning.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Trafficking, Ableism, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery