Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani

6 reviews

josisteacup's review

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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.

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_rowantree_'s review against another edition

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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


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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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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


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uraveragelesbianreader's review against another edition

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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.

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clarabooksit's review against another edition

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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


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abookandaspotoftea's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0


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