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penniew79's review
5.0
This needs to be a movie and a series!
Definitely a young adult read, but I suggest that anyone of any age read this. As a plus size gal, I was looking forward to reading this. I enjoyed all of the characters. I love how Thrash eventually felt comfortable in her own body. I feel like this would teach young girls how to love themselves. Each girl has to find a way to accept themselves in some way. And to me this book teaches young girls this in a fun way. This book would be such a good movie. It could even become a good series of books and movies. Some parts gave me the excitement that I had when I read the Hunger Games books. I will say I also relate to Saki. It’s almost like her super power is cooking! This was such a fun read. It took me an entire night to finish it because I could not put it down.
*I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. My review was not influenced by anyone and is my honest review of such a good book*
Definitely a young adult read, but I suggest that anyone of any age read this. As a plus size gal, I was looking forward to reading this. I enjoyed all of the characters. I love how Thrash eventually felt comfortable in her own body. I feel like this would teach young girls how to love themselves. Each girl has to find a way to accept themselves in some way. And to me this book teaches young girls this in a fun way. This book would be such a good movie. It could even become a good series of books and movies. Some parts gave me the excitement that I had when I read the Hunger Games books. I will say I also relate to Saki. It’s almost like her super power is cooking! This was such a fun read. It took me an entire night to finish it because I could not put it down.
*I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. My review was not influenced by anyone and is my honest review of such a good book*
ashleibby613's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.0
lizthunder's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
minetti's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
fnutor's review
0.25
I have so many issues with the world building of this book. But also if I had a nickel for reading contemporary books of witches with mother issues I’d have quite a few nickels!! It’s weird it’s happened like a dozen times! What’s going on!
Secondly, yes I read the authors note. But it’s so weird to be replicating/replacing events in the United States to create a new world which is still racist???? Only three indigenous states out of a whole land that does not belong to white “refugees”? And having white people in power but refusing to be like maybe they weren’t just refugees maybe they were colonizers?? Also the joke where the Black girl says something prejudiced about Europa and that is racism???? THAT IS RACISM?? Not the fact that somehow Crescas black family is too naive to understand that witches (mostly white) have the power in this society. Also yes there would be Black people who would shun magic but how about those who wouldn’t? If this group of people escaped essentially genocide-wouldn’t they mostly try to keep traditions for magic alive?? And hold strong to those? And create a culture around them? Wouldn’t crescas family be in such a severe minority that it should be mentioned that this is abnormal compared to
Community members??? Also why were west Africans driven out one year after The 13th ammendment was signed in our reality? Why 1866-what’s so special about that.
Or the assumption that any other nation/people group (apart from like Europe) in more modern times hates witches/magic and chose to persecute their people? Idk as a person from a colonized country the people who were driving us out of messing up indigenous practices were white people?? So how would a random dragon just drive out its people? Like nothing is making sense i fear . I feel like this story deeply misunderstands white supremacy/hegemony? Like I know one would not want to write about chattel slavery and still use that essentially as a device to get Black people to the thirteen states. But this method also refuses to have our (African) practices/believes on spirituality/magic taken with the same gravity and serious as the random magic system created in this book?? Like did u research any African myths or stories or spiritual philosophies?
this is what gets me about (preumablly) white or non black authors. You have the potential for boundless imagination to create a new world and this is what we end up with???? Trying to recreate racism but also kinda doing it wrong?? All this space to create and this is what your boundless dreams could figure out? This is ridiculous.
Also the fear of abolition and anything that’s not the rigid structure of American “democracy” is still entrenched in this book. Like this book gives the liberal dream/liberal imagination. When the reporter asked if all the gifts should be abolished the white leaders in charge were told that changes would be made-it’s giving democrat going to co opt movements and dumb them down to please everyone. Which is literally what happened and only a small percentage of non gift students would be accepted into HMUs (everytime I read that I was like HBCU???).
And somehow this is a perfect ending. If it had been framed as there’s still a lot left to accomplish or think about I would have given more grace , but this seems like the happy everything is wrapped together ending??? Again lack of imagination.
And everyone saying goddess this and goddess that-who is the goddess? What is the role of religion in this world. If this is supposed to be a culturally pluralistic world-why does there seem to be one dominant religion??? Wouldn’t that religion maybe be the persecution factor that for some reason is so absent in the world building?
I additionally really dislike when authors for don’t use the name of things in real life so they create replacements to mimic them like “west afrakan” . And this example funnily enough tries to mimic African but in a world with a reimagined colonial past afraka wouldn’t technically be a thing. We didn’t consider ourselves a continent in the same way,,,,, the grouping of us in this manner came with the onset of guess what COLONIALISM, and others before that age who were mostly not from the continent/land. Another example how the author does not understand the world? Anyone that isn’t white? To create a whole world u need to at least understand the one you’re in. Or hire someone who does.
Edit: some more stuff that is crazy. HOW DO U MAKE A NEW WORLD AND STILL PUT IN THE CIVIL WAR AROUND THE SAME TIME , AND HAVE WHITE PEOPLE STILL HAVE THE UPPER HAND AND WIN!
P.P.S. Why u got my sister with her hair out on this perilous road trip with no bonnet or supplies ?? Put her in some twists and let her have a scarf???? That’s the worst part of this-like her hair must be so tangled omg. Even under the glamor
Secondly, yes I read the authors note. But it’s so weird to be replicating/replacing events in the United States to create a new world which is still racist???? Only three indigenous states out of a whole land that does not belong to white “refugees”? And having white people in power but refusing to be like maybe they weren’t just refugees maybe they were colonizers?? Also the joke where the Black girl says something prejudiced about Europa and that is racism???? THAT IS RACISM?? Not the fact that somehow Crescas black family is too naive to understand that witches (mostly white) have the power in this society. Also yes there would be Black people who would shun magic but how about those who wouldn’t? If this group of people escaped essentially genocide-wouldn’t they mostly try to keep traditions for magic alive?? And hold strong to those? And create a culture around them? Wouldn’t crescas family be in such a severe minority that it should be mentioned that this is abnormal compared to
Community members??? Also why were west Africans driven out one year after The 13th ammendment was signed in our reality? Why 1866-what’s so special about that.
Or the assumption that any other nation/people group (apart from like Europe) in more modern times hates witches/magic and chose to persecute their people? Idk as a person from a colonized country the people who were driving us out of messing up indigenous practices were white people?? So how would a random dragon just drive out its people? Like nothing is making sense i fear . I feel like this story deeply misunderstands white supremacy/hegemony? Like I know one would not want to write about chattel slavery and still use that essentially as a device to get Black people to the thirteen states. But this method also refuses to have our (African) practices/believes on spirituality/magic taken with the same gravity and serious as the random magic system created in this book?? Like did u research any African myths or stories or spiritual philosophies?
this is what gets me about (preumablly) white or non black authors. You have the potential for boundless imagination to create a new world and this is what we end up with???? Trying to recreate racism but also kinda doing it wrong?? All this space to create and this is what your boundless dreams could figure out? This is ridiculous.
Also the fear of abolition and anything that’s not the rigid structure of American “democracy” is still entrenched in this book. Like this book gives the liberal dream/liberal imagination. When the reporter asked if all the gifts should be abolished the white leaders in charge were told that changes would be made-it’s giving democrat going to co opt movements and dumb them down to please everyone. Which is literally what happened and only a small percentage of non gift students would be accepted into HMUs (everytime I read that I was like HBCU???).
And somehow this is a perfect ending. If it had been framed as there’s still a lot left to accomplish or think about I would have given more grace , but this seems like the happy everything is wrapped together ending??? Again lack of imagination.
And everyone saying goddess this and goddess that-who is the goddess? What is the role of religion in this world. If this is supposed to be a culturally pluralistic world-why does there seem to be one dominant religion??? Wouldn’t that religion maybe be the persecution factor that for some reason is so absent in the world building?
I additionally really dislike when authors for don’t use the name of things in real life so they create replacements to mimic them like “west afrakan” . And this example funnily enough tries to mimic African but in a world with a reimagined colonial past afraka wouldn’t technically be a thing. We didn’t consider ourselves a continent in the same way,,,,, the grouping of us in this manner came with the onset of guess what COLONIALISM, and others before that age who were mostly not from the continent/land. Another example how the author does not understand the world? Anyone that isn’t white? To create a whole world u need to at least understand the one you’re in. Or hire someone who does.
Edit: some more stuff that is crazy. HOW DO U MAKE A NEW WORLD AND STILL PUT IN THE CIVIL WAR AROUND THE SAME TIME , AND HAVE WHITE PEOPLE STILL HAVE THE UPPER HAND AND WIN!
P.P.S. Why u got my sister with her hair out on this perilous road trip with no bonnet or supplies ?? Put her in some twists and let her have a scarf???? That’s the worst part of this-like her hair must be so tangled omg. Even under the glamor
dawn610's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
kitten_nugget's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
brookehamm's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
empearl1's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
itselvv's review
Sadly, this was a DNF for me. Couldn’t connect with the author’s writing style &humor, and I’m not sure It has any coherency. I have to admit that I’m not very familiar with heavy-fantasy stories (by heavy I mean simple focusing on &surrendering magic &fantasy elements), I really liked the message from what I read. It’s just that I don’t think I’m able to fathom magics nor making pictures of it in my head, so reading this was a bit difficult which unfortunately made the journey less enjoyable, not anyone’s fault, absolutely not, just me being unable to enjoy that much of magic.