Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Children of Blood and Bone

i read this physically and with the audiobook and it was amazing. i really don’t know what to rate this one. it’s either a 4.5 or a 5. i loved the magic system a lot and i love the characters especially zélie and amari. don’t even get me started on inan. i don’t know what’s keeping me from rating is 5 stars. on one hand if i think of fantasies i have rated 5 stars, i don’t think it is a 5 then. but also should i compare different books together? also i have a bit of a problem with inan’s character and how he was handled. and on the other hand if you think about it for what it is, a debut YA fantasy novel then it deserves 5 stars. i don’t know i hate having to rate books, trying to fit whole worlds onto a 1-5 rating scale (i’m so close to not rating books at all). the ending and the author’s note made me sob. i’m picking the second book now !!

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_paperserpent's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Mixed feelings ⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙

This book feels like every other YA book, cliche, predictable, and typical. I HATE the romance :)). But I do like how the magic system has a lot to do with bloodlines and gods. I think the world-building is amazing with just the right amount of description. I LOVE the character development of Zelie and Amari, they were well fleshed out. I'm not really sure about the ending, but I will definitely continue this series.

I don't know why, but I'm getting a little Nikolai Lantsov vibe from Roen lol. I'm kinda hoping for a Zelie-Roen relationship in the next book.

I hate INAN with all my heart, he's such an idiot. He sees through everything and still can't do the right thing?! I usually LOVE stories with angsty boys with daddy issues, but this guy is such a complete idiot, I can't stand him at all.

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lizzie24601's review

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adventurous dark tense 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? Yes

3.5

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sydapel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful sad

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

My friends have such good taste in books! Listened to almost completely during a drive to and from Reno, this snatched my attention right from the beginning and didn't let go. Two things really work well in this for me. Firstly, while YA characters can often feel really one dimensional and unrealistic, all the characters in this feel like actual teenagers - flawed in their decision making, easily swayed by emotions and prone to snap judgements that have consequences later on. Secondly, the action in this never fails to underline both the collateral damage of life and how all of the violence the characters encounter is a direct byproduct of the oppressive regime they live under. Very excited to continue with this series, especially given the exciting conclusion!

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