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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I really didn't like it much. Forced myself to finish because I keep giving up on books, but I really didn't like this one. The moralities of it, the themes of allegiance, loyalty & betrayal rang false to me.
3.5 ⭐️
Despite the slight no communication trope between the Isodal twins, I enjoyed the story line. It was definitely a slow build up for the plot, however. The character growth is phenomenal. Ranka learns through trial and error to always choose herself. Aramis learns that even if she doesn’t have any inherited powers she is a very powerful woman. Galen learns that he doesn’t need to follow up on everyone else's expectations of him. Percy is just the amazing side character who helps them through it all as somewhat as a mentor. The life lessons and splash of betrayal in this book is such a good book for middle schoolers to read and learn from in a non fiction sorta way.
Despite the slight no communication trope between the Isodal twins, I enjoyed the story line. It was definitely a slow build up for the plot, however. The character growth is phenomenal. Ranka learns through trial and error to always choose herself. Aramis learns that even if she doesn’t have any inherited powers she is a very powerful woman. Galen learns that he doesn’t need to follow up on everyone else's expectations of him. Percy is just the amazing side character who helps them through it all as somewhat as a mentor. The life lessons and splash of betrayal in this book is such a good book for middle schoolers to read and learn from in a non fiction sorta way.
medium-paced
for me personally 85% of this book was 2.5 ⭐️‘s, but seeing as this is not the usual kind of fantasy that i go for, i gave it an additional star for bias correction — plus an extra star because goddamn that cover is fantastic. i know that has nothing to do with the quality of the book, but still. great art. (also i read somewhere that positive goodreads reviews is a huge deal for most authors so i feel bad giving less than four stars.)
this book has some nice things going for it. girls with axes and girls with crowns are pretty great. but it also has some singularly… “unique” pacing issues, a (imo) muddled worldbuilding that at times bugged me so much they took me out of the narrative, and a tidy ending that i felt would have better supported the core themes if it had been messier with a pinch more nuance and a sprinkle of realism. however, seeing as this book seems marketed more toward the soft sapphic fantasy crowd, a member of which i am not, i fully accept that this book was not written for me and that’s okay. i had fun with it for what it was, and at the end of the day, i can’t really ask more from a book than that.
this book has some nice things going for it. girls with axes and girls with crowns are pretty great. but it also has some singularly… “unique” pacing issues, a (imo) muddled worldbuilding that at times bugged me so much they took me out of the narrative, and a tidy ending that i felt would have better supported the core themes if it had been messier with a pinch more nuance and a sprinkle of realism. however, seeing as this book seems marketed more toward the soft sapphic fantasy crowd, a member of which i am not, i fully accept that this book was not written for me and that’s okay. i had fun with it for what it was, and at the end of the day, i can’t really ask more from a book than that.
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had action, an intricate political plot, great world-building, and loveable characters. I wish more moments between Ranka and Aramis had been shown, because their relationship felt somewhat abrupt. I also think some of its themes were a bit heavy-handed. But, all in all, I really liked this book.
So I was shocked to see that it had been accused of perpetuating racism. I am Black, and--while I know Blackness is not a monolith--I did not pick up on any bigoted undertones.
TL;DR: I'm Black and didn't think it was racist, but I'm just one person. Read it and draw your own conclusions.
Putting aside the fact that all of the negative press I personally saw about the book was from people that hadn't read it, and had only heard about it secondhand:
The main issue people cited was that the royal twins, Aramis and Galen, were mixed, and Ranka was white. Somehow, the conclusion had been drawn that the twins were oppressing white witches, like Ranka. But this is not the case.
It is pointed out multiple times that the witches are a diverse group comprised of various races. It is also mentioned that witches have committed wrongs against humans, and neither of the two groups was fully in control of the situation.
As an aside,these claims are especially ironic considering that the twins weren't even ruling, so they had no hand in what was happening to the witches. And made even more ironic by the fact that their father, the former king, was white and abusing his power to oppress witches and humans alike.
While it is at first presented to Ranka that Galen is hell-bent on killing all witches, this turns out to be a lie told by Ranka's mentor. After meeting Galen, Ranka discovers the truth: Galen is a kind, gentle boy that has been made into a figurehead, much like herself.
If anything, this is less like reverse-racism and more like a white person who was raised in a racist environment meeting a Black person for the first time and realizing everything they'd been taught was a lie. Which is still an issue, but a separate one.
I feel like Mix's intentions were to create diverse characters in a fantasy story where the color of your skin has no impact on your societal standing. Personally, I like to enjoy stories like this on occasion; there's enough racism in the real world, and it's nice to get a break.
As a queer Black woman, I was also estatic to see someone like me reflected in the story. I know this is not a universal experience, but I would rather see imperfect representation than none at all because white people are too afraid of backlash to even include people like me as a one-off side character.
But this is just my opinion. And my thoughts do not invalidate the opinions of other Black people who actually read this book and have legitimate criticisms.
I urge anyone who is on the fence about reading The Ones We Burn because of any controversey to just give it a chance, and pass your own judgement.
So I was shocked to see that it had been accused of perpetuating racism. I am Black, and--while I know Blackness is not a monolith--I did not pick up on any bigoted undertones.
TL;DR: I'm Black and didn't think it was racist, but I'm just one person. Read it and draw your own conclusions.
Putting aside the fact that all of the negative press I personally saw about the book was from people that hadn't read it, and had only heard about it secondhand:
The main issue people cited was that the royal twins, Aramis and Galen, were mixed, and Ranka was white. Somehow, the conclusion had been drawn that the twins were oppressing white witches, like Ranka. But this is not the case.
It is pointed out multiple times that the witches are a diverse group comprised of various races. It is also mentioned that witches have committed wrongs against humans, and neither of the two groups was fully in control of the situation.
As an aside,
While it is at first presented to Ranka that Galen is hell-bent on killing all witches, this turns out to be a lie told by Ranka's mentor. After meeting Galen, Ranka discovers the truth: Galen is a kind, gentle boy that has been made into a figurehead, much like herself.
If anything, this is less like reverse-racism and more like a white person who was raised in a racist environment meeting a Black person for the first time and realizing everything they'd been taught was a lie. Which is still an issue, but a separate one.
I feel like Mix's intentions were to create diverse characters in a fantasy story where the color of your skin has no impact on your societal standing. Personally, I like to enjoy stories like this on occasion; there's enough racism in the real world, and it's nice to get a break.
As a queer Black woman, I was also estatic to see someone like me reflected in the story. I know this is not a universal experience, but I would rather see imperfect representation than none at all because white people are too afraid of backlash to even include people like me as a one-off side character.
But this is just my opinion. And my thoughts do not invalidate the opinions of other Black people who actually read this book and have legitimate criticisms.
I urge anyone who is on the fence about reading The Ones We Burn because of any controversey to just give it a chance, and pass your own judgement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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