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lautreamont's review against another edition
i think white Americans should be banned from writing anything set in an "exotic" place or inspired by a third world country I could almost taste the yellow filter reading this
ruth_miranda's review
5.0
How can I express how impressed I was with this book? Straight from the start I was lured into this story, this world, these characters. The author does one superb job where it comes to worldbuilding, the details are pristine, never jarring, it flows easily and organic, believable and relatable. The MCs are delightful, the civilisation, the cultures, the backstory, everything in this book entertwines as if a carefully put together tapestry of extreme beauty. The villain is so relatable, so mesmerising, so spellbinding they became my favourite character from the start. If you're into imaginative, out of the box, extraordinary fantasy, I urge you to read this book. So far, this has been my top read of 2020, and I serioulsy doubt it will be topped, such is the way this book touched me and made me dream. I seriously could not wait until I was back in that world, with those characters, following their story along. And now I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.
Well done, Miss Davin, this is one extraordinary work.
Well done, Miss Davin, this is one extraordinary work.
samdogra's review against another edition
3.0
I was drawn to this book by its premise, and while it was overall an enjoyable read, there were a few things that held it back.
STORY: We follow two protagonists, Ev and Alizhan, who live in the exotic city of Laalvur. Ev is a farmer's daughter, while Alizhan is a servant for one of the wealthy Council members who has an agenda of her own. Alizhan also has the powers of an empath, able to sense the thoughts and feelings of those around her. In childhood the two strike a friendship when Alizhan runs away and Ev gives her some thornfruit from her father's cart in the market. Then there's a timeskip, and now a young woman, Alizhan discovers a dark secret about her patron, and so goes to the only friend she's ever known for help.
The book also delves into the point of view of the antagonist, which was both a blessing and a curse. Her parts are written in first person and are much more immersive and emotive, and I was a lot more invested in her backstory than that of Ev and Alizhan. In fact it got to the point where I was rooting for the antagonist to win, as I didn't feel the stakes were presented well enough for the other two.
The general plot stakes also felt a little weak to me- Ev and Alizhan want to save some orphans with similar gifts to Alizhan- but I didn't really get the sense of why this mattered to them, specifically. I was far more interested in the antagonist's goal- if this was the author's intent then she nailed it, but it did make me feel less connected and sympathetic to the actual protagonists. Some of the twists too I didn't really care for because while they were built up well, the payoff wasn't there for me.
The story also just abruptly ends, which while I understand this is part of a series, it would have been nice to get some closure on a few threads, as it makes this first book feel unfinished rather than leading into the next book.
CHARACTERS: Here I feel is where the story is weakest, especially compared to other elements. The two main characters start well, with the incident sharing the thornfruit as children, but this then seems to be the only event they bonded over. Ten years pass and I got no sense of them developing their friendship. Then suddenly Alizhan turns up at Ev's cart and it's like they've been best friends despite never having spoken to each other. There was no build up or development so it felt very flat to me. Coupled with this, Ev has attraction to women, but there was zero chemistry between the two.
Alizhan also has a conflicted opening- she's initially presented as quiet and demure, but when she joins Ev she becomes a babbling loudmouth. Nothing wrong with this, but it felt a bit jarring, as I had no sense Alizhan was longing to speak or talk to someone she trusted. OVerall however she is the most developed character and I found her second most compelling after the antagonist.
Ev has some internal conflict about her future and her father's secret past, but I didn't feel it tied into her development much. Her sexuality also feels a little forced in presentation, as we are told 'she likes how women look' and how often she wants to be more intimate with Alizhan. This is further weakened by her lack of development with Alizhan, as even when they started being together in story, I didn't feel them connecting much. Some of this may have to do with the fact that it's written in 3rd person POV which is less intimate than first, but given how well the 1st person antagonist chapters are, I think that would have been a better fit for this type of story where the characters and relationships are most important.
The antagonsit was easily my favourite character, especially once we learn her backstory. As I said, this made her super compelling and relatable, which I didn't feel at all for the protagonists, and I wanted the antagonist to triumph!
SETTING/ VOICE: The worldbuilding is intriguing, based on the concept of a world where night and day are geographical not temporal. The naming conventions were consistent, the descriptions vivid and it is definitely a more unique fantasy setting, giving vibes of more Middle Eastern/ Arabic than traditional European settings.
I didn't feel Ev or Alizhan had much of a character voice, again probably due to the distance of the POV, but I couldn't easily tell which chapters belonged to which character and there is a degree of head hopping in a few chapters.
The antagonist however has a strong presence- a shame this couldn't have been imparted to the lead characters.
PRESENTATION: The story is well-formatted and clean to read. Modern swear words are used, which for me personally broke the immersion as the fantasy world was so well crafted and presented, but most won't find this a problem.
OVERALL: I enjoyed the world of Laalvur and the initial premise, but the weak protagonists, overdeveloped antagonist and generally low-stakes plot dragged it down for me. Worth checking out if you are curious, but as it stands, I don't feel compelled to continue the series.
STORY: We follow two protagonists, Ev and Alizhan, who live in the exotic city of Laalvur. Ev is a farmer's daughter, while Alizhan is a servant for one of the wealthy Council members who has an agenda of her own. Alizhan also has the powers of an empath, able to sense the thoughts and feelings of those around her. In childhood the two strike a friendship when Alizhan runs away and Ev gives her some thornfruit from her father's cart in the market. Then there's a timeskip, and now a young woman, Alizhan discovers a dark secret about her patron, and so goes to the only friend she's ever known for help.
The book also delves into the point of view of the antagonist, which was both a blessing and a curse. Her parts are written in first person and are much more immersive and emotive, and I was a lot more invested in her backstory than that of Ev and Alizhan. In fact it got to the point where I was rooting for the antagonist to win, as I didn't feel the stakes were presented well enough for the other two.
The general plot stakes also felt a little weak to me- Ev and Alizhan want to save some orphans with similar gifts to Alizhan- but I didn't really get the sense of why this mattered to them, specifically. I was far more interested in the antagonist's goal- if this was the author's intent then she nailed it, but it did make me feel less connected and sympathetic to the actual protagonists. Some of the twists too I didn't really care for because while they were built up well, the payoff wasn't there for me.
The story also just abruptly ends, which while I understand this is part of a series, it would have been nice to get some closure on a few threads, as it makes this first book feel unfinished rather than leading into the next book.
CHARACTERS: Here I feel is where the story is weakest, especially compared to other elements. The two main characters start well, with the incident sharing the thornfruit as children, but this then seems to be the only event they bonded over. Ten years pass and I got no sense of them developing their friendship. Then suddenly Alizhan turns up at Ev's cart and it's like they've been best friends despite never having spoken to each other. There was no build up or development so it felt very flat to me. Coupled with this, Ev has attraction to women, but there was zero chemistry between the two.
Alizhan also has a conflicted opening- she's initially presented as quiet and demure, but when she joins Ev she becomes a babbling loudmouth. Nothing wrong with this, but it felt a bit jarring, as I had no sense Alizhan was longing to speak or talk to someone she trusted. OVerall however she is the most developed character and I found her second most compelling after the antagonist.
Ev has some internal conflict about her future and her father's secret past, but I didn't feel it tied into her development much. Her sexuality also feels a little forced in presentation, as we are told 'she likes how women look' and how often she wants to be more intimate with Alizhan. This is further weakened by her lack of development with Alizhan, as even when they started being together in story, I didn't feel them connecting much. Some of this may have to do with the fact that it's written in 3rd person POV which is less intimate than first, but given how well the 1st person antagonist chapters are, I think that would have been a better fit for this type of story where the characters and relationships are most important.
The antagonsit was easily my favourite character, especially once we learn her backstory. As I said, this made her super compelling and relatable, which I didn't feel at all for the protagonists, and I wanted the antagonist to triumph!
SETTING/ VOICE: The worldbuilding is intriguing, based on the concept of a world where night and day are geographical not temporal. The naming conventions were consistent, the descriptions vivid and it is definitely a more unique fantasy setting, giving vibes of more Middle Eastern/ Arabic than traditional European settings.
I didn't feel Ev or Alizhan had much of a character voice, again probably due to the distance of the POV, but I couldn't easily tell which chapters belonged to which character and there is a degree of head hopping in a few chapters.
The antagonist however has a strong presence- a shame this couldn't have been imparted to the lead characters.
PRESENTATION: The story is well-formatted and clean to read. Modern swear words are used, which for me personally broke the immersion as the fantasy world was so well crafted and presented, but most won't find this a problem.
OVERALL: I enjoyed the world of Laalvur and the initial premise, but the weak protagonists, overdeveloped antagonist and generally low-stakes plot dragged it down for me. Worth checking out if you are curious, but as it stands, I don't feel compelled to continue the series.
achingallover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Great world building and interesting story being explored. Not sure the execution was perfect but it’s trying to accomplish something quite tricky. Definitely looking forward to reading the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Child abuse
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Classism
freya_amber's review against another edition
4.5
Good and enjoyable start to the series.
I liked the main characters, especially the one who seemed autistic. It's great to see neurodivergence in fantasy.
I liked the main characters, especially the one who seemed autistic. It's great to see neurodivergence in fantasy.
quantumponies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Torture
k8so's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
I loved the world building!!
messyreading's review against another edition
3.0
Liked it, but it lacked a certain something to really make it shine.
hjerteknuser's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25