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caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Chronic illness
anni_swanilda's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Gore, Murder, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Vomit, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Self harm
Minor: Sexual content, Child death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, War, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
ruthiedr89's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Classism, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
anekk78's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Child death, and Police brutality
beldaran1224's review
- 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
4.5
The book follows two POVs. There's a lot of depth and development there, and the themes and tropes involve a number of heavy and important topics. Expect to think about mental health, colonialism and more.
The moment I finished this book, I immediately put the second book on hold at my library.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Self harm, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism, Mental illness, and Colonisation
Minor: Abandonment, Classism, and Cultural appropriation
paigeinabook's review
- 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
4.25
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, and Body shaming
internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Racism, Murder, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Classism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
kaylamoran's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Self harm, and Blood
mme_carton's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, War, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Slavery, Abandonment, and Confinement
durrareadsstuff's review
- 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
4.5
I did not expect to love it it this much. The first half was a little hard to get into, truth be told. It was kind of slow and it took some time for me to wrap my head around the world-building, but I stayed for the wonderful and just genius writing. I mean how does she come up with these sentence structures and proses?? The plot was also just amazing. Towards the end, the twists just kept coming and I feel a little mad at myself for not seeing it but WOW all those betrayals and secrets and whatnots were hidden so well. The romance was not a big part of the story, but I actually didn't really mind that. It kind of gave way to discuss a whole other array of more important themes like mental health, grief, and just very well done character development. However I do feel like the side characters weren't given that much spotlight. Although that probably adds to the "alone-ness" of the characters and how they kind of separate themselves from other people as a defense mechanism, only discovering in the end that they do need help and that they're only human.
Oh man, THE CHARACTERS!! I love Karina and Malik so much! I feel like they're not your average ya protagonists (can't really explain that, it just feels that way) they're both so broken and raw and the way they were written, with Malik having panic attacks and Karina with the constant breakdowns and migraines, was so vulnerable. And yet they found strength within themselves and discovered their true powers. Very relatable which I think is so powerful of a quality to have in characters.
Besides that, the atmosphere and the world-building was truly magical. I think it's amazing how so many real-life themes were so effortlessly incorporated into a fantasy book. I mean, racism, mental health, oppression, immigration, abandonment, to name a few.
This book absolutely blew my mind. I'm surprised people don't talk about it as much as other books. I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs how fantastic this book was. I'll leave you with my favourite quotes đđ
But that was the problem with blades. Once sharpened, they could be used against enemy and wielder alike.
words she could deal with, but silence was a beast she was ill-equipped to handle.
In that moment, she was manic energy and sorrow, a loosed arrow with no target. The wound that Baba and Hananeâs deaths had opened inside her had never healed, and now her motherâs death had joined it, bleeding her heart dry with a grief that refused to be staunched. She bled and she bled, and still it poured from her, more than one person was ever meant to hold.
If Ziran fell, her only regret would be that she could not be the storm that tore it apart.
He had wandered into a web, one Driss and Tunde had been born to navigate despite their differing views, spiders at home among the interlocking threads that made up the court.
And what was Malik compared to them? Just a fly waiting to be swallowed whole.
âEveryone gets scared,â he said gently. âIâm scared of a lot of things. Small spaces. Big dogs. Dying . . . dying alone. I know it doesnât mean a lot coming from me, but I donât think youâre weak for being scared. I donât think you could be as strong as you are if you werenât.â
âYou tear yourself down for things you could not have known or done,â said Nyeni. âWhy punish a seed for not yet being a tree?â
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Self harm, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse