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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4,5⭐️
No puedo asegurar que la afirmación de "una mezcla de El príncipe cruel y La novena casa" sea correcta, ya que aún no he leído La novena casa (espero que eso cambie pronto) pero aquí va mi reseña.
Un inicio denso que se me hizo un poco cuesta arriba. Es el primer libro y es un worldbuilding tedioso aunque necesario, pero que me ha costado un montón entender, sumado a nombres raros que me costaba seguir.
Ahora bien, pasada la fase introductoria, la cosa se pone MUY interesante.
Estamos ante un enemies to lovers REAL, estos dos quieren verse muertos, y el odio no les dura dos páginas. La tensión está presente desde el primer momento, y la evolución de la relación entre ambos es brutal, de verdad, aunque me he quedado con ganas de
No puedo asegurar que la afirmación de "una mezcla de El príncipe cruel y La novena casa" sea correcta, ya que aún no he leído La novena casa (espero que eso cambie pronto) pero aquí va mi reseña.
Un inicio denso que se me hizo un poco cuesta arriba. Es el primer libro y es un worldbuilding tedioso aunque necesario, pero que me ha costado un montón entender, sumado a nombres raros que me costaba seguir.
Ahora bien, pasada la fase introductoria, la cosa se pone MUY interesante.
Estamos ante un enemies to lovers REAL, estos dos quieren verse muertos, y el odio no les dura dos páginas. La tensión está presente desde el primer momento, y la evolución de la relación entre ambos es brutal, de verdad, aunque me he quedado con ganas de
3/5⭐️
“Loyalty is the first causality of change.”
“Some sliver of light must exist for girls who were punished just for existing.”
“You shouldn’t fear the madness you keep company during the night, but the chaos of the day.”
“The world loves to punish girls that dream in the dark. I plan to worship them.”
I don’t think I did this book justice by listening to the audiobook bc I was entirely unaware of how complex and insane this was.
For context- I write reading recaps in a journal and the paragraph I have for my summary rivals the length of my kingdom of ash or mistborn recap- this hoe had so much plot packed in TIGHT.
Along that, I think that’s my main problem with this book and why even with a physical reread I don’t think it’ll be many more stars. It was so insanely complex and while at the end it made for a truly enrapturing story and reading experience, along the way I felt so lost and overwhelmed. The characters intentions were insane enough to follow and try to unravel, but the world building unraveling the way it did, with the magic system, along side the insanely intricate history that played into all the plot lines, it got to be a bit much one too many times.
I did really live the atmosphere this book created though. It was spooky, academic, mysterious, and the way African culture tied in was a fresh take I don’t see often in fantasy. I can’t speak on how authentic it is to real traditional African culture or history, or if the authors intent was to be close to accurate, but from my limited knowledge. I liked it.
Unfortunately Kidan suffers from stupid FMC-itis a few times here and it irks my soul deeply. She falls into the category of FMC that no matter how many times the MMC proves he is being genuine and cares for her in some capacity, she thinks his kindness is manipulative. While yes that is Borge case at the beginning, once the tides turn, it felt repetitive and reductive of the growth in their relationship for her to be constantly combative with him while also falling into the insta lust trap.
“Loyalty is the first causality of change.”
“Some sliver of light must exist for girls who were punished just for existing.”
“You shouldn’t fear the madness you keep company during the night, but the chaos of the day.”
“The world loves to punish girls that dream in the dark. I plan to worship them.”
I don’t think I did this book justice by listening to the audiobook bc I was entirely unaware of how complex and insane this was.
For context- I write reading recaps in a journal and the paragraph I have for my summary rivals the length of my kingdom of ash or mistborn recap- this hoe had so much plot packed in TIGHT.
Along that, I think that’s my main problem with this book and why even with a physical reread I don’t think it’ll be many more stars. It was so insanely complex and while at the end it made for a truly enrapturing story and reading experience, along the way I felt so lost and overwhelmed. The characters intentions were insane enough to follow and try to unravel, but the world building unraveling the way it did, with the magic system, along side the insanely intricate history that played into all the plot lines, it got to be a bit much one too many times.
I did really live the atmosphere this book created though. It was spooky, academic, mysterious, and the way African culture tied in was a fresh take I don’t see often in fantasy. I can’t speak on how authentic it is to real traditional African culture or history, or if the authors intent was to be close to accurate, but from my limited knowledge. I liked it.
Unfortunately Kidan suffers from stupid FMC-itis a few times here and it irks my soul deeply. She falls into the category of FMC that no matter how many times the MMC proves he is being genuine and cares for her in some capacity, she thinks his kindness is manipulative. While yes that is Borge case at the beginning, once the tides turn, it felt repetitive and reductive of the growth in their relationship for her to be constantly combative with him while also falling into the insta lust trap.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
for a debut novel, you would NEVER be able to tell that this author hadn’t been on a bestsellers list before. this book is fantastic with its description of its characters, featuring african mythology and a black female protagonist in this arcane world.
the relationships in this book are compelling as hell. i buy into every single one, platonic and toxic alike. the descriptions the author uses for the 5 senses are so masterful that i really could place myself in our main character’s shoes. i even felt myself growing emotional at parts, especially towards the end.
i couldn’t give it 5 stars due to the plot. i predicted a lot of the twists. NOT ALL OF THEM. but a lot of them. also—we’re attending an arcane university but only going to one class? and not only that, but where’s the magic? i was expecting more magic :( or…any magic really. but i LOVED the vampires and the worldbuilding around them in this novel though. they were built extremely uniquely. i felt that i knew them well and how they worked, but i wish that craftmanship lent itself to some other areas.
all that to say THANK GOD we’re getting another one i need more susenyos and kidan. :)
the relationships in this book are compelling as hell. i buy into every single one, platonic and toxic alike. the descriptions the author uses for the 5 senses are so masterful that i really could place myself in our main character’s shoes. i even felt myself growing emotional at parts, especially towards the end.
i couldn’t give it 5 stars due to the plot. i predicted a lot of the twists. NOT ALL OF THEM. but a lot of them. also—we’re attending an arcane university but only going to one class? and not only that, but where’s the magic? i was expecting more magic :( or…any magic really. but i LOVED the vampires and the worldbuilding around them in this novel though. they were built extremely uniquely. i felt that i knew them well and how they worked, but i wish that craftmanship lent itself to some other areas.
all that to say THANK GOD we’re getting another one i need more susenyos and kidan. :)
mysterious
slow-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Murder
dark
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes