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lcgordon's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The worldbuilding is incredible....which means the first third of the book is an absolute slog. It really picks up in interesting ways if you can make it through that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, War, Violence, Racism, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Torture, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Child abuse, and Death of parent
besnee's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage
seanml's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
Son of the Storm is a good start to a fantasy series, with tons of potential. The pace of the book I found to be somewhat slow for a while, and a lack of drive in the voice made it so that I had a hard time getting through initially. There is also a large roster of characters to keep track of and racial castes, which were probably the hardest to remember. Despite that, Son of the Storm has a great deal of worldbuilding put into it. It also has a fun magic system that can allow for deus ex machina moments without feeling that they come out of nowhere. The last 100 pages pick up in speed, and that’s mostly thanks to Esheme, who is a wonderfully entertaining antagonist to follow. Looking forward to the second installment! 7/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Classism, Xenophobia, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Child death, Genocide, Abortion, Animal death, Gore, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Medical content, Miscarriage, Cursing, and Bullying
tilly_and_the_books's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Torture and Miscarriage
mandkips's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Animal death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Abortion, Genocide, and Pregnancy
thoughtsontomes's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
I struggled with whether I wanted to DNF this or not based on it not really gripping me but held on because there was a lot of promise. I did like what it set up enough to continue with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Genocide
Minor: Miscarriage
azrah786's review
3.75
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: racism/colourism, ageism, violence, torture, blood, body horror, immolation, death, genocide, murder, pregnancy, miscarriage/abortion
Son of the Storm commences a fresh high fantasy tale set in an exquisitely complex pre-colonial West African inspired world that will hook you in from the first page.
The continent of Oon is under the jurisdiction of the Bassai Empire where ethnicity and caste determine your status and where all must adhere to the Bassai Ideal. We predominantly follow 3 main characters – Danso, a mixed-race scholar with a love for stories; Esheme, a fixer’s daughter with an ambition to be seen as more than her parentage and Lilong, an outsider wielding legendary and forbidden magic – as they navigate their place in the empire.
Okungbowa’s narration vividly brings the people and place of this world to life - from the array of cultures and complex caste systems that shape society, to the layered settlements within capital of the mainland - it all immerses you right in. Though as a fantasy map lover along with the broader map of the continent I do wish that we had a map of Bassa itself and its concentric Wards.
The storyline is rich with politics, touching heavily on the themes of oppression and privilege but there is also some focus on immigration and the environment which I thought was quite notable. Alongside this are the whispers of forbidden knowledge which have you curious to chase all the stories just as much as Danso.
Each of the primary protagonists is of a differing background and their individual perspectives further enhance the story. Though I’ll admit I didn’t find any of the characters that likeable (except maybe Lilong). They were all frustrating in their own way however, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by their journeys and development through the book. I also thought it was an interesting choice to have interspersed chapters from some of the side characters too. I was worried that this would become confusing but it again helped add to the history/background of the story as well as understanding the leading characters and their motivations more.
My favourite element of the story though was the Ibor and its magic which I found equally badass and terrifying. From the lore and history behind it, to the way it is wielded and its consequences, I couldn’t get enough of it!! Definitely one of my favourite fantasy magic systems to date and I can’t wait to learn more about it in the rest of the series!
What I had some issues with was the pacing. It is for the most part quite slow going, which at the very beginning when the key details and world-building were being laid down was perfect. However, as the story progressed particularly the middle chunk of the book I expected a little bit more from the action scenes. I mean at one point some of the characters were being pursued and are travelling through the Breathing Forest, a forest that was literally heaving around them, and while the descriptions of the place opens your imagination to the danger of the terrain the stakes didn’t come across as high enough for the characters to me. I was also quite thrown with the pacing in the last few chapters because in comparison to the rest of the book everything happened so fast?
All that aside though I am very much looking forward to seeing how the story continues!
Final Rating – 3.75/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: racism/colourism, ageism, violence, torture, blood, body horror, immolation, death, genocide, murder, pregnancy, miscarriage/abortion
Son of the Storm commences a fresh high fantasy tale set in an exquisitely complex pre-colonial West African inspired world that will hook you in from the first page.
The continent of Oon is under the jurisdiction of the Bassai Empire where ethnicity and caste determine your status and where all must adhere to the Bassai Ideal. We predominantly follow 3 main characters – Danso, a mixed-race scholar with a love for stories; Esheme, a fixer’s daughter with an ambition to be seen as more than her parentage and Lilong, an outsider wielding legendary and forbidden magic – as they navigate their place in the empire.
Okungbowa’s narration vividly brings the people and place of this world to life - from the array of cultures and complex caste systems that shape society, to the layered settlements within capital of the mainland - it all immerses you right in. Though as a fantasy map lover along with the broader map of the continent I do wish that we had a map of Bassa itself and its concentric Wards.
The storyline is rich with politics, touching heavily on the themes of oppression and privilege but there is also some focus on immigration and the environment which I thought was quite notable. Alongside this are the whispers of forbidden knowledge which have you curious to chase all the stories just as much as Danso.
Each of the primary protagonists is of a differing background and their individual perspectives further enhance the story. Though I’ll admit I didn’t find any of the characters that likeable (except maybe Lilong). They were all frustrating in their own way however, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by their journeys and development through the book. I also thought it was an interesting choice to have interspersed chapters from some of the side characters too. I was worried that this would become confusing but it again helped add to the history/background of the story as well as understanding the leading characters and their motivations more.
My favourite element of the story though was the Ibor and its magic which I found equally badass and terrifying. From the lore and history behind it, to the way it is wielded and its consequences, I couldn’t get enough of it!! Definitely one of my favourite fantasy magic systems to date and I can’t wait to learn more about it in the rest of the series!
What I had some issues with was the pacing. It is for the most part quite slow going, which at the very beginning when the key details and world-building were being laid down was perfect. However, as the story progressed particularly the middle chunk of the book I expected a little bit more from the action scenes. I mean at one point some of the characters were being pursued and are travelling through the Breathing Forest, a forest that was literally heaving around them, and while the descriptions of the place opens your imagination to the danger of the terrain the stakes didn’t come across as high enough for the characters to me. I was also quite thrown with the pacing in the last few chapters because in comparison to the rest of the book everything happened so fast?
All that aside though I am very much looking forward to seeing how the story continues!
Final Rating – 3.75/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, and Torture
Minor: Genocide and Abortion
sageleafpark's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, and Genocide
Moderate: Animal death and Miscarriage
thecatreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Death
whatellisreadnext's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Violence, Miscarriage, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent