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kittyhearted's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
ford_defect's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
The beginning of this book is pretty rough. There were multiple times I thought about dnf'ing it (especially since it is so long). The pacing really needs some work. The beginning is super slow, and the main characters were pretty unlikeable (except Hassa) up until about 200-300 pages in. I also thought the treatment the Ghostings got was unnecessary up until 80% of the way through. When it all clicked together, though, my mind was blown. But what really annoyed me was all the fatphobic descriptions of Anoor. They lessened over time, but it rubbed me the wrong way. That, and the author put a lot of emphasis on how much Anoor enjoys food, which is another fatphobic stereotype. Another thing was how Sylah's addiction was portrayed. Major spoilers ahead. I was so proud of her when she quit her joba seed use (albeit, she only quit cuz Anoor forced her to) and kept it under control throughout almost the entire book. But then, the author has her take a joba seed, so she can defeat Jond in Anoor's place during the trial of combat. And what's even worse: once she sees a healer after having relapsed, the healer tells her to essentially microdose for the rest of her life! I would rather have Sylah find a way to work around her seizures and tremors. The Ghostings have no tongues and no hands and they have found ways to talk and take care of themselves, so why can't Sylah find a workaround for her drug-induced disability? Like you wouldn't tell an alcoholic to keep drinking to prevent the DTs. You have to cut it out completely or it can ruin your life again. And I had really gotten into the book by that point, too.
But anyway, now I'll talk about what I really liked about the book. The blood magic system was super cool. At first, I wasn't sure how much I liked needing to draw runes to fire a gun (since that would be pretty inefficient if you were slow at writing). Though, the longer I thought about it, the more it grew on me. Bloodwerk requires skill and dexterity, so not everyone would be good at it, which is a good challenge for the MCs that didn't know how to bloodwerk before. Secondly, the atmosphere was quite unique and immersive. Especially since the author wrote about the history of the world, too. The character development was also well done (with the exception of what I said about a part of Sylah's progress). I initially hated Anoor and Sylah, but they evolved so much. I was a little disappointed we didn't see more romance between them.I came into this book thinking it was gonna be a sapphic romance... but it was more focused on Jond and Sylah's romance. The romantic scenes are still well-written, though. For both pairings.
So 3/5
I would have rated it 4/5 since it got really good halfway through, but I just can't forgive the author for how she portrays Sylah's addiction.
But anyway, now I'll talk about what I really liked about the book. The blood magic system was super cool. At first, I wasn't sure how much I liked needing to draw runes to fire a gun (since that would be pretty inefficient if you were slow at writing). Though, the longer I thought about it, the more it grew on me. Bloodwerk requires skill and dexterity, so not everyone would be good at it, which is a good challenge for the MCs that didn't know how to bloodwerk before. Secondly, the atmosphere was quite unique and immersive. Especially since the author wrote about the history of the world, too. The character development was also well done (with the exception of what I said about a part of Sylah's progress). I initially hated Anoor and Sylah, but they evolved so much. I was a little disappointed we didn't see more romance between them.
So 3/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Body horror, Self harm, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Blood, Sexual content, Gore, Hate crime, Slavery, Addiction, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
elsejulie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
The first time around I dnf-ed it at like chapter 10. The book is plot-heavy and at the time I needed something lighthearted. But I picked it up again a few months later, when I was ready for an epic-fantasy trilogy. And I am glad I did. This became my first five-starred-fantasy of the year.
jasminebitsakaki's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
catburps's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.25
acorn192k's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
3.5
becca_clifford's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.5
x_st3phreadsfantasy_x's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
theogb451's review against another edition
4.0
A bit stodgy at the start but stick with it
Overall an enjoyable read but one star is docked for some issues with the plotting and so forth.
This isn't your normal fantasy novel world and it's not just because the author lacks the usual white, male, Eurocentric gaze. It's a sort of Afro-steampunk place where the social hierarchy is determined by blood colour - red, blue and clear - and because only the red bloods can do magic, they have been able to keep themselves at the top. A lot of horrors of colonialism are examined here.
The magic system is one for fans of Sanderson school: embedded within science, it consists of runes drawn in blood on objects that has allowed a sort of industrialisation to occur since via runes the society has access to guns, light, engines, etc. Magic as science.
The details of this are all dropped into the narrative in a way that mostly works, but there's simply a huge amount to digest here so it makes the first six or so chapters a bit dizzying, which is a shame. In some ways the book could have done with being longer and giving us more time to settle in and absorb at a slower pace.
That said, by chapter 8 the book has settled down into its main plot line which is more-or-less Lethal Weapon meets a Rocky film montage. Mostly this is good fun but it's a little jarring in terms of its shift from the opening chapters that centre around our main character in a drug-addicted stupor of self-pity. Making the opening longer would probably not have served this main aspect as well.
And really let's not forget FOUR STARS but the issues here are around the plotting, which frequently relies on some highly contrived situations that I found pulled me out of the story. On top of that there's never really any sense of danger/stakes here. The main villain is all mouth and no trousers, the main story centres around a contest over a series of rounds and failure in one is the end so we know there will be no failure.
Behind this all is a bigger mystery that we are shown parts of, but which is sadly a background to everything else. It'll be interesting to see how things unfold in the next book because there are a hell of a lot of hanging threads her that are going to widen the scope hugely.
Overall an enjoyable read but one star is docked for some issues with the plotting and so forth.
This isn't your normal fantasy novel world and it's not just because the author lacks the usual white, male, Eurocentric gaze. It's a sort of Afro-steampunk place where the social hierarchy is determined by blood colour - red, blue and clear - and because only the red bloods can do magic, they have been able to keep themselves at the top. A lot of horrors of colonialism are examined here.
The magic system is one for fans of Sanderson school: embedded within science, it consists of runes drawn in blood on objects that has allowed a sort of industrialisation to occur since via runes the society has access to guns, light, engines, etc. Magic as science.
The details of this are all dropped into the narrative in a way that mostly works, but there's simply a huge amount to digest here so it makes the first six or so chapters a bit dizzying, which is a shame. In some ways the book could have done with being longer and giving us more time to settle in and absorb at a slower pace.
That said, by chapter 8 the book has settled down into its main plot line which is more-or-less Lethal Weapon meets a Rocky film montage. Mostly this is good fun but it's a little jarring in terms of its shift from the opening chapters that centre around our main character in a drug-addicted stupor of self-pity. Making the opening longer would probably not have served this main aspect as well.
And really let's not forget FOUR STARS but the issues here are around the plotting, which frequently relies on some highly contrived situations that I found pulled me out of the story. On top of that there's never really any sense of danger/stakes here. The main villain is all mouth and no trousers, the main story centres around a contest over a series of rounds and failure in one is the end so we know there will be no failure.
Behind this all is a bigger mystery that we are shown parts of, but which is sadly a background to everything else. It'll be interesting to see how things unfold in the next book because there are a hell of a lot of hanging threads her that are going to widen the scope hugely.
marilynbat_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This fantasy novel is beautifully crafted. The world-building takes time, and the character development is phenomenal. I enjoyed reading this book overall, and I really appreciated that there is a glossary in the back! It took me a while to get into it, and I kept book-jumping, but always came back to this one. There are so many quotes that I highlighted and saved because Saara El-Arifi is a wordsmith. I'm so grateful that she wrote this book!