Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Boy With Fire by Aparna Verma

2 reviews

ddnreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

Fiuuuuuhhhhh it was one hell of a book. I have mixed feelings about it. It started with a very great premise and I love the beginning. Halfway through I found it hard to finish the story. It's not like I didn't like them, I just sort of felt flat towards the characters. It doesn't ignite the sparks it initially did.

Let's start with what I love:
- The world building
I love it. It's rich, detailed, diverse, and very atmospheric. The author navigated it well. However, my small brain sometimes find it hard to keep up where or who. All fault on me. Hopefully in the final copy there will huge map detailing the places.
It's a science fiction fantasy where the modern technology was blended into the antique world building.

- The characterization
We're given 3 point of view. Leo, the king, Elena, the Heir, and Yassen, the assassin.
I love seeing how their thoughts woven into the plot. It gave them the depth and well explained their behaviour and decision. None of the characters are insufferable. All of them are strong in their stance. Are capable of fight πŸ‘Œ

- Enemies to lovers are acceptable. It's a slowburn definitely. But the romance is definitely much little. It's a plus point for me. I felt it yet it's not overpowering the whole story. It's just enough.

- The writing style is beautiful 🫢🏽😭 I love when the authors create their own phrases and it becomes iconic πŸ‘Œβ™₯️ I can see the research and mastery it put through to create such a world.

What I have mixed feelings for:
- The palace and political instrigue
The conflicts were overlapping one another.
The international affair conflicts and war felt too rushed and cramped at the end of the book.

- The twist didn't work for me. Including the epilogue. It didn't make sense?????

- I would love it if the pace is a bit faster.

To conclude, if you're into adult SFF, slowburn enemies to lover, political + religion + international war conflicts, badass FMC, twist and turn with a detailed explanation and lengthy actions to get there, give this book a go.

I would definitely read the sequel!!!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sydapel's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated

3.5

Boy did this pick up like wildfire (hehehe like the title) at about the 65% mark. Which, objectively is about 30% past when it should have, but I can tell this is on its way to being a long form fantasy series so we can forgive it. I think the world the author has established here is incredibly interesting, with a focus on the burden of revenge and grief and loneliness and rage. However, I felt the world building and establishment of the world was really difficult to intake, and there's a huge focus on that instead of action in the first two thirds, which made it incredibly hard to get into. Cannot wait to see what's next in the series! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...