Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

4 ⭐ CW: self-harm, violence, emotional and physical abuse, anxiety and panic attacks, parent death, and animal death, slavery

"But you are kind, Malik Hilali. Do not underestimate the strength it takes to be kind in a world as cruel as ours."

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown is an excellent YA fantasy set in a West African inspired setting. I devoured this book. I wish I had this book when I was in high school.

We follow two MCs whose pov alternates with each chapter. Malik, an Eshran boy with anxiety is trying to get into the city of Ziran with his sister's when he unwittingly makes a deal with a spirit names Idir, and is dragged into a game in order to save his younger sister. Karina, the princess of Ziran is a bit of an impetuous brat who has no motivation to rule, suffers from migraines and ends up having to take her mother's place sooner than she thought. Both are of their destinies are connected, but they are trying to kill each other.

This is classic hero's journey with enemies to lovers slow burn. I really liked the magic system in this, but I hope we get to explore it more in the next book. I loved how the author weaved in an element of oral storytelling and the power it can have. We also get representation of anxiety and panic attacks along with it actually becoming the thing that helps him in the end.

I loved the descriptions in this! I could practically smell the spices and see all the colors of Solsatcia! The writing was a joy to read. It was like Brown was weaving her own illusions, just like Malik.

I liked the way the MC's stories tied together and there were twists I didn't see coming. Some things were a little predictable, but I didn't mind. I did find Karina to be annoying for a good chunk of the book, because she was being very stubborn, short sighted, and selfish until she finally got it together. I'm looking forward to seeing how each of their magic grows as Malik and Karina learn how to use it.

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durrareadsstuff's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

MIND = BLOWN 🤯🤯🤯

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 😌💗

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 Hanane’s deaths had opened inside her had never healed, and now her mother’s 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.

“Everyone gets scared,” he said gently. “I’m scared of a lot of things. Small spaces. Big dogs. Dying . . . dying alone. I know it doesn’t mean a lot coming from me, but I don’t think you’re weak for being scared. I don’t think you could be as strong as you are if you weren’t.”

“You tear yourself down for things you could not have known or done,” said Nyeni. “Why punish a seed for not yet being a tree?”

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vashtanarada42's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-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

I loved how the author approached many difficult topics, it was trauma-informed in how it approaches the complexity of situations and mental effects of long-term abuse. I cannot recommend this series more!

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februaryfriday's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

i picked this up on a whim and i have no regrets.
firstly, the magic system was really unique and interesting and the lore involved so lovely to read about.
however, i feel like this novel didn’t reach its full potential quite yet. i liked the characters, but for some reason i wasn’t really that invested (could also still be leftover pieces of my reading slump). i felt more for them towards the end when things ~happened~, but i wish we could’ve seen more of the protagonists interactions and see why they actually like each other.
nevertheless, it was very enjoyable and thrilling, especially the second half. i will probably pick up the second book sometime to see where it goes and would still recommend it if it sounds like something you’d enjoy!

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maryannsophia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

The premise of this book is amazing - and Roseanne Brown's masterful use of West African, North African, and Indian folklore and culture is immersive and incredibly unique.

But her characters are morally ambiguous and tortured. I got tired reading chapter after chapter of PTSD, trauma, anxiety, and distress without a real sense of hope.

The one bright spot is Malik's love for his sister, but even that is overshadowed by his drive to murder in order to save her. And Karina spends the majority of the book trying to resurrect her mother with necromancy, but is so upset when another character succeeds at exactly that with her sister. It appears necromancy and dark magic were only right if she herself did them.

The characters' sense of right and wrong is very tied to their feelings.

Karina is okay with killing her husband as long as it's someone she doesn't have feelings for. But as soon as she gets close to Malik and Tunde, she decides not to kill each of them.

Lastly, there is no clear bad guy, or good and evil. While there is a place for "No bad guy" in fiction, the forces in this book are tricksters out for their own agendas, manipulating and backstabbing as they see fit. If that's your cup of tea, then it's up to you.

As good as the wonderful cultural and folklore references are, I can't in good conscience recommen this book. As a third-culture kid who grew up in Africa, that's why I was drawn to this book. But it's tone and worldview are too bleak and disatisfying to justify recommending it.

Content Warnings

longhairzuko's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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

The second half of this book was absolutely amazing. I couldn't put it down. I felt that the beginning was a little slow and hard to get into. The panic attacks and grief that the characters experience were written wonderfully, but unfortunately I found myself experiencing their anxiety. This is not a fault of the book and Brown includes a detailed trigger warning at the beginning. I would just be careful if you tend to physically feel character's emotions. This did lessen as the book went on, and the story was so gripping that I would 100% recommend it.

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mariah13's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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