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alizam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.75
This is the example of what YA fantasy can and should be. A brilliant story that knows when to subvert and when to use standby tropes, wrapped in an immersive setting and beautiful mythology. I appreciated the way mental health was handled as well. The protagonists are flawed, yes, but deeply sympathetic and complex.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Colonisation
kayaj's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is a fantastic YA fantasy debut, on all accounts. It does everything well: the worldbuilding, the characters, the plotting, the magic. On the other hand, it doesn’t quite excel at any of those aspects either.
let’s talk about the things i liked!!
- The folklore! I enjoyed all the different West-African inspired myths and legends come to life. I really loved how the author incorporated it into the world, with there being different temples: fire, water, sun, earth, and life. Since I’m pretty ignorant, all of this was pretty new to me!
- This book FLEW by. While the pacing was slow at times, I was genuinely just so invested in this world. There were chapters of the Trials, chapters with court politics, and chapters with magical discoveries. I also thought it was well-plotted for the most part? I guessed the big plot twist without much effort, but it was still enjoyable.
- I absolutely adored the representation in this book. Yes, it has a cast of diverse characters, but there’s also focus on one of our main characters, Malik, who has panic attacks. The author put trigger warnings at the beginning of the book too so heck yeah for that!
okay. i DO have some personal issues with this book, however.
This is a book that thrives in pushing forward the plot by way of our two main characters. The side characters are just sorta…there. I liked some of them, but I never felt truly connected to them either. Because this book relies so heavily on its main characters, let’s talk about them!
Malik was such a freaking cinnamon roll. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. It was so very refreshing seeing a humble, soft male character. He also suffers from panic attacks, and the way he deals with them is just so realistic??? Like, props to the author for including that. I also just adored his relationship with his two sisters.
Malik was such a freaking cinnamon roll. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. It was so very refreshing seeing a humble, soft male character. He also suffers from panic attacks, and the way he deals with them is just so realistic??? Like, props to the author for including that. I also just adored his relationship with his two sisters.
Karina…is my biggest issue with the book. Her chapters were technically more interesting! But her character. It’s been so long since I found a main character I truly didn’t enjoy reading about. She’s both clever and stupid, incessantly obnoxious even at her most vulnerable moments, and terribly frustrating.
And that’s the thing: this book hinges on its two main characters. Everything from the romance to the high stakes is driven by them. If you don’t like one, it’s hard to fully appreciate the story. For example, the enemies-to-lovers trope is my favorite! But I can’t ship it if I don’t like half the ship!
With that in mind, I also struggled with understanding the rules of the magic system. That could just be because I listened to it on audio (and uh…we all know how that goes when it comes to me) but I was definitely more than a little confused as to why certain characters could just use magic to do anything? Like, there’s a point where Malik goes from conjuring up a simple illusion to suddenly being able to cast invisibility over multiple people with zero training or consequences. I’m hoping that this is explained better in the sequel!
To summarize, I definitely enjoyed this a lot! I think I would have loved this more if I’d actually liked Karina. Overall, I’d give this 3.75 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief
Moderate: Violence
chelseawrites21's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
After a spirit adducts his sister, Malik must win a contest, emerge as King, and kill the Crown princess for his sister's freedom. Meanwhile, struggling with the death of her mother, Princess Karina seeks the heart of a king to resurrect her. Yet, against all odds, the two fall in love with each other.
Pros
+Malik personality. You don't see much soft bois in YA. Malik was so soft and adorable and empathic. It nice change from these brooding bad boys about we always see.
+anxiety rep. The anxiety rep is so good especially when Malik had a panic attack. I am so glad to finally see some good mental health rep. I especially since love or anything else didn't cure his anxiety by the end.
+competition. I like the idea of the Champion competition and the different Aligned champions
+the twists and turns at the end redeemed the book for me and made me look forward to reading the sequel.
+history. Learning some of the history and how it all came into play at the end was interesting.
Cons
-slowpaced. I feel like the focus is so heavy on emotions and not enough on the characters task. I feel like that got nothing done until late in the book.
-Karina. Karina was so immature and infuriating to read about. She was constantly making rash decisions in her hot headness. She was also pushed everyone away and damaged her image. I mean, I know she's a teenager dealing with a lot of unprocessed grief, but that did make it any less frustrating to read. She gets better by the end but it doesn't erase the first half of the book.
-infodumps. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a history textbook. Characters would record history of the city and while it was interesting, I was left wondering what the importance of it was.
-development. Character development didn't come until exactly 65% percent of the book.
-lack of chemistry. The protagonists spend so time apart for more than first half of the book. Their chemistry felt rushed and sudden.
This book was different than I thought it would be. It was more tame. I thought it would have more action and less dialogue.
Pros
+Malik personality. You don't see much soft bois in YA. Malik was so soft and adorable and empathic. It nice change from these brooding bad boys about we always see.
+anxiety rep. The anxiety rep is so good especially when Malik had a panic attack. I am so glad to finally see some good mental health rep. I especially since love or anything else didn't cure his anxiety by the end.
+competition. I like the idea of the Champion competition and the different Aligned champions
+the twists and turns at the end redeemed the book for me and made me look forward to reading the sequel.
+history. Learning some of the history and how it all came into play at the end was interesting.
Cons
-slowpaced. I feel like the focus is so heavy on emotions and not enough on the characters task. I feel like that got nothing done until late in the book.
-Karina. Karina was so immature and infuriating to read about. She was constantly making rash decisions in her hot headness. She was also pushed everyone away and damaged her image. I mean, I know she's a teenager dealing with a lot of unprocessed grief, but that did make it any less frustrating to read. She gets better by the end but it doesn't erase the first half of the book.
-infodumps. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a history textbook. Characters would record history of the city and while it was interesting, I was left wondering what the importance of it was.
-development. Character development didn't come until exactly 65% percent of the book.
-lack of chemistry. The protagonists spend so time apart for more than first half of the book. Their chemistry felt rushed and sudden.
This book was different than I thought it would be. It was more tame. I thought it would have more action and less dialogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm
megloveswords12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
5.0
I read this for a buddy read and wow, it was hard to put down and keep to the schedule! The world of Sonande instantly drew me in - the author is great at immersing you in the scene. The griot called me to Solstasia and I'm not sure I've left yet.
One of the things I really loved about starting this book was the page with potential trigger warnings. I'll include them below, but the fact they were just included as if it were normal was great to see.
Karina was instantly a delight. I love her snark and slow journey to responsibility. "Hire uglier stable boys." XD She's definitely a reluctant heiress and I found myself rooting for her in spite of her occasional childishness. I cannot wait to see what she does in the sequel.
Malik - oh, Malik. My heart hurts for him. Things go south so fast at the beginning of the story and he spends most of the book trapped and desperate. Despite that, he's for sure not helpless. ;) And the final challenge...well can't say anything because spoilers!
I spent most of this book being completely wrong and it was fantastic. ASOWAR will keep you guessing and screeching, so go read it!!
One of the things I really loved about starting this book was the page with potential trigger warnings. I'll include them below, but the fact they were just included as if it were normal was great to see.
Karina was instantly a delight. I love her snark and slow journey to responsibility. "Hire uglier stable boys." XD She's definitely a reluctant heiress and I found myself rooting for her in spite of her occasional childishness. I cannot wait to see what she does in the sequel.
Malik - oh, Malik. My heart hurts for him. Things go south so fast at the beginning of the story and he spends most of the book trapped and desperate. Despite that, he's for sure not helpless. ;) And the final challenge...well can't say anything because spoilers!
I spent most of this book being completely wrong and it was fantastic. ASOWAR will keep you guessing and screeching, so go read it!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Self harm
abibliofile's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Grief
effy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed this book as Brown has created a really rich world that you feel completely transported to. The magic system feels a little unclear in places but that is likely due to the fact that our main characters don't feel too clear on its mechanics.
I really enjoyed the romance as both characters had to fight their growing attraction whilst also knowing that they needed to kill the other.
An incredibly strong start to a series which leaves the reader feeling satisfied despite knowing that the story is not over yet.
I really enjoyed the romance as both characters had to fight their growing attraction whilst also knowing that they needed to kill the other.
An incredibly strong start to a series which leaves the reader feeling satisfied despite knowing that the story is not over yet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Blood, and Grief
larainsidebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I only had one expectation going into this book: some enemies-to-lovers drama and tension. The premise sounded like it would lead to just that, but it was a bit lighter than I imagined it.
For the majority of the book, I really didn't like Karina at all. She seemed so selfish and self-centered (which I assume was partially caused by the rift between her mother and her) and only her mother dying had her somewhat snap out of that behaviour. She was irresponsible, but I knew there must be some character growth for her in the rest of the book, which was true. I especially loved her scenes with Tunde, right after they married and consummated their marriage, how he comforted her and she realized she can't kill him either, even though she only chose him to save Malik. It was sad that he died :(
As for Malik, he was a more interesting character in the beginning, but resulted in being pretty boring by the end. The only scenes where both characters seemes "real" or I felt something for them was when they finally met and they had scenes full of tension. But I also expected more of them two together. It was also nice to see some mental health rep, which is quite unusual for fantasy books.
As for the romance, I feel like they didn't spend enough time together to really fall in love or feel anything for the other save for attraction. They both dealed with the moral dilemma of taking the other's life, but it would surely be more powerful if they got closer.
I liked the mythology, but I really hope we get more of it explained in the second book, because some things were a bit unclear. I also liked the choice of the villian and the motivation behind their actions and the ending surely did left me wishing for more.
For the majority of the book, I really didn't like Karina at all. She seemed so selfish and self-centered (which I assume was partially caused by the rift between her mother and her) and only her mother dying had her somewhat snap out of that behaviour. She was irresponsible, but I knew there must be some character growth for her in the rest of the book, which was true. I especially loved her scenes with Tunde, right after they married and consummated their marriage, how he comforted her and she realized she can't kill him either, even though she only chose him to save Malik. It was sad that he died :(
As for Malik, he was a more interesting character in the beginning, but resulted in being pretty boring by the end. The only scenes where both characters seemes "real" or I felt something for them was when they finally met and they had scenes full of tension. But I also expected more of them two together. It was also nice to see some mental health rep, which is quite unusual for fantasy books.
As for the romance, I feel like they didn't spend enough time together to really fall in love or feel anything for the other save for attraction. They both dealed with the moral dilemma of taking the other's life, but it would surely be more powerful if they got closer.
I liked the mythology, but I really hope we get more of it explained in the second book, because some things were a bit unclear. I also liked the choice of the villian and the motivation behind their actions and the ending surely did left me wishing for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Violence
boredomandwordsofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Police brutality
ditown's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Okay, so I can't be objective with this book because I know the author. So I will say straight up that I am biased to like this book. But hey, I had a great time reading this! :"D
This is one of those books where you can just tell that the author had fun writing it. It's got magic, court politics, a tournament, ancient secrets—a delicious combination of drama and plot twists.
I really liked both of the main characters, whose flaws were integral to the story but whose determination to pursue their goals were really engaging. I particularly love how kind and gentle Malik was. The character development was very satisfying, as we get to watch Malik transform from a timid, confused person into someone who's learned to confront his fear, while Karina grows up and shoulders responsibility that she once shrank from.
Though the goals of the protagonists were to kill each other, I was rooting for both of them, and their internal struggles to make heavy decisions had me on the edge of my seat in a will-they-or-won't they suspense.
Also, call me Tunde because Farid's betrayal ripped my heart out :(((((( .
For fans of YA fantasy, this is a fun book with protagonists who are imperfect. The initial pacing was a little more leisurely while the last half of the book picks up, getting more and more intense and chaotic. I literally could not put this book down by the last 15 chapters or so. My responsibilities will suffer for this, but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
This is one of those books where you can just tell that the author had fun writing it. It's got magic, court politics, a tournament, ancient secrets—a delicious combination of drama and plot twists.
I really liked both of the main characters, whose flaws were integral to the story but whose determination to pursue their goals were really engaging. I particularly love how kind and gentle Malik was. The character development was very satisfying, as we get to watch Malik transform from a timid, confused person into someone who's learned to confront his fear, while Karina grows up and shoulders responsibility that she once shrank from.
Though the goals of the protagonists were to kill each other, I was rooting for both of them, and their internal struggles to make heavy decisions had me on the edge of my seat in a will-they-or-won't they suspense.
Also,
For fans of YA fantasy, this is a fun book with protagonists who are imperfect. The initial pacing was a little more leisurely while the last half of the book picks up, getting more and more intense and chaotic. I literally could not put this book down by the last 15 chapters or so. My responsibilities will suffer for this, but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Self harm