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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: Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Colonisation, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, and Xenophobia
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: Grief and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Violence
arkenst0ne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Murder, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Blood
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.25
Yet again, I sat too long on a book that was absolutely amazing. Black girl magic was so strong in this and I'm glad it's out in the world! It was a long book, but it went by fast. When I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. And the main characters? Beautifully flawed and I can't wait to see what book two brings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, and Slavery
dayday_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
This was a surprise read for me. In part because YA isn't my usual genre but also because I struggled to really like/enjoy the male MC, Malik. He was not a bad character by any means, he was just a bit frustrating to me at times. That's just me though .... in the end, I really came to root for him and his character growth. I loved the female MC (Karina) even though she was a selfish, spoiled brat at times. I thought that she experienced quite a bit of growth and developed in a real way.
Pros: the world building was beautiful and immersive. The characters were so fascinating and seemed SO real to me. The anxiety rep was so on point and although I've never had a migraine, I felt like I was right there with Karina when she was experiencing them. The plot was also very interesting and although I knew what it was SUPPOSED to be about, I was invested in how the characters got there. The family dynamics were great and felt really real and sad at the same time. Also ... can I just say that Hyena was such a fun addition that I didn't really "get" until the characters were clued in too. LOL
CONS:
I would've liked to learn more about the magic system and how it works. I feel like the magic was always present but it was so behind the scenes and we didn't get full understanding of how it works. Also, it would've been nice to learn more about the Alahari family, why The Kestrel basically shut out her daughter and what the heck is this nkra thing really. That part just left me wanting more. Also, as much I came to love Malik, his overwhelming anxiety and panic attacks made parts of the book super frustrating and dragged on.
Overall, it was a wonderful book. I enjoyed it, the second half of the book was better than the first and I was drawn in at that point. The end was a nice set up for the second book and I'm here for it.
Pros: the world building was beautiful and immersive. The characters were so fascinating and seemed SO real to me. The anxiety rep was so on point and although I've never had a migraine, I felt like I was right there with Karina when she was experiencing them. The plot was also very interesting and although I knew what it was SUPPOSED to be about, I was invested in how the characters got there. The family dynamics were great and felt really real and sad at the same time. Also ... can I just say that Hyena was such a fun addition that I didn't really "get" until the characters were clued in too. LOL
CONS:
I would've liked to learn more about the magic system and how it works. I feel like the magic was always present but it was so behind the scenes and we didn't get full understanding of how it works. Also, it would've been nice to learn more about the Alahari family, why The Kestrel basically shut out her daughter and what the heck is this nkra thing really. That part just left me wanting more. Also, as much I came to love Malik, his overwhelming anxiety and panic attacks made parts of the book super frustrating and dragged on.
Overall, it was a wonderful book. I enjoyed it, the second half of the book was better than the first and I was drawn in at that point. The end was a nice set up for the second book and I'm here for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Child death, Grief, and Racism
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, Self harm, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Police brutality, Slavery, and Trafficking
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: Blood, Violence, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Gore, Death, Child death, and Body horror
puttingwingsonwords's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Self harm, Mental illness, and Police brutality
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