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lauracooleyjohnson's review against another edition
5.0
I was in the mood for a fresh fantasy novel, and sought out this book because of its great title, cover, and because I’m trying to read more novels by diverse authors. It was great. At first the book spoke to me in gibberish as the names, places, and things in this new world were unfamiliar. But I appreciated that the author didn’t spoon feed me. And I plowed onward and was rewarded with rich characters, a cool tournament to test champions, magic (of course!) and an ending that wasn’t happily ever after. I’ll be continuing in the series for sure. Recommend!
eponineeurydice's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. The potential was there! I think I'm just in a slump... will def read the sequel tho!
whatthedeuce's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.75
patty1989's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
miss_ma's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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
3.0
booksaremythirdplace's review against another edition
I’m a bit bored. Maybe a NRN read, so I may come back to it.
books4bee's review against another edition
FMC not likable, story not interesting.
sethsparksss's review against another edition
4.0
"Do not underestimate the strength it takes to be kind in a world as cruel as ours."
Wow! I had such a fantastic time reading this dual perspective YA fantasy. I really felt for both our characters. Karina suffers tremendous, heartbreaking lose. I especially connected to Malik since I have anxiety as well, and really understood his thoughts and worries.
I also absolutely love this world inspired by West African folklore which flourished and really came to life within these pages. I was slightly underwhelmed by the plot, but it is still full of adventure, intrigue, and devastating betrayal. I can't wait for the sequel to see how this duology wraps up!
Wow! I had such a fantastic time reading this dual perspective YA fantasy. I really felt for both our characters. Karina suffers tremendous, heartbreaking lose. I especially connected to Malik since I have anxiety as well, and really understood his thoughts and worries.
I also absolutely love this world inspired by West African folklore which flourished and really came to life within these pages. I was slightly underwhelmed by the plot, but it is still full of adventure, intrigue, and devastating betrayal. I can't wait for the sequel to see how this duology wraps up!