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cammiem8's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
Certainly one of the better Zutara fanfics I’ve read in my day
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Torture, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death
sofiefarmer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
This is one of the most masterfully built YA fantasies I have ever read. I LOVED the incorporation of West African mythology and language. The magic system was super cool. The characters were so complex and fascinating. Overall, it is a super great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Slavery, Death of parent, Violence, Child death, and Genocide
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
_persephone_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It wasn't a mind breaking book, it followed a common fantasy plot of, girl with magical powers has to hunt down these magical objects to stop the evil king, but it was good. While the base of the plot was nothing original, the small details did set it apart. My only real complaints were that it fell within that toxic heterosexual relationship trope Inan literally betrayed her, broke her heart, burnt down her village, and aided in the death of her father. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of toxicity in relationships in fiction but some things are too far. . And lets be honest, it would've been way better if Zélie and Amari got together instead, it still could've been enemies to lovers, just without all the added toxicity.
(The reason I gave the diversity level a 'It's complicated' was that despite how many people praise this book with it's diversity, it really wasn't. I loved that there wasn't a single white person, it was refreshing, when most other book have only white people. But its not diverse if everyone is the same race whether thats white or not. And I understand that maybe in the part of the world where the story took place there really was only black people, but like add in some diversity of sexuality or disabilities eta. Just my two cents)
(The reason I gave the diversity level a 'It's complicated' was that despite how many people praise this book with it's diversity, it really wasn't. I loved that there wasn't a single white person, it was refreshing, when most other book have only white people. But its not diverse if everyone is the same race whether thats white or not. And I understand that maybe in the part of the world where the story took place there really was only black people, but like add in some diversity of sexuality or disabilities eta. Just my two cents)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Genocide, and Sexual assault
Minor: Blood, Child death, and Slavery
clfirlik's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
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: Child death, War, Murder, Hate crime, Violence, Death of parent, and Death
treereadingabook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Torture, and War
Moderate: Violence
tinnuben's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Grief, Child death, Death of parent, and Torture
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Animal death
uberklutz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, and Racism
britgirlreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Child death
mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
4.0
So powerful! So emotional! Such an intense story with high stakes, believable characters, and strong world building. This book embodies one of the reasons I love fantasy novels - real world issues of inequality, brutality, racism, fear and pain are rendered beautifully in this fantasy setting to be examined under a different light. It’s impossible to strip away biases and politics and all the nuances of our world; it’s incredibly important to engage with our real-world issues and work to correct our mistakes, and build a more equitable world for everyone. But in a fantasy setting, you can take those same themes and explore their very real meaning under the power of excellent storytelling. I loved this book and am so glad there’s more to read. The vibe was BBC’s Merlin meets Avatar the Last Airbender, with some Hunger Games mixed in. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was for Inan’s character, and the love story between Zeile and Inan. The love angle felt rushed - he went from “son of the king who ruined magic and killed my mother” to “hottie with a body” real fast, and his change of heart also felt abrupt. I get it happened after he saw her life story and all the pain his father caused, but their dynamic was unequal (he could, without consent, get into her thoughts and memories) and I couldn’t see a reason for their romance beyond physical attraction. Tzien and Amari’s love story was far more believable and very sweet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Child death, War, and Racism
durrareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.75
Such an amazing book! The world-building was done so well, I'd say it was quite complex and yet easy to understand at the same time. So many themes were covered in the book, mainly oppression, racism, grief but also friendship, understanding, honestly, I learned so much from reading this. The characters were so well developed. At first I kind of hated them, but then as they grew, I found myself rooting for them (well, most of them anyway) and it's just so brilliant.
I have never found a character to be so relatable like Amari. Reading her povs, I mean, I don't know if I should laugh or cry.I mean, she was practically useless on that ship. And the way she kept telling herself to freaking move and do something but remained frozen and how she kind of made everything worse, I FELT THAT. But it was so much watching her grow, seeing her embrace the "lionaire" that was inside her all along. It kind of made me have hope in myself. So, I owe this book one. I think the character development is my favourite thing in the book. I mean, the characters have come so far. Like how Zélie went from someone who constantly doubted herself to becoming someone so strong she was a force to behold.
And Inan? *sigh* I was really rooting for you man, and I'm sorry to say this, but I'm kind of relieved thar you died. Cause to tell you the truth, you were freaking stupid. And after you've come so far! Such a shame. I originally wanted to give this a 5 star, but Inan angered me so much I just can't. But you know, it was refreshing that the enemies-to-lovers crashed and the love interest died cause he was being an idiot anyways. Okay fine, I might give this a 5 star later. All that aside, I can see how Inan represents someone who grew with a horrible parentage, someone who was taught, from a very yound age to hate and be scared of the maji, and it was so nice to watch him fall in love with Zélie, and to discover his own powers which made him re-evaluate his upbringings. But sadly, the fear crept up on him again, and yeah, it was pretty devastating that he was killed by the one person he worked so hard to appease.
Besides that, the writing style is so genius! I mean, I'm not and english or literature major, but the way she describes abstract things like feelings using physical symbolism(?) It takes my breath away every single time.
I have never found a character to be so relatable like Amari. Reading her povs, I mean, I don't know if I should laugh or cry.
Besides that, the writing style is so genius! I mean, I'm not and english or literature major, but the way she describes abstract things like feelings using physical symbolism(?) It takes my breath away every single time.
Now chaos surrounds me, pulsing through every breath and heartbeat. It sings as blood splatters through the air, screams as boats explode into oblivion.
Reading this was like watching a movie, and for a very long book, I can say for certain that I never got bored. Loved it ❤️
Bonuses - multi-pov and the chapters are super short!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
Moderate: Torture, Child death, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Infidelity