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book_voyager's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This book rushed through its plot. It was so fast-paced, that when I started to listen to it, I thought my player jumped ahead. It maybe could’ve used a bit of background work in the beginning.
The story itself is quite traditional YA urban fantasy, a teenager finding out they have powers and all what comes with it, a power hungry antagonist and people to save. The usual.
I did like the take-on of modern social issues. That peeped my interest.
I guess this book works better for younger readers, and those seeking their own voice in a book.
The story itself is quite traditional YA urban fantasy, a teenager finding out they have powers and all what comes with it, a power hungry antagonist and people to save. The usual.
I did like the take-on of modern social issues. That peeped my interest.
I guess this book works better for younger readers, and those seeking their own voice in a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Car accident, Death of parent, and Colonisation
kaylani_simplyme's review
4.5
This book was really fantastic. This was such an awesome urban fantasy book that wove in the important topic or racism, gang violence, and racial prejudice. There were so many important messages to take from this novel. I really loved how this story was told and the way we jumped right into the story. I liked that we didn't go through the whole process of learning this new world with the character but we were along the journey of the after effects of everything she had learned. The themes of family, ride or die, and community was really compelling to read about. Even though this book has a thread of hope throughout the story its a very sad and dark experience for this Rue and the people in her inner circle. The depiction of colonization and the oppression of black rights and experiences in both the Fantasy world and real world lined up so well together. Some parts of this book were very hard to read and that's the point. Its not supposed to be comfortable or easy. The author really makes you think about the world that we live in and the part we play in society as a whole. Rue was a really interesting and loyal character (almost to a fault) But I love that she never gave up her roots and stood by the people that needed her most not matter the consequence. This has the set up to be an amazing series and I am excited to see what the author does with the rest of this story!
The things that bothered me about this book that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars was the main character made some really stupid decision that were really frustrating. She walked into serval trap that were laid out quite plainly for the reader to see yet she still did it anyways. If the author would have left more to be desired and made the betrayal be more of a secret or have some shock value it would have felt different but I thought it was made pretty obvious and Rue still didn't put the pieces together. I also don't love the fact that she wove in the makings of a love triangle. Nothing really too deep in the first book but I know it will be a big thing in book 2 and I'm just so over that trope. But other then that it was a wonderful first book to a fantasy series and I am very excited to continue to explore.
The things that bothered me about this book that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars was the main character made some really stupid decision that were really frustrating. She walked into serval trap that were laid out quite plainly for the reader to see yet she still did it anyways. If the author would have left more to be desired and made the betrayal be more of a secret or have some shock value it would have felt different but I thought it was made pretty obvious and Rue still didn't put the pieces together. I also don't love the fact that she wove in the makings of a love triangle. Nothing really too deep in the first book but I know it will be a big thing in book 2 and I'm just so over that trope. But other then that it was a wonderful first book to a fantasy series and I am very excited to continue to explore.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
riley_v29's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
cheybrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Hate crime, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, and Grief
meluhnie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
Minor: Drug use, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
serenityreads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.5
I really enjoyed this debut!
Wings of Ebony follows Rue after the fatal shooting of her Moms. Her estranged father comes and takes Rue to a land called Ghizon where its inhabitants have magic. Rue is stranded there for a whole year. But with the help of her genius best friend, she's able to transport herself back to Earth without being tracked. What starts out as a simple task to deliver a birthday gift to her sister, becomes increasingly more complicated when Tasha is almost killed in a car crash. Not only that but something is infiltrating East Row with drugs and murdering young Black kids. Rue knows the police are no help, so it will be up to her and the other occupants of East Row to figure out what's happening.
Y'all this book was so good! I really enjoyed the portal fantasy type world going on here. There's also so much going on in terms of colonisation, and systemic racism. J. Elle put so much into this book. I loved getting to know more about Rue's home of East Row, and the magical world of Ghizon. Rue is such a strong and relentless character, I loved her so much. She is fierce in her determination to protect those she loves and cares for. I was rooting for Rue 200% of the time, I wanted to see her succeed.
The world building is done so well in this book. But it is more of a slow build. We don't get all of the mechanics of Ghizon right away. The other thing is that the history of Ghizon has been written by the victors, which have secrets to hide. So if you're confused about how things work, just keep going. Trust me.
I loved how much family plays a role in this story. J. Elle didn't pull any punches either when it comes to the emotional side of things. I definitely was traumatized by a particular scene in the end. I can't wait to see what else J. Elle writes!
Rep: Black and Indigenous (to a fantasy land based off Africa) female MC, Black and Indigenous side characters.
CWs: Abandonment, blood, car accident colonisation, death, death of parents, gaslighting, fire, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, murder, racism, violence.
Wings of Ebony follows Rue after the fatal shooting of her Moms. Her estranged father comes and takes Rue to a land called Ghizon where its inhabitants have magic. Rue is stranded there for a whole year. But with the help of her genius best friend, she's able to transport herself back to Earth without being tracked. What starts out as a simple task to deliver a birthday gift to her sister, becomes increasingly more complicated when Tasha is almost killed in a car crash. Not only that but something is infiltrating East Row with drugs and murdering young Black kids. Rue knows the police are no help, so it will be up to her and the other occupants of East Row to figure out what's happening.
Y'all this book was so good! I really enjoyed the portal fantasy type world going on here. There's also so much going on in terms of colonisation, and systemic racism. J. Elle put so much into this book. I loved getting to know more about Rue's home of East Row, and the magical world of Ghizon. Rue is such a strong and relentless character, I loved her so much. She is fierce in her determination to protect those she loves and cares for. I was rooting for Rue 200% of the time, I wanted to see her succeed.
The world building is done so well in this book. But it is more of a slow build. We don't get all of the mechanics of Ghizon right away. The other thing is that the history of Ghizon has been written by the victors, which have secrets to hide. So if you're confused about how things work, just keep going. Trust me.
I loved how much family plays a role in this story. J. Elle didn't pull any punches either when it comes to the emotional side of things. I definitely was traumatized by a particular scene in the end. I can't wait to see what else J. Elle writes!
Rep: Black and Indigenous (to a fantasy land based off Africa) female MC, Black and Indigenous side characters.
CWs: Abandonment, blood, car accident colonisation, death, death of parents, gaslighting, fire, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, murder, racism, violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
locdbooktician's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Buckle up folks! It's giving hood fantastical realism and I am here for it. Did I just make up a genre? Yes, because Black people are magical and we make up things all the time. I am team JULIUS! I SAID WHAT I SAID, ARGUE WITH YA MAMMY! I loved the writing in this book. I love how J.Elle wrote about how Black people give each other the eye without writing that exchange on page. Yes, it giving us hood nuances and I love too see it. I want more hood exchanges in book two. I am waiting patiently for book two.
I must say that Rue has a lot to prove to me because I felt like some of her moves made me think that she was choosing white kinship/friendship over her root magic/ancestors. When history has taught us that, that is not always a safe choice. I felt like she should have caught the hint when her father and the tribeman was giving each other the eye when she wanted to tell her friend Bree about history of the magic. I felt like she put too much trust into Bree. I am still distrustful of Bree and Luke (don't get me started, he is a snake in the grass).
As of now, my two favorite characters are Rue's little sister and the grandma. When grandma said "was it the gumbo?" I said "granny, you know it ain't the gumbo."
Chapter 38 took me out and put me in tears. I wish I could spoil that for you. But, I will not. But, I will leave you with this
I must say that Rue has a lot to prove to me because I felt like some of her moves made me think that she was choosing white kinship/friendship over her root magic/ancestors. When history has taught us that, that is not always a safe choice. I felt like she should have caught the hint when her father and the tribeman was giving each other the eye when she wanted to tell her friend Bree about history of the magic. I felt like she put too much trust into Bree. I am still distrustful of Bree and Luke (don't get me started, he is a snake in the grass).
As of now, my two favorite characters are Rue's little sister and the grandma. When grandma said "was it the gumbo?" I said "granny, you know it ain't the gumbo."
Chapter 38 took me out and put me in tears. I wish I could spoil that for you. But, I will not. But, I will leave you with this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was a blast and truly YA, I would like to say.
We have a very strong main character who grew up in East Row with her mom and her younger sister until the moment her mother got killed and Rue got brought to this other place, where she is now to be educated as she is not only human, but also half god.
When she decides to return on the anniversary of her mother's death to the street she grew up in and meet up with her sister, she sets a series of events in action she could not foresee.
And as the world around seems to tumble down Rue has to understand more about her magic, her origins and also make sure that she keeps her sister and the friends she has found on the way, safe.
Absolutely compelling story telling. One of the best books I read this year.
Loved the narrator of this story. I felt, she got the voices of her characters just so right.
We have a very strong main character who grew up in East Row with her mom and her younger sister until the moment her mother got killed and Rue got brought to this other place, where she is now to be educated as she is not only human, but also half god.
When she decides to return on the anniversary of her mother's death to the street she grew up in and meet up with her sister, she sets a series of events in action she could not foresee.
And as the world around seems to tumble down Rue has to understand more about her magic, her origins and also make sure that she keeps her sister and the friends she has found on the way, safe.
Absolutely compelling story telling. One of the best books I read this year.
Loved the narrator of this story. I felt, she got the voices of her characters just so right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Cultural appropriation
alenezela99's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation