Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi

10 reviews

icy_queen's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Suicide attempt, Violence, Kidnapping, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent and Genocide

Minor: War, Xenophobia, and Racism

hannahbailey's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Stylistically, I thought this was written really well and the concept was very interesting. But my god, was this long-winded. I kept reading because I thought that at any moment we'd get to the point...we didn't get there until the final pages -- more fool me 😭

There was so much potential here but we spend too long in the main characters' heads, rather than in their world. I don't mind internal dialogue but both MCs' thoughts were repetitive and confusing in the sense that their decision-making skills seemed to be lacking. The prince was so whiny and passive whilst the FMC lacked personality, I wanted to root for them but lost interest by the end of the book. It definitely felt like a huge setup for the next book which seems to be in a completely different setting with more characters introduced. Obviously, a setup is needed to make you pick up the next instalment, but it's always a shame when the first novel itself can't be treated as a standalone in its own right. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Gore, Grief, Violence, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, and Murder

ciarramist's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, and Child death

emolr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Self harm, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, Violence, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Genocide

mynotsolittlelibrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring tense slow-paced

While the pacing if this book is slow  it is so incredibly imersive you don't realise it. You're so wrapped up in the characters and their intense emotions you want every scene to last just a little longer!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Xenophobia, Blood, Classism, Death, and Self harm

Moderate: Death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement

Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, and Violence

knunderb's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was a quick read, asI love Mafi's writing style. It's so illustrative and lovely. The story kept me turning pages, wanting to know what was next.

however, it's not clear to me how Clay defeated the Jinn and have been able to force Jinn into second class status. The book ended on a major cliffhanger, so perhaps this will be explored in future installments. <Spoiler>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Classism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Murder, Death of parent, War, and Xenophobia

marigold_faye's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent and Physical abuse

tea_rea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Murder, Blood, Violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, and Classism

Moderate: Child death and Sexism

Minor: War, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury

soniajoy98's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Blood, Classism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse

Minor: Child death

stormywolf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

 I'm obviously no stranger to Mafi's works, having made my way through her entire 11-part Shatter Me series. But upon finishing the last installment last fall, I noticed a 2-chapter preview of her upcoming fantasy work, This Woven Kingdom, and decided to try it. Having also read through her fantasy books, Furthermore & Whichwood, I knew she'd dabbled in the genre before, but I was interested to see what track she'd take with fantasy, romance, and YA. Needless to say, I was immediately hooked, and was then forced to eagerly await the book's release. A secret queen of a magical people, forced to hide her identity in squalor and servitude, tormented by whispers from the devil, and unknowingly headed toward a forbidden romance—what more could I ask for?

Read my full review at The Wolf's Den

Overall, this book utterly enchanted me. From its intelligent and passionate main characters, its magical yet logical world, and its promise of even more political intrigue and supernatural twists, this story is absolutely full of things to love and become obsessed by. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in non-European-based fantasy, strong (and memorable) female characters, or a flirty forbidden romance. I'm very curious to know more, both about the characters and story to come, and about its inspiration, as the summary posits, from Persian mythology, and I know I'm not alone. But until the next book decides to magically appear, I'll have to find another series to tide me over. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Child death and Genocide