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lsparrow's review against another edition
1.0
one of those books I started reading and miss laid for a month and had to start over when i found it.
I found it one of those books that had too much detail that I didn't quite understand and too much double crossing intrigue. I found I never knew what was going on and so was never really able to get into the book.
I found it one of those books that had too much detail that I didn't quite understand and too much double crossing intrigue. I found I never knew what was going on and so was never really able to get into the book.
jennderqueer's review against another edition
3.5
I had some issues with this one, but overall it was decent. I felt like the main characters were too flawed; the main villain was a little overpowered in terms of magic, and the pacing was not 100%. Overall the plot was good though and I liked the book. I'll read the sequel.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
4.0
I was super excited to read this book and can definitely say it was not what I expected! It's been a while since I've encountered a denser, more complex system of magic. The story is filled with memorable characters, detailed world building, and told with a very strong author voice.
The two main characters could not be more different. Jazmyne is focused and driven by duty, whereas Ira is more passionate and uncontrolled. I love the contrast between the girls, both of whom have strengths and flaws, but Ira's sassy humour and bold nature made her my favourite. The side characters are a ton of fun, especially the love interest/friend Kirdan, who has more than a few secrets and tricks up his sleeve.
The magic and world building is incredibly detailed and forces the reader to pay attention and remember terms. The author does a very good job with the age-old technique of show don't tell: what the character knows must feel natural. And I have to say, the fantasy elements are wholly unique to the genre, and create fresh and thrilling action scenes.
However, this is also where I hit a bit of a snag. Given how many terms are used, introduced, and spread out, it was a bit of a challenge for me to understand what was happening, why things worked, and how they looked. I got a bit lost in some sections and struggled to find some of the setting.
This also led to a little confusion in the plot. I had a general idea of what was happening, but some choices, especially those around Ira and who she interacted with, didn't quite make sense to me at the time. In hindsight, I think it worked wonderfully, and I truly loved the ending. I just think there needed to be a few more anchors in certain scenes.
Again, these are only my opinions, and despite my struggles, I found plenty to enjoy here. This is a powerful debut and I truly believe that Smart's career will grow and excel. She has a powerful writing voice, a vivid imagination, and put tons of thought and passion into this project. It is a great book for anyone who respects and wants to uplift Black culture, and is a must read if you love rich, detail-oriented fantasy.
The two main characters could not be more different. Jazmyne is focused and driven by duty, whereas Ira is more passionate and uncontrolled. I love the contrast between the girls, both of whom have strengths and flaws, but Ira's sassy humour and bold nature made her my favourite. The side characters are a ton of fun, especially the love interest/friend Kirdan, who has more than a few secrets and tricks up his sleeve.
The magic and world building is incredibly detailed and forces the reader to pay attention and remember terms. The author does a very good job with the age-old technique of show don't tell: what the character knows must feel natural. And I have to say, the fantasy elements are wholly unique to the genre, and create fresh and thrilling action scenes.
However, this is also where I hit a bit of a snag. Given how many terms are used, introduced, and spread out, it was a bit of a challenge for me to understand what was happening, why things worked, and how they looked. I got a bit lost in some sections and struggled to find some of the setting.
This also led to a little confusion in the plot. I had a general idea of what was happening, but some choices, especially those around Ira and who she interacted with, didn't quite make sense to me at the time. In hindsight, I think it worked wonderfully, and I truly loved the ending. I just think there needed to be a few more anchors in certain scenes.
Again, these are only my opinions, and despite my struggles, I found plenty to enjoy here. This is a powerful debut and I truly believe that Smart's career will grow and excel. She has a powerful writing voice, a vivid imagination, and put tons of thought and passion into this project. It is a great book for anyone who respects and wants to uplift Black culture, and is a must read if you love rich, detail-oriented fantasy.
sydney_arcuri's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
Okay, I am going to be completely honest- I almost marked this book as dnf. BUT I'm glad I kept going. The beginning started off super strong and I immediately fell in love with the characters, then the middle kinda fell flat and wasn't as action packed as the beginning, but then the last 150 pages really picked up and matched that of the beginning of the book. This was the main reason I rated it 4/5 because all the other aspects I really enjoyed.
Okay, I am going to be completely honest- I almost marked this book as dnf. BUT I'm glad I kept going. The beginning started off super strong and I immediately fell in love with the characters, then the middle kinda fell flat and wasn't as action packed as the beginning, but then the last 150 pages really picked up and matched that of the beginning of the book. This was the main reason I rated it 4/5 because all the other aspects I really enjoyed.
sometimesiread11's review against another edition
I should not still be this confused 50 pages in. It feels like the author is using big words just for the sake of using big words so it’s hard to get through sentences sometimes. Also at this point there’s been a lot of discussion of the world and its systems and still very very little actual explanation or details as to what is actually happening. I decided to stop and read through the reviews to see if it was just me. I saw quite a few reviews from people who had similar feelings to mine, and the consensus seems to be that the book nor the sequel are worth struggling through.
flicw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
abbybrace98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.0
thereviewbooth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
It’s interesting what influences your mind when you are imagining characters speaking reading a book. Throughout the entire book I heard the characters voices in a way similar to Naomie Harris who portrays Tia Dalma/Calypso in Pirates of the Caribbean. Ira & Jaz reminded me of her in their personalities too – just as beautiful and fierce.
Initially the book was a little bit slow and slow world-building, but the latter half made up for it in spades – I was hooked. The Jamaican patois (patwah in the book) threw me off initially and interrupted the flow of the book for me, mainly because I am a person that has to look up things that I don’t understand. I desperately wish that this book had a map, either as endpapers or inside. When I read fantasy books like this one with specific locations for things I like to have a visual representation of it. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the prowler catch-all describing the animals of the island. It does leave things open for you to imagine but I love when they’re described in detail like the Zesian’s cat.
The plot twists in this book were a surprised and there were several that I didn’t see coming at all. I do plan on purchasing the second book in the series to read soon because I can’t stand leaving series unread. The closing of this book was a bombshell. I’m extremely thankful to the wheel of names for picking this one out of my backlog of physical books to read and I can’t wait to read the next book – Empress Crowned in Red.
parkeeto's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jaysim79's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5