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titi_reads_more's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Blood
cheesie's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
edit: i am actually wondering if i misinterpreted these characters to be younger than they actually are? the author says it’s “upper ya/na” so i’m really not sure what the vibes are lol. if these characters are actually adults then disregard everything i whine about their ages
kind of struggling to word how i feel about this book! first of all, it features a black female lead and an asian male lead and is written by a black women and i am happy this book exists and is diversifying the ya fantasy genre that is very white.
i would say my first impression of this book was negative. i had this idea of my review saying it’s like they put my hero academia, shatter me and shadow and bone into an AI generator and this is what we got— and that is how the pre-academy act felt, to be fair, but i think it got a lot better than that once they got to the school.
overall, i know i’m like 8-10 years older than the ideal audience for this book so i can only complain so much. the fact the whole series is a free audiobook on youtube is really nice and accessible!
pros:
- diverse characters and a young interracial couple without one of them being white
- the worldbuilding is easy to understand and the story gets right into it
- nicely paced and a short audiobook: not a daunting length
- for the most part, all the characters were distinct and didn’t blend together like big casts tend to do in my brain
- fun cliffhanger!
cons:
- weirdly sexual language for a ya book: the hyperfocus on reina being a virgin (and everyone being like “you’re a virgin?!?!”) and kaito having sex is weird, and the bullying scene focusing on her underwear was also weird
- i’m not really sure what reina’s bad traits are (too loyal? too powerful? virgin?)
- definitely feels like the first book in a series and i wish it had a more interesting conflict that could stand alone
kind of struggling to word how i feel about this book! first of all, it features a black female lead and an asian male lead and is written by a black women and i am happy this book exists and is diversifying the ya fantasy genre that is very white.
i would say my first impression of this book was negative. i had this idea of my review saying it’s like they put my hero academia, shatter me and shadow and bone into an AI generator and this is what we got— and that is how the pre-academy act felt, to be fair, but i think it got a lot better than that once they got to the school.
overall, i know i’m like 8-10 years older than the ideal audience for this book so i can only complain so much. the fact the whole series is a free audiobook on youtube is really nice and accessible!
pros:
- diverse characters and a young interracial couple without one of them being white
- the worldbuilding is easy to understand and the story gets right into it
- nicely paced and a short audiobook: not a daunting length
- for the most part, all the characters were distinct and didn’t blend together like big casts tend to do in my brain
- fun cliffhanger!
cons:
- weirdly sexual language for a ya book: the hyperfocus on reina being a virgin (and everyone being like “you’re a virgin?!?!”) and kaito having sex is weird, and the bullying scene focusing on her underwear was also weird
- i’m not really sure what reina’s bad traits are (too loyal? too powerful? virgin?)
- definitely feels like the first book in a series and i wish it had a more interesting conflict that could stand alone
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Bullying
Minor: Violence and Death
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