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rthpr's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The 1812 plot line started off great, and then once Obi left was a complete drag. The prophecy was a bit heavy handed, it liked the archive notes at the end of each chapter though, that was a great idea. And
Could not get behind Xavier, didn’t care about him in the slightest and the romance between him and
The first
I probably will read the sequel (presuming there is one) because overall I liked the ideas! The main let down of this book seems to be the lack of a proper editor
Graphic: Colonisation and Slavery
kiwij96's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
It was just so painfully repetitive at times and the characters didn't feel fleshed out enough. The friendships and relationships felt rushed but the prophecy was so long drawn out as if to hammer home that there was a prophecy (just in case by the 100th page you were unaware). Parts of the plot felt like they had been forgotten about at times
The editing process needed to be more thorough, too. This book could have been like 100-150 pages shorter, and was just riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Also, as much as I love a book with long chapters when done correctly, this made the long chapters FEEL longer.
Felt like DNFing after 50 pages but stuck with it for the rest of the book just to see where it got me. Found family trope was introduced well, good concept and creativity, great introduction to a series albeit a bit long. But generally speaking, this one wasn't for me.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Death of parent, Addiction, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Blood, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Police brutality, Colonisation, Trafficking, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, War, Child abuse, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Minor: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Rape
pvbobrien's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide, Trafficking, and Slavery
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Blood, Rape, Torture, Child abuse, Infidelity, War, Mental illness, and Sexual content
emily_journals's review against another edition
- 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
The characters are really the heart of this story, and I really loved that this was such a character driven story, especially for being a big space opera where I think the emphasis is usually put on the plot. I really loved both of our main characters and they both felt extremely complex and lifelike. All the side characters also very much felt like they were their own people and not just devices of the story which I found really impressive, especially for a debut author. I also think the overall plot was really satisfying, I did see most of the "twists" coming but I don't think the book was necessarily trying to hide the twists from you. It was more wanting to take you on the journey that the characters had to go through experiencing these things, so the plot still felt satisfying even seeing where the story was going. I also generally enjoyed the prose of this book, I think the author had a really beautiful way of selecting and composing the words in this book generally.
I do think there were some craft issues with this book, but most of them were easy for me to gloss over and didn't interrupt my reading experience. I also think all of the craft issues are ones that I would typically expect from a debut author, especially one who started writing this book as a teen. Sometimes there was quite a bit of over explaining and I think this book could have been trimmed down by getting rid of some of the repetition. Also, there were a couple of times that there was head jumping, but it didn't happen often enough or extreme enough to really interrupt my reading experience. There was only one time where I really stopped and was like "wait, who are we focusing on right now?", but all the other couple of times it would just be a brief second of confusion. Also, I really really wish there was a glossary in the back of this book and I'm hoping there will be one in the next book.
Overall, this was a good introduction to this world and a very good debut.
Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Slavery, Racism, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Alcohol, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual content
luckykosmos's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Rape, Gun violence, and Body horror
Minor: Chronic illness
kairyne's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide and Slavery
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
dreareads_'s review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
I had quite a fun time with all the creativity on the page, as well as the world and the adventures our characters go on. I could not help but fall in love with Asha and Obi and their heartwarming friendship. Although there is quite a lot happening in the book (magical prophecy, tyranical emperor, different timelines, time travel, demons, forbidden loves) what makes this book special is the effortless love that grows between our two main characters. Even at it's shakiest moments, the relationship between Asha and Obi made the story worth it for me. My love for Obi and Asha was cemented when Obi took his time to take care of Asha and do her braids, as any older sibling would do for their younger sibling. That small familial act was the best representation of the main idea of the story. It is a story about family, the ups and downs that come with it, and the peace we experience when we finally find our home.
Despite how fun the book is, I must say that it is simply doing too much. There are too many set pieces introduced (especially in the 6066 timeline) and too little time spent slowing down and building the relationships between the characters (except for Asha and Obi). The biggest example of this to me is the time Asha and Obi joined a scavenger crew ship. Asha claims these are the best days of her life, and that she has found a new family, except there are not many moments that actualy SHOW this. Except for her time with Xavior, we do not see any interactions between Asha and the rest of the crew, but we are TOLD that relationships are being built.
This lack of space to build emtional moments happens over and over again. There is SO much that the book wants to say, SO many pieces that need to be put into place that at time it is the characters and emotional moments that suffer the most.
Despite all of this I cannot help but really like the book. It is a gran adventure, with two lovable main characters, and enough action to keep you invested. I really cannot wait for book 2!
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Racism, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual violence, Genocide, Slavery, Gore, Addiction, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, Suicide, Rape, and Murder
cozyreadergurl3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Slavery and Gun violence
syllareads's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, Drug use, and War