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taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Torture
Minor: Gore, Slavery, and Cursing
jackierabbit's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Some of the writing in this book is gorgeous. I really mean it.
Spoiler-free examples:
“But he was the Prince of Death, Amir al-Maut, as his mother had once called him in the old tongue, and good night always felt like goodbye.” P. 303
“Somewhere in the distance, a bird cried. Zafira couldn’t breathe past the delight expanding in her chest.” P. 318
But most of the writing is, in my opinion, akin to Tumblr poetry circa 2012. And it’s so repetitive.
Spoiler-free examples:
“She was going mad. She was the daughter of a madwoman, the daughter of a madman. Madness lived in her blood. That was the only explanation for this.” P. 187
“I have
to get out of
the way.” P. 222
(Yes, it’s really formatted like that. This occurs several more times.)
“She needed to lie down. What was she, an old man? She didn’t need to lie down.” P. 250
Examples with spoilers:
(Also on page 299, we see the phrases “Weariness and wariness,” and “trekked and tracked.” Someone was feeling alliterative.)
Because this is already fairly lengthy, I won’t get into my opinions of the characters, the romance, the plot, or the world-building. To sum it up: I don’t like it. The one shining light was the Arabic. Habibi is my favorite term of endearment and one we should be using more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent and Misogyny
Minor: Child death
katievallin's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping, Child death, War, and Domestic abuse
prufrockpreptooth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
Not what I was expecting and at the same time, exactly what I was expecting. I don't really know what I thought of the book : I had a very hard time to get into the story, but I couldn't put in done once in it... And the end, please !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, and Death of parent
joensign's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexism, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Kidnapping, and Child death
justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
“Love is for children, said the girl.
Death is for fools, said the shadow.
Darkness is my destiny, said the boy.
Allegiance is my undoing, said the eagle.
Suffering is our fate, said the beauty.
And they were all horribly wrong.”
So... I can't review this book in one single line. There's too much to say:
Lowkey wasn't expecting to get so invested into this world and enjoy this book as much as I did! Maybe I'm just a romance girl at heart. The way I absolutely ATE it up. I was here for this book lol. Solid plot, solid worldbuilding, solid writing (lots of great quotes), the yearning, the unintentionally funny moments that made me laugh out loud, great characters, great dynamics... I had a fun time reading this book, which I haven't had in a really long time! This book goes from 0 to 100 real quick, and it's around about after the 100 pages mark.
I was also re-reading certain bits to get a better grasp on the world and the characters and the plot. There is a few little nuggets of foreshadowing that I really enjoyed, as well as the plot twists. I was in this weird state where I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want it to end but I also wanted to know what would happen next. Books are weird like that.
Was the romance a little rushed but also kind of not? Yes.
Was the pacing all over the place? Yes.
Could some of the characters have been developed more? Yes.
But I still had a great time!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny
gabydoesgrowth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
This started off slow for me and I struggled to stay interested, but once their journey began, I was engrossed in the book. I even thought about it throughout my day when I wasn’t reading. The two perspectives were easier to follow than expected and the audiobook narrators did an amazing job.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, War, Murder, Torture, Death, Violence, Classism, Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement and Child death
jobaji's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.25
This book starts kind of slow, but really picks up when you get to the middle. The relationships between the characters are really compelling and special, and the fantasy world that Hafsah Faizal has crafted is so vast, complex, and fascinating!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Misogyny and Torture
tallnecked_pancakeface's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Misogyny
maple_dove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
I read this book SO QUICKLY. I started reading this book because I'm in the DAY (Dear Asian Youth) Book Club but then I ended up reading this book at a pace I used to read at.
For one thing, the double-life aspect. I'm a sucker for double lives. I absolutely adored the worldbuilding too.
I'm astonished on how the KulsumxNasir part was handled. Although it was like the cheating trope in a way, in this context, it just made sense. After all, can you really blame Kulsum for not falling in love with a person like Nasir? The reveal didn't feel forced in any way and felt natural.
I did have some qualms. For example, I didn't like that the reveal of the Hunter's identity was revealed so quickly in one chapter.Also, the fact that each time the unveiling of the Demenhune Hunter's real gender was spontaneous each time? At the same time, I do like that Zafira wasn't afraid of revealing that she was a woman who took on traditionally masculine tasks.
Reviewers have probably complained about how they couldn't take Zafira or Nasir seriously as the Hunter or Prince of Death. However (if this is the case) I think they're missing the point. I believe that was the author's intention. Zafira and Nasir may have these intimidating roles and personas, but what this book shows is that those personas do not tell the full story of who they actually are.
Favorite Quotes:
For one thing, the double-life aspect. I'm a sucker for double lives. I absolutely adored the worldbuilding too.
I did have some qualms. For example, I didn't like that the reveal of the Hunter's identity was revealed so quickly in one chapter.
Reviewers have probably complained about how they couldn't take Zafira or Nasir seriously as the Hunter or Prince of Death. However (if this is the case) I think they're missing the point. I believe that was the author's intention. Zafira and Nasir may have these intimidating roles and personas, but what this book shows is that those personas do not tell the full story of who they actually are.
Favorite Quotes:
Paranoia had a way of visiting when he was least desired.
Darkness had seized his mind, whispers and half-crazed screams echoing in his ears when his fingers passed over the inscriptions in the ancient tongue. It was a darkness wrought with pain, a darkness that could never end.
It was a darkness that despaired in itself.
Maybe the tiny lions were merely ornaments, a display of pride for the victory over a man who defied men, only to be slain by women.
In this moment, we are two souls, marooned.
That was life, wasn't it? A collection of moments, a menagerie of people. Everyone stranded everywhere, always. ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent and Gore
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, Child death, Child abuse, and Suicide
Verbal abuse (graphic)