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corncake's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident, Kidnapping, and Grief
v4mpstarzz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Hate crime
Moderate: Classism, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Abandonment, Murder, and Grief
Minor: Cursing
alia_deberry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
"In this riveting, keenly emotional debut fantasy, a Black teen from Houston has her world upended when she learns about her godly ancestry and must save both the human and god worlds."
Wings of Ebony was a wonderfully written book following a strong main character. Rue (mc) was powerful but still had some realistic mistakes and characteristics. There was a lot of character growth in not just her, but a lot of the other characters. I really loved Tasha and Ms. L. I also enjoyed Bri and Rue's friendship. Each of the characters were well developed and realistic. I LOVED CUPCAKE AS WELL.
I went in knowing romance wasn't a part of the plot, but the tiny bit included was short, sweet, and didn't overpower the plot.
The plot in this book mirrored colonization and many struggles in the real world. It was crazy how accurate and real it was. The author made a good point when talking about a character who although did not intentionally be racist or act wrong, their indifference and ignorance to the situation was just as harmful. This book conveyed a lot of important themes.
The magic, plot, and setting of this book were very well written. However, I really wish their was a different variety in power descriptions. The characters were told to have been able to move trees and control the earth yet all we saw was power/light blasts. The travelling between worlds and Rue's growth on finding herself as well as her family was very enjoyable!! It was action-packed and really easy to get into! The plot was consistent and there wasn't really any part that was less enjoyable. I loved this book!!
Wings of Ebony was a wonderfully written book following a strong main character. Rue (mc) was powerful but still had some realistic mistakes and characteristics. There was a lot of character growth in not just her, but a lot of the other characters. I really loved Tasha and Ms. L. I also enjoyed Bri and Rue's friendship. Each of the characters were well developed and realistic. I LOVED CUPCAKE AS WELL.
I went in knowing romance wasn't a part of the plot, but the tiny bit included was short, sweet, and didn't overpower the plot.
The plot in this book mirrored colonization and many struggles in the real world. It was crazy how accurate and real it was. The author made a good point when talking about a character who although did not intentionally be racist or act wrong, their indifference and ignorance to the situation was just as harmful. This book conveyed a lot of important themes.
The magic, plot, and setting of this book were very well written. However, I really wish their was a different variety in power descriptions. The characters were told to have been able to move trees and control the earth yet all we saw was power/light blasts. The travelling between worlds and Rue's growth on finding herself as well as her family was very enjoyable!! It was action-packed and really easy to get into! The plot was consistent and there wasn't really any part that was less enjoyable. I loved this book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism
ceilidhwilliams's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Death of parent, Grief, Racial slurs, and Racism
bretagnereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Drug use, Blood, Murder, Hate crime, and Racism
Minor: Car accident and Cursing
cheybrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Racism, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Gun violence
Moderate: Blood, Hate crime, Police brutality, Grief, and Torture
serenityreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Hate crime, and Gun violence
queer_bookwyrm's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
"Moms raised a diamond. And diamonds don't crack."
I was gifted an arc copy of Wings of Ebony by J. Elle. Wow. Just wow. This book is the perfect blend of urban fantasy and social justice novel. I devoured this book in two days.
We follow Rue in East Row, where we see the desolation that gang and drug activity can reduce a hood to. Rue is trying to see her younger sister Tasha from a distance on the anniversary of their mother's death. Rue isn't supposed to touch any human now that she lives and Ghazan and has magic. Tasha is almost in a car accident until Rue intervenes, touching Tasha.
A whole bunch of problems ensue for the sisters, but we get to see Rue grow and learn about her abilities and her true history in Ghazan. It was so nice that romance was a main piece of the plot! There were hints of maybe romance to come, but this story was about getting justice.
This book was also about the importance of family; sticking together. And just blood family. "The whole block fam." I loved the way Elle depicted Bri struggling with her privilege, and the nuance she brought to the conversation without apologizing for it. We also see the ill effects of colonialism depicted in Ghazan along with an oppressive caste system.
It was also refreshing to have a book that ends with the racist getting exactly what he deserves. I loved this book so much, but I don't want to say much more for fear of spoilers. Just read this book! I seriously hope there is a second book coming!
The only thing I didn't like was the way the author made everyone stutter all the time. It took me out of it every time. Such a minor issue that it didn't impact my rating. I would have liked to see more of the world building, but maybe that happens in a later book?
I was gifted an arc copy of Wings of Ebony by J. Elle. Wow. Just wow. This book is the perfect blend of urban fantasy and social justice novel. I devoured this book in two days.
We follow Rue in East Row, where we see the desolation that gang and drug activity can reduce a hood to. Rue is trying to see her younger sister Tasha from a distance on the anniversary of their mother's death. Rue isn't supposed to touch any human now that she lives and Ghazan and has magic. Tasha is almost in a car accident until Rue intervenes, touching Tasha.
A whole bunch of problems ensue for the sisters, but we get to see Rue grow and learn about her abilities and her true history in Ghazan. It was so nice that romance was a main piece of the plot! There were hints of maybe romance to come, but this story was about getting justice.
This book was also about the importance of family; sticking together. And just blood family. "The whole block fam." I loved the way Elle depicted Bri struggling with her privilege, and the nuance she brought to the conversation without apologizing for it. We also see the ill effects of colonialism depicted in Ghazan along with an oppressive caste system.
It was also refreshing to have a book that ends with the racist getting exactly what he deserves. I loved this book so much, but I don't want to say much more for fear of spoilers. Just read this book! I seriously hope there is a second book coming!
The only thing I didn't like was the way the author made everyone stutter all the time. It took me out of it every time. Such a minor issue that it didn't impact my rating. I would have liked to see more of the world building, but maybe that happens in a later book?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
daniellestarredpages's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I think this book could've shone better if it was longer. Which would've given more time for the story to develop. The beginning of the story was rushed and the pacing was off for the entire book. Towards the middle of the book when the story began to get intriguing, that's when they pacing issues became really prominent. The setting kept switching from one place to another and there was no cool of time between one action scene that ended in disaster for the characters to another scene. The resolution was also very rushed and unbelievable. The way Rue just handed out Ghizon technology to the people on her row and used that to solve the problem was one of the most unbelievable things. And I don't think the casual way that Rue exposed the magic at the end to the entire world was a good idea, considering the fact that her people at Ghizon worked so hard to hide themselves originally. However, Rue's dedication to her family was very admirable and her drive was really easy to root for. The other characters while not fleshed out entirely was enjoyable for the time they were on the page. The themes of racism, and white people making themselves the victim in the Ghizoni setting were well handled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Death, Blood, Murder, Racism, and Racial slurs