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readwithanne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, Gun violence, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Colonisation
kaylani_simplyme's review against another edition
4.5
This book was really fantastic. This was such an awesome urban fantasy book that wove in the important topic or racism, gang violence, and racial prejudice. There were so many important messages to take from this novel. I really loved how this story was told and the way we jumped right into the story. I liked that we didn't go through the whole process of learning this new world with the character but we were along the journey of the after effects of everything she had learned. The themes of family, ride or die, and community was really compelling to read about. Even though this book has a thread of hope throughout the story its a very sad and dark experience for this Rue and the people in her inner circle. The depiction of colonization and the oppression of black rights and experiences in both the Fantasy world and real world lined up so well together. Some parts of this book were very hard to read and that's the point. Its not supposed to be comfortable or easy. The author really makes you think about the world that we live in and the part we play in society as a whole. Rue was a really interesting and loyal character (almost to a fault) But I love that she never gave up her roots and stood by the people that needed her most not matter the consequence. This has the set up to be an amazing series and I am excited to see what the author does with the rest of this story!
The things that bothered me about this book that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars was the main character made some really stupid decision that were really frustrating. She walked into serval trap that were laid out quite plainly for the reader to see yet she still did it anyways. If the author would have left more to be desired and made the betrayal be more of a secret or have some shock value it would have felt different but I thought it was made pretty obvious and Rue still didn't put the pieces together. I also don't love the fact that she wove in the makings of a love triangle. Nothing really too deep in the first book but I know it will be a big thing in book 2 and I'm just so over that trope. But other then that it was a wonderful first book to a fantasy series and I am very excited to continue to explore.
The things that bothered me about this book that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars was the main character made some really stupid decision that were really frustrating. She walked into serval trap that were laid out quite plainly for the reader to see yet she still did it anyways. If the author would have left more to be desired and made the betrayal be more of a secret or have some shock value it would have felt different but I thought it was made pretty obvious and Rue still didn't put the pieces together. I also don't love the fact that she wove in the makings of a love triangle. Nothing really too deep in the first book but I know it will be a big thing in book 2 and I'm just so over that trope. But other then that it was a wonderful first book to a fantasy series and I am very excited to continue to explore.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Grief, and Gun violence
skylerher's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Car accident and Racial slurs
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
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Wings of ebony is one of those books that you want to love but even though you still liked it you feel like something is missing. It least it’s one of those books for me. Before I go into the book any further I want to put in a disclaimer: “I’m European, I have lived my whole life in a country that might not be perfect but where we can still 95% of the time trust the government to look out for us. I’m not going into the representation of this book since I do not have the knowledge to talk about his subject.”
Okay, with that been said what are my thoughts about this book?
The plot
Wings of ebony is about Rue. After her mom was killed she found herself in a strange magical country (Ghizon) where she had to learn to embrace her magic and deal with a father she has never known. We meet Rue a year after her mothers death. She found her way back to America to give her sister a birthday present but she ends up having to save her sisters life. When her sister touches her, rue breaks one of many rules of Ghizon. This starts a manhunt for Rue and she has to travel dangerous waters to keep herself and her sister safe.
The books storyline focuses heavily one Racism and police brutality. The storyline is actually pretty amazing and I really wanted to love it but the book has some flaws. The plot never really goes into a lot of different plotpoints. It is a lot of telling instead of showing. Rue is constantly telling that the block she comes from us fam, but we never actually get to explore her connections to the home she used to live in. We meet just 3 characters she knows and one she vaguely knows since he is the popular boy in school. I would have loved to see more of the connections between the main character and her home to make the reader understand the bond she feels with her community. I understand this is heavily inspired from real life but in the book itself it has no real foundation. There are more instances this happens but those are heavy spoilers so if your interested you can find them further below.
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding is sloppy, we don’t actually get any worldbuilding about Ghizon. We just have to believe it exist but we don’t really get an explanation about who the world works. We also don’t really get to explore the magic. Magic was something the characters more really talked about than used and we never really got to see Rue grow into her powers or an explanation to the boundaries of the magic used in the book. We don’t even get an full explanation about how the magic works. Her is a piece of onyx, good luck! The history we do get doesn’t even cover the basics of the magic system.
Writing style
The writing is terrific! It’s fast paced and action pact. I’m not sure about the placing of the flash backs but some of the more emotional scenes have been done very well. I
Characters
Rue is a fun character she is a bit typical ya, she misses some major red flags but hé, she is young enough to learn. She is a really strong female character and I would have loved to she her grow.
Recommend, it’s a good book. I just miss a lot of explanation that could have made the book even better. I am a bit frustrated about that….
Other plot points that could have used more explanation:
1. The whole gang plot on the block… what does the chancellor and the governor win from selling drugs And power in a country they do not care for and don’t need to have controle over for there plans to actually work. They only endanger their ambitions with there connection with America. If it was only to hurt Rue than the did that in the most round about stupid way imaginable.
2. The father plot, we didn’t see them grow. She just hated his ass till he got killed. There is no relationship there and that’s her fault.
3. The romance plot, it basically was a case of: “o look, a dark skinned boy with dimples and magic, I’m willing to sell my soul for him now” we read one scene between them before the boy was willing to risk his life for his “queen”. This was a big case of telling and no showing. It’s a shame. Give us some bounding before making them randomly kiss. <spoilers>
Okay, with that been said what are my thoughts about this book?
The plot
Wings of ebony is about Rue. After her mom was killed she found herself in a strange magical country (Ghizon) where she had to learn to embrace her magic and deal with a father she has never known. We meet Rue a year after her mothers death. She found her way back to America to give her sister a birthday present but she ends up having to save her sisters life. When her sister touches her, rue breaks one of many rules of Ghizon. This starts a manhunt for Rue and she has to travel dangerous waters to keep herself and her sister safe.
The books storyline focuses heavily one Racism and police brutality. The storyline is actually pretty amazing and I really wanted to love it but the book has some flaws. The plot never really goes into a lot of different plotpoints. It is a lot of telling instead of showing. Rue is constantly telling that the block she comes from us fam, but we never actually get to explore her connections to the home she used to live in. We meet just 3 characters she knows and one she vaguely knows since he is the popular boy in school. I would have loved to see more of the connections between the main character and her home to make the reader understand the bond she feels with her community. I understand this is heavily inspired from real life but in the book itself it has no real foundation. There are more instances this happens but those are heavy spoilers so if your interested you can find them further below.
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding is sloppy, we don’t actually get any worldbuilding about Ghizon. We just have to believe it exist but we don’t really get an explanation about who the world works. We also don’t really get to explore the magic. Magic was something the characters more really talked about than used and we never really got to see Rue grow into her powers or an explanation to the boundaries of the magic used in the book. We don’t even get an full explanation about how the magic works. Her is a piece of onyx, good luck! The history we do get doesn’t even cover the basics of the magic system.
Writing style
The writing is terrific! It’s fast paced and action pact. I’m not sure about the placing of the flash backs but some of the more emotional scenes have been done very well. I
Characters
Rue is a fun character she is a bit typical ya, she misses some major red flags but hé, she is young enough to learn. She is a really strong female character and I would have loved to she her grow.
Recommend, it’s a good book. I just miss a lot of explanation that could have made the book even better. I am a bit frustrated about that….
Other plot points that could have used more explanation:
1. The whole gang plot on the block… what does the chancellor and the governor win from selling drugs And power in a country they do not care for and don’t need to have controle over for there plans to actually work. They only endanger their ambitions with there connection with America. If it was only to hurt Rue than the did that in the most round about stupid way imaginable.
2. The father plot, we didn’t see them grow. She just hated his ass till he got killed. There is no relationship there and that’s her fault.
3. The romance plot, it basically was a case of: “o look, a dark skinned boy with dimples and magic, I’m willing to sell my soul for him now” we read one scene between them before the boy was willing to risk his life for his “queen”. This was a big case of telling and no showing. It’s a shame. Give us some bounding before making them randomly kiss. <spoilers>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
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
locdbooktician's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Buckle up folks! It's giving hood fantastical realism and I am here for it. Did I just make up a genre? Yes, because Black people are magical and we make up things all the time. I am team JULIUS! I SAID WHAT I SAID, ARGUE WITH YA MAMMY! I loved the writing in this book. I love how J.Elle wrote about how Black people give each other the eye without writing that exchange on page. Yes, it giving us hood nuances and I love too see it. I want more hood exchanges in book two. I am waiting patiently for book two.
I must say that Rue has a lot to prove to me because I felt like some of her moves made me think that she was choosing white kinship/friendship over her root magic/ancestors. When history has taught us that, that is not always a safe choice. I felt like she should have caught the hint when her father and the tribeman was giving each other the eye when she wanted to tell her friend Bree about history of the magic. I felt like she put too much trust into Bree. I am still distrustful of Bree and Luke (don't get me started, he is a snake in the grass).
As of now, my two favorite characters are Rue's little sister and the grandma. When grandma said "was it the gumbo?" I said "granny, you know it ain't the gumbo."
Chapter 38 took me out and put me in tears. I wish I could spoil that for you. But, I will not. But, I will leave you with this
I must say that Rue has a lot to prove to me because I felt like some of her moves made me think that she was choosing white kinship/friendship over her root magic/ancestors. When history has taught us that, that is not always a safe choice. I felt like she should have caught the hint when her father and the tribeman was giving each other the eye when she wanted to tell her friend Bree about history of the magic. I felt like she put too much trust into Bree. I am still distrustful of Bree and Luke (don't get me started, he is a snake in the grass).
As of now, my two favorite characters are Rue's little sister and the grandma. When grandma said "was it the gumbo?" I said "granny, you know it ain't the gumbo."
Chapter 38 took me out and put me in tears. I wish I could spoil that for you. But, I will not. But, I will leave you with this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
asiamh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The story & characters are very well written! But, the story isn’t as centered as much on the MC’s magical powers as I had hoped. Its a good read, but includes a lot of black trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
library_dreamer's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
It's not often that I fall so hard for fantasy. I have to be in a mood to get into a new world. I went into this one blind, not knowing anything about it. It was awesome! The world building was really well done. The juxtaposition of this fantastical world on our own ordinary one was brilliant. The inclusion of real world social issues gave the story a particular weight and helped add to why I fell so hard for the characters. Definitely will be on the lookout for more in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
roseflows's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs