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cbrodley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall I’m giving this 3 stars as I wasn’t overwhelmingly engaged with this story, however I did think it had some strengths overall and potential for more growth in sequels.
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
courtneyreadsallnight's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Murder, Violence, War, and Sexual content
lisashelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Racial slurs, War, and Blood
Minor: Mental illness
booksalacarte'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
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Violence, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexual content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bookishmillennial'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
This was an entertaining addition to the new adult, queernormative fantasy world!
I felt that this was clearly setting up the rest of the series, because the rotating third-person limited POVs of sisters Yeeran and Lettle felt quite character-driven, helping readers get to know the fae courts just as they did. The world building felt easy to follow and because of that, I’d recommend this to someone who is new to fantasy and wants to try the genre on for size!
The buildup towards Furi and Yeeran was a lot of fun; it will assuredly be catnip for the enemies-to-lovers honeys! 🤗 The ending will have readers wondering if their love can conquer everything else going on (the Forever War, their individual quests and goals, the unrelenting betrayal going on inside the fae court walls).
I was less invested in Lettle’s POV which is so fascinating to me because I am typically not a pew-pew-pew war girly, pulled to soldiers and trained fighters like Yeeran. I *usually* prefer to get to know characters like Lettle, who want to become diviners in having visions of the future and wielding this for good! However, Lettle’s POVs and relationships left me wanting. The big reveal about Lettle and Yeeran’s father at the end though? Give me more of that! Whew!
Much of the edge-of-your-seat action happens towards the end of the book, which makes sense because El-Arifi is building up anticipation for the next book! I’m excited to see where this series goes!
steam rating: 2/5 — give me more face sitting, that was fun! kthxbye 🤭
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Murder, Grief, War, Sexual content, Death, and Violence
bookboxbabe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I AM NOT WELL. like i am frothing at the mouth right now.
this is one of the best fantasy books i have read lately. it has everything i want when i dive into a fantasy world: action, magic, political intrigue, found family, romance, and of course, magical races
i genuinely gasped at every single twist and reveal that this book had. these characters gripped my heart and to see them be betrayed and thrown through the ringer hurt my fragile heart. in the best way.
the romance in the book is so swoons too. like i wanted these characters to just get together before they even touched hands. the pining was too much!!
lastly, this world is so thoughtfully fleshed out and you can actually feel the world come alive on the pages. i felt like i was in mosima with these characters. it’s so rare that i find a book with such a well thought out and structured fantasy world. it takes great skill to do that, which this author very clearly has.
thank you for writing this. also, i need the next book now.
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Sexual content, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, War, and Alcohol
bex_readz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Wow, for being a 400ish page, it took me a long time to finish this book. My initial reaction is that I liked it AND I am not sure I am excited for the rest of the series.
Plot- 3.5/5🔆
Spice- 1ish/5🌶️
Romance-0/5💗
Ok, so first of all, Pila is my favorite character. She is the only one who has REAL TALK. Puts people in their place. The rest of the characters felt pretty complex. I went from liking them to being annoyed pretty quickly. They are older characters which I love, but unfortunately they all act young. One in particular loves to throw tantrums, yes we are looking at you Lettle. No one is ever on the same page with each other, and it felt like all the characters were bumping off of each other the entire time, like a pin ball game. I love chemistry and banter, and I think I felt like it was missing that.
The plot is intense. There feels like a lot of details are provided, which is why I felt like this was a slower read. I really thought I had the whole story figured out but the last 20 % of the book was one plot twist after another. That was a pleasant surprise.
Lastly, I can't mentally picture drumfire without giggling. Thinking of Yeeran tippy tapping her fingers to try and kill someone is just silly. It feels like that cannot be a serious tool for war. But anyways..
This book has great representation of people with disability and LGBTQ+. I would say this book is way more fantasy than romance. In fact the "romance" in the book seemed to be just an accidental thing that happens, rather than a plot point.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Death, and War
chelsea_nailpolishlover'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? Yes
5.0
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
From start to finish I was enthralled. I couldn’t put this book down.
From the care shown to not only gender and sexuality, but to race, and disability. This book had it all. The struggles of political and moral discourse. The discrimination against those who are different. The devastation brought on by war. The struggles of what is right and what is just. The author did an amazing job. It was absolutely fantastic.
This book was very war focused, with a few different love stories between multiple POV’s. I really enjoyed having the multiple view points. The way they intertwined with each other between the timeline of events was beautifully done.
My favorite character was Lettle. She was treated like a child, she was put down, but she was so incredibly strong. She showed everyone what she was made of. I love her character so much.
If you loved fourth wing and the banter with the characters and their dragon familiars then you’ll loveeeeee this book!
I did personally struggle with one of the TW’s, the malnutrition and starvation aspect that was brought up multiple times during the book. As someone who was starved and malnourished to the point of almost dying it brought up a lot of emotions for me, that I thought I had worked through. There was a particular moment in the book about half way through that hit me hard. I don’t know if the author has ever had to also go through a situation where they were starved and malnourished but they wrote like they knew exactly what someone who’s been through that would say and feel. It didn’t feel mocking, it didn’t feel like it was an after thought. The emotions that were expressed while discussing those things were present. And accurate.
As hard as it was for me emotionally I hope it puts into perspective for some people who have never been through something like that, that they can imagine the difficulties and trauma it causes someone. How often that trauma pops up. And how words about food, and eating can affect the people around you without you even realizing it.
A mix of Tropes, and TW’s just to name a few -
found family, enemies to lovers, familiars, murder, death, war, starvation/malnourishment, friends to lovers, WW, MM, MW, disability representation, discrimination, gore, animal death, descriptive language of desecration of animal remains, hunting, confinement.
Graphic: Racism, Chronic illness, Violence, Child death, Alcoholism, War, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Gore, Death, Colonisation, Bullying, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Murder, Genocide, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Classism, and Animal death
cadence99'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
3.0
For me, it was an overall enjoyable experience, and I look forward to the next installment!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Child abuse