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toy_masterpiece'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? Yes
5.0
*Spoilers for the first book*
Dude, if the first book was a 5/5, this one is a 6/5. In this book, we get to see our heros seriously grapple with their internal demons as the world falls apart around them. Karina with her inferiority complex, her loneliness, her self-destructive tendencies, her grief and Malik with his anxiety, his trauma from childhood, his very negative sense of self, and his loneliness.
First and foremost, the voice actors continue to put their whole chests into this performance. Oh my god. We're back with Jordan Cobb (Karina), A.J. Beckles (Malik), and surprise, Bahni Turpin. Like not only do they deliver in drawing you into their world and into their minds, but the dialogue delivery goes so hard. Most notably, Beckles' performance of Fareed (the antagonist) is excellent. Makes me want to slap something. And Cobb really made me fall in love with Karina, more of which I'll discuss later. Like all the performances go so well with Brown's quirky dialogue, and emotive writing style.
Don't even get me started on the writing. The world-building, the magic system, the stakes! So expertly choreographed to form this story.
On the less fantastic side of things, Brown tackles some themes of suicical ideation, generational trauma, having a faith crisis, and grooming to name a few, like how do you juggle all that in a duology? Idk, but Brown did it.
Also a sprinkling of autistic rep, queer rep, diversity in hair texture/style, culture and food, gender, and sexuality.
Lastly, these characters, Karina and Malik, so flawed, so compelling, lemme talk about it. Karina: she always has to have the last word, she is resilient to a fault, she is so so caring and that really comes through in the voice. Malik: constantly battling with his inner demon who isn't even as bad as his actual inner demon while being subject to the expert manipulation of Fareed. They make mistakes, they doubt themselves, each other, their friends. It's good stuff, I assure you.
5/5
Graphic: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Violence, Sexual harassment, Death, Grief, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Trafficking, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
grooming, nice guy syndromedragongirl271'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
4.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Torture, Animal death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, and Xenophobia
nettle_'s review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
It has a more deep dive into the same topics so many fantasy YA books have so don’t run away because of the content warnings.
Minor: Gore, Kidnapping, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicide, Trafficking, Violence, Abandonment, Classism, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide attempt, Torture, Transphobia, War, Sexual violence, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Trafficking, Violence, War, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Death, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Starting from arnd pg 300 this book got from good to great.
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Torture
Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Transphobia
paigeinabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
kaylamoran'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? Yes
5.0
Malik has my heart and I'd die for him.
I'll definitely be checking out anything else Roseanne A. Brown writes. Everything about this felt so unique, and even the tropes didn't feel tropey. It was genuinely unpredictable, which for someone who reads as much YA fantasy as i do, can be very difficult to achieve.
Did I mention I love Malik? I love Malik.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Gaslighting, Self harm, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and War
Minor: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Bullying, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
jessica_is_reading's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Torture, Racism, Murder, and Grief
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Karina and Malik's relationship is complicated, with lies and misunderstandings from A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN meddling in what ought to be a simple case of one hunting the other to try and stop the fall of the kingdom. Farid is a well-written manipulator, wrapped up in his own plans and unable to see the difference between someone agreeing with him and one who's just placating him to avert his anger and disappointment from falling on them. His frustrations make sense with his character and circumstances, his increasingly complicated plans hum along in the background of everything Malik and Karina try to accomplish.
This wraps up more than one major thing left hanging from the first book. The main storyline starts here and was only lightly present previously. There are several major things that are both introduced and resolved, and as part two of a duology it’s an immensely satisfying ending. The main characters are the same and they’re consistent with their portrayals in the first book. This might make sense if someone tried to start here and hadn’t read the previous book, it does a good job of referencing prior events without devolving into a full recap. It was definitely enough to pull me fully into the story even though it’s been a while since I read A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN and my recall was initially fuzzy. I'd basically forgotten what happened before and it gently reminded me at gradual intervals as various previous events became relevant. The current stakes and past drama are clearly communicated, and the emotional context is vibrant.
The ending is excellent. There's still a lot of work to do and a lot of life for the survivors to live, and it's okay that this story stops here since it had to stop somewhere. I love the framing device, it satisfied my need to know what happens next.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Medical content, Medical trauma, Slavery, and Child death
Minor: Domestic abuse, Incest, and Vomit
CW for grooming.yvonne_cl's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping