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lady_valhella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
Picking right up where Hyena left of we continue on the path of Malik and Karina’s story. We learn what happens after Solstasia and where that leads Malik and all the adventures Karina goes on. I also think the Ms. Brown handles the darker themes of grooming and self harm well without delving into triggering topics graphically. I would love to read some stories about the side character also, specifically Afua, Ife, and Leia and Nadia. Malik has a good heart but alas they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Confinement, Torture, Trafficking, and Physical abuse
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) fantasy violence, self-harm, emotional and physical abuse, anxiety/panic attacks, grooming, suicidal ideation
A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown is the second and final book of the Song of Wraiths and Ruin duology. This book blew my mind! The only thing I regret is not having read it sooner. I may have loved this book even more than the first one! Read the rest at your own risk, as there will be spoilers for book 1.
We pick up with Karina and Malik's perspectives after the very upsetting ending of the last book. Karina is on the run trying to figure out how take back her throne, get revenge on Farid, and have more control over her wind powers. Malik is with Farid and the lich still struggling with the war of anxiety in his mind along with the presence of the spirit Idir. I have never read a series where my opinions on the MCs have made a complete 180° since the last book. Last book I found Karina annoying, and I was constantly yelling at her to get it together and be responsible, but in this book I found her infinitely more relatable, courageous, and determined. I was rooting for her the whole time. Malik started out as the gentle boy with anxiety who tended to be self-destructive, and I just wanted to wrap him up and protect him. In this book, he becomes Farid's cowardly dog, and in his desire for control (over his mind and Idir), he becomes cruel, self-serving, and violent.
We get some great new side characters in this book that I wish we had gotten more of. This book was a study of the gray areas of life. No character was completely good or bad. Each made mistakes and hurt people, but it's hard to label someone a villain when you understand their motives and the circumstances that led up to them. The reasons don't absolve that person of their actions, but understanding goes a long way. It's also a story about forgiving yourself for your mistakes and moving forward to find something to live for. Just one thing.
Karina's story in particular, was about seeing what is wrong and being the one who does something about it. Things don't have to stay the way they have always been. Change, though slow and difficult, can happen if you're the one to make it happen. It's also a story of sacrifice, though it's never the sacrifice you expect.
This series is so severely underrated! I need everyone to go pick up a copy of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. Roseanne A. Brown did a marvellous job with duology. She made me feel so many things. Her words, especially while describing Malik's anxiety hit home, along with his trauma response of fawning whenever he thought Farid was upset. I never realized I do the same thing until I read this book.
Will be immediately buying all of Brown's future books as they come out.
A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown is the second and final book of the Song of Wraiths and Ruin duology. This book blew my mind! The only thing I regret is not having read it sooner. I may have loved this book even more than the first one! Read the rest at your own risk, as there will be spoilers for book 1.
We pick up with Karina and Malik's perspectives after the very upsetting ending of the last book. Karina is on the run trying to figure out how take back her throne, get revenge on Farid, and have more control over her wind powers. Malik is with Farid and the lich still struggling with the war of anxiety in his mind along with the presence of the spirit Idir. I have never read a series where my opinions on the MCs have made a complete 180° since the last book. Last book I found Karina annoying, and I was constantly yelling at her to get it together and be responsible, but in this book I found her infinitely more relatable, courageous, and determined. I was rooting for her the whole time. Malik started out as the gentle boy with anxiety who tended to be self-destructive, and I just wanted to wrap him up and protect him. In this book, he becomes Farid's cowardly dog, and in his desire for control (over his mind and Idir), he becomes cruel, self-serving, and violent.
We get some great new side characters in this book that I wish we had gotten more of. This book was a study of the gray areas of life. No character was completely good or bad. Each made mistakes and hurt people, but it's hard to label someone a villain when you understand their motives and the circumstances that led up to them. The reasons don't absolve that person of their actions, but understanding goes a long way. It's also a story about forgiving yourself for your mistakes and moving forward to find something to live for. Just one thing.
Karina's story in particular, was about seeing what is wrong and being the one who does something about it. Things don't have to stay the way they have always been. Change, though slow and difficult, can happen if you're the one to make it happen. It's also a story of sacrifice, though it's never the sacrifice you expect.
This series is so severely underrated! I need everyone to go pick up a copy of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. Roseanne A. Brown did a marvellous job with duology. She made me feel so many things. Her words, especially while describing Malik's anxiety hit home, along with his trauma response of fawning whenever he thought Farid was upset. I never realized I do the same thing until I read this book.
Will be immediately buying all of Brown's future books as they come out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts
violetreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Picked it up because the main character shares my name, kept reading because the story was awesome!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Self harm and Grief
For all the trauma the characters go through, there is an equal and proportional amount of healthy coping mechanisms to heal from trauma.aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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
2.75
I liked how the ending came about, it was a good plot, not unrealistic but it was quite slow and I just didn't care or connect with any of the characters but I liked their arcs
Content Warnings
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
koerli's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment
It is a great book, deals amazing with all the problems!notpercyjacksonyet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Absolutely gorgeous. I loved the first book and this was better. It feels right, it feels complete, and yet I want so much more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Violence, Slavery, Self harm, and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
meganivy04's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.0
I enjoyed the book because of the African mythology—that was fun to read and I want to learn more about it. It is written in a dual narrative with some very common tropes. The enemy to lovers trope was predictable. My rating is based off of learning about the mythology because the YA teenage angst did get old, even with understanding that there is a lot of “coming of age” in the narrative. I also didn’t appreciate some of the adult themes present. The author DOES give warning at the beginning of the book and she does veil a lot of the more sensitive topics: you don’t recognize them unless you have prior knowledge about them. That said, while I appreciate some of the issues given credibility (such as mental health) some is overdone and not needed for the storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Sexual content and Trafficking
some_random_person_hi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Chapter 31 <33333
Starting from arnd pg 300 this book got from good to great.
Starting from arnd pg 300 this book got from good to great.
Content Warnings
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
strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book was fabulous! An upper YA fantasy book and the second in A Song of Wraiths and Ruin duology. This duology is full of African mythology and a setting similar. The prose is wonderfully written and concludes the story of Karina and Malik in a way that, while somewhat disappointing, makes sense for the way their characters have developed.
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, untimely ascension, Found Family, assassinations.
I loved the magic system and how Roseanne A. Brown made it all fit within a set mythology of the world. Nothing about the magic system seemed out of place or like it didn’t make sense.
There is wonderful disability representation with anxiety, depression, and what seems to me to be autism. There is also a lot of LGBTQ+ representation and I think every character is a person of color (don’t quote me on that I don’t see pictures when I read I have no idea what these characters look like).
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, untimely ascension, Found Family, assassinations.
I loved the magic system and how Roseanne A. Brown made it all fit within a set mythology of the world. Nothing about the magic system seemed out of place or like it didn’t make sense.
There is wonderful disability representation with anxiety, depression, and what seems to me to be autism. There is also a lot of LGBTQ+ representation and I think every character is a person of color (don’t quote me on that I don’t see pictures when I read I have no idea what these characters look like).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, War, Child abuse, Classism, Grief, Racism, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Kidnapping
Groomingsunlit_music's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
A fitting and triumphant end to a marvellous duology!!
Plot - 5/5. The plot is original, easy to follow, makes sense, was exciting and full of tension and action, and kept me engaged from start to finish.
Characters - 5/5. All characters are believable, complex, act in character. They're all distinct and easy to tell apart. All of them are so interesting - not just the major characters, but also the minor ones! I love Yaema, Driss' and Tunde's relatives. I love Malik's sisters Leila and Nadia. Nadia is so freaking adorable!! The way she comforts Hanane by saying, "You look like a princess! You look normal!" Was so cute!
Caracal is funny and delightful, and Karina is badass and vulnerable. Afua is lovely and sweet, Hanane is fierce and lovable, and Malik has an incredible character arc. There's so many great characters to read about!
Pacing - Pacing was fast during action scenes, while still easy to follow, and that's when you know you're reading a great book. Pacing slowed down during thoughtful scenes where characters are resolving disputes, goofing off, supporting each other, which helped me understand and appreciate them more. Pacing was great, in short. :)
Representation - representation is INCREDIBLE! There's Ife, who is autistic and non binary, has a great sense of humour and so much charm. Malik has depression and self harms, and isn't portrayed as a saint or villain, but a real, flawed human being who is sometimes kind and at other times ruthless. He redeems himself in the end and what I appreciate about him is that he admits redemption is an ongoing thing, not a one off action.
Characters are BIPOC (Black, from different nations) and portrayed in a nuanced, thoughtful manner. There's plenty of interesting, strong and brave characters of all genders and ages.
World building - the history and mythology of the story's world is rich, detailed, lush and immersive. I love reading about the necropolis and pharaohs, and learning about the complex and painful history between Karina's and Malik's ancestors. I appreciate how this isn't a simple story of people who are purely good and evil, but flawed people trying to do what they think is right. I love how the story shows that some people can change for the better.
The scenes about the omens are vivid, spine chilling and I didn't see the scenes with the last omen coming! It was a totally unexpected plot twist, but made sense.
Ending - I love the ending, it's hopeful, uplifting while still being realistic. The way Karina solves her problems is inventive and clever, and feels hard won.
The narrators are all amazing, they're so talented! They all added humour, pathos and emotion to the characters they voiced. The e-book is wonderful, but if you can do it, buy the audio book - because the narrators/voice actors all make the characters and story come to life!
Plot - 5/5. The plot is original, easy to follow, makes sense, was exciting and full of tension and action, and kept me engaged from start to finish.
Characters - 5/5. All characters are believable, complex, act in character. They're all distinct and easy to tell apart. All of them are so interesting - not just the major characters, but also the minor ones! I love Yaema, Driss' and Tunde's relatives. I love Malik's sisters Leila and Nadia. Nadia is so freaking adorable!! The way she comforts Hanane by saying, "You look like a princess! You look normal!" Was so cute!
Caracal is funny and delightful, and Karina is badass and vulnerable. Afua is lovely and sweet, Hanane is fierce and lovable, and Malik has an incredible character arc. There's so many great characters to read about!
Pacing - Pacing was fast during action scenes, while still easy to follow, and that's when you know you're reading a great book. Pacing slowed down during thoughtful scenes where characters are resolving disputes, goofing off, supporting each other, which helped me understand and appreciate them more. Pacing was great, in short. :)
Representation - representation is INCREDIBLE! There's Ife, who is autistic and non binary, has a great sense of humour and so much charm. Malik has depression and self harms, and isn't portrayed as a saint or villain, but a real, flawed human being who is sometimes kind and at other times ruthless. He redeems himself in the end and what I appreciate about him is that he admits redemption is an ongoing thing, not a one off action.
Characters are BIPOC (Black, from different nations) and portrayed in a nuanced, thoughtful manner. There's plenty of interesting, strong and brave characters of all genders and ages.
World building - the history and mythology of the story's world is rich, detailed, lush and immersive. I love reading about the necropolis and pharaohs, and learning about the complex and painful history between Karina's and Malik's ancestors. I appreciate how this isn't a simple story of people who are purely good and evil, but flawed people trying to do what they think is right. I love how the story shows that some people can change for the better.
The scenes about the omens are vivid, spine chilling and I didn't see the scenes with the last omen coming! It was a totally unexpected plot twist, but made sense.
Ending - I love the ending, it's hopeful, uplifting while still being realistic. The way Karina solves her problems is inventive and clever, and feels hard won.
The narrators are all amazing, they're so talented! They all added humour, pathos and emotion to the characters they voiced. The e-book is wonderful, but if you can do it, buy the audio book - because the narrators/voice actors all make the characters and story come to life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm