Scan barcode
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
melinajoy'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
4.75
Wow did I love this book! It's book 2 and I found it answered a lot of questions I'd had in the first book and was also just easier to understand. Karina and Malik are amazing characters and I also love Ife. A story of perseverance!
I appreciate how the author presents Malik's mental illnesses, his anxiety, and his self harm, suicidal thoughts/attempts.
I love Karina's queerness.
And I just appreciate most of the characters' tenacity, will, and how very much themselves they are.
I loved the journey we go through with them all separately and then together.
I WISH we got a third book and that this wasn't a duology. We need a part 3 of them living their lives! But I guess I'll just deal with the end chapter.
This book is definitely getting added to my favorites list!
*This book is graphic and contains a lot of trauma. Please check content warnings*.
Graphic: Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Kidnapping, Grief, Violence, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness and Injury/Injury detail
CW: groomingaseel_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
strawberrytheauthor'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
5.0
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).
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
- 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
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!
Graphic: Violence, War, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
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
queenie_ofthe_void'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
3.5
Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Incest, Kidnapping, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence
Personally just hated thr ending. Left feeling unfulfilled. After two whole books and all this built up soul-mates and destiny, they only end up together *hypothetically* in the monologue. Why. WHY?! That is some bullshit. And fade to black... AFTER ALL OF THIS. no. Everything else was amazing. Malik and Karina are amazing.claragweny'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
Graphic: Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, War, Violence, Trafficking, Transphobia, Terminal illness, and Stalking
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