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tbailey23's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
4.25
allnee's review against another edition
The characters are really interesting but the plot isn’t grabbing me.
buttercupita's review against another edition
Not going to rate this one because I abandoned it early. I was told by my trusty librarians that this book was flying off the shelf, so I ordered it to see if it might be a good recommendation for my kids. I decided to give it a try myself, and 4 chapters in, I found it fine but too reminiscent of every other YA book they've read in the last 5 years (except this one takes place in an African society.) I worried that reading something too familiar like this would give my children a worse, not better, impression of African and African-American literature. If they were newer to the genre, I would definitely recommend it. It had strong female characters, a quest to save one's family and friends, action and mystery -- all the right elements.
katsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
“I won't let your ignorance silence my pain.”
“Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.”
“Reality told us we would fail. But again and again, we fought. We perserved. We rose.”
“Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.”
“Reality told us we would fail. But again and again, we fought. We perserved. We rose.”
luuciatombillaa's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the world building and the characters. In general I wanted the overarching story to be less predictable. The ending saved the book for me and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
kallieann819's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
eshelton's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
lucy_brb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
justjeanettelee's review against another edition
5.0
So it’s taken me a couple of days to actually process this book. I couldn’t write a review straight away. There was just so much I wanted to say, and I wanted to make sure I said it right.
Firstly, what a breathtaking debut novel. Tomi did an absolutely incredible job with this one. Fresh ideas in the fantasy world that hold complete relevance in our very own reality. The writing was fantastic, the plot amazing, pacing was perfect, and character arcs were phenomenal (although I think that Inan and Zélie’s change of heart towards each other was a little too quickly done).
Secondly, what a beautiful cultural vibe this book has. The one thing that I really really enjoyed about this book, was that it was filled with vocabulary I didn’t know. Such as all the different fashion items (I only knew what a kaftan was thanks to Now I Rise by Kiersten White). But now, my eyes are open to a whole new world. Every time I came across a word I wasn’t sure of, I wrote it down and looked it up. I loved that about this book - it opened up my eyes and horizons.
Thirdly, and this is probably the best part: every character within this novel is a person of colour! This is awesome! People of colour are so underrepresented in YA novels in general, usually assigned to a secondary or even tertiary role. This has started to change and I’m loving it! We need more representation up in here!
Fourthly, the magic. The system of magic in this book is breathtaking. Tomi actually has clans of magic, and no one character who possesses it is so OP. Zélie was a Reaper, pure and simple. She wasn’t a Mary Sue who has all the powers. And the magic being connected to one particular deity? Beautiful. And that’s another wonderful thing. The religion.
Lastly, my thoughts on maji and divîners. Oh my god. Holy shit. The oppression that they face. The treatment that Saran gives to Zélie. The PTSD. The everything about the place of divîners in this world. Tomi perfectly mirrors the atrocities that people of colour face in our world today. If you didn’t read her Author’s Note, I strongly suggest that you do.
Thank you Tomi Adeyemi for a beautiful book.
Firstly, what a breathtaking debut novel. Tomi did an absolutely incredible job with this one. Fresh ideas in the fantasy world that hold complete relevance in our very own reality. The writing was fantastic, the plot amazing, pacing was perfect, and character arcs were phenomenal (although I think that Inan and Zélie’s change of heart towards each other was a little too quickly done).
Secondly, what a beautiful cultural vibe this book has. The one thing that I really really enjoyed about this book, was that it was filled with vocabulary I didn’t know. Such as all the different fashion items (I only knew what a kaftan was thanks to Now I Rise by Kiersten White). But now, my eyes are open to a whole new world. Every time I came across a word I wasn’t sure of, I wrote it down and looked it up. I loved that about this book - it opened up my eyes and horizons.
Thirdly, and this is probably the best part: every character within this novel is a person of colour! This is awesome! People of colour are so underrepresented in YA novels in general, usually assigned to a secondary or even tertiary role. This has started to change and I’m loving it! We need more representation up in here!
Fourthly, the magic. The system of magic in this book is breathtaking. Tomi actually has clans of magic, and no one character who possesses it is so OP. Zélie was a Reaper, pure and simple. She wasn’t a Mary Sue who has all the powers. And the magic being connected to one particular deity? Beautiful. And that’s another wonderful thing. The religion.
Lastly, my thoughts on maji and divîners. Oh my god. Holy shit. The oppression that they face. The treatment that Saran gives to Zélie. The PTSD. The everything about the place of divîners in this world. Tomi perfectly mirrors the atrocities that people of colour face in our world today. If you didn’t read her Author’s Note, I strongly suggest that you do.
Thank you Tomi Adeyemi for a beautiful book.