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madgeme's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
cocojoelle's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the storyline, but due to the writing style sometimes not being up to my taste, I gave it 1 star less
cassnypette's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5⭐️
Honestly, a really good book.
It was gripping, the plot was quite basic but with interesting twist. It did the job!
Indian/Persian mythology inspired fantasy books are my soft spot, I loved the folklore and the culture and the settings in general.
The writing style is EXQUISITE. Totally my type, it was amazingly well written in my opinion.
So why not 4 stars then? Or 5?
Well I found the whole emotional level to be too…. Superficial. Some VERY big stuff happened to the MC and her reactions were disappointing to say the least. Almost no reaction. Both MCs didnt feel multidimensional in the way that their feelings and emotions weren’t deep enough. It didn’t seep through the lines. I couldn’t feel what they felt. That’s the one big problem I have with this book : the lack of emotional depth.
(Spoiler : when Gul is sent to the Cage, she has almost no reaction even though she will either win and live or DIE. It’s a very VERY grave moment yet it felt like nothing special happened).
We spent too long on very light events and too little on very important and meaningful ones.
Also, the way feelings between Gul and Cavas evolved? I mean, it felt like instalove and I hate that trope. It was very quick. Yet, being a slow burn. Weird!
It’s still a bon I enjoyed reading and read quite quickly considering I’ve been on a reading slump for months. I was looking forward to getting back to reading it, easy to pick up and easy to understand. It’s a good read, I do recommend it
Honestly, a really good book.
It was gripping, the plot was quite basic but with interesting twist. It did the job!
Indian/Persian mythology inspired fantasy books are my soft spot, I loved the folklore and the culture and the settings in general.
The writing style is EXQUISITE. Totally my type, it was amazingly well written in my opinion.
So why not 4 stars then? Or 5?
Well I found the whole emotional level to be too…. Superficial. Some VERY big stuff happened to the MC and her reactions were disappointing to say the least. Almost no reaction. Both MCs didnt feel multidimensional in the way that their feelings and emotions weren’t deep enough. It didn’t seep through the lines. I couldn’t feel what they felt. That’s the one big problem I have with this book : the lack of emotional depth.
(Spoiler : when Gul is sent to the Cage, she has almost no reaction even though she will either win and live or DIE. It’s a very VERY grave moment yet it felt like nothing special happened).
We spent too long on very light events and too little on very important and meaningful ones.
Also, the way feelings between Gul and Cavas evolved? I mean, it felt like instalove and I hate that trope. It was very quick. Yet, being a slow burn. Weird!
It’s still a bon I enjoyed reading and read quite quickly considering I’ve been on a reading slump for months. I was looking forward to getting back to reading it, easy to pick up and easy to understand. It’s a good read, I do recommend it
eleanorgking's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
savaburry's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This took entirely too long to get interesting and once it did I wanted the pace to move faster to make up for that lost time. While this isn't the most unique fantasy I've read (it reminded me of an ember in the ashes), it was still decent. I will say, I didn't really care too much about what happens to the characters, and Gul was pretty one-note to be the mc, but based on how it ended, the next books seems like things will move quickly from the beginning so I'll definitely be reading to find out how it all ends plot wise.
womanon's review against another edition
4.0
You should read this book for world-building alone. It was so good.
readwithmeemz's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
VIVID, DESCRIPTIVE, & WELL-WRITTEN, THIS YA FANTASY WILL KEEP YOU ON YOUR TOES... WITH A FASCINATING WORLD, AND REALLY INTERESTING MAGIC, THIS ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURE IS HARD TO PUT DOWN. THE LUSH SETTING, AND VIVID INDIAN & PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY & IMAGERY REALLY MADE THE STORY COME ALIVE, IN A REALLY AMAZING WAY. GREAT FOR FANS OF RENEE AHDIEH, & SABAA TAHIR - I *CAN’T* WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!
** I got a copy of this book, ahead of an interview with Tanaz Bhathena, and i reviewed this book honestly (& in real time, as I read it, on my Instagram: @readwithmeemz)
VIVID, DESCRIPTIVE, & WELL-WRITTEN, THIS YA FANTASY WILL KEEP YOU ON YOUR TOES... WITH A FASCINATING WORLD, AND REALLY INTERESTING MAGIC, THIS ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURE IS HARD TO PUT DOWN. THE LUSH SETTING, AND VIVID INDIAN & PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY & IMAGERY REALLY MADE THE STORY COME ALIVE, IN A REALLY AMAZING WAY. GREAT FOR FANS OF RENEE AHDIEH, & SABAA TAHIR - I *CAN’T* WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!
** I got a copy of this book, ahead of an interview with Tanaz Bhathena, and i reviewed this book honestly (& in real time, as I read it, on my Instagram: @readwithmeemz)
chanelletime's review against another edition
the writing was doing nothing for me sadly, and the characters and plot did not interest me or make me want to read further