Scan barcode
eoznerual'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
4.0
Minor: Kidnapping
lainiereads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Now, obviously, there is a major factor that made me love this book so much- ZAFIRA AND NASIR'S ROMANCE, OH MY GOD. They are so cute??? I love them so much!!! All of the enemies to lovers, slowburn tropes you could ask for were found here, and they were done perfectly. Since the tone of this book is pretty serious, I wasn't sure if there would be any major cutesy, swoon-worthy moments, but oh my gosh was I wrong. I found myself having to look away from my book and gush about how amazing their interactions were. Something that really made their relationship as perfect as it is, was being able to see everything from both perspectives. It was so fun to see the contrast between Zafira's description of herself and how Nasir views her. It made the developing feelings so much more believable and worth the slow buildup.
Speaking of Zafira, I love her so much, she is the best. She had the perfect mixture of kindness and anger and wit and bravery and every other good trait possible. Seeing her grow throughout her journey was one of the best parts of the book, and I am really looking forward to seeing how strong she is in We Free the Stars.
Love you Hafsah Faizal, you are a queen.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, Sexism, Murder, and Misogyny
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol and Child death
sapphic_reader'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
Gay side character
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Grief, Gore, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, and Torture
Minor: Kidnapping, Child death, and Animal death
psydneigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Torture
caseythereader'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
- The pacing was a bit slow - a lot of sitting/walking around and talking, though that may have just been misguided expectations on my part.
- Strangely, Zafira felt like the least-developed character. Everybody else on the quest had a distinct personality and backstory, but she didn't have much beyond being The Huntress (and the fact that she was obviously in love with her best friend Yasmine, why were we wasting so much time on the boys?)
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Rape and Suicidal thoughts
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I loved the setting and most of the characters. I was frequently lost in the prose of an individual moment but I find myself now able to recall the entire story, somehow whole in my mind even as the scenes sometimes felt scattered. If you’re reading this for the beautiful setting, twisting quest of a plot, and intense yearning to belong, you’ll love this. I plan to read the sequel because I want to know how this story ends. It’s literally part one of two, so a lot of stuff was left open to be handled later, but there’s a definite endpoint to the initial quest which brought everyone together.
The world-building is really really good, especially around language. The text is full of places where a word is left untranslated from the speaker's dialect (or possibly a completely different language, depending on the instance) and the point-of-view character thinks about the meaning in a way that conveys the translation. It happens a lot and helps to deepen immersion in the setting, since the the various regions having different dialects/languages is a very important part of this world.
If you’re planning on reading this because you heard it was queer, my answer is that it probably is, but I cannot predict whether you’ll be satisfied by the portrayals within.
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
CW for major character death.melaniereadsbooks'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
4.5
I love this book! The world building (based on ancient Arabia) is so rich and vivid. I love the information we learn about the caliphates and how they are ruled, understood, and how magic (and it's disappearance) affect the people.
Zafira is an amazing MC! She is badass but also soft and flawed. She is seeking acceptance from her people and learning to be proud of who she is.
Nasir is also so amazing. Perfect brooding bad boy with a heart of gold. The slow burn enemies to lovers romance is completely to die for!
The supporting cast of characters are probably the best part of this book! There are so many great ones- from Yasmine, to Altair, to Benyamin, and beyond. The villains are complex and original.
Overall, I really love this book!
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence