Scan barcode
mariavdl's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Vomit, and Blood
thekawaiislartibartfast's review
3.5
Honestly not sure how to feel about this one. There were parts that I really liked and parts that are an absolute slog.
The world-building is fun and interesting and I liked most of the characters but something is just not doing it for me here.
The world-building is fun and interesting and I liked most of the characters but something is just not doing it for me here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Vomit, and Physical abuse
theespressoedition's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Murder, Torture, Vomit, and Gore
Severe content warning for drowningfromjuliereads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
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
You know, I was debating for a bit between a 4.5 and a 5 star rating and thought "screw it." This book was SO GOOD. I can't even tell you why I was thinking of a 4.5 because I basically have no notes?
The characters and plot are fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to read so quickly to find out what would happen next or what twist was coming up. Sure I predicted one or 2 twists but GOODNESS I DID NOT PREDICT THEM ALL 😅 and these characters!? I already adore Jude, Anton, and Hassan! I have some mixed feelings about Ephyra and Beru but SO CURIOUS to see where their stories will go.
And the political and religious commentary!? *chef's kiss* Wow. I loved it. There is just enough political and religious/cult commentary that I was VERY intrigued and it played into the plot so beautifully. I cannot wait to see where this story goes next!
The characters and plot are fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat, wanting to read so quickly to find out what would happen next or what twist was coming up. Sure I predicted one or 2 twists but GOODNESS I DID NOT PREDICT THEM ALL 😅 and these characters!? I already adore Jude, Anton, and Hassan! I have some mixed feelings about Ephyra and Beru but SO CURIOUS to see where their stories will go.
And the political and religious commentary!? *chef's kiss* Wow. I loved it. There is just enough political and religious/cult commentary that I was VERY intrigued and it played into the plot so beautifully. I cannot wait to see where this story goes next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Physical abuse, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Chronic illness, Death, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Toxic friendship but also a toxic relationship between siblings - two sets of siblingsnicolewhopickedthisbook's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-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? No
2.0
The author tried to do a lot but it just didn’t work
Watch the livestream discussion
https://youtu.be/OljMpQ5zYxU
Watch the livestream discussion
https://youtu.be/OljMpQ5zYxU
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Blood, Murder, and Vomit
sabrina0105's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
(Scroll for TLDR)... Wow! Okay. First things first--did I enjoy this book? Yes. The setting and plot is interesting right away: there's hints of greco-roman inspiration and it's set in a completely different world with Prophets and people who have special abilities by birth. The story is told from the POV of 5 different characters. The good thing is, the author seemed to do really well at this and I didn't get lost and the plot didn't get jumbled around despite the change in POV from chapter to chapter. There were a LOT of plot twists, some that I saw coming but some that I was just as surprised as the characters were lmao. I found that very refreshing.
Did I know the entire time that I was enjoying this book? Not so much. Let's get that out of the way. I did end up liking this book and I am going to excitedly continue the series, but there were a couple of issues that made me question my stance on the book, particularly in the beginning.
Some of the characters were particularly more likable than the others, in my opinion, Jude and Anton, and even Hassan at the beginning but that dwindled off later. For a while, the characters seemed pretty one-dimensional. One of the issues I had with the book was that each of the characters had their own conflicts that their own personal little plots centered around, but when we reached those climaxes, it seemed lackluster and underwhelming. These events seem arguably important, but we don't really get to see much inner monologue from the characters aside from a couple of basic descriptive sentences. This is probably because of the multiple POVs and being written in 3rd person, but this lowkey annoyed me to the point where I considered rating this 3 stars and getting the sequel on loan.
BUT it gets better. If you have the patience to stick with it through the first 150-200 pages, the pace REALLY starts to pick up. I didn't find myself attached to any of the characters during the first half of the book but by the end, I had a favorite (Jude). There's a lot more action and the action seems more meaningful, and it immerses the reader a lot more. It was enough to bring this rating up to 4 stars.
I saw another review that worded this perfectly. This book is essentially an introduction to the story Katy Rose Pool is trying to tell. I think if I went in knowing that, probably would have had a more open mind.
TLDR; I ended up liking this book. You probably will too
Did I know the entire time that I was enjoying this book? Not so much. Let's get that out of the way. I did end up liking this book and I am going to excitedly continue the series, but there were a couple of issues that made me question my stance on the book, particularly in the beginning.
Some of the characters were particularly more likable than the others, in my opinion, Jude and Anton, and even Hassan at the beginning but that dwindled off later. For a while, the characters seemed pretty one-dimensional. One of the issues I had with the book was that each of the characters had their own conflicts that their own personal little plots centered around, but when we reached those climaxes, it seemed lackluster and underwhelming. These events seem arguably important, but we don't really get to see much inner monologue from the characters aside from a couple of basic descriptive sentences. This is probably because of the multiple POVs and being written in 3rd person, but this lowkey annoyed me to the point where I considered rating this 3 stars and getting the sequel on loan.
BUT it gets better. If you have the patience to stick with it through the first 150-200 pages, the pace REALLY starts to pick up. I didn't find myself attached to any of the characters during the first half of the book but by the end, I had a favorite (Jude). There's a lot more action and the action seems more meaningful, and it immerses the reader a lot more. It was enough to bring this rating up to 4 stars.
I saw another review that worded this perfectly. This book is essentially an introduction to the story Katy Rose Pool is trying to tell. I think if I went in knowing that, probably would have had a more open mind.
TLDR; I ended up liking this book. You probably will too
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Death
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
More...