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allyordyna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Very well written, extremely fast paced (every chapter was interesting), mature audience
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, and Trafficking
ranjanireviewsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I'll be honest: this book was a 5-star prediction. It let me down. By a lot. While this isn't the first time I've been let down by a hyped book, this one really stings.
I thought I could start this review with what I liked - honestly, it's not a lot. I liked the romantic tension, which doesn't count for much in the face of the novel as a whole.
So here are the things I didn't like:
--> The characters are extremely half-baked. I understand that many YA novels are about some kind of character growth, but this one just didn't hit the nail on the head. This is the first book in a series, yes. But I should have seen something. Some growth, some decline. Instead, these characters fall flat.
--> The plot. It's simple. Too simple. In the face of developing characters, I would expect the plot, other characters (mainly the antagonist), or the world politics to take over. Alas, that did not happen here.
--> The sadism. I just read the description of this novel on Goodreads and it's supposed to be based on Rome?
But where are the positive Roman attributes of this empire? This novel focused on the deaths, the slavery, the wars, the bitter reality of being conquered. But Rome also had a well-formed legal system. They were open to gaining and using knowledge from their conquered.
This novel was a mess; the military-based leadership would not get along with the religious sect. How did they maintain peace in the first place?
Maybe the last point and my thousands of questions about the world get answered in the next book. Who knows. I will be reading A Torch Against The Night but mainly for the romance and to hopefully get answers.
I thought I could start this review with what I liked - honestly, it's not a lot. I liked the romantic tension, which doesn't count for much in the face of the novel as a whole.
So here are the things I didn't like:
--> The characters are extremely half-baked. I understand that many YA novels are about some kind of character growth, but this one just didn't hit the nail on the head. This is the first book in a series, yes. But I should have seen something. Some growth, some decline. Instead, these characters fall flat.
--> The plot. It's simple. Too simple. In the face of developing characters, I would expect the plot, other characters (mainly the antagonist), or the world politics to take over. Alas, that did not happen here.
--> The sadism. I just read the description of this novel on Goodreads and it's supposed to be based on Rome?
But where are the positive Roman attributes of this empire? This novel focused on the deaths, the slavery, the wars, the bitter reality of being conquered. But Rome also had a well-formed legal system. They were open to gaining and using knowledge from their conquered.
This novel was a mess; the military-based leadership would not get along with the religious sect. How did they maintain peace in the first place?
Maybe the last point and my thousands of questions about the world get answered in the next book. Who knows. I will be reading A Torch Against The Night but mainly for the romance and to hopefully get answers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Classism, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, and War
viccreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4/5 Stars
Favorite Quotes:
-“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing.” p.20
-“You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.” p.65
-“All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.” p.221
-“But there are two kinds of guilt, girl: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.” p.286
-“Once I’d have wanted that. I’d have wanted someone to tell me what to do, to fix everything. Once, I’d have wanted to be saved.” p.411
——
Tropes/Characteristics:
- 2 POVs
- Love Triangle
- Female Lead
- Enemies to Lovers
Things I Liked:
- fast-paced so it held my attention well
- great storyline in an interesting world
- merciless villains who don’t hold back (more realistic)
- a female MC who doesn’t want to be saved or rescued by someone else ; independent
- dark themes that aren’t explored in graphic, unnecessary detail
- interactions with love interests that had me grinning and blushing
Things I Didn’t Care For:
-i almost wish it wasn’t written in a YA style. I think the darker themes and plot could’ve been explored more deeply and hit more profoundly if the book wasn’t bound by YA constraints.
-i struggled to get into the story at first, because it felt like everything was happening too suddenly at the beginning
-the quick pace did leave me with low attachments to side characters,so when some died I didn’t feel any emotional reaction other than “oh that’s sad”
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read more of this series!
Favorite Quotes:
-“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing.” p.20
-“You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.” p.65
-“All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.” p.221
-“But there are two kinds of guilt, girl: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.” p.286
-“Once I’d have wanted that. I’d have wanted someone to tell me what to do, to fix everything. Once, I’d have wanted to be saved.” p.411
——
Tropes/Characteristics:
- 2 POVs
- Love Triangle
- Female Lead
- Enemies to Lovers
Things I Liked:
- fast-paced so it held my attention well
- great storyline in an interesting world
- merciless villains who don’t hold back (more realistic)
- a female MC who doesn’t want to be saved or rescued by someone else ; independent
- dark themes that aren’t explored in graphic, unnecessary detail
- interactions with love interests that had me grinning and blushing
Things I Didn’t Care For:
-i almost wish it wasn’t written in a YA style. I think the darker themes and plot could’ve been explored more deeply and hit more profoundly if the book wasn’t bound by YA constraints.
-i struggled to get into the story at first, because it felt like everything was happening too suddenly at the beginning
-the quick pace did leave me with low attachments to side characters,
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to read more of this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Trafficking and Torture
katsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
"Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after." pg. 20
"You are an ember in the ashes. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it." pg. 65
"Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you." pg. 401
"When the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it: your spirit. Your heart." pg. 422
This was an amazing read! I absolutely loved the world building. It's incredibly brutal which could be hard to read. I'd give some trigger warnings for violence and attempted sexual assault but overall, I loved the writing, the mystery, the suspense, the complicated relationships. I can't wait to read more in this series.
REREAD - April 2022
This book was just as good the second time around. I was surprised by the amount of stuff that I forgot. I remembered the important bits but there were still parts that surprised me and wrenched my heart out. Tahir really knows how to make you feel for characters, sometimes, even when you actually hate them. I loved that even the Resistance, which is supposed to be seen as the good side was morally gray. The different classes of people created a really in depth world that was so compelling. I was even here for the love square. Oftentimes, love triangles aren't my favorite trope but Tahir made this one work. I think the interesting part of the love triangle is that for each main character, one of their love interests represents a piece of themselves that they're at war with. Their love interests are a side of themselves that they could ultimately choose and would change their trajectory in massive ways.
This is marketed as Young Adult but it pulls no punches when it comes to violence. The story opens with the death of Laia's caregivers and the kidnapping of her brother, as well as the brutal beating and death of a 10-year-old deserter at Elias' school, Blackcliff. If you are sensitive to themes like this, maybe skip this series. That being said, a major plot point is Laia's enslavement in the commandant's household and I was glad to see the life of a slave NOT be sugarcoated in any way. Especially from an American perspective, enslavement is often made more palatable to make it seem less brutal than it was and I'm glad this book doesn't feed into that narrative.
I'm really excited to continue buddy reading this with @redheadbooks and @shereadsatnaptime. We've been using the Storygraph buddy read feature and it's made the experience so much richer this time around!
"You are an ember in the ashes. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it." pg. 65
"Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you." pg. 401
"When the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it: your spirit. Your heart." pg. 422
This was an amazing read! I absolutely loved the world building. It's incredibly brutal which could be hard to read. I'd give some trigger warnings for violence and attempted sexual assault but overall, I loved the writing, the mystery, the suspense, the complicated relationships. I can't wait to read more in this series.
REREAD - April 2022
This book was just as good the second time around. I was surprised by the amount of stuff that I forgot. I remembered the important bits but there were still parts that surprised me and wrenched my heart out. Tahir really knows how to make you feel for characters, sometimes, even when you actually hate them. I loved that even the Resistance, which is supposed to be seen as the good side was morally gray. The different classes of people created a really in depth world that was so compelling. I was even here for the love square. Oftentimes, love triangles aren't my favorite trope but Tahir made this one work. I think the interesting part of the love triangle is that for each main character, one of their love interests represents a piece of themselves that they're at war with. Their love interests are a side of themselves that they could ultimately choose and would change their trajectory in massive ways.
This is marketed as Young Adult but it pulls no punches when it comes to violence. The story opens with the death of Laia's caregivers and the kidnapping of her brother, as well as the brutal beating and death of a 10-year-old deserter at Elias' school, Blackcliff. If you are sensitive to themes like this, maybe skip this series. That being said, a major plot point is Laia's enslavement in the commandant's household and I was glad to see the life of a slave NOT be sugarcoated in any way. Especially from an American perspective, enslavement is often made more palatable to make it seem less brutal than it was and I'm glad this book doesn't feed into that narrative.
I'm really excited to continue buddy reading this with @redheadbooks and @shereadsatnaptime. We've been using the Storygraph buddy read feature and it's made the experience so much richer this time around!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Murder, Gaslighting, Genocide, Misogyny, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Torture, Violence, War, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Blood
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