Scan barcode
lunxy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
i’ll be the first to admit that my love for this book may be mainly nostalgia based, this has been my go to book to read since i first started reading proper fantasy… but damn this book slaps 😖🫡 it’s still easily the best stand alone fantasy book i’ve read
the best thing about this book is how the war unfolds.,,.. all the strategy and the glimpses you get at both sides are so interesting to read 🫶🫶🫶 bro i jus love it idk
there are too many things i love about this book to name them all, so I will focus on Jayan and Hanara which are my favourite perspectives to read
Hanara- whilst Hanara my homie fr fr the main reason I love his POV is because Takado is easily my favourite character in this book… it definitely didn’t start off this way 😭 but in all my subsequent readings his character holds up the best, he’s an excellent mix of sinister but also completely captivating… and seeing him from Hanaras perspective just increases the feeling of power we get from every scene he’s in… he just works so well as a villain idk what else to say
Jayan- 😜😜😜😜 bro stfuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu hehe this bitch got me kicking my feet giggling with every thought he has… i’m brave enough to admit i love jayan bc i love a good romance in my fantasy …. all his POV is either him being a stuck up brat or him crying over tessia AND I EAT THAT SHIT UP EVERY TIME THANK YOU
I will also say that Narvelans descent into madness is just incredibly well done and understated, noticing the slight changes in demeanour as he goes about his business as a background character is sick
neow…. things i didn’t like… even tho i’m betraying myself rn
Tessia- 🫣🫣🫣 i actually do like tessia but there are definitely a few times in this book where she jus comes across as incredibly… like… boring 😐 like girly pop im gna need a bit more frm u other than stating cold hard facts about any situation 💀 she cn also come across as a bit not like the other girls 🤪 with how she dismisses a lot of the other women in the book 😔 THESE MOMENTS R DEFINITELY IN THE MINORITY but i did notice them more this time around
Stara- i actually rlly like stara, and i love her story line but i think she suffers the most frm the fact that this book was written as a prequel… her story feels the most disjointed from the rest and while it is cool to have a glimpse into domestic life in sachaka, ultimately her story doesn’t really contribute anything to the overarching plot when reading as a stand alone (which is how i read this book idc) (kachiro my beloved 🫶🫶🫶)
this book also does lose steam after Kyralia wins the war… again i think this can be attributed to it being a prequel the main story ends but it still has loose ends to tie up and it does this quite quickly. But I think it shows how brilliant the majority of the book is that despite this issues it’s still a 5 star book 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶 to me babes… to me 😔
Also shoutout Dakon i’m sorry i didn’t mention u in this review it’s jus cause ur an unproblematic king
the best thing about this book is how the war unfolds.,,.. all the strategy and the glimpses you get at both sides are so interesting to read 🫶🫶🫶 bro i jus love it idk
there are too many things i love about this book to name them all, so I will focus on Jayan and Hanara which are my favourite perspectives to read
Hanara- whilst Hanara my homie fr fr the main reason I love his POV is because Takado is easily my favourite character in this book… it definitely didn’t start off this way 😭 but in all my subsequent readings his character holds up the best, he’s an excellent mix of sinister but also completely captivating… and seeing him from Hanaras perspective just increases the feeling of power we get from every scene he’s in… he just works so well as a villain idk what else to say
Jayan- 😜😜😜😜 bro stfuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu hehe this bitch got me kicking my feet giggling with every thought he has… i’m brave enough to admit i love jayan bc i love a good romance in my fantasy …. all his POV is either him being a stuck up brat or him crying over tessia AND I EAT THAT SHIT UP EVERY TIME THANK YOU
I will also say that Narvelans descent into madness is just incredibly well done and understated, noticing the slight changes in demeanour as he goes about his business as a background character is sick
neow…. things i didn’t like… even tho i’m betraying myself rn
Tessia- 🫣🫣🫣 i actually do like tessia but there are definitely a few times in this book where she jus comes across as incredibly… like… boring 😐 like girly pop im gna need a bit more frm u other than stating cold hard facts about any situation 💀 she cn also come across as a bit not like the other girls 🤪 with how she dismisses a lot of the other women in the book 😔 THESE MOMENTS R DEFINITELY IN THE MINORITY but i did notice them more this time around
Stara- i actually rlly like stara, and i love her story line but i think she suffers the most frm the fact that this book was written as a prequel… her story feels the most disjointed from the rest and while it is cool to have a glimpse into domestic life in sachaka, ultimately her story doesn’t really contribute anything to the overarching plot when reading as a stand alone (which is how i read this book idc) (kachiro my beloved 🫶🫶🫶)
this book also does lose steam after Kyralia wins the war… again i think this can be attributed to it being a prequel the main story ends but it still has loose ends to tie up and it does this quite quickly. But I think it shows how brilliant the majority of the book is that despite this issues it’s still a 5 star book 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶 to me babes… to me 😔
Also shoutout Dakon i’m sorry i didn’t mention u in this review it’s jus cause ur an unproblematic king
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Torture
More...