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just_a_bibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Unlikely allies, Iraya and Jazymne unite against their common enemy in this Jamaican-inspired fantasy. With witches, pirates, magic, and lots and lots of alliances and betrayals, I'd hoped this would be an amazing read, but I just don't think it was for me.
The pacing seemed very off to me. It started off SO slow, and I reeeeeally had to push through it. Although the pacing picked up a bit in the last 30% of the book, it just felt like not enough happened, and it took me at least ridiculously long to read.
I really really wanted to like the characters, but I quite frankly just couldn't distinguish between them. As great as the dual narrative that we got seemed at first, I just didn't think the characters were fleshed out enough for this to be a success. The character development seemed a little off too - the characters either had very minimal development or suddenly appeared to experience this entire personality change overnight. Also, the romance was genuinely so strange. I didn't see the chemistry between the love interests, and it honestly made no sense to me - I don't think it was adding anything to the book either.
I struggled to keep up with understanding the world-building - could just be me, but I found it a little confusing at times and didn't think it was entirely as developed as it could be.
Culturally, this book was wonderful. I loved the Jamaican-inspired fantasy elements, and despite my confusion over the magic system at times, I still thought it was clearly very cleverly written. The diversity and representation incorporated was so refreshing to read, and generally, these aspects were enjoyable.
While this wasn't really for me, I don't doubt that other fantasy fans would devour it. Worth a read if you can get through the first half of the book.
Rating: 2.5 stars
The pacing seemed very off to me. It started off SO slow, and I reeeeeally had to push through it. Although the pacing picked up a bit in the last 30% of the book, it just felt like not enough happened, and it took me at least ridiculously long to read.
I really really wanted to like the characters, but I quite frankly just couldn't distinguish between them. As great as the dual narrative that we got seemed at first, I just didn't think the characters were fleshed out enough for this to be a success. The character development seemed a little off too - the characters either had very minimal development or suddenly appeared to experience this entire personality change overnight. Also, the romance was genuinely so strange. I didn't see the chemistry between the love interests, and it honestly made no sense to me - I don't think it was adding anything to the book either.
I struggled to keep up with understanding the world-building - could just be me, but I found it a little confusing at times and didn't think it was entirely as developed as it could be.
Culturally, this book was wonderful. I loved the Jamaican-inspired fantasy elements, and despite my confusion over the magic system at times, I still thought it was clearly very cleverly written. The diversity and representation incorporated was so refreshing to read, and generally, these aspects were enjoyable.
While this wasn't really for me, I don't doubt that other fantasy fans would devour it. Worth a read if you can get through the first half of the book.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault
achay91's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Sexual assault
oliverlang's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I found this one quite hard to get into at first but I think that's just down to the world building growing pains that generally comes with fantasy books.
The chapters undulate between 2 different characters throughout the book and at first it was confusing to pin down which character was where doing what but by the end of Part I it got easier and I found myself invested in the story and compelled to read more.
The writing style wasn't my favourite but it stopped grating on me as the book went on and actually fitted the feeling of the book. I appreciated that this wasn't a romance centric story and any parts that did illude to feelings weren't icky.
I'll probably read the next one! Would be interested to see this as a TV series.
The chapters undulate between 2 different characters throughout the book and at first it was confusing to pin down which character was where doing what but by the end of Part I it got easier and I found myself invested in the story and compelled to read more.
The writing style wasn't my favourite but it stopped grating on me as the book went on and actually fitted the feeling of the book. I appreciated that this wasn't a romance centric story and any parts that did illude to feelings weren't icky.
I'll probably read the next one! Would be interested to see this as a TV series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
adele's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really struggled with the pace of the book but I enjoyed the magic system.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is thick! A ton of stuff happened in this and there was a ton of world building and character development. I really enjoyed it, but felt a little bit bogged down in the plot at times. I think it is such an interesting world that is built here and I look forward to what happens next in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Torture, Bullying, Child death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
librarianlex's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault
daniellestarredpages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
See my review here:
https://youtu.be/L83LbbWOd5g
https://youtu.be/L83LbbWOd5g
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
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