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manaledi's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
I'd heard good things and this was a good read. It was slow at first and fairly character driven for high fantasy. None of the elements - secret princess, morally grey prince, deadly challenges, rival territories - are particularly unique and yet it all comes together smoothly. A quibble in that the magic system is very poorly defined in terms on who can do what and how much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Colonisation, War, Torture, Murder, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Xenophobia, and Sexual content
belovedsnail's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book has nearly everything I don’t like in fantasy romance, but it still nearly worked for me. Hashem’s kingdom building is great and it nearly made up for some of the more obvious tropes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Sexual assault
wiseowlreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Torture
salma_175's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Has a special place in my heart. Fans of Hafzah Faizal’s writing will love this book. Will be hard for another book to compare to this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Child abuse, and Child death
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
3.75
The heir to Jasad, a province that has been forced into near nonexistance, is living in Nizal, a rival province, where she must keep her identity and magic secret. The Prince of Nizal, Arin, is suspicious of her as they are born enemies and in Nizal they have shunned the use of magic. It was an intriguing political setup, but I'll be honest I didn't really understand the point of the tournament besides something to happen, and I felt like the magic system could've been explained better. There is a romance element that is slow burn which I usually like, but it was a bit too long for the first book in a series and there were def some parts early to midway on that dragged. I might eventually listen to the sequel on audio whenever it comes out (but I'm also not sure how long this series is so...)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Torture, War, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Pedophilia
meat_muffin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
Okay, OBSESSED. This might be my new City of Brass, not gonna lie. Can’t BELIEVE the second one isn’t out yet ☹️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Murder, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Blood, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, War, and Violence
Minor: Addiction and Animal cruelty
meg_'s review
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
This was a solid fantasy read. I have to be honest, the 3 star rating is partly due to the fact that I don't think I gave this book my full attention throughout my read and felt super distract-able while reading. This is obviously no fault of the book or the story itself but I'm not sure if I can give any different rating as a result.
This was a super well fleshed out fantasy world and I absolutely loved the characters and the way they grow throughout the story. I especially loved getting to see Arin slowly defrost with Sylvia. This is for sure my type of romance subplot because they truly move forward romantically at a glacial pace.
Another element of this story that I really appreciated that I don't think gets fleshed out well in other books is the present day impact of all of the trauma that Sylvia experienced. She has many moments within the story where she has to use grounding techniques to regulate and be able to focus and there are times she experiences flashbacks and overwhelming feelings due to her past trauma. I felt this was all handled really well and written about in a way that actually felt realistic. I really appreciated that this element of Sylvia's past is discussed and described how it impacts her current daily life.
I will absolutely be reading whatever book(s) come next from this author and within this series.
This was a super well fleshed out fantasy world and I absolutely loved the characters and the way they grow throughout the story. I especially loved getting to see Arin slowly defrost with Sylvia. This is for sure my type of romance subplot because they truly move forward romantically at a glacial pace.
Another element of this story that I really appreciated that I don't think gets fleshed out well in other books is the present day impact of all of the trauma that Sylvia experienced. She has many moments within the story where she has to use grounding techniques to regulate and be able to focus and there are times she experiences flashbacks and overwhelming feelings due to her past trauma. I felt this was all handled really well and written about in a way that actually felt realistic. I really appreciated that this element of Sylvia's past is discussed and described how it impacts her current daily life.
I will absolutely be reading whatever book(s) come next from this author and within this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
ayvie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
I literally had trouble putting this book down to read anything else. The MCs were so engaging and interesting and complicated that I could not wait to read more. The fact that neither MC is 100% right in their understanding of their histories is fascinating and interesting. (Though I'd argue that Sylvia's misconceptions are less of an issue because they are the result of her being a victim and not the result of her being an aggressor/policer). They're both having to adjust and learn their misconceptions - some of which they've built their entire lives on.
I'm unsure about the romance. I am having complicated feelings about it and need to let those stew a bit. Coming back to this - I honestly wish the romantic elements hadn't been involved at all in this book. It felt uncomfortable and a lot of it is outside my lane to really delve into. I do think the groundwork is laid for something here, and I'm unsure where it's going to lead (and honestly, I'd be happy if it led to no romance at all).
It felt like the point should have been discomfort and I'm unsure if that was entirely what was portrayed.
I'm unsure about the romance. I am having complicated feelings about it and need to let those stew a bit. Coming back to this - I honestly wish the romantic elements hadn't been involved at all in this book. It felt uncomfortable and a lot of it is outside my lane to really delve into. I do think the groundwork is laid for something here, and I'm unsure where it's going to lead (and honestly, I'd be happy if it led to no romance at all).
It felt like the point should have been discomfort and I'm unsure if that was entirely what was portrayed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Body horror, Torture, War, Murder, Xenophobia, Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
This book has a lot of violence depicted in its pages, but it never felt gratuitous. There's a ton of trauma (specifically explored for Sylvia). The child abuse, sexual assault, and rape are mentions regarding a secondary character.roseleebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
Overall I enjoyed this book. I read through it very quickly wanting to know what happened next!
Things that were done well were the pacing and the setup for the ending. There are multiple plot threads to pick up in the next book which could be frustrating for some readers. The key theme of dealing with past trauma and identity after being separated from the foundations of that identity was intriguingly explored throughout.Also, establishing that the MC was an unreliable narrator partway through the story opens up a lot of possibilities going into the next portion of the series.
There were several things that were problematic here with the FMCs relationship with the MMC,including power imbalance and 🚩 behaviors from the MMC. Other reviews have commented on the colonizer/colonized aspect of it as well, which is off-putting. If the MMC goes full villain in the next book this would make much more sense to me, I'd like to assume the author has purposely laid this unsettling foundation. The love story was secondary to the main plot but the banter is where some of the twists and info reveals occurred
Overall the writing was fairly smooth, the story moved along at a fast pace, and I found myself rethinking things that I took at face value initially about the characters and setting throughout as new information was revealed. I'll definitely be picking up the next book to see what happens next. This may change my review here depending on how some of the above issues are handled.
Things that were done well were the pacing and the setup for the ending. There are multiple plot threads to pick up in the next book which could be frustrating for some readers. The key theme of dealing with past trauma and identity after being separated from the foundations of that identity was intriguingly explored throughout.
There were several things that were problematic here with the FMCs relationship with the MMC,
Overall the writing was fairly smooth, the story moved along at a fast pace, and I found myself rethinking things that I took at face value initially about the characters and setting throughout as new information was revealed. I'll definitely be picking up the next book to see what happens next. This may change my review here depending on how some of the above issues are handled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Xenophobia, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Alcohol, Murder, Mental illness, and Suicide
hailstorm3812's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.5
I will eat my hat if this didn't start as fanfiction, and i could definitely make a few guesses as to what. You can tell with the interesting character relationships and the extremely well written sexual tension, and the front loaded worldbuilding and not at all thought through political ideologies. Girl why are you falling in love with the genocidal white man? He really doesn't grow and change politically in what we see. Yeah he opens up to her and sees her as human but the rest not so much. Which is so frustrating because the author succeeds at making it so so hot. I honestly think a lot could have been solved by making them both POC, which would cause less unsavory allusions which I don't think were intentional. He could still have magical hair. Why is draco here? I'm a little bit with Soraya here. Taking down corrupt monarchs and trying to kill the heir of the country that decimated yours, like she has a point. Ok but moving on I really did like Sylvie, her complex journey, and all of her unwanted connections to loved ones. Her friends, Rory, and Fairel really shine. Dawoud only had one scene but it really hit. Overall I have a lot of qualms with the romance, but I did like it and will probably read the next one. Also like, you are going to write insane amounts of heat, to the point where I, someone who is rooting for the antagonist to kill the love interest, thinks they should fuck, and when they finally act on their feels they only make out for a half a second. Come on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Death of parent, Death, Genocide, Gore, Murder, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Child abuse, Child death, Body horror, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism