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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really imaginative story. I loved the concept. Lots of fresh ideas that made the world seem real. The eye system was very interesting and I wished we’d dived into it a bit quicker.
I loved the idea behind Jantsia’s family and looking forward to seeing how it unfolds further.
I would have liked more of the story to have centered on Jantsia and the problems in her every day life. When you’re getting to know a character, it can be tricky when there are multiple points of views as you feel like you’re being pulled away from the person you wanted to read about.
I enjoyed Kain and Daezen’s story but didn’t feel connected to the inspector Soba story as much. It was a tricky one to interweave.
I am interested to see where it goes next!
I loved the idea behind Jantsia’s family and looking forward to seeing how it unfolds further.
I would have liked more of the story to have centered on Jantsia and the problems in her every day life. When you’re getting to know a character, it can be tricky when there are multiple points of views as you feel like you’re being pulled away from the person you wanted to read about.
I enjoyed Kain and Daezen’s story but didn’t feel connected to the inspector Soba story as much. It was a tricky one to interweave.
I am interested to see where it goes next!
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
🏍 REVIEW 👀
Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
"The real Jantsia was anything but ordinary."
🩷 TROPES 🩷
🩷 Love Triangle
🩷 Coming of Age
🩷 LGBTQIA + Exploration
🩷 Outcast Hero
In this YA High Fantasy, we meet a wide variety of characters who are all held by the confines of a segregated society. Jantsia is caught between these different levels within Shariza, but surrounds herself with Azure born boys, Kain and Daezen. Their POVs focus on the discrimination of being at the bottom of society. However, we do meet someone in the upper end, an inspector called Soba who has her own journey of discovering the flaws of society, even when it is supposed to benefit you.
🩷 WHY DID I LIKE IT SO MUCH? 🩷
I love to focus on representation in books and this was packed full of it in such natural ways! I will warn you now that there are definitely some triggers related to this, such as alcoholism, grooming and racism. In a YA novel it is so important to have a diverse range of characters so that everyone can feel seen, and Sophia Vahdati is so good doing that.
The world building is this book is nice and clear, allowing for a more relaxed read, even though it is a high fantasy. There is also a lot of likeness between the world of Shariza and a lot of countries at the moment, so there are definitely some thought provoking moments to think about!
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait for the next installment. Sophia Vahdati's debut novel is something to get excited about!
Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
"The real Jantsia was anything but ordinary."
🩷 TROPES 🩷
🩷 Love Triangle
🩷 Coming of Age
🩷 LGBTQIA + Exploration
🩷 Outcast Hero
In this YA High Fantasy, we meet a wide variety of characters who are all held by the confines of a segregated society. Jantsia is caught between these different levels within Shariza, but surrounds herself with Azure born boys, Kain and Daezen. Their POVs focus on the discrimination of being at the bottom of society. However, we do meet someone in the upper end, an inspector called Soba who has her own journey of discovering the flaws of society, even when it is supposed to benefit you.
🩷 WHY DID I LIKE IT SO MUCH? 🩷
I love to focus on representation in books and this was packed full of it in such natural ways! I will warn you now that there are definitely some triggers related to this, such as alcoholism, grooming and racism. In a YA novel it is so important to have a diverse range of characters so that everyone can feel seen, and Sophia Vahdati is so good doing that.
The world building is this book is nice and clear, allowing for a more relaxed read, even though it is a high fantasy. There is also a lot of likeness between the world of Shariza and a lot of countries at the moment, so there are definitely some thought provoking moments to think about!
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait for the next installment. Sophia Vahdati's debut novel is something to get excited about!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Racism, Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual assault
adventurous
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
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“YOUR EYES DECIDE YOUR DESTINY”
Wow. Just wow. This book was everything I was hoping for and more.
First of all, thank you SO MUCH to Sophia Vahdati for an invite to the launch party!! Meeting you was so amazing, and becoming a part of this world is literally so insanely cool.
—
This book is written through three people’s POVs in third person; Jantsia, Daezen and Soba.
“JANTSIA’S SECRET WILL KILL HER”
Jantsia is an illegal daughter; a dual-oc parading as an Azure, the lowest of the four classes — Azure, Sepia, Veridian and Obsidian. If someone discovers her secret, she’ll be killed. Jantsia’s story is all about her finding out what she truly is, and who her people are.
“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE FLYING, TWACK-FACE”
Daezen Trovit is an older brother trying to get by with depleting tokens, a deceased father, a struggling mother and a slightly younger brother who’s still in school. That’s until he begins to get involved with the whispered rebellion. Daezen’s story is all about him beginning to defy the system, and finding his place and his people.
“MY ONLY LIMITS ARE MY ORDERS”
Inspector Soba Nite’s job is to keep everything in order. And when she finds Topper Luxo’s seemingly abandoned hoverbike, her life is about to change. Soba’s story is all about finding the lies in her life, and discovering who she is.
“YOUR EYES DECIDE YOUR DESTINY”
Wow. Just wow. This book was everything I was hoping for and more.
First of all, thank you SO MUCH to Sophia Vahdati for an invite to the launch party!! Meeting you was so amazing, and becoming a part of this world is literally so insanely cool.
—
This book is written through three people’s POVs in third person; Jantsia, Daezen and Soba.
“JANTSIA’S SECRET WILL KILL HER”
Jantsia is an illegal daughter; a dual-oc parading as an Azure, the lowest of the four classes — Azure, Sepia, Veridian and Obsidian. If someone discovers her secret, she’ll be killed. Jantsia’s story is all about her finding out what she truly is, and who her people are.
“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE FLYING, TWACK-FACE”
Daezen Trovit is an older brother trying to get by with depleting tokens, a deceased father, a struggling mother and a slightly younger brother who’s still in school. That’s until he begins to get involved with the whispered rebellion. Daezen’s story is all about him beginning to defy the system, and finding his place and his people.
“MY ONLY LIMITS ARE MY ORDERS”
Inspector Soba Nite’s job is to keep everything in order. And when she finds Topper Luxo’s seemingly abandoned hoverbike, her life is about to change. Soba’s story is all about finding the lies in her life, and discovering who she is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggled to get into this book, and I’m still not entirely sure why. Whether it was the dystopian setting, the best-friend-turned-love-interest dynamic, or simply that I wasn’t in the right mood—something just didn’t click for me. I found it challenging to connect with the characters, which made the read a bit slow.
That said, the world-building was intriguing, with a modern yet dystopian feel and a quasi caste-like system that added depth and tension. While it didn’t quite work for me, I can see it appealing to readers who enjoy speculative settings, social hierarchies, and slow-burn relationships.
If dystopia with a contemporary edge is your thing, this might be worth a try.
That said, the world-building was intriguing, with a modern yet dystopian feel and a quasi caste-like system that added depth and tension. While it didn’t quite work for me, I can see it appealing to readers who enjoy speculative settings, social hierarchies, and slow-burn relationships.
If dystopia with a contemporary edge is your thing, this might be worth a try.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
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
This book is smarter than the books it’s being comp’ed to. It’s so good!!!
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
I'm not going to lie, I requested this ARC almost exclusively because of "Ooh! Pretty Cover" syndrome. It ended up being an enjoyable read. The story has interesting worldbuilding, handles character complexities pretty well (I especially liked the way the author wrote one of the characters recovering from a problematic relationship), references sexual content and sexual activity while keeping everything closed door, and has a pretty solid YA fantasy/dystopian vibe. There were a few things I struggled with (some of the romance plotlines had confusing chemistry for me, some of the writing felt closer to middle grade for some reason, and there were parts of the worldbuilding that could have used a bit more fleshing out), but they were pretty minor. I'd be very comfortable giving this book to an older teen who can handle some of the content and wants a bit of a YA dystopian/fantasy fix.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
3⭐️ | Published July 17th 2025
What if you lived in a world where something as insignificant as your eye colour decided your destiny? Jantsia's blue eyes mark her as Azure, the lowest of the four occulary castes. Destined for servitude. But no one – not even the boy who owns her heart – knows the truth.
To survive, she clings to one rule: stay invisible, stay alive.
What I really enjoyed about this book was the caste system based on eye colour. The social hierarchy was unique and it was so interesting to explore a caste system where eye colours determined social status, magical powers and even occupation.
I am sorry to give this book 3 stars as the concept was so unique compared to anything I have read before. However the writing left a little more to be desired. Due to the complex ocular systems there is a lot of world building in at least the first 50% of the book and what I felt was info-dumping. This combined with the 3 POVs was a lot to take on in such a short book.
I think if you accept this book for what it is; an introduction to this unique world before the rest of the story begins you will enjoy this book a lot more. I wonder if a glossary would have been helpful for my understanding. I know that this is a debut novel from the writer so I am hoping this story improves in later books as I would still love to read the rest of her series.
You will like this is you are a fan of The Hunger Games and I have see others also compare it to other dystopian YA novels.