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lainiereads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Now, obviously, there is a major factor that made me love this book so much- ZAFIRA AND NASIR'S ROMANCE, OH MY GOD. They are so cute??? I love them so much!!! All of the enemies to lovers, slowburn tropes you could ask for were found here, and they were done perfectly. Since the tone of this book is pretty serious, I wasn't sure if there would be any major cutesy, swoon-worthy moments, but oh my gosh was I wrong. I found myself having to look away from my book and gush about how amazing their interactions were. Something that really made their relationship as perfect as it is, was being able to see everything from both perspectives. It was so fun to see the contrast between Zafira's description of herself and how Nasir views her. It made the developing feelings so much more believable and worth the slow buildup.
Speaking of Zafira, I love her so much, she is the best. She had the perfect mixture of kindness and anger and wit and bravery and every other good trait possible. Seeing her grow throughout her journey was one of the best parts of the book, and I am really looking forward to seeing how strong she is in We Free the Stars.
Love you Hafsah Faizal, you are a queen.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child death and Alcohol
sophiapinheiro's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Slavery, and Death of parent
internalnonsense's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is written with a lot of passion, I think, but it is very overwritten. Initially, I didn't mind, and even learned a few creative uses for the term 'feathered'. By the end, I was lost in the purple. There is so much consistent intensity that the characters become hard to engage with or take seriously. If you start at 10, you can only go up to 11 and so on. Considering the story follows angsty teenagers, this isn't necessarily bad, but I can't say I enjoyed it.
Act One starts strong, setting the stage of a well-realized, if a little simplistic, fantasy world, where the characters have clear motivations, strengths, and flaws. There's a lot of potential for conflict to get you excited. Act Two begins to stumble, letting the plot loosen in favor of character angst and banter. It sets a poor stage for Act Three, where a lot of things happen, but without any solid sense of direction or momentum. It is mostly held together by the emotional toils of the two main characters. If you're thoroughly invested in them, the final arc of the book will probably land. If you're more like me and getting lost in the 'now this is happening', it starts to become tedious.
Overall, it's a good story if you're carried by the epic feelings, not so much if you're invested in tight writing.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
lucilaroife's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
rae_bookmarkchronicles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent
allison_claire_chang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, and Murder
cheyenne_rose's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse
empusa's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Sexism, Blood, and Death of parent
griffinthief's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
sapphic_reader's review against another edition
- 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
Gay side character
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Child death, and Kidnapping