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wet_towlette's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Bare with me here because I have many complaints. I would like to preface this by saying I went into this book expecting to really love it because it’s seems to be right up my alley. It was really disappointing when I realized I didn’t. I also want to say although I will be listing a lot of criticisms, there are good things about this book. The writing is very lyrical and the entire world is quite fascinating. With that being said something about it really didn’t work with me. But I do believe the second book will most likely be better.
I will now be listing all my issues with this book because it’s probably the briefest way I can explain:
-too info dumping for my liking
-characters inner monologues are greatly repetitive, especially in the beginning
-the writing can be very confusing and I felt like I didn’t know what was going half the time
-the relationship with deen and zafira had so much potential to be something greater then it was
-romance is very forced (albeit interesting if you can look past how forced it is)
-idk if anyone knows what I’m talking about but the three line sentence break up things drives me crazy. It happens on many occasions and is terrible every single time
-this is more of a personal issue but the characters are so hypocritical and it really bothers me
-the entirety of the beginning of act three just felt very rushed and out of place
-the characters don’t feel like real people. Like the way the react to things or do things after hardships. They just feel like words on a paper.
I will now be listing all my issues with this book because it’s probably the briefest way I can explain:
-too info dumping for my liking
-characters inner monologues are greatly repetitive, especially in the beginning
-the writing can be very confusing and I felt like I didn’t know what was going half the time
-the relationship with deen and zafira had so much potential to be something greater then it was
-romance is very forced (albeit interesting if you can look past how forced it is)
-idk if anyone knows what I’m talking about but the three line sentence break up things drives me crazy. It happens on many occasions and is terrible every single time
-this is more of a personal issue but the characters are so hypocritical and it really bothers me
-the entirety of the beginning of act three just felt very rushed and out of place
-the characters don’t feel like real people. Like the way the react to things or do things after hardships. They just feel like words on a paper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury
beckysrlyacat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Torture
daisiesinthebreeze's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was amazing. I feel like I can never say it enough. The writing was breathtaking and it has definitely made me a fan of Hafsah Faizal forever. The worldbuilding was easy to understand for the most part and really let you get submerged in its fantasy. I was skeptical at the start, but less than 50 pages in I was hooked. The characters are so well constructed and fleshed out. You see their flaws which also act as their qualities which go back to being flaws. I loved Zafira with my whole heart. Very brave, but scared of being herself. Her fears are so well portrayed and immortalized. I don't understand very well how she grew fond of Nasir that quickly but I suppose dangerous situations bring you closer. Benyamin was as perfect as the zumra he claimed as amazing. Kifah was the strong, dangerous warrior we all needed and Altair's innuendos were on another level. I hate how Altair thought that the zumra left him behind especially after he helped them escape. Nasir's affinity is to be able to spread darkness and he's scared of the dark. Zafira always finds her way through anywhere. Zafira can find a way through Nasir's darkness!! I am never going to stop screaming about this. I need more of this story and I cannot wait to delve into its world again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.75
The world-building, characters, and plot were all absolutely wonderful. I think my biggest criticism is that the romance felt more like unresolved sexual tension than love. There was a lot of “crackling” energy in the air and shivering—which is fine, it worked—but I think the two protagonists should have had waaay more dialogue and interaction for how emotionally invested they were supposed to be in each other. Spending time together does not bridge that gap and convert enemies to lovers.
That said, this book is still incredibly special to me for all of the precious moments where I felt my culture represented. This book is one FOR THE CULTURE. No white saviors to be found. No exotification or demonization of Middle Eastern cultures. Just a beautiful tapestry of interwoven cultures that shine like stars. If I could personally thank the author for the rest of my life, I would. We need more books like this that showcase the true nature and beauty of the cultures they aim to portray, because it is so often not the case for Middle Eastern countries.
I love this book.
That said, this book is still incredibly special to me for all of the precious moments where I felt my culture represented. This book is one FOR THE CULTURE. No white saviors to be found. No exotification or demonization of Middle Eastern cultures. Just a beautiful tapestry of interwoven cultures that shine like stars. If I could personally thank the author for the rest of my life, I would. We need more books like this that showcase the true nature and beauty of the cultures they aim to portray, because it is so often not the case for Middle Eastern countries.
I love this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Violence
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm so incredibly glad that I decided to buddy-read this with my go-to buddy-read partner, because we both loved it and had pretty much the exact same thoughts throughout!
The first thing to say about this book is that it is really freaking good... but also super confusing at times. That's the literal only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars. I'm still pondering the story and wondering about certain moments, thinking "what the heck actually happened there?" I believe that if I had fully grasped some of the more bizarre parts of the plot, I would have smacked five stars on my rating in a heartbeat.
That being said, it's still an excellent book with so many incredible elements! First and foremost, we've got one totally badass female lead, which is always something that I enjoy in a book. And when I say that she's badass, I don't mean that she literally demolishes anyone in her way to reach her goal. She's willing to work with enemies, really questions what love truly is, deals with mystical powers that she doesn't understand, and learns to accept who she is in a world where very few others are ready to accept her. This is definitely a protagonist that I will be considering a favorite from here on out!
As far as our male lead? I could take or leave him. He's got a lot to work on, which I hope is addressed more in the sequel. His "sidekick," however, that's a different story. Altair stole the spotlight for me. He was, hands down, my favorite part of the entire book and I wish he wasn't taken for granted so many times. Learning more about him throughout the story gave me so much life. I was constantly hoping we would get more tidbits about who he is and what his motives truly are.
There were a lot of "twists" throughout this book, which was so much fun. I was under the impression that it would be very slow-paced throughout the entirety of the story and that wound up not being the case at all. It picked up before the halfway point and flew from there. I had a hard time putting it down because one twist led to another which led to another and I just needed to know how it would all turn out. Naturally, that made me order the sequel from the library immediately following completion because now I HAVE TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS.
The first thing to say about this book is that it is really freaking good... but also super confusing at times. That's the literal only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars. I'm still pondering the story and wondering about certain moments, thinking "what the heck actually happened there?" I believe that if I had fully grasped some of the more bizarre parts of the plot, I would have smacked five stars on my rating in a heartbeat.
That being said, it's still an excellent book with so many incredible elements! First and foremost, we've got one totally badass female lead, which is always something that I enjoy in a book. And when I say that she's badass, I don't mean that she literally demolishes anyone in her way to reach her goal. She's willing to work with enemies, really questions what love truly is, deals with mystical powers that she doesn't understand, and learns to accept who she is in a world where very few others are ready to accept her. This is definitely a protagonist that I will be considering a favorite from here on out!
As far as our male lead? I could take or leave him. He's got a lot to work on, which I hope is addressed more in the sequel. His "sidekick," however, that's a different story. Altair stole the spotlight for me. He was, hands down, my favorite part of the entire book and I wish he wasn't taken for granted so many times. Learning more about him throughout the story gave me so much life. I was constantly hoping we would get more tidbits about who he is and what his motives truly are.
There were a lot of "twists" throughout this book, which was so much fun. I was under the impression that it would be very slow-paced throughout the entirety of the story and that wound up not being the case at all. It picked up before the halfway point and flew from there. I had a hard time putting it down because one twist led to another which led to another and I just needed to know how it would all turn out. Naturally, that made me order the sequel from the library immediately following completion because now I HAVE TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder
Moderate: Death, Torture, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: War
ravenwolf_waf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I honestly don't know what took so long for me to pick up this book! It's been sitting on my TBR for a while and it has all the elements I love in a story - diverse and morally grey characters, a kick-ass female lead that still has a weak side, a broody and damaged male lead that's only a monster because he has to be, amazing supporting characters that you fall in love with as much as main leads... and then some of them die.....
Set in a world inspired by ancient Arabia, Zafira has something to prove. Her Caliph doesn't believe women can do anything outside the home and many think they're the reason the land has lost its magic. But Zafira's people are starving and she's the only one that can hunt in the cursed forest without going mad or getting lost. So she disguises herself as a man, taking on the moniker "The Hunter", hiding her identity from all but her closest friends and family, to do what she must to save her people.
Nasir has been dubbed the "Prince of Death" and his kills are legendary throughout Arawiya. Trained as an assassin, his only purpose is to dispose of those that stand against his power-hungry father, the Sultan. Every bit of softness and sentiment has been beaten out of him because to show love or compassion is a weakness his father can't abide. And what his father can't force him to do through pain, he does so through those that Nasir cares about. Like the girl Nasir fell for as a teenager that had her tongue ripped out when his father learned of their burgeoning relationship.
When Zafira has been tasked with finding the sacred lost text that can bring magic back, she sees a way to end her people's suffering once and for all. Nasir is sent for a different purpose. He's to steal the book for his father and kill her. But long dead secrets are coming to light, connections with the past are being made, and no one will leave the cursed land unchanged.
I have to say that my favorite quote from this books was: "To define is to limit". It's one of those lines where you just sit back and go, "Huh!" It sticks with you and I imagine will stay with me for years to come.
I also loved that this book pushed me to Google. Sounds weird, I know, but I love books that make me want to understand and learn things I didn't know before. I was wholly, embarrassingly, unaware of how Islamic governments are structured. I had heard the words caliphate, caliph, and sultan before but I never REALLY thought about them and what they meant. I needed to understand that in order to understand the story fully. At first, this downloading of info made it hard for me to get into the story but once I did, it was like a whole world opened up. I also did a lot of research on the styles of clothing described.
The richness of this story, for those like me that are unfamiliar, will absolutely love it.
Set in a world inspired by ancient Arabia, Zafira has something to prove. Her Caliph doesn't believe women can do anything outside the home and many think they're the reason the land has lost its magic. But Zafira's people are starving and she's the only one that can hunt in the cursed forest without going mad or getting lost. So she disguises herself as a man, taking on the moniker "The Hunter", hiding her identity from all but her closest friends and family, to do what she must to save her people.
Nasir has been dubbed the "Prince of Death" and his kills are legendary throughout Arawiya. Trained as an assassin, his only purpose is to dispose of those that stand against his power-hungry father, the Sultan. Every bit of softness and sentiment has been beaten out of him because to show love or compassion is a weakness his father can't abide. And what his father can't force him to do through pain, he does so through those that Nasir cares about. Like the girl Nasir fell for as a teenager that had her tongue ripped out when his father learned of their burgeoning relationship.
When Zafira has been tasked with finding the sacred lost text that can bring magic back, she sees a way to end her people's suffering once and for all. Nasir is sent for a different purpose. He's to steal the book for his father and kill her. But long dead secrets are coming to light, connections with the past are being made, and no one will leave the cursed land unchanged.
I have to say that my favorite quote from this books was: "To define is to limit". It's one of those lines where you just sit back and go, "Huh!" It sticks with you and I imagine will stay with me for years to come.
I also loved that this book pushed me to Google. Sounds weird, I know, but I love books that make me want to understand and learn things I didn't know before. I was wholly, embarrassingly, unaware of how Islamic governments are structured. I had heard the words caliphate, caliph, and sultan before but I never REALLY thought about them and what they meant. I needed to understand that in order to understand the story fully. At first, this downloading of info made it hard for me to get into the story but once I did, it was like a whole world opened up. I also did a lot of research on the styles of clothing described.
The richness of this story, for those like me that are unfamiliar, will absolutely love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Torture, Sexism, and Death of parent
tiredzai's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent
helpme71's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Okay. This book has the heart and soul necessary for a good YA novel/novel in general; however, it was simply confusing. The first third of the book is completely dedicated to characters who either die or become increasingly unimportant. In making the first section so long, the author lost something important. She overemphasized how important these people were to Zafira instead of showing it. I wanted to see what Deen meant to her, what her sister meant, what Yasmine meant. The dialogue is amazing, but there was too much showing. Specifically with the Deen timeline: what? why was he there? what did he prove? what did the book gain from him being there and then going with Zafira? It didn't add anything to either character. The journey to Sharr was also like one page. I wanted it to be longer. I was confused at how much time was spent establishing the norm for Zafira and then how little that actually mattered. Three-four days were spent in her home town and it did almost nothing to further the plot. It isn't like Deen motivated Zafira in any way. She made a half-hearted promise to him but like overall his inclusion was just... unnecessary in my opinion. And then there was the whole thing with Zafira's mother. It would have been so much more impactful had it been written, described, understood differently. As a reader I had no attachment to the character before she started laying down trauma and recovering from it. I had no emotional stake for her and her mother's relationship. Also in terms of plot introduction, sometimes the chapter would just start. And things would be different in a weird unexplained way and I would fully go back a couple of pages to make sure that I didn't miss something. Like one time they're j chillin on Sharr and the next chapter they can't find Zafira? There's no explanation for her being gone. There's not like we went to sleep and then woke up and now we can't find her. She just is somewhere else. Same with the darkness subplot. There was a lot that could have been done with that. The foreshadowing. The ~energy~ was there but it wasn't enough. I was just confused. What do these power mean? What are the stakes I think the biggest issue I had with this novel were things a good editor should have caught. There were a couple of character inconsistencies. The chapter openings were often unexplained. The subplots were not explained, foreshadowed, or developed enough. The lore was absolutely beautiful but the author expected the reader to just know it. It needed to be presented in a better way for the minute detail aspects. It seems like the biggest issue in terms of plot had to do with transitions. Whenever there was a lull, BAM weird chapter where something happens that is important!!! But it was unexplained. It was out of pocket. I think the author just needed to listen more to her story. To focus on how someone who didn't know the world would see it.
Things I loved: the characters. They are all incredibly distinct. They are the reason i kept reading. The writing!!! Is beautiful. This author describes characters in such a clear, precise, and beautiful way. The metaphors hit so hard. Just wow. I think that this author is incredibly talented. She clearly had a vision, knew her characters, and crafted a beautiful world, but some things just fell short. They didn't work quite the way they should have. I would love to return to this author once she has written more and really honed the novel crafting and transition aspects of writing.
Things I loved: the characters. They are all incredibly distinct. They are the reason i kept reading. The writing!!! Is beautiful. This author describes characters in such a clear, precise, and beautiful way. The metaphors hit so hard. Just wow. I think that this author is incredibly talented. She clearly had a vision, knew her characters, and crafted a beautiful world, but some things just fell short. They didn't work quite the way they should have. I would love to return to this author once she has written more and really honed the novel crafting and transition aspects of writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
knifewifestan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape