Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Somewhat predictable story, but well developed and written in such a way that it's hard to put down.
Call it more 3.5/5 than 4. The world building in this book is good, but I still had parts where I wondered how it all worked. The characters are good. Amun and Mehr falling for each other felt mostly real. The Maha was suitably megalomaniacal. The other characters felt basically the authentic.
However the ending felt flat to me. I’m also not sure why Mehr has to do what she does when 400 years ago no one did. That part didn’t quite feel explained for me.
Overall not too bad but be wary of the ending.
However the ending felt flat to me. I’m also not sure why Mehr has to do what she does when 400 years ago no one did. That part didn’t quite feel explained for me.
Overall not too bad but be wary of the ending.
I've been on a bit of a Middle Eastern kick recently, and this book, drawing from Indo-Mughal mythology fits right in. Suri's debut is enjoyable and quickly paced, and a rare start to a series that feels complete in and of itself, e.g. no huge cliffhanger, though with questions to resolve in later installments. Recommend!
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
There was a slow part in the middle, which may have just been me - lots of stuff going on that made it hard to focus on reading. Still, I enjoyed it overall. There was some interesting world building for sure. I also really liked what the story had to say about choice, and the nature of bonds and freedom.
Could use a little more editing to delete repetition. I found some characters overly dramatic and sometimes annoying.
3.5-3.75 stars. This book isn't officially YA, but I can see it having a lot of appeal for that audience given the protagonist, the romantic relationship, and the style of writing. I really enjoyed the strong female characters, most especially Mehr, and of course you can't help but love secret softie Amun. I also quite liked the diverse settings and unique worldbuilding, though it takes a lot of set up to explain everything, and the plot can be kind of slow as a result. Because so much effort went into the worldbuilding, the character and plot development were more straightforward then they could have been, and I didn't really feel like anything that happened was a huge surprise. However, there's a lot of potential here, and I look forward to seeing how Suri grows as a writer over subsequent books.
I found this book via a recommendation from an author I enjoy so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, it was disappointing. I wasn’t at all invested in the characters or plot. There’s no depth or substance. I can barely picture what’s being described as it’s just not interesting or captivating enough. I couldn’t care less what happened to the main characters by the end.
2019 - audiobook
Stopped at chapter 18. It was soooo boring. It felt like every scene involving the H and h was "copy + paste" to hit a word count by the author. They talked about the same topic with same verbiage in almost every encounter. Nothing had happened by this point; no attempted kidnapping, no imposter infiltrating the empire, no magical beings causing turmoil. NOTHING. Skip this one unless you can find it free somewhere.
Merged review:
2019 - audiobook
Stopped at chapter 18. It was soooo boring. It felt like every scene involving the H and h was "copy + paste" to hit a word count by the author. They talked about the same topic with same verbiage in almost every encounter. Nothing had happened by this point; no attempted kidnapping, no imposter infiltrating the empire, no magical beings causing turmoil. NOTHING. Skip this one unless you can find it free somewhere.
Stopped at chapter 18. It was soooo boring. It felt like every scene involving the H and h was "copy + paste" to hit a word count by the author. They talked about the same topic with same verbiage in almost every encounter. Nothing had happened by this point; no attempted kidnapping, no imposter infiltrating the empire, no magical beings causing turmoil. NOTHING. Skip this one unless you can find it free somewhere.
Merged review:
2019 - audiobook
Stopped at chapter 18. It was soooo boring. It felt like every scene involving the H and h was "copy + paste" to hit a word count by the author. They talked about the same topic with same verbiage in almost every encounter. Nothing had happened by this point; no attempted kidnapping, no imposter infiltrating the empire, no magical beings causing turmoil. NOTHING. Skip this one unless you can find it free somewhere.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Complicated