Scan barcode
chasinggrace'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
Is the plot of this book kind of “basic”? Sure. It’s the typical “vengeful woman and cold-hearted man become reluctant allies in a quest to find an Ancient tome that will free magic and save the kingdom,” and I loved it all the same.
I also found myself caring for the side characters as well. Each had a purpose, versus just being there for comedic relief.
I will say, the two main romances were predictable, but I was
The epilogue has me very eager to pick up the next book. My only critique is that this book needed an Arabic glossary. I could make occasional assumptions, but Arabic words were used so freely that at times I felt like I lost important details.
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Death, Child abuse, and Grief
bamfling'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
4.5
Moderate: Violence and Child abuse
Minor: Torture, Death of parent, and Sexism
mj1588'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
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Torture, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
mariebrunelm'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
4.25
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
flickwitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Torture
onthesamepage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Arabia-inspired setting was another highlight. The descriptions of the beautiful cities, the desert, but also the characters wearing keffiyahs gave me a lot of joy. Unfortunately, the (mis)use of the Arabic language didn't.
I'm a native Arab speaker, so of course I zoomed in on the Arabic. The way it's used comes across as someone who isn't a native speaker inserting Arabic words to add to the mood. It's not that the words were wrong, exactly, but they're not used quite right. Umm means mother, yes, but I would never refer to my mother as "umm" while addressing her. She would be "ummi"—my mother. The same applies to Okht, which should have been okhti, and also, why does this start with an O instead of a U like umm when the sound is the same? This annoyed me just as much as Leigh Bardugo's misuse of Dutch in Six of Crows. The Arabic felt clunky in some of the sentences, and the opposite of subtle. I didn't even need to know more about the island Sharr because its name told me exactly what its deal was.
Something I noticed in A Tempest of Tea was the excessive use of pet names. That happens here as well, although to a lesser degree, but I can't say I was all that happy to see "azizi" being used this often.
The last thing I'll mention is that there are parts where the author would chop up a sentence:
She fell
to her
knees.
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, and Torture
jrae_miller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny
kristinescorner'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
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Death of parent and Slavery
rafacolog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Death, Violence, Child abuse, and Misogyny
amandaplease50's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed all the characters throughly and I feel that some criticism of the flatness of supporting characters will change in the second book.
But there were parts where I felt so much was happening I missed something and ended up rereading certain sections. For a first novel though honestly it’s a great story to build off of so I’m really excited to read the second book.
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse