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intonewrealms's review
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
This is such a great book; it’s so sweet and wholesome a lot of the time but it’s also incredibly heart breaking! I really appreciated the content warnings at the start of this book and I wish it was more the norm for others as well. At first I didn’t see much difference from our world but as the book went on there were a lot more clear examples of how things had evolved and it was obvious to see how we could get there from today, which was really interesting.
I was obsessed with the family from the moment they all got super excited about Voya’s period and that it signifies she will get her Calling and get the chance to become a real witch. Her family situation was very interesting as her parents are divorced but live in the same house with her stepmother and her half-sister. Her aunt also kicked her uncle outside 5 years ago but he decided to stay in the family even if he had to stay in a separate building. Voya’s room separates her twin cousins as although they are twins they tend to ignore each other or just snipe.
On the other side of things, her love interest Luke has a totally different familial situation. He doesn’t speak much to his family back in Mexico and he isn’t mega close to his sponsor family, which is sort of like a foster family but the kids are taken in by CEO’s for explicit purposes like motivating their biological kids or as heir if no biological kids. This also lead to a discussion about an evolved version of colonialism by taking promising kids away from their communities to a place where they are aware they could be deported at any time and have to be competitive.
I was obsessed with the family from the moment they all got super excited about Voya’s period and that it signifies she will get her Calling and get the chance to become a real witch. Her family situation was very interesting as her parents are divorced but live in the same house with her stepmother and her half-sister. Her aunt also kicked her uncle outside 5 years ago but he decided to stay in the family even if he had to stay in a separate building. Voya’s room separates her twin cousins as although they are twins they tend to ignore each other or just snipe.
On the other side of things, her love interest Luke has a totally different familial situation. He doesn’t speak much to his family back in Mexico and he isn’t mega close to his sponsor family, which is sort of like a foster family but the kids are taken in by CEO’s for explicit purposes like motivating their biological kids or as heir if no biological kids. This also lead to a discussion about an evolved version of colonialism by taking promising kids away from their communities to a place where they are aware they could be deported at any time and have to be competitive.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Eating disorder
prairieraven's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
madarauchiha's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
5.0
❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️
The character voices are wonderful, and I love the sibling interaction. The magic system is so interesting and has variation to it, which makes it more compelling to hear. And oh thank god theres a trans black character. It is slow paced. This is a good story to settle into. You dont want to rush it.
I liked the variety of relationships that is shown in the novel. I think its compassionate to show teen readers there isn't only One True Love fairy tale relationships. especially towards young Black readers.
▪ “I should have never made you make that promise.”
“I’m going to—”
She shakes her head hard, braid whipping across her shoulders. “You’re a child. I’m an adult. Holding two lives in your hands is more responsibility than anyone should be given at sixteen.”
I swallow. My mouth opens to talk back, but I don’t have an argument. It is a lot. Too much.
“I take it back,” Priya says. “You are responsible for you. I am responsible for my daughter.”
“I won’t let Eden die.”
The morality these adult characters have is chefs kiss! Yes the MC is literally a child, yes the MC is being protected by adults because hello, she is a child!! Trope? Overthrown. Please welcome Liselle Sambury to the throne.
▪ The intersection of Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue is marked by the gigantic Dragon City mini mall on the corner made up of green tinted glass and masses of people. I rush out and wait for Granny outside. She steps out of the streetcar as the doors close and mumbles a thank-you.
I force down a laugh. Mom does the same thing when she gets off non-subway public transit. “You know it’s automated now, right? There isn’t any driver to thank.”
Granny shrugs. “Habit.”
It strikes me as being painfully Canadian to say thank you to the computer for dropping you off.
My heart... same. I think theres a decent balance of totally horrifying scenes and heartwarming ones.
The genetic match up thing IS a lil weird to me. But it gets resolved later in the plot if anyone is thinking it's another generic YA dystopia plot line a la a hunger games rip off.
I do like the way they scoot around swearing. It is a lil goofy but it's a ya novel, the characters are teens and it's pretty in universe to say hack instead of fuck.
This book was sickening and badass and stunning. I cannot sing Its praises loud enough.
content warnings:
minor anti black racism, blood, child death, child birth, emetophobia / vomit, medical scenarios, misgendering, murder, suicide, toxic relationships, unsanitary
medium ableism, addiction, alcohol use, blood, child abandonment, child abuse, domestic abuse, eating disorder, eugenics, gentrification, misogyny, slavery, torture, unsanitary, violence
major anti black racism, black slavery, body horror, child abuse, child death, classism, gore, gun violence, injuries, intrusive thoughts?, kidnapping, medical scenarios, menstruation, murder, poison, police brutality, spree killing, torture, unreality, unsanitary, misgendering?, context is genetic markers on government ids.,
major asphyxiation/lynching(?) scene, context mc sees her sister being asphyxiated via hanging. the love interest is present and might be involved with the action. it doesn't seem racially motivated but she is a Black character so like. implications. it is a psychic vision and may not occur in actuality. The imagery of a Black person being hung to death may be upetting.
The character voices are wonderful, and I love the sibling interaction. The magic system is so interesting and has variation to it, which makes it more compelling to hear. And oh thank god theres a trans black character. It is slow paced. This is a good story to settle into. You dont want to rush it.
I liked the variety of relationships that is shown in the novel. I think its compassionate to show teen readers there isn't only One True Love fairy tale relationships. especially towards young Black readers.
▪ “I should have never made you make that promise.”
“I’m going to—”
She shakes her head hard, braid whipping across her shoulders. “You’re a child. I’m an adult. Holding two lives in your hands is more responsibility than anyone should be given at sixteen.”
I swallow. My mouth opens to talk back, but I don’t have an argument. It is a lot. Too much.
“I take it back,” Priya says. “You are responsible for you. I am responsible for my daughter.”
“I won’t let Eden die.”
The morality these adult characters have is chefs kiss! Yes the MC is literally a child, yes the MC is being protected by adults because hello, she is a child!! Trope? Overthrown. Please welcome Liselle Sambury to the throne.
▪ The intersection of Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue is marked by the gigantic Dragon City mini mall on the corner made up of green tinted glass and masses of people. I rush out and wait for Granny outside. She steps out of the streetcar as the doors close and mumbles a thank-you.
I force down a laugh. Mom does the same thing when she gets off non-subway public transit. “You know it’s automated now, right? There isn’t any driver to thank.”
Granny shrugs. “Habit.”
It strikes me as being painfully Canadian to say thank you to the computer for dropping you off.
My heart... same. I think theres a decent balance of totally horrifying scenes and heartwarming ones.
The genetic match up thing IS a lil weird to me. But it gets resolved later in the plot if anyone is thinking it's another generic YA dystopia plot line a la a hunger games rip off.
I do like the way they scoot around swearing. It is a lil goofy but it's a ya novel, the characters are teens and it's pretty in universe to say hack instead of fuck.
This book was sickening and badass and stunning. I cannot sing Its praises loud enough.
content warnings:
minor anti black racism, blood, child death, child birth, emetophobia / vomit, medical scenarios, misgendering, murder, suicide, toxic relationships, unsanitary
medium ableism, addiction, alcohol use, blood, child abandonment, child abuse, domestic abuse, eating disorder, eugenics, gentrification, misogyny, slavery, torture, unsanitary, violence
major anti black racism, black slavery, body horror, child abuse, child death, classism, gore, gun violence, injuries, intrusive thoughts?, kidnapping, medical scenarios, menstruation, murder, poison, police brutality, spree killing, torture, unreality, unsanitary, misgendering?, context is genetic markers on government ids.,
major asphyxiation/lynching(?) scene,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Transphobia
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Racism, Child death, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Vomit, Medical content, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
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