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eefitzmaurice's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mariyakeeka's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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
3.0
This was a good book, but it was much too long. The pacing was off, with a large focus on building and building with very short climaxes or there were many small scenes that could have been condensed or skipped altogether.
I think it needed to start a bit later and run faster with tighter pacing. In the first act, there is truly only one thing of importance that happens and this act takes up like half the book. So pacing truly is what threw this whole thing off for me.
Romance-wise, the slow burn was still slow-burning but to the point where it felt a little silly? Like it truly did not need to take them that long to figure everything out.
I did enjoy all the characters and the expansion of the cast. I absolutely adored Altair and his POVs, he's a great character. I do think that the ending was appropriate. It made sense and it felt earned, I just wish it hadn't taken so long, truly.
I think it needed to start a bit later and run faster with tighter pacing. In the first act, there is truly only one thing of importance that happens and this act takes up like half the book. So pacing truly is what threw this whole thing off for me.
Romance-wise, the slow burn was still slow-burning but to the point where it felt a little silly? Like it truly did not need to take them that long to figure everything out.
I did enjoy all the characters and the expansion of the cast. I absolutely adored Altair and his POVs, he's a great character. I do think that the ending was appropriate. It made sense and it felt earned, I just wish it hadn't taken so long, truly.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I love Hafsah Faizal's descriptions and easy flow. The relationship between Zafira and Nasir is definitely slow burn but the end result is beautiful. We Free the Stars was a perfect conclusion to this duology.
hollyblack56's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
An excellent ending to an excellent story with rich characters and beautiful prose.
annagwritesandreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Note: This is the second book in a duology. There will inherently be spoilers. :) I would also recommend reading this duology before reading A Tempest of Tea.
General Description: Zafira and Nasir must continue to restore the hearts to Arawiya to bring back magic, even if they run into trouble at every turn. Nasir has to fight the magic in his blood and Zafira has to figure out her new relationship with a magically book called the Jawarat. On top of that, these two realize there are feelings developing quickly between them. Will they be able to restore magic, gain control of themselves, and find love? What loss will they face along the way?
The good:
- You get to delve even farther into the world that Hafsah beautifully built and I loved that.
- You do get resolution, which I appreciated.
- The battle scenes were action packed, but this just leads into my next critique.
ALSO: The romance as okay? I just wasn't truly sold on it. Neither a plus or minus in my opinion.
The loss of 2 stars:
- This was an 18 hour long audiobook. The pacing felt all over the place based on how long it was. I was either fully into the story or completely disengaged, with no real in between place to just enjoy it.
- The points of the book I felt were supposed to be climaxes felt extremely short. We'd build up to a scene that would last five minutes. There was too much tension building and not enough action for me.
Overall, if you read the first book, you should finish the duology, but I didn't think this was as good as the 1st book.
General Description: Zafira and Nasir must continue to restore the hearts to Arawiya to bring back magic, even if they run into trouble at every turn. Nasir has to fight the magic in his blood and Zafira has to figure out her new relationship with a magically book called the Jawarat. On top of that, these two realize there are feelings developing quickly between them. Will they be able to restore magic, gain control of themselves, and find love? What loss will they face along the way?
The good:
- You get to delve even farther into the world that Hafsah beautifully built and I loved that.
- You do get resolution, which I appreciated.
- The battle scenes were action packed, but this just leads into my next critique.
ALSO: The romance as okay? I just wasn't truly sold on it. Neither a plus or minus in my opinion.
The loss of 2 stars:
- This was an 18 hour long audiobook. The pacing felt all over the place based on how long it was. I was either fully into the story or completely disengaged, with no real in between place to just enjoy it.
- The points of the book I felt were supposed to be climaxes felt extremely short. We'd build up to a scene that would last five minutes. There was too much tension building and not enough action for me.
Overall, if you read the first book, you should finish the duology, but I didn't think this was as good as the 1st book.
amy_j18's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
v_astro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.0
middleburybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I really enjoy this author’s style, characters and worlds, I love the added POV. The story itself got complicated and I had trouble following it all by the end.
I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrators.
I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrators.
nooripoori's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0