Scan barcode
megan_fink's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
bellakiriakis's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.25
Great book, lots of things I love; fantasy that is not to complicated, trials, romance subplot, found family
lexereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-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
spacewormy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Almost DNF'd. Content warning, this book is NOT subtle about racism or sexism. The book also contains a sex scene, which I skipped— it's not for me.
I was invested in the main plot of vengeance and loyalty to a nation that despises you amidst shifting wartime politics. The clash between a high-tech and a high-magic culture was intriguing, but I wish the magic system and political backdrop had more development. There were some enjoyable twists and turns in the plot, which I appreciated.
The heroine's tone was grating, with many interactions feeling too childish for the high-stakes environment. Ikenna's behavior was constantly combative and lacked kindness, making her an unlikable and often annoying main character. Overall, I enjoyed the concept, but I did not personally vibe with it strongly.
I was invested in the main plot of vengeance and loyalty to a nation that despises you amidst shifting wartime politics. The clash between a high-tech and a high-magic culture was intriguing, but I wish the magic system and political backdrop had more development. There were some enjoyable twists and turns in the plot, which I appreciated.
The heroine's tone was grating, with many interactions feeling too childish for the high-stakes environment. Ikenna's behavior was constantly combative and lacked kindness, making her an unlikable and often annoying main character. Overall, I enjoyed the concept, but I did not personally vibe with it strongly.
bookishmess's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
This is a tense adventure novel. It has action, political intrigue, and a lot of gray areas.
I'm rereading this. Yet this time this really does deserve a 5 star. It's tense and the flaws are so minor that I can overlook it. There is so much that this book gives you to think about. I actually care about these kids dropping, the lore feels easy to get into. Sometimes it's heavy handed with the delivery but overall I'm okay with it. It's not cheesy in its message to me or what you can take away as a reader. I think every decision she makes isn't just for plot, it feels like something she would do and it's not entirely foolish.
I'm rereading this. Yet this time this really does deserve a 5 star. It's tense and the flaws are so minor that I can overlook it. There is so much that this book gives you to think about. I actually care about these kids dropping, the lore feels easy to get into. Sometimes it's heavy handed with the delivery but overall I'm okay with it. It's not cheesy in its message to me or what you can take away as a reader. I think every decision she makes isn't just for plot, it feels like something she would do and it's not entirely foolish.
sf_731's review against another edition
2.0
Sorry this was a DNF.
Me to Ikenna 80% of the time: Girl why are you so sassy?
It's not even sassy lol. Call it "impulsive" if you want a better ring to it, and call it "downright stupid" if you want to get a sense of what I was feeling. The book started off very YA, which was what I expected, but just because the main character is a Young Adult does not mean she gets to be Stupid and get a free pass for it. I enjoy my characters flawed but a lack of intelligence isn't one of the flaws I can tolerate. Sorry.
To dive into more detail, I don't think the mc puts enough thought behind her actions. She is willing to throw away her future and violently attack someone who (in theory) should have the power and ability to ruin her. And then she shows her hand to a full room in the bar. She treats one of the most powerful men in the empire like he aggravates her, and she jumps on a theory with a burning malice enough to kill the perpetrator, but with ZERO evidence that backs up this theory, except from a 1 sentence hypothesis from 1 man. This girl is crazy.
Also, initially I didn't see this as a problem, but after reading someone else's review I kind of got it into my head, and thought "Yeah, why is her best friend's wealth and obsession with sex the only thing we really know about her?". Just a thought. (a turn-off though, if you couldn't tell.)
Third thing was just the military school. Sorry this is wholly my problem lol. I would probably fail every single one of these challenges and die a brutal death, so I just couldn't read forth and watch our annoying mc somehow (ok ik she has a special backstory but i still think that gives her an awful lot of special snowflake energy and unfair advantage) finesse every challenge.
Anyways that's it :) I think if I kept reading after a while the book would probably get better and the mc would show signs of character growth, but this was 18 hrs on audiobook and I just can't listen to 6hrs of whiny bs before that. A pity though, this story had so much potential.
Me to Ikenna 80% of the time: Girl why are you so sassy?
It's not even sassy lol. Call it "impulsive" if you want a better ring to it, and call it "downright stupid" if you want to get a sense of what I was feeling. The book started off very YA, which was what I expected, but just because the main character is a Young Adult does not mean she gets to be Stupid and get a free pass for it. I enjoy my characters flawed but a lack of intelligence isn't one of the flaws I can tolerate. Sorry.
To dive into more detail, I don't think the mc puts enough thought behind her actions. She is willing to throw away her future and violently attack someone who (in theory) should have the power and ability to ruin her. And then she shows her hand to a full room in the bar. She treats one of the most powerful men in the empire like he aggravates her, and she jumps on a theory with a burning malice enough to kill the perpetrator, but with ZERO evidence that backs up this theory, except from a 1 sentence hypothesis from 1 man. This girl is crazy.
Also, initially I didn't see this as a problem, but after reading someone else's review I kind of got it into my head, and thought "Yeah, why is her best friend's wealth and obsession with sex the only thing we really know about her?". Just a thought. (a turn-off though, if you couldn't tell.)
Third thing was just the military school. Sorry this is wholly my problem lol. I would probably fail every single one of these challenges and die a brutal death, so I just couldn't read forth and watch our annoying mc somehow (ok ik she has a special backstory but i still think that gives her an awful lot of special snowflake energy and unfair advantage) finesse every challenge.
Anyways that's it :) I think if I kept reading after a while the book would probably get better and the mc would show signs of character growth, but this was 18 hrs on audiobook and I just can't listen to 6hrs of whiny bs before that. A pity though, this story had so much potential.
nailahreads's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0