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calamitywindpetal's review
adventurous
challenging
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Blood
Moderate: Pregnancy, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Abandonment, and Genocide
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, and Police brutality
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.5
4.5 ⭐ CW: violence, medical trauma, descriptions of blood, caste system
Ashes of Gold is the second book in the Wings of Ebony duology. This book was a great coming of age story and an important one for Black girls. Literal Black Girl Magic.
"Leading is a never-ending battle between believing you are good enough to do it and understanding you are capable of making a grave mistep."
We pick up with Rue/Jelani back in Ghizon and trying to figure out how to get rid of the Chancellor and get magic back to her people. She struggles with the mantle of leadership, feeling unworthy and inexperienced, even though the Ancestors chose her. This only gets worse when Rue makes some fatal mistakes, her people lose their home, and she is captured.
As Rue struggles to piece back her memories of her imprisonment, she has a crisis of trust. Not knowing who is actually on her side and who is working against her. I'm not gonna lie, I totally fell for the red herring and was a little disappointed at first that I had seemingly figured out the twist, but nope! I am shook and heartbroken.
Where do I even begin with the messages in this book? First, let's start with an oppressed people taking their land back, and the consequences the oppressors and those complicit have to endure when they take something that isn't meant for them. Second, we have commentary about horizontal hostility, the concept of those on the margins fighting against each other when the real enemy are those in the center (in this case the Grays). Third, we have themes on anxiety, the imposter syndrome that Black girls especially face, and the importance of believing in yourself and trusting yourself. Elle gives us a story about how it's not about never making mistakes, it's about what you do after. "You don't always have to know what you're doing. It's okay to try something and mess up. And learn from it."
We also get a great depiction of allyship from Bri in this. We saw her starting to work on her privelege last book, so we get to see her struggle through that and be called out on her privelege. We get much more world building of Ghizon this book. I also love how Elle fuses magic and science and technology.
Ashes of Gold is the second book in the Wings of Ebony duology. This book was a great coming of age story and an important one for Black girls. Literal Black Girl Magic.
"Leading is a never-ending battle between believing you are good enough to do it and understanding you are capable of making a grave mistep."
We pick up with Rue/Jelani back in Ghizon and trying to figure out how to get rid of the Chancellor and get magic back to her people. She struggles with the mantle of leadership, feeling unworthy and inexperienced, even though the Ancestors chose her. This only gets worse when Rue makes some fatal mistakes, her people lose their home, and she is captured.
As Rue struggles to piece back her memories of her imprisonment, she has a crisis of trust. Not knowing who is actually on her side and who is working against her. I'm not gonna lie, I totally fell for the red herring and was a little disappointed at first that I had seemingly figured out the twist, but nope! I am shook and heartbroken.
Where do I even begin with the messages in this book? First, let's start with an oppressed people taking their land back, and the consequences the oppressors and those complicit have to endure when they take something that isn't meant for them. Second, we have commentary about horizontal hostility, the concept of those on the margins fighting against each other when the real enemy are those in the center (in this case the Grays). Third, we have themes on anxiety, the imposter syndrome that Black girls especially face, and the importance of believing in yourself and trusting yourself. Elle gives us a story about how it's not about never making mistakes, it's about what you do after. "You don't always have to know what you're doing. It's okay to try something and mess up. And learn from it."
We also get a great depiction of allyship from Bri in this. We saw her starting to work on her privelege last book, so we get to see her struggle through that and be called out on her privelege. We get much more world building of Ghizon this book. I also love how Elle fuses magic and science and technology.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Medical trauma, and Blood
antonique_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Violence, Death, Murder, and Physical abuse
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