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nitya's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Give me ALL the desi fantasy books written by desi people (and NOT white anthropologists/white saviors) please!!!!
The pacing was a little rough, especially at the beginning, but the ending scenes definitely made up for it. And the instalove might not appeal to everyone but I didn't mind it here. The use of Hindi and Urdu worked so well (even for the words I didn't know - thankfully there's a glossary).
I can't WAIT to dive into the ARC for the sequel!
The pacing was a little rough, especially at the beginning, but the ending scenes definitely made up for it. And the instalove might not appeal to everyone but I didn't mind it here. The use of Hindi and Urdu worked so well (even for the words I didn't know - thankfully there's a glossary).
I can't WAIT to dive into the ARC for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Genocide, and Slavery
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
decklededgess's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
trigger warnings: death of parents, torture, bigotry, abuse, sexual assault, slavery, sex work, misogyny, violent animal attack
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the cross of mythology and fictionalized fantasy throughout and the use of multiple South Asian languages to create the worldbuilding. I was a bit underwhelmed by the chosen one plot but not so much that it was boring. I have yet to read enough brown chosen one tropes before they get tiresome. I think this book would have been far more enjoyable had the narrator been able to pronounce literally ANY of the non English words INCLUDING the names. She could do only the basic ones and even then they sounded a little off. Publishers if you could be so kind as to find narrators who KNOW PRONUNCIATIONS that would be great. Especially when these books are SET abroad. South Asian American stories are different. American accents are part of diaspora. They are not part of indigenous South Asian stories.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the cross of mythology and fictionalized fantasy throughout and the use of multiple South Asian languages to create the worldbuilding. I was a bit underwhelmed by the chosen one plot but not so much that it was boring. I have yet to read enough brown chosen one tropes before they get tiresome. I think this book would have been far more enjoyable had the narrator been able to pronounce literally ANY of the non English words INCLUDING the names. She could do only the basic ones and even then they sounded a little off. Publishers if you could be so kind as to find narrators who KNOW PRONUNCIATIONS that would be great. Especially when these books are SET abroad. South Asian American stories are different. American accents are part of diaspora. They are not part of indigenous South Asian stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder