Reviews with content warning for Death - Children of Virtue and Vengeance

I love this book series. Both books are full of raw emotion and bring forth real-life reactions even though it is a fantasy world. You grow so attached to every character and feel heartbroken with the decisions they make.

Amari's conflicts in this book almost remind me of Daenerys from GOT. She's trying so hard to make the kingdom better for everyone, but makes such a flawed decision because she thinks that is the only way to end the war. The only thing that bothered me about this book was that Amari did not make that decision alone, but she is punished alone. Two other elders helped her create the cancer storm but no one punishes them. It also broke my heart when Zelie almost chose Amari as a sacrifice, and Amari was going to do it. Their relationship was put under so much stress and I hope the next book can bring them back together. Also I definitely cried with Mama Agba. She showed so much love and strength throughout the entirety of the two books and I love her.

I cannot stress how much I love these two books and especially when they are read by Bahni Turpin.

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lois_aguda's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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internalnonsense's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

3 feels pretty generous for how underwhelmed I am by this sequel, but disappointed expectations doesn't inherently diminish the quality. It did offer more diversity, more magic, more Mama Agba. There were good set piece moments and some compelling writing.

It just did not continue the story or the character's stories in a way I enjoyed or engaged with. Some characters are set back to square one, some are just pushed to the side, and others are jerked along as the plot requires. They introduced a lot of new characters who, with the exception of two more plot-relevant ones, blended together. The world building expanded some, but there wasn't a moment where I felt it really built from what's been established, as much as playing with new elements. One piece of backstory actively ruined a pretty essential element of the conflict for me. That all said, I do see the vision, the why of the overall story, and I can see of how it can arrive at the same place in a way that really satisfies. As for the last minute twist, I'm not going to say I saw it coming but it didn't catch me entirely off guard. It also justified Ronan's prominence, which felt like a sore thumb for me. Still, what foreshadowing there was was sparse and blunt so the twist still feels abrupt. Again, I can see how it could work, but right now it isn't and doesn't set up enough for the next book.

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