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jlemms87's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
5.0
I didn’t think it was possible for this one to destroy me more than the first, but here I am. Destroyed.
SO well done. I had to pace myself because the darkness and hate were so well written that I needed breaks. My heart is still aching for each of the characters, and for how desperately I just wanted them to listen to one another.
SO well done. I had to pace myself because the darkness and hate were so well written that I needed breaks. My heart is still aching for each of the characters, and for how desperately I just wanted them to listen to one another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Hate crime, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Toxic friendship, Cancer, Racial slurs, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
cecinamo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really liked this book. It was really good, but very very sad and there was also quite a lot of violence.
There is also a lesbian background couple <3 I am definitely looking forward to the third book. Hopefully their story ends well! >~<
There is also a lesbian background couple <3 I am definitely looking forward to the third book. Hopefully their story ends well! >~<
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Colonisation, Torture, Violence, Blood, Body horror, and Murder
ci_eden's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
4.0
This took me a year to read due to my ADHD but definitely a great sequel! I could definitely feel how the characters matured throughout the book. The smaller chapters spur me on and I feel like the POV is evenly spread between each character. I honestly can't wait for this to get picked up for a TV show, it'll be absolutely stunning. The way Adeyemi described things, I can truly visualise it in my head.
The fact that the war technically hasn't ended and that they're on a boat in the sea?! Who is this new player Tomi, I need to read the next one right now!!
Also I love how flawed Zelie is. I love a strong woman going through shit, and she doesn't want to run away anymore, she found her purpose, fuck yeah! Although she has horrible taste in men. Also did NOT expect Amari to kill innocent people. Trauma and abuse really twists you.
These are tortured characters that just keep getting battered and abused. Children fighting wars, as the title says. I feel for them, I really do. I feel like their deaths are inevitable but I can't look away...
Also I love how flawed Zelie is. I love a strong woman going through shit, and she doesn't want to run away anymore, she found her purpose, fuck yeah! Although she has horrible taste in men. Also did NOT expect Amari to kill innocent people. Trauma and abuse really twists you.
These are tortured characters that just keep getting battered and abused. Children fighting wars, as the title says. I feel for them, I really do. I feel like their deaths are inevitable but I can't look away...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Blood, Colonisation, Violence, War, Racism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Classism, Religious bigotry, and Hate crime
Minor: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
ravenwolf_waf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
My thoughts are all over the place with this one. I thought this was it, there wasn't going to be a third book. So wtf was that ending? And what happened to my characters? Relationships are destroyed all because everyone checked reason and trust at the door and went straight for hot-headed emotion. The story was decent but half of it felt wholly unnecessary. It was as if the author was trying to keep the plot going past when it should've ended by throwing random hurdles throughout. I'll keep an eye out for the third, I guess, but at this point it's feeling more like a skip. :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
devourfiction's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
i love the development of the magic system and the world building, as well as some of the descriptive writing. i just wish i could connect to the characters living in that world and not constantly get hung up on some plot holes and motivations. overall, a mixed bag. it's sad that these characters prevented me from staying very interested because the world WAS vibrant (shoutout to the ocean excursion scene!)
as much as the characters underwhelmed me, im still gonna try the third book with hopes that they reach their emotional conclusions there.
I was often taken out of the story by stuff that didn't fully follow or super make sense. Here are some of my plot hole/contrivance questions that are currently coming to mind.
- mama agba said the duel finishes at concession or death. neither of those things happened but amari still won, but whatever. But after ramaya is shuffled off to the infirmary she is not heard from again or mentioned once. did they heal her? did she die later? did she stay in the infirmary in a coma the whole time, in which case did they just ditch her when they left the sanctuary?
- if everyone hated amari so much, why wasn't she challenged immediately again, by someone who wouldn't play games? you could say people might have been scared once they found out she was a center, but there was a chunk of time in which this wasn't revealed.
- if amari became an elder, why didn't she get a vision?
- becoming an elder, amari seems to devote no time to think about the connectors under her. Initially I thought this was a great setup for her character as a lousy maji ally because zelie told her an elder has a communal and leadership role, and amari was going into this cultural role without desire or ability to fulfill it, simply for recognition and power, but then this particular concern was dropped and never heard of again.
- tsain mostly existed as far as his romantic relationship with amari aaaand that's it. :( I get that there was a larger cast of characters now but it felt bad to see a main character have no arc of his own outside of his reactions to amari.
- Nailah also disappeared halfway into the book never to be seen again
- ig this could be chalked up to stupidity but WHY did amari and inan meet right by the sanctuary and not at a neutral location
- mama agba went from being against blood sacrifice and warning away from it to volunteering for it. it's possible but it needed SOME setup i think, felt like whiplash.
- why was amari the only one blamed for the village war crime when she did it with the burner and cancer elders - were they also shackled or in cells, or..?
as much as the characters underwhelmed me, im still gonna try the third book with hopes that they reach their emotional conclusions there.
I was often taken out of the story by stuff that didn't fully follow or super make sense. Here are some of my plot hole/contrivance questions that are currently coming to mind.
- mama agba said the duel finishes at concession or death. neither of those things happened but amari still won, but whatever. But after ramaya is shuffled off to the infirmary she is not heard from again or mentioned once. did they heal her? did she die later? did she stay in the infirmary in a coma the whole time, in which case did they just ditch her when they left the sanctuary?
- if everyone hated amari so much, why wasn't she challenged immediately again, by someone who wouldn't play games? you could say people might have been scared once they found out she was a center, but there was a chunk of time in which this wasn't revealed.
- if amari became an elder, why didn't she get a vision?
- becoming an elder, amari seems to devote no time to think about the connectors under her. Initially I thought this was a great setup for her character as a lousy maji ally because zelie told her an elder has a communal and leadership role, and amari was going into this cultural role without desire or ability to fulfill it, simply for recognition and power, but then this particular concern was dropped and never heard of again.
- tsain mostly existed as far as his romantic relationship with amari aaaand that's it. :( I get that there was a larger cast of characters now but it felt bad to see a main character have no arc of his own outside of his reactions to amari.
- Nailah also disappeared halfway into the book never to be seen again
- ig this could be chalked up to stupidity but WHY did amari and inan meet right by the sanctuary and not at a neutral location
- mama agba went from being against blood sacrifice and warning away from it to volunteering for it. it's possible but it needed SOME setup i think, felt like whiplash.
- why was amari the only one blamed for the village war crime when she did it with the burner and cancer elders - were they also shackled or in cells, or..?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Xenophobia
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