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renee_fae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Characters are fun, the bits of African mythology was great, and the story was all round an interesting readđ
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
anjasfairylights's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
What a debut novel! Love the Pan-African, mythology-inspired fantasy. I canât speak for accuracy or representation, but as a white European person I really enjoyed diving into this book and being led by the author and her detailed, enthralling descriptions of characters and storylines. I look forward to reading the second volume, the plot twist at the end was well put and definitely does its job.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.5
Great world-building, a bit on the predictable side with a cliffhanger ending. Gripping enough that I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel eventually. It's pretty enjoyable, though not mind-blowing IMO, and the African lore was intriguing and great to read. If there are YA tropes that grate your nerves like miscommunication, you might cringe through some parts like I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
kat_rowlen's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
An easy fantasy read with Alice in Wonderland vibes! The author created a captivating world and, a story that kept the pages turning. I canât wait to read the sequel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
sophieamreacher's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
meghansarmiento97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Grief, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Trafficking
nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
~ Overview ~
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Dialogue: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Dialogue: 3/5
Writing style: 4/5
Worldbuilding: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Personal Enjoyment: 3/5
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I thought this book was enjoyable but it did take me forever to get through.
What I Didnât Like:
⢠In my opinion it took a bit too long for the characters to get into the Greater Jungle (which seems to be the main plot point in the synopsis).
⢠There were a lot of names being dropped in the very beginning which made it a bit hard for me to keep track of
⢠I think the authorâs clutch phrase is âCharacter A started to [blank] then thought better of itâ (there were so many times that phrase was used that it became distracting)
â˘I donât love how Koffi so easily accepts and finds out that she has magic now. I felt it shouldâve been more drawn out / not so quick
⢠Not a fan of when conflict could be solved if characters JUST COMMUNICATED
⢠A bit confused by the end:Is Adiah dead or not? And in the last chapter there were times when the author wrote âby the time THEY reached the templeâs back doorâ when I think itâs supposed to be just Ekon? And then later he says to the old woman âWhy did you help US?â Like am I missing something? Are these typos?
What I Liked:
⢠The first few chapters definitely intrigued me and although it took me quite a bit to get all the way through, I was interested in finding out what was going to happen next
⢠The writing was both easy to read and has some beautiful lines
⢠The world building felt well-developed and thought out (probably the highlight of the book for me)
⢠OCD rep
What I Didnât Like:
⢠In my opinion it took a bit too long for the characters to get into the Greater Jungle (which seems to be the main plot point in the synopsis).
⢠There were a lot of names being dropped in the very beginning which made it a bit hard for me to keep track of
⢠I think the authorâs clutch phrase is âCharacter A started to [blank] then thought better of itâ (there were so many times that phrase was used that it became distracting)
â˘
⢠Not a fan of when conflict could be solved if characters JUST COMMUNICATED
⢠A bit confused by the end:
What I Liked:
⢠The first few chapters definitely intrigued me and although it took me quite a bit to get all the way through, I was interested in finding out what was going to happen next
⢠The writing was both easy to read and has some beautiful lines
⢠The world building felt well-developed and thought out (probably the highlight of the book for me)
⢠OCD rep
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Classism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Animal cruelty and Murder
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm still trying to sort out all of my feelings and thoughts regarding this book! It was really interesting and filled with so much emotion, but there was a lot that I didn't fully grasp.
I blame myself for the majority of lack of understanding here. I struggle with listening to fantasy audiobooks because I know that I miss a lot of the minor details that make the story come together. However, when I began this one, I was driving, which allowed me to almost fully focus on the book and retain all the information. I couldn't stop listening! It was fascinating and the characters hooked me. I felt like I understood what was happening really well.
However... about halfway through, I had to listen to it while doing things other than driving or cleaning, which mean my focus was split. This created a bit of a gap in my mind during the most crucial moments. I should've known that the second half was where it would need my attention the very most.
That being said, there were things that I missed that made me feel a little disconnected towards the end. This made me realize that for the sequel I need to do one of two things: either listen to the entire thing while accomplishing brainless tasks OR read a physical copy to retain it better. I really do want to comprehend the intricate story because it truly did interest me.
There were some great twists that I did catch and I loved that. I didn't see them coming, which is a rarity for me! I also liked the character development a lot, though the ending was slightly predictable in my opinion, as I've seen it so many times before in stories like this one. I'm excited to see how the sequel will surprise me!
I blame myself for the majority of lack of understanding here. I struggle with listening to fantasy audiobooks because I know that I miss a lot of the minor details that make the story come together. However, when I began this one, I was driving, which allowed me to almost fully focus on the book and retain all the information. I couldn't stop listening! It was fascinating and the characters hooked me. I felt like I understood what was happening really well.
However... about halfway through, I had to listen to it while doing things other than driving or cleaning, which mean my focus was split. This created a bit of a gap in my mind during the most crucial moments. I should've known that the second half was where it would need my attention the very most.
That being said, there were things that I missed that made me feel a little disconnected towards the end. This made me realize that for the sequel I need to do one of two things: either listen to the entire thing while accomplishing brainless tasks OR read a physical copy to retain it better. I really do want to comprehend the intricate story because it truly did interest me.
There were some great twists that I did catch and I loved that. I didn't see them coming, which is a rarity for me! I also liked the character development a lot, though the ending was slightly predictable in my opinion, as I've seen it so many times before in stories like this one. I'm excited to see how the sequel will surprise me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Slavery
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book started really slow for me, but the last half definitely made up for it because it turned into a wild ride of a story!
I loved the world-building in this oneâthe book starts with two maps so you know it's gonna be good. There's no info-dumping but things are clearly explained, and the magic system was so interesting! I'm constantly impressed by fantasy authors that continue to come up with unique ways for magic to work in their worlds. I also really loved the jungle setting hereâI was getting Catching Fire vibes which definitely had me more on the edge of my seat!
The characters were also great. We spend the most time with Koffi and Ekon of course, and they get the development and complexity they're due as main characters, but I'd say it's more plot-focused than character-focused. There are some interesting side characters I would've like to spend more time with, but maybe that'll happen in book two.
The plot, like I said, started out really slow, and I think I felt this way because it just took forever for the characters to actually meet and start their journey in the jungle. There were also some repeated scenes from a different POV that slowed the pace down. But once it picked up, the plot pretty much hit all the points I was expecting from a YA fantasyâwhich is a good thing!
Overall, definitely a good fantasy story and I'm looking forward to reading book two!
I loved the world-building in this oneâthe book starts with two maps so you know it's gonna be good. There's no info-dumping but things are clearly explained, and the magic system was so interesting! I'm constantly impressed by fantasy authors that continue to come up with unique ways for magic to work in their worlds. I also really loved the jungle setting hereâI was getting Catching Fire vibes which definitely had me more on the edge of my seat!
The characters were also great. We spend the most time with Koffi and Ekon of course, and they get the development and complexity they're due as main characters, but I'd say it's more plot-focused than character-focused. There are some interesting side characters I would've like to spend more time with, but maybe that'll happen in book two.
The plot, like I said, started out really slow, and I think I felt this way because it just took forever for the characters to actually meet and start their journey in the jungle. There were also some repeated scenes from a different POV that slowed the pace down. But once it picked up, the plot pretty much hit all the points I was expecting from a YA fantasyâwhich is a good thing!
Overall, definitely a good fantasy story and I'm looking forward to reading book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Drug use