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katievallin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abandonment
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 Didn’t 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 author’s clutch phrase is “Character A started to [blank] then thought better of it” (there were so many times that phrase was used that it became distracting)
•I don’t love how Koffi so easily accepts and finds out that she has magic now. I felt it should’ve 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 “by the time THEY reached the temple’s back door” when I think it’s supposed to be just Ekon? And then later he says to the old woman “Why did you help US?” 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 Didn’t 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 author’s clutch phrase is “Character A started to [blank] then thought better of it” (there were so many times that phrase was used that it became distracting)
•
• 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
vaniavela's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Koffi and Ekon's lives intertwine after Koffi accidentally sets a fire at the Night Zoo. Now the two must work together to hunt down the Shetani, a ferocious beast that has been killing the citizens of Lkossa for years.
Positives Aspects:
Positives Aspects:
- The characters were well written and I found them likable, being that Koffi, Ekon and Adiah had complex personalities. I enjoyed reading the perspectives of all of them, giving us a different view of the kingdom and the story.
- The world of Lkossa was amazing, full of cultural details and vibrant descriptions. I would have loved to see more scenes in more interesting locations, such as the night zoo or the jungle.
Negative Aspects:
- It was slow paced, not much happens in the first hundred pages. Also, before reading the book I thought the animals would have a bigger part in the story. I expected more of that.
rep: Black/African female MC, Black/African male MC with anxiety and OCD, Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.
cw: Blood, death, drug use, fire, injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
haylzno's review
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
MISS AYANA GRAY
Phenomenal, amazing, adventurous, a wild ride all around. I absolutely LOVED this novel.
I'm not one to binge a larger book like this but I devoured it in no time. Unlike some reviews, I found the pacing to be perfect. I loved the multiPOVs and the jumping timelines. And while each chapter gave you clues here and there that guided you to these plot guesses, nothing was overtly obvious or random. There were plenty of plot twists that had me saying "oh daaayummm!!". And when I tell you my heart BROKE in two when I hit the end of the book - I mean...talk about a cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the second book.
Additionally, I really loved the authors note, which educated the readers on where her inspiration of the characters, creatures, and world building came from. I had just as much fun reading the authors note as I had reading the novel!
This will absolutely be one I reread in the future, especially once Beasts of Ruin comes out!
Phenomenal, amazing, adventurous, a wild ride all around. I absolutely LOVED this novel.
I'm not one to binge a larger book like this but I devoured it in no time. Unlike some reviews, I found the pacing to be perfect. I loved the multiPOVs and the jumping timelines. And while each chapter gave you clues here and there that guided you to these plot guesses, nothing was overtly obvious or random. There were plenty of plot twists that had me saying "oh daaayummm!!". And when I tell you my heart BROKE in two when I hit the end of the book - I mean...talk about a cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the second book.
Additionally, I really loved the authors note, which educated the readers on where her inspiration of the characters, creatures, and world building came from. I had just as much fun reading the authors note as I had reading the novel!
This will absolutely be one I reread in the future, especially once Beasts of Ruin comes out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Xenophobia, Drug use, Blood, Animal death, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Torture, Mental illness, Gore, Genocide, and Drug abuse
ali_k0's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Mental illness
cakrolik's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Grief and Mental illness
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, and Violence
melaniereadsbooks's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book!
Koffi doesn't know that her world even still has magic, let alone that she can use it. But when her power is unleashed on the Night Zoo, she is forced to join with a Son of the Six, Ekon, to hunt down the mythical beast the Shetani in order to save her mother and friend from indentured servitude. Little does she know that the Greater Jungle holds more than just deadly creatures...it also holds dangerous secrets.
This book was awesome! I absolutely loved the world building and the magic of Lkossa. I also was so drawn in by the writing style and pacing throughout the book. I thought the characters were well developed and interesting. I especially loved what they were able to learn once they got into the Jungle! So many twists and turns! I was definitely intrigued and kept the pages turning.
I'm excited to read the sequel to this and see what happens next! Great start to the story.
Koffi doesn't know that her world even still has magic, let alone that she can use it. But when her power is unleashed on the Night Zoo, she is forced to join with a Son of the Six, Ekon, to hunt down the mythical beast the Shetani in order to save her mother and friend from indentured servitude. Little does she know that the Greater Jungle holds more than just deadly creatures...it also holds dangerous secrets.
This book was awesome! I absolutely loved the world building and the magic of Lkossa. I also was so drawn in by the writing style and pacing throughout the book. I thought the characters were well developed and interesting. I especially loved what they were able to learn once they got into the Jungle! So many twists and turns! I was definitely intrigued and kept the pages turning.
I'm excited to read the sequel to this and see what happens next! Great start to the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Xenophobia
foreverinastory's review
adventurous
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
Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rep: Black/African female MC, Black/african male MC with anxiety and OCD (or possibly autistic?), Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.
CWs: Blood, death, drug use without consent, fire, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.
Rep: Black/African female MC, Black/african male MC with anxiety and OCD (or possibly autistic?), Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.
CWs: Blood, death, drug use without consent, fire, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Xenophobia
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