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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 can‘t 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
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
wizardingwisteria's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
What a fantastic adventure. The learning curve at the start was steep, but after I settled into the story I had a hard time putting it down. I loved the structure of the narrative and the characters that drove it. The lore was so deep and thoughtful. I was enthralled by how she weaved African history and myth into the story. The ending was a bit lackluster but clearly sets up the sequel. Such a great fantasy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Animal cruelty
Minor: Blood
shortsweet123's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
This book can feel like it drags a bit in places but the pay off when you get to the end is worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Drug use, Grief, and Slavery
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 one—the 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 here—I 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 fantasy—which 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 one—the 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 here—I 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 fantasy—which 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
kiwi_00's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Injury/Injury detail
achay91's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Slavery
isabellesbookroom's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
A very fun read. The author does repeat the same expressions A LOT though but I’m reading the second book now and so far the writing is a lot better. Definitely give this book a try if you like reading about magic, monsters and family.
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery, Torture, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Drug abuse, and Classism