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renee_fae's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition
- 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
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Dialogue: 3/5
Setting: 5/5
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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
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
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
ajthequeen's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment, Slavery, Grief, and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Genocide
queergoth_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I did find it a little slow to begin with but it didn't take long to pick up the pace and draw me in.
Graphic: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Confinement, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
- 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
When the Night Zoo goes up in flames, Koffi and her mum run away from their indentation at the zoo, if it wasn't for the mythological beast, the Shetani, Ekon, an upcoming warrior would have caught them. Instead Ekon realises Koffi can communicate with the Shetani.
When Ekon comes back empty-handed, his life as a warrior is over. He's determined to save his name by capturing the Shetani, that kills anything in its path. Ekon realises that he'll need Koffi to do this.
Together they must make their way through the terrifying Greater Jungle filled with the unknown.
BoP is a fast paced novel which will draw you into the story. The only thing that annoyed me about this book, was that just as the chapter builds suspense, the next chapter starts and changes characters. Ayana, we NEED the next book now!!!
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
tine9625's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
betweentheshelves's review
- 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
Most of the plot follows a typical YA fantasy story, but the world-building and the characters definietley make up for it. I loved this from start fo finish!
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Physical abuse
melaniereadsbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
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.
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
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Xenophobia