Scan barcode
mirireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The rating of this book wasn't easy because there was a lot to like about it: the main plot, world building, magic system, most of the main characters and fast paced storytelling. Therefore, I'd have loved to rate it higher but there's a big but:
The main romantic subplot was not for me. I absolutely despised the pairing. I dreaded that it would be "a thing" from the hints that were given quite early on and for a significant chunk of the second half of the book the subplot seemed to be the main focus of the book. Everything else apparently lost its urgency for a bit and them being pretty obsessed with each other made me consider dnfing the book.
Inan was also a whole problem by himself. I got strong Zuko vibes from him but never felt that his character earned that comparison. He's a weak and whiney person with no concept of taking responsibility for his own actions or those of the people under his command. Nothing is ever his fault and every hint of am independent thought is squished by his daddy issues.
Reading the 100ish pages about the valley with the divîners camp was infuriating.
More often then not, Tzain seemed to be the only sane person in the whole story. He definitely deserves better!
All in all, if you can get behind the romantic subplot, you're in for a treat and will probably love this book. If you can't get behind the romantic subplot, you'll probably suffer through those parts as well or just give up.
The main romantic subplot was not for me. I absolutely despised the pairing. I dreaded that it would be "a thing" from the hints that were given quite early on and for a significant chunk of the second half of the book the subplot seemed to be the main focus of the book. Everything else apparently lost its urgency for a bit and them being pretty obsessed with each other made me consider dnfing the book.
Reading the 100ish pages about the valley with the divîners camp was infuriating.
More often then not, Tzain seemed to be the only sane person in the whole story. He definitely deserves better!
All in all, if you can get behind the romantic subplot, you're in for a treat and will probably love this book. If you can't get behind the romantic subplot, you'll probably suffer through those parts as well or just give up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Racism, Racial slurs, and Fire/Fire injury
emilyheb10's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Torture, Classism, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism
jadechapters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide and Racism
Minor: Gore
uberklutz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Genocide, and Racism
mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
So powerful! So emotional! Such an intense story with high stakes, believable characters, and strong world building. This book embodies one of the reasons I love fantasy novels - real world issues of inequality, brutality, racism, fear and pain are rendered beautifully in this fantasy setting to be examined under a different light. It’s impossible to strip away biases and politics and all the nuances of our world; it’s incredibly important to engage with our real-world issues and work to correct our mistakes, and build a more equitable world for everyone. But in a fantasy setting, you can take those same themes and explore their very real meaning under the power of excellent storytelling. I loved this book and am so glad there’s more to read. The vibe was BBC’s Merlin meets Avatar the Last Airbender, with some Hunger Games mixed in. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was for Inan’s character, and the love story between Zeile and Inan. The love angle felt rushed - he went from “son of the king who ruined magic and killed my mother” to “hottie with a body” real fast, and his change of heart also felt abrupt. I get it happened after he saw her life story and all the pain his father caused, but their dynamic was unequal (he could, without consent, get into her thoughts and memories) and I couldn’t see a reason for their romance beyond physical attraction. Tzien and Amari’s love story was far more believable and very sweet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Child death, War, and Racism
durrareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.75
Such an amazing book! The world-building was done so well, I'd say it was quite complex and yet easy to understand at the same time. So many themes were covered in the book, mainly oppression, racism, grief but also friendship, understanding, honestly, I learned so much from reading this. The characters were so well developed. At first I kind of hated them, but then as they grew, I found myself rooting for them (well, most of them anyway) and it's just so brilliant.
I have never found a character to be so relatable like Amari. Reading her povs, I mean, I don't know if I should laugh or cry.I mean, she was practically useless on that ship. And the way she kept telling herself to freaking move and do something but remained frozen and how she kind of made everything worse, I FELT THAT. But it was so much watching her grow, seeing her embrace the "lionaire" that was inside her all along. It kind of made me have hope in myself. So, I owe this book one. I think the character development is my favourite thing in the book. I mean, the characters have come so far. Like how Zélie went from someone who constantly doubted herself to becoming someone so strong she was a force to behold.
And Inan? *sigh* I was really rooting for you man, and I'm sorry to say this, but I'm kind of relieved thar you died. Cause to tell you the truth, you were freaking stupid. And after you've come so far! Such a shame. I originally wanted to give this a 5 star, but Inan angered me so much I just can't. But you know, it was refreshing that the enemies-to-lovers crashed and the love interest died cause he was being an idiot anyways. Okay fine, I might give this a 5 star later. All that aside, I can see how Inan represents someone who grew with a horrible parentage, someone who was taught, from a very yound age to hate and be scared of the maji, and it was so nice to watch him fall in love with Zélie, and to discover his own powers which made him re-evaluate his upbringings. But sadly, the fear crept up on him again, and yeah, it was pretty devastating that he was killed by the one person he worked so hard to appease.
Besides that, the writing style is so genius! I mean, I'm not and english or literature major, but the way she describes abstract things like feelings using physical symbolism(?) It takes my breath away every single time.
I have never found a character to be so relatable like Amari. Reading her povs, I mean, I don't know if I should laugh or cry.
Besides that, the writing style is so genius! I mean, I'm not and english or literature major, but the way she describes abstract things like feelings using physical symbolism(?) It takes my breath away every single time.
Now chaos surrounds me, pulsing through every breath and heartbeat. It sings as blood splatters through the air, screams as boats explode into oblivion.
Reading this was like watching a movie, and for a very long book, I can say for certain that I never got bored. Loved it ❤️
Bonuses - multi-pov and the chapters are super short!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Death of parent
Moderate: Torture, Child death, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Infidelity
liz_liz's review against another edition
Started to get boring, will pick up later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse and War
Minor: Sexual content and Animal death
canascorner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed parts of this book. There were some characters who were well fleshed out with clear and understandable motives while others needed more substance. The plot and world building kept me engaged but the flimsy feeling characters and confusing ending kept it from being 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
martereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, Child death, Violence, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Gore, Gaslighting, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and War
wiktoria88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Racism, and Ableism