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ayhuz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, War, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Minor: Genocide
trixiez's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
Though this book wasn't perfect, it was a fun and quick read, and I'm happy that I picked it up!
Some of my favorite parts included:
-The characters! This book offered a great spread of different personalities, and I loved exploring everyone's different cultures and beliefs and watching them intersect as characters interacted with each other. Each character had a distinct voice as well, and I felt that they were all very well developed, with clear arcs throughout the narrative.
-On a similar note: I really enjoyed the relationships between characters (particularly the romances!) They felt both dynamic and natural, and they evolved in a way that made sense to me throughout the story without feeling unprompted or ridiculous.
-The dialogue is super snappy and witty, and it made me laugh out loud multiple times!
-Lots of LGBTQ+ rep! (Including multiple bisexual main characters, a f/f romance, and a trans side character)
-This is a standalone book (I think), and the ending does a nice job of tying up all of the loose character threads in a satisfying way. The ending felt logical and natural, and it also answered many of the lingering questions I had as I neared the end of the story. Alongside answering these questions and following through on character arcs, it also left a little loose space for reader interpretation—which is something I always enjoy—instead of tying everything into a tight little bow.
Some things I didn't like:
-Though I enjoyed the multiple POVs and exploring the differing perspectives/beliefs of the the main characters, I did feel like Dimangan's chapters were completely unnecessary. I felt that the themes they explored were already covered in Tala's chapters and didn't add much to the story. They also didn't appear as frequently as other characters' chapters, so it was always a little jarring to switch to a character I hadn't been following for a while. They didn't add much for me, and I much preferred reading about him and his relationship with Tala in her chapters rather than his own.
-The worldbuilding. Though I loved the world, the detail it was infused with, and the magic system, I felt that a lot of the worldbuilding was conveniently info-dumpy. Some scenes felt natural as characters explored and commented on new cultures and environments, while other scenes felt like they were simply tools to feed readers more about the world. Though the full immersion in this world was a lot of fun, the constant large chunks of information slowed the pace of the story considerably, particularly near the beginning
-I also didn't enjoy many of the plot twists/information reveals. This was due to the fact that many of the reveals were for the reader only, not the characters. When important information was revealed, it was often something that the POV character already knew and had been holding onto until the moment where it was conveniently pertinent to the plot. I found it frustrating when new information was shared in this way, especially if it was something the characters had known for a long time. This trend was particularly common in Tala's chapters, but popped up in other places as well.
Overall though, this was a fun book, and one that I'm glad that I took the time to read. If you enjoy Pokémon, ATLA, playful banter filled with animosity, or fantasy with multiple main perspectives, then I definitely recommend checking it out!
Some of my favorite parts included:
-The characters! This book offered a great spread of different personalities, and I loved exploring everyone's different cultures and beliefs and watching them intersect as characters interacted with each other. Each character had a distinct voice as well, and I felt that they were all very well developed, with clear arcs throughout the narrative.
-On a similar note: I really enjoyed the relationships between characters (particularly the romances!) They felt both dynamic and natural, and they evolved in a way that made sense to me throughout the story without feeling unprompted or ridiculous.
-The dialogue is super snappy and witty, and it made me laugh out loud multiple times!
-Lots of LGBTQ+ rep! (Including multiple bisexual main characters, a f/f romance, and a trans side character)
-This is a standalone book (I think), and the ending does a nice job of tying up all of the loose character threads in a satisfying way. The ending felt logical and natural, and it also answered many of the lingering questions I had as I neared the end of the story. Alongside answering these questions and following through on character arcs, it also left a little loose space for reader interpretation—which is something I always enjoy—instead of tying everything into a tight little bow.
Some things I didn't like:
-Though I enjoyed the multiple POVs and exploring the differing perspectives/beliefs of the the main characters, I did feel like Dimangan's chapters were completely unnecessary. I felt that the themes they explored were already covered in Tala's chapters and didn't add much to the story. They also didn't appear as frequently as other characters' chapters, so it was always a little jarring to switch to a character I hadn't been following for a while. They didn't add much for me, and I much preferred reading about him and his relationship with Tala in her chapters rather than his own.
-The worldbuilding. Though I loved the world, the detail it was infused with, and the magic system, I felt that a lot of the worldbuilding was conveniently info-dumpy. Some scenes felt natural as characters explored and commented on new cultures and environments, while other scenes felt like they were simply tools to feed readers more about the world. Though the full immersion in this world was a lot of fun, the constant large chunks of information slowed the pace of the story considerably, particularly near the beginning
-I also didn't enjoy many of the plot twists/information reveals. This was due to the fact that many of the reveals were for the reader only, not the characters. When important information was revealed, it was often something that the POV character already knew and had been holding onto until the moment where it was conveniently pertinent to the plot. I found it frustrating when new information was shared in this way, especially if it was something the characters had known for a long time. This trend was particularly common in Tala's chapters, but popped up in other places as well.
Overall though, this was a fun book, and one that I'm glad that I took the time to read. If you enjoy Pokémon, ATLA, playful banter filled with animosity, or fantasy with multiple main perspectives, then I definitely recommend checking it out!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Xenophobia
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