Scan barcode
A review by larainsidebooks
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I only had one expectation going into this book: some enemies-to-lovers drama and tension. The premise sounded like it would lead to just that, but it was a bit lighter than I imagined it.
For the majority of the book, I really didn't like Karina at all. She seemed so selfish and self-centered (which I assume was partially caused by the rift between her mother and her) and only her mother dying had her somewhat snap out of that behaviour. She was irresponsible, but I knew there must be some character growth for her in the rest of the book, which was true. I especially loved her scenes with Tunde, right after they married and consummated their marriage, how he comforted her and she realized she can't kill him either, even though she only chose him to save Malik. It was sad that he died :(
As for Malik, he was a more interesting character in the beginning, but resulted in being pretty boring by the end. The only scenes where both characters seemes "real" or I felt something for them was when they finally met and they had scenes full of tension. But I also expected more of them two together. It was also nice to see some mental health rep, which is quite unusual for fantasy books.
As for the romance, I feel like they didn't spend enough time together to really fall in love or feel anything for the other save for attraction. They both dealed with the moral dilemma of taking the other's life, but it would surely be more powerful if they got closer.
I liked the mythology, but I really hope we get more of it explained in the second book, because some things were a bit unclear. I also liked the choice of the villian and the motivation behind their actions and the ending surely did left me wishing for more.
For the majority of the book, I really didn't like Karina at all. She seemed so selfish and self-centered (which I assume was partially caused by the rift between her mother and her) and only her mother dying had her somewhat snap out of that behaviour. She was irresponsible, but I knew there must be some character growth for her in the rest of the book, which was true. I especially loved her scenes with Tunde, right after they married and consummated their marriage, how he comforted her and she realized she can't kill him either, even though she only chose him to save Malik. It was sad that he died :(
As for Malik, he was a more interesting character in the beginning, but resulted in being pretty boring by the end. The only scenes where both characters seemes "real" or I felt something for them was when they finally met and they had scenes full of tension. But I also expected more of them two together. It was also nice to see some mental health rep, which is quite unusual for fantasy books.
As for the romance, I feel like they didn't spend enough time together to really fall in love or feel anything for the other save for attraction. They both dealed with the moral dilemma of taking the other's life, but it would surely be more powerful if they got closer.
I liked the mythology, but I really hope we get more of it explained in the second book, because some things were a bit unclear. I also liked the choice of the villian and the motivation behind their actions and the ending surely did left me wishing for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Violence