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A review by akookieforyou
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
2.0
*2.75*
My feelings are so mixed, I really liked certain aspects, but I just couldn't quite fall in love with this book. Honestly I'm starting to question whether or not I even enjoy fantasy anymore, everything I pick up is disappointing for one reason or another.
My favorite thing about this book has to be the unique and interesting world, and magic system. Obviously that stems from the fact that the author based this story in west African folklore, which is something I have very little experience with. It was fun to explore something that was so different from what I'm used to. I also found the baseline of the story engaging, plans of murder will always be something that captures my attention.
The characters are where my feelings get dicey. I liked Malik well enough, he was sweet and relatable, and he was the only person I really cared about (plus his magic was the best). However, pretty much everyone else made me feel ambivalent or irritated. Karina being the character that frustrated me the most. She was absolutely horrible to everyone around her, and almost never had reason to be. She even acknowledges how she attacks people whenever she senses weakness. I didn't hate her, but she was so hard to sympathize with, and I just didn't care about her plan. So because of all of that, and other smaller things, I just couldn't rate this book any higher.
My feelings are so mixed, I really liked certain aspects, but I just couldn't quite fall in love with this book. Honestly I'm starting to question whether or not I even enjoy fantasy anymore, everything I pick up is disappointing for one reason or another.
My favorite thing about this book has to be the unique and interesting world, and magic system. Obviously that stems from the fact that the author based this story in west African folklore, which is something I have very little experience with. It was fun to explore something that was so different from what I'm used to. I also found the baseline of the story engaging, plans of murder will always be something that captures my attention.
The characters are where my feelings get dicey. I liked Malik well enough, he was sweet and relatable, and he was the only person I really cared about (plus his magic was the best). However, pretty much everyone else made me feel ambivalent or irritated. Karina being the character that frustrated me the most. She was absolutely horrible to everyone around her, and almost never had reason to be. She even acknowledges how she attacks people whenever she senses weakness. I didn't hate her, but she was so hard to sympathize with, and I just didn't care about her plan