A review by tiredgirlreads
The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson

adventurous challenging 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? No

4.0

As a YA book, it soared. The driving force of this book is the prophecy stringing the plot together and as a direct consequence of that, the main characters don’t seem to have a lot of agency. However, I wouldn’t say that that limits the story because they discuss their lack of agency and their anger at being used by a prophecy that doesn’t care for them in the same way that the Emperor (the big bad!) uses Asha and other characters. Asha and Obi make excellent lead characters, with the right mix of traditional heroic traits. Asha is insanely clever and is the clear leader, despite Obi being older and more experienced - and I love that. The romance subplot, for me, didn’t hold much value but I can see why it was included - particularly for the target audience of this book. I did enjoy the moments of peace the characters experienced when Xavier’s character was introduced - very reminiscent of ‘The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’. Mostly I loved the constant social commentary presented through the difficulties and characters our main cast faced. It raised a lot of valuable points that literature should absolutely explore.  While there were some pacing issues, overall the story was enjoyable and I’m definitely going to carry on with the series.