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honyombooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Oh man! Something about this book I just loved! Such a captivating magic system and the characters I just love so much! I can’t wait to get started on the next book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
antonique_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
thenovelmaura's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
3.0
I was prepared to love this North-African inspired fantasy, but it ultimately wasn't all that compelling to me. All the different races were cool, and I enjoyed Joy's take on the dynamics between humans, bloodkin, fey, and khimaer, and how they evolved over centuries of war and conquest. Eva and Isa had unique powers (although the whole "wise mentor shows up just in time to teach the MC how to harness their power" trope is pretty overdone at this point) and so does Eva's sweetheart of a love interest.
On the other hand, this book has a Three Dark Crowns-like premise, where only one sister can hold the throne and they must fight to the death to decide who is worthy. While this is supposedly the central conflict of the book, Eva and Isa rarely talk and their relationship is conveyed in a few childhood flashbacks. Also, Eva's power is leagues more deadly than Isa's, so there's not much tension to be had in terms of who will win the final showdown. Top that off with a predictable ending ( Eva can't bring herself to kill Isa even though Iva had been bullying her for years and really didn't seem to care about her at all ) and I'm on the fence about whether I should read the sequel. Maybe I'll check out reviews and decide based on that.
On the other hand, this book has a Three Dark Crowns-like premise, where only one sister can hold the throne and they must fight to the death to decide who is worthy. While this is supposedly the central conflict of the book, Eva and Isa rarely talk and their relationship is conveyed in a few childhood flashbacks. Also, Eva's power is leagues more deadly than Isa's, so there's not much tension to be had in terms of who will win the final showdown. Top that off with a predictable ending (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Death and Racism
Minor: Bullying
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
The book had a couple of things going for it. The magic system was incredibly unique. There wasn't just one type of magic present, and each type had been really thought out. I found Eva's the most interesting, especially the marrow aspect. Additionally, I really enjoyed the world building. It is mostly transmitted through Eva's POV, but there are great snippets of it in stories told by Baccha. I also liked how real Eva felt in her responses to what was happening around her.
However, apart from these things I found this read to be kind of underwhelming. It was just a bit boring - not slow-paced, but not a lot happened. I also couldn't back the romance as although Aketo's age is never explicitly stated, it is implied he is 20, when Eva is 16. Also, for a plot based on sibling conflict, Eva's sister Isadore barely features. I'm hoping that the second book (and conclusion to the series) amps things up a bit!
However, apart from these things I found this read to be kind of underwhelming. It was just a bit boring - not slow-paced, but not a lot happened. I also couldn't back the romance as although Aketo's age is never explicitly stated, it is implied he is 20, when Eva is 16. Also, for a plot based on sibling conflict, Eva's sister Isadore barely features. I'm hoping that the second book (and conclusion to the series) amps things up a bit!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War
teri_b's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
This is possibly the best fantasy I have read this year.
The world building is stellar. It comes with a richness of mythology and representation in art and story telling that I have not seen done before.
I loved the main character, Eva, who is the daughter of the queen and in competition with her sister, Isidore, for the throne. One of them is bound to die, as only one can eventually claim the throne, the other sister will be dead, killed by her sister.
The world building is stellar. It comes with a richness of mythology and representation in art and story telling that I have not seen done before.
I loved the main character, Eva, who is the daughter of the queen and in competition with her sister, Isidore, for the throne. One of them is bound to die, as only one can eventually claim the throne, the other sister will be dead, killed by her sister.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Violence
booksthatburn's review
I almost stopped 25% in, made it halfway then realized I’m not engaged and don’t care what happens next. It has all these pieces I normally like (the appearance of mysterious magic loner mentor helped me get to the halfway mark), but I just don’t understand why the main character is sticking around for the upcoming fight to the death with her sister. I can guess at a justification, but so far the book has provided excellent reasons for her to get out of there and none for going through with it other than that it’s expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racism, Self harm, and Violence
Minor: Death
shmarr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
laequiem's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
abbajane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were a lot of things in this book that made me feel like the most popular YA tropes of the moment had been tossed into a bag and pulled out at random -- heir sisters forced to kill each other, infuriatingly beautiful men, wily old fey with a smart mouth, magic to control shadows, half-human half-animal creatures, blood magic. It got a little annoying a few times, and as I read I could tab each reference that felt like it came from another YA fantasy novel. The characters stayed a little shallow, the plot stayed a little predictable, and the dialogue stayed a little awkward. The writing was nice, and I feel like Joy had some really great lines and turns of phrases. I appreciate the nuance of this book in contrast to the most popular YA novels on the market, but overall it stayed just "meh" for me. Not sure if I will read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
valeriabee's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
To be frank, I didn't expect to like the book because I know that it is hard for me to become immersed in a high fantasy world. That is to say that I did like the book. I appreciated Eva, Princess of Myre, magick of marrow and blood, and her internal struggle. It was an interesting approach to the struggle of identity and self-love that every person goes through at some point, especially in their teen years. The threat of death was a fun and interesting twist, especially as it was not a completely external threat. There was a plot-twist at the end that genuinely surprised me -- which is not something I can say often. It's the kind of surprise that makes you say "oh wow, i did not see that coming but that makes total sense." It bodes well for the book that I did shed a couple of tears along the way. I wasnt particularly fond of the romantic aspect of the novel because I generally have a dislike towards any romance that feels unnecessary or like a detraction from the main plot, when the romance isnt the main plot. Fortunately, this romance was not completely unnecessary and served as a healthy reminder that Eva is just a girl...sort of. Everything that I would usually consider a flaw is actually a strength in this novel and is part of what makes it great. I'm only upset that I didn't get all the answers I wanted right away. I also appreciate the theme of oppression without it being a blaringly obvious allegory for our real societies and histories of imperialism and colonialism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent