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megdconway's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, and Death of parent
dragongirl271's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Xenophobia
nettle_'s review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
It has a more deep dive into the same topics so many fantasy YA books have so don’t run away because of the content warnings.
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bibliorama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Enjoyment - 4.5
Well here we are. This may seem like a surprise considering my review of the first book where I go into how it put me into a reading slump. But I have to say, this is a full star more than the first and that's not usually how this goes. The characters, world, and story felt so much more settled into themselves. It feels like this was the story that was always meant to be told and the first book was just one big setup to get us here.
For how much ground was covered in this book, I have to say the writing is so skillfully done. I just want to give Roseanne A. Brown a round of applause because the emotional journey these characters went on was heavy, but it was well done. It's only a 4.5 and not a 5 because I started to speed through the audiobook at the end during the wrap-up, partially because all the major moments and beats were done but also because my library loan was almost up and that's on me CX.
OH ALSO how could I forget to mention the plagues! I love a good wrathful god raining down some plagues. Can't beat the foreboding that adds to a story.
Start - 4.5
We started strong with Hyena giving us a little more backstory about Farid which I found interesting and it added to the emotional depth of who he was as a character. I also appreciated that Karina and Malik's stories intersected right off the bat. You could see their plots interweaving more from the start than you could in the first book. Since I listened to the audiobook, I have to add that all three of the narrators are fantastic and brought each of their characters to life with nuance.
Characters - 5
I loved that the focus settled itself on our main characters and it didn't waiver much from them. The mains/most important/most interesting characters to me are this group: Malik, Karina, Farid, Hanane, Nadia, and Leia. This core is where all the emotional beats hinge, and when they cross and hurt each other it's a knife that cuts deep. There were some really nice interior moments that we got with Karina and Malik as individuals. They felt very real, and there never was a moment where they acted out of character. The only thing I wish we got more of at the back half of the book is Malik with his sisters cause there is some real shit that goes down with them that I would like to see resolved. One more thing before going into individual characters, I loved how these characters all did some bad things and the book doesn't let them off the hook for that, it makes them have to reconcile their actions in their mind and work towards fixing things.
Listen Spoilers, Beware:
Farid:
Chapter 31 with Malik, that was real and I felt it, but I also have to say it was beautifully written. To me, that chapter was the most emotional.
Karina:
Hanane:
Atmosphere - 4
I loved getting to see more of the world and the little details it holds. I could have done with some more, but I think the characters felt so real and had such great details to them that they made the world feel real.
Plot - 4
Okay, so the actual plot is another fetch quest -ish. That's not my favorite. But lets be real, the story was always way more about the characters and their emotional journeys which I enjoyed very much.
Ending - 4
Hits all the satisfying beats and I have to say what a great job Brown did wrapping this all up because not a thread was dropped. The wrap up part of the story might be a bit long for my preference, but I also know there are people who like that so to each their own.
Style - 4
The Hyena narrator interludes were gripping and Hyena's voice was so strong. The background info she gives us and the meta addresses were some of my favorite parts.
Overall - 4.25
There's so much in this story that I enjoyed but just didn't fit into this review. I will say I'm happy that I picked up the second book and give the ending a shot because it was well worth it.
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
This book doesn't shy away from its themes and the way it discusses them is nuanced and never feels like the story is using them for shock value. I would think an older teen would be able to handle these topics and possibly find solace in this story if they've experienced some of these in their own life.briely's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Slavery, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
notpercyjacksonyet's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Torture
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
My poor babies Karina and Malik go through so much in this story 😭
I adore this duology. All of the loose threads are wrapped up excellently and yet I still want more. The depictions of mental health struggles in particular are so well done.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Slavery, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
monicalaurette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“It’s not every day you get to embark on a new character arc.”
"Every time she’d look for a savior and hadn’t found one, she’d become her own.”
“This was still his mind. He was still the strongest person here.”
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Gaslighting
queenie_ofthe_void's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
Personally just hated thr ending. Left feeling unfulfilled. After two whole books and all this built up soul-mates and destiny, they only end up together *hypothetically* in the monologue. Why. WHY?! That is some bullshit. And fade to black... AFTER ALL OF THIS. no. Everything else was amazing. Malik and Karina are amazing.