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imds's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
4.25
Def read trigger/content warnings especially if you struggle with mental health.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm
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
ccrowley18'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
4.0
I loved both MCs character development, Karina going from the reluctant crown princess to knowing that she has to do everything she can to save Ziran. And Malik’s character development took a bit longer I felt as though his didn’t really start until book 2, he was all over the place there was a time I thought he was going to have to die because he seemed so evil.
But most of all the character development I enjoyed the most was Idir!!!!! What?!? Who saw him coming as the voice of reason?! By the end he didn’t even want to get free and he respected Malik too much to try and harm him any more than he’d already been harmed.
I enjoyed the storyline and the plot twists. It wouldn’t be a YA fantasy without some plot twists! I also loved the narrator in book 2, talking about the Farid and Hanane history, it was very well added.
Graphic: Self harm and Trafficking
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
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
jupitersuns'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
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
melinajoy'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? No
4.75
Wow did I love this book! It's book 2 and I found it answered a lot of questions I'd had in the first book and was also just easier to understand. Karina and Malik are amazing characters and I also love Ife. A story of perseverance!
I appreciate how the author presents Malik's mental illnesses, his anxiety, and his self harm, suicidal thoughts/attempts.
I love Karina's queerness.
And I just appreciate most of the characters' tenacity, will, and how very much themselves they are.
I loved the journey we go through with them all separately and then together.
I WISH we got a third book and that this wasn't a duology. We need a part 3 of them living their lives! But I guess I'll just deal with the end chapter.
This book is definitely getting added to my favorites list!
*This book is graphic and contains a lot of trauma. Please check content warnings*.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness and Injury/Injury detail
CW: groomingofbooksandechos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage, Torture, Murder, and Pregnancy
other CWs: grooming, fictional racism/racial slurs, fictional police brutalitytak_everlasting's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death and Vomit
strawberrytheauthor'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
5.0
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, untimely ascension, Found Family, assassinations.
I loved the magic system and how Roseanne A. Brown made it all fit within a set mythology of the world. Nothing about the magic system seemed out of place or like it didn’t make sense.
There is wonderful disability representation with anxiety, depression, and what seems to me to be autism. There is also a lot of LGBTQ+ representation and I think every character is a person of color (don’t quote me on that I don’t see pictures when I read I have no idea what these characters look like).
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Grooming