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shadow_cat94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The things I didn't like about this book was the ending and the main character, Imani. I will be as vague as possible for the ending to avoid spoilers. In the final 20 pages we finally reach the climax of the story only for it to get resolved peacefully with an exchange of a few words. It felt anticlimactic, rushed, and frustrating even after I finished the book.
As for Imani, I was hoping for her to go through more character development during her journey than she did. There is nothing wrong with starting your book with a stubborn, selfish, and prideful main character as long as they end somewhere else at the end of the book. She is also a warrior known for these great feats, but she quickly gives up when confronted with large obstacles which made her warrior characteristic feel conflicting. Her only saving grace is her love for her family, which is to an obsessive point. Overall, I think Amira - the sister - should have been the main character.
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Medical content, and War
cjwitch'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
4.5
It's a book that reminds readers that sometimes, the right choice isn't going to be a popular choice. It might not even be a legal choice. But standing up for what is right and fighting for those in need is still, ALWAYS, the right choice.
Spice Road is beautifully descriptive and I was fully engaged in the story from the start, despite my early dislike Imani, our FMC. For much of the book, she stubbornly and intentionally clung to the ignorance that granted her privilege both in and outside of her society...to the point of convincing herself that any independent thought or action from anyone around her must be caused by that individual being "not themselves" at the moment or influenced by outsiders or lying due to some plot against her/her family.
She truly believed that her government and the "old families" were correct and just and she frequently attempted to force her rule on everyone around her. She refused to listen to anyone, and whenever the possibility that she may be wrong occurred to her, she stubbornly pushed the thought away and refused to consider it.
It wasn't until Imani arrived in the outlands and saw the citizens, who her government taught were corrupt and unworthy of magic, that she realized that the government may have an agenda of their own. It wasn't until she came face to face with starvation and brutality that she began to open herself to the truth of her world.
Imani's growth through her journey was incredible and the lessons she learned applies fully and completely to our own world. All people deserve to be safe and free and, if someone is oppressing or hurting another, it is our duty to become their shield, in whatever way we can.
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexual assault
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Grief and War
Minor: Sexual assault
joygarcialim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
None of the characters were likeable, I’m going so far as to say most of the characters are unlikeable. Even if they were on the side of the morally ambitious, they didn’t have many dimensions or layers, and were mostly just annoying. The only character which had any enticement to them was Qayn.
Examples of bad writing from the book:
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
tahsintries's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Confinement and Colonisation
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault and Excrement
kirstenf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Colonisation
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and War
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Death of parent
espressoreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder
campisforever's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 word description: Lush. Gorgeous. Moving. Poignant. Inspiring.
This is such a lovely book with complex, dynamic characters. Ibrahim's skill with feelings, inspiring us to feel differently about different characters over the course of the story, is simply breathtaking! The story hits the major question at the heart of something like Black Panther--about isolation and solidarity. It marks the difference between an anti/decolonial narrative mediated by a white gaze versus one that isn't.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, and War
All content warnings are in the context of an anticolonial narrative about resistance. It is worth noting that the classism is itself not contained to a colonizer/colonized divide, but a complex discussion of class oppression *within* a colonized society.betweentheshelves'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
3.5
The ending of the book does a good job of setting up a sequel (and maybe potentially more, we shall see!). There's not a whole lot that makes it unique in the area of YA fantasy, outside of the main magic system. I did think that was interesting. It's an enjoyable book, but not one that seems to be super memorable for me.
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Torture, Grief, and War
Minor: Addiction, Death, and Sexual assault