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sydapel'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
4.25
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism
clovetra'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Racial slurs and Slavery
pipn_t's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
katischr'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
4.0
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Colonisation
bree_h_reads'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery
cielosiluminado'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
3.5
“Being forced to learn the language of your oppressors is an oppression of the mind. They rewrite your history when you're too young to know what you're giving away, and before you know it, it's too late to reclaim what you've lost...”
i genuinely think this story could have been really amazing, and maybe the sequel will be, but this book lacked something i couldn’t even pinpoint in the end. i thoroughly enjoyed the influences of the jamaican and carribean folklore/fantasy that was interwoven in this story.
the initial world-building was beautiful. and the fictional cultures, a formerly occupied island-country and the occupiers, and their histories, were also so complex in the beginning but then it got to a point where we had to guess something when it came to their histories because it wasn’t previously stated.
the magic system in this story was interesting and the dragons were cute. it was some of the best fleshed out aspects of the story.
the miscommunication in this story between the two protagonists, who are sisters, made me want to rage. there was moments where i had to set the book down to take a breather lol.
despite how much it made me want to rage, the miscommunication also progressed the story and made it so dramatic and fantastical in the end, which kept me captured. a double-edged sword trope? i don’t know, but i am intrigued to read the sequel.
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I NEED TO PROCESS THIS — rtc
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, and War
caitlin_bookchats'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
4.5
What I am certain of is this is the strongest YA debut I've read in years.
This world and these characters are so fully realized with allusions to a full revolution happening years before simply adds to what we are seeing here. Cole's two points of view are distinct not just in setting but in attitude and she balances them well, switching at just the right point in the story.
I would highly recommend this to fans of fantasy with inventive magic, dragon book enjoyers, and people who have ever asked what happens 5 years _after_ the secret teen queen, her magical child warrior, and the magical child's protective sister throw off the chains of imperialism and have to, you know, actually run the country.
Moderate: Colonisation and War
Minor: Torture
Both POV characters fought in a brutal war as children and sometimes mention their memories of the battlefield. One sister is lesbian and mentions an ex girlfriend and a crush, a side character is in a same gender marriage. Neither of these things is commented on by the society within the text.alsira98's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and War
ssinforshort's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
1.5
Besides that, for a fantasy I feel like more should happen. There are so few real, flushed out characters in the story, that I felt like I was reading two very long conversations.
Plus, I'm not the biggest fan of enemies to lovers, but this was just felt so forced. Paraphrasing "he's evil and my enemy... look at his beautiful blue eyes in the sunlight." Eyerolling to oblivion.
Graphic: Violence and Colonisation
Moderate: Racial slurs and War
infusedchai'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
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Violence, Cultural appropriation, and War