archcon's review
I wanted to like this but there is an inconsistency in how lore is explained and how settings are described. I felt like bits of lore were vague, while others slapped me in the face like a wet fish. It really prevented me from digging into what was going on and getting invested in characters.
jordb1213's review against another edition
3.0
The writing and worldbuilding were excellent here, but the plot was very slow and repetitive and the book was way too long (it's ~530 pages and would probably be stronger at 350-400)
mollyadaza's review against another edition
4.0
Slow burn...and I don't just mean the romance
Rating: somewhere between 4-5, still trying to make up my mind
This book took me a bit to get into. The two POVs do slow down the narrative, however unlike other books where the POVs can overlap, I though Ciannon did an amazing job managing both the experiences and the voices of each character, to the point that I was rooting for both of them even though their goals did not completely align.
The ending threw me for a loop, with so many reveals packed into the last few pages, but I was on the edge of my seat. This book made me cry, which I've realized is apparently on my checklist for what makes a 4+ star rating, and laugh. I liked the commentary on loyalty to family, morality of revenge, and need for retribution being paid to oppressed populations.
If you're looking for a witchy-book to diversity your shelf with that has a gorgeous cover, this is it. (This is a Jamaican-based fantasy, however I cannot speak to the accuracy of the representation as other reviewers have. I encourage you to read those.)
Rating: somewhere between 4-5, still trying to make up my mind
This book took me a bit to get into. The two POVs do slow down the narrative, however unlike other books where the POVs can overlap, I though Ciannon did an amazing job managing both the experiences and the voices of each character, to the point that I was rooting for both of them even though their goals did not completely align.
The ending threw me for a loop, with so many reveals packed into the last few pages, but I was on the edge of my seat. This book made me cry, which I've realized is apparently on my checklist for what makes a 4+ star rating, and laugh. I liked the commentary on loyalty to family, morality of revenge, and need for retribution being paid to oppressed populations.
If you're looking for a witchy-book to diversity your shelf with that has a gorgeous cover, this is it. (This is a Jamaican-based fantasy, however I cannot speak to the accuracy of the representation as other reviewers have. I encourage you to read those.)
kblincoln's review
4.0
Island politics is the setting in this alternate world setting where we are plunged directly into the POV of a prisoner in a group of oppressed minority (Obeah) who are about to be simultaneously given access to their ancestral magic and conscripted into a defensive force for the Doyenne who recently rebelled, overturned their Doyen, and has now instituted a sacrifice (Yielding) to prop up the defensive magic for the entire island (Aiyca) that utilizes witches from her own group, the Alumbrar. This prisoner, Ira, is actually a child of the former ruling family, and has some kind of understanding with the other Obeah prisoners to try to rebel-- but it doesn't go well.
And that part was kind of murky for me. Since I was still finding my bearings in terms of the world, the characters, the references to past actions, the book-specific use of words like Doyen, bag-o-wires, etc. what historical real world culture the story has roots in (Jamaica), the beginning of the book didn't immediately hook me into Ira. Then we changed POV to the daughter of the current Doyenne, Jazmyne, who is focused on the wrongness of the Yielding and wanting to stop her mother from becoming a tyrant.
Ira and Jazmyne meet, decide to ally, and then there's lots of political developments, including Ira having a tricky relationship with another band of rebels, the Jade Guild and Jazmyne a risky alliance with a powerful Pirate who ruled the ocean around Aiyca.
The magic system is a little loosey-goosey in the details. There's inherent magic, magic given by ancestors, magic that your first-born daughter inherits from you, sigils, etc. Although Ira is limited by sigils and vows she makes in the name of gods, her magic seems to be there anyway sometimes and sometimes not, depending on plot developments.
Still, the world here, and definitely the backstory of the main characters is rich and interesting. We meet Ira and Jazmyne when they have already been forged by tragic pasts and come to the conclusion that political maneuvering against the Doyenne is necessary by separate routes. There's also potential love interests in an emissary from another island (with his own magic of teleportation, or sifting) and a pirate henchman to spice things up.
I might follow this story into the second book based solely on the richness of the world/history, despite being a little frustrated by Ira and Jazmyne seemingly making somewhat clueless decisions and the uneven (in my understanding) display of Ira's magic.
And that part was kind of murky for me. Since I was still finding my bearings in terms of the world, the characters, the references to past actions, the book-specific use of words like Doyen, bag-o-wires, etc. what historical real world culture the story has roots in (Jamaica), the beginning of the book didn't immediately hook me into Ira. Then we changed POV to the daughter of the current Doyenne, Jazmyne, who is focused on the wrongness of the Yielding and wanting to stop her mother from becoming a tyrant.
Ira and Jazmyne meet, decide to ally, and then there's lots of political developments, including Ira having a tricky relationship with another band of rebels, the Jade Guild and Jazmyne a risky alliance with a powerful Pirate who ruled the ocean around Aiyca.
The magic system is a little loosey-goosey in the details. There's inherent magic, magic given by ancestors, magic that your first-born daughter inherits from you, sigils, etc. Although Ira is limited by sigils and vows she makes in the name of gods, her magic seems to be there anyway sometimes and sometimes not, depending on plot developments.
Still, the world here, and definitely the backstory of the main characters is rich and interesting. We meet Ira and Jazmyne when they have already been forged by tragic pasts and come to the conclusion that political maneuvering against the Doyenne is necessary by separate routes. There's also potential love interests in an emissary from another island (with his own magic of teleportation, or sifting) and a pirate henchman to spice things up.
I might follow this story into the second book based solely on the richness of the world/history, despite being a little frustrated by Ira and Jazmyne seemingly making somewhat clueless decisions and the uneven (in my understanding) display of Ira's magic.
cadriel221's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
moisoverenyi's review
I DNFd this a little over 30% through. There’s a huge trend of promoting POC books, which is incredibly important and amazing, and I personally love reading about different cultures. However, sometimes I need to think to myself “am I reading this just because it’s diverse” and “am I actually enjoying this?” I need to start dnfing more because there’s so many books on my TBR and not enough time in the world to read them.
kaliaddy's review against another edition
2.0
I mostly read the teen witches/fantasy books because it’s what I loved when I was a teen. That and Jackie Collins….a well-rounded syllabus if I do say so myself. It’s all about the escape and getting so lost in a story that you lose track of time (which has been my reading goal for most of the pandemic). Anyway, I’m so sad that I didn’t love this. I just wasn’t invested in any of the characters. I’m not sure exactly what more I wanted…maybe more history, maybe more individual development, maybe higher stakes…I’m just not sure.
A+ for the cover though!!
A+ for the cover though!!
veirago's review against another edition
3.0
I really, really wanted to give this book a better rating, because for the first 60% of the book, I was thoroughly entertained. The setting of this book and it’s magic are so different from what you usually get from fantasy novels, and it was *so* refreshing to have a tale about magic set in such a vivid, complex world as this one, but something kept happening that bothered me to the point where I lost interest.
Kirdan. This book’s plot moved steadily for a while, propelled forward by its two protagonists, and although it was slow, it wasn’t bad. And then Kirdan started getting more and more involved. He’s not a bad character, he never did anything in particular to make me dislike him, but he’s the plot’s crutch once things get rolling. If Kirdan was not there to explain something, give insight, reveal a truth, or step in when he’s least expected, nothing would happen. His role is so heavily depended on that I got bored. I also thought he was revealed to be the prince of Zesia a few chapters before it was actually revealed, so I didn’t understand why that was a shock. I also had trouble keeping up with which side he was on — whether he was a traitor or not — it was a lot of back and forth that went on and on between the bouts of him explaining history or magic to the protagonists.
Seriously, if Kirdan hadn’t been the DM to this game, it might have been a good read. I liked both Jazmyne and Iraya, and though I was sad that Jazmyne essentially became her mother, I enjoyed the fact that the author wasn’t afraid to show her characters’ flaws and make them hypocrites. They both had plenty of depth and motivation, too, though their path through this book was messy. Overall, I think the book had a lot of strengths and was enjoyable, with the exception of Kirdan.
Kirdan. This book’s plot moved steadily for a while, propelled forward by its two protagonists, and although it was slow, it wasn’t bad. And then Kirdan started getting more and more involved. He’s not a bad character, he never did anything in particular to make me dislike him, but he’s the plot’s crutch once things get rolling. If Kirdan was not there to explain something, give insight, reveal a truth, or step in when he’s least expected, nothing would happen. His role is so heavily depended on that I got bored. I also thought he was revealed to be the prince of Zesia a few chapters before it was actually revealed, so I didn’t understand why that was a shock. I also had trouble keeping up with which side he was on — whether he was a traitor or not — it was a lot of back and forth that went on and on between the bouts of him explaining history or magic to the protagonists.
Seriously, if Kirdan hadn’t been the DM to this game, it might have been a good read. I liked both Jazmyne and Iraya, and though I was sad that Jazmyne essentially became her mother, I enjoyed the fact that the author wasn’t afraid to show her characters’ flaws and make them hypocrites. They both had plenty of depth and motivation, too, though their path through this book was messy. Overall, I think the book had a lot of strengths and was enjoyable, with the exception of Kirdan.
tardislibrarian9's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0