Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - The Name-Bearer

At once fresh and new as well as like a warm hug from an old friend to those of us who grew up on Tamora Pierce and the like. This story reads as if an unhinged tumbler post writing prompt was taken in several different directions at once, and then stirred with lovely badass warrior woman vibes.

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nick_w's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Not very strong writing and some consistency issues. Characters aren’t well developed, and the plot moves too quickly. Entire battles or challenges are overcome in a few paragraphs with little detail or description, which doesn’t leave me aching to get to the next page. Also seems like a LOT of plot points are being set up for book 2. The vignette chapters are only a page or two long and don’t add to the story, they seem to be simulating mystery, but it falls flat.

I do love the Latin culture, LGBTQ+ teasers, and where some of the plot lines seem to be going, and I’m looking forward to finishing the series and seeing the resolution. Just a bit below my reading level and the amount of detail I prefer in a book.

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gossamer_lens's review

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This book has an odd writing style. It is written like a prologue. With the amount of summary and covering a span of 10 years, it feels like a reader should have both gotten more detail and less detail in the reading process. I feel like I should know the characters infinitely better but also I feel like I have a quite solid understanding of our main character. A very odd thing to feel. But with that said, it isn't a bad feeling.

Throughout the book, I was very easily pulled along to see what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the world-building and clear inclusion of Latin-American culture and the seamless inclusion of LGBTQ+ people into the world. I am excited to see where things go in the sequel and I already placed the book on hold at my library. I hit about halfway through this book and knew I just needed to keep going with these characters. Hernandez did a very solid job of keeping me invested and waiting to see where we would go. Very fun!

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searobin's review

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adventurous hopeful slow-paced

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

4.0

I absolutely LOVED this book, but it does have its issues, so rating it is a bit hard. The two main things are that it ends up feeling like one long prologue, and that the writing feels like YA but some of the violence are detailed to a degree that doesn't suit YA. I really loved the characters, I liked getting to know the friends and some and the travelling companions so well, but it's a bit weird for an adventure book; it felt much more "slices of life" than adventure. I'm also curious about how our MC got so much education, but had so little awareness of how her situation was developing on the outside. It felt like she just ignored/didn't learn anything it for those 10 years.

All in all, I loved how immersed we were in the story, but it is unusual for the genre.

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mj_86's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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readingwithtemperance's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

This was fantastic. I am so thoroughly impressed by this book. The only reason it isn't 5 stars is because the ending felt rushed. However, I am SO excited to read the sequel. I'll probably be starting it almost immediately.

Something I loved about this book was that the name bearer has no name. And when she goes through transitions in her life

name bearer to living amongst warrior women and again when she leaves them

she gives herself a new name. The meaning coordinating with the purpose of each new life. There was so much beauty in that. Names truly hold so much power.

The friendship in this book was probably my favorite aspect. Watching them grow from young girls to women was incredible.

I thought the concept of this book was utterly fascinating. I hope to learn more about the flowers of prophecy and their origin in the sequel.

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sopajoh's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Very few books I have read span as much time as this one does. I loved watching the characters grow up from children to young women coming into their own.

While not an egregious cliffhanger, there's a lot unresolved by the end. So glad the sequel is already out!

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takarakei's review

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adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

I really loved this when it first started off! I was immediately intrigued by the concept of this child 'name-bearer' and the world building. I love a prophecy gone wrong. However, once I got about ~30-40% into the book it really began to drag plot-wise and ultimately by the end I didn't really feel as if much had happened (feels like all the action will be coming in a sequel). So ultimately a bit of a disappointment overall - if this is just a duology I might still listen to the sequel to see the conclusion of the story.

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