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hockliz_reads's review
4.0
*I got this book as part of an ARC to review it, I will give my most honest opinion of the book*
When I started this book, I was interested but I couldn't help but think that it was starting a little bit slow. The description of it made the book seem like it would be extremely fast-paced through the entire thing but then the beginning was slower than I imagined. After the slower beginning, I could not put this book down. It was an amazing read and I couldn't help but want to read the rest of the series right away. Especially after the major cliffhanger at the end!
When I started this book, I was interested but I couldn't help but think that it was starting a little bit slow. The description of it made the book seem like it would be extremely fast-paced through the entire thing but then the beginning was slower than I imagined. After the slower beginning, I could not put this book down. It was an amazing read and I couldn't help but want to read the rest of the series right away. Especially after the major cliffhanger at the end!
etonmess2's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
holic0pter's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
omg the cliffhanger and just this entire book is so fucking good omg, i have a love hate relationship with kai but i love Reina omg this is such a good book
veekiyanga's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I’m reviewing this book as a 26-year-old who knows that this is a young adult and I am not the target audience.
Firstly, the plots and diversity or 10/10, however, a few things really irritated me to the point where I considered putting the book down.
*********SPOILERS********
Kai treats Reina horribly, and yet she still loves him. As a 13-17 year old the message in this book would’ve made me believe that boys being horrible and treating me like shit, means they like me and secretly want to be with me.
After they have both been expelled, Raina went to his house??? Literally a couple of hours beforehand, she was physically exposed in front of the whole school by him and this girl went to his house???????
The book ends with Kai getting up to no good and Reina, says that she doesn’t believe that Kai is capable of doing what he is accused of, as if he hasn’t been a horrible person throughout the whole book, what is going on?
I could go on but bloody hell. All in all the book was a fun read but I wouldn’t give it to a teenage girl to read.
Firstly, the plots and diversity or 10/10, however, a few things really irritated me to the point where I considered putting the book down.
*********SPOILERS********
Kai treats Reina horribly, and yet she still loves him. As a 13-17 year old the message in this book would’ve made me believe that boys being horrible and treating me like shit, means they like me and secretly want to be with me.
After they have both been expelled, Raina went to his house??? Literally a couple of hours beforehand, she was physically exposed in front of the whole school by him and this girl went to his house???????
The book ends with Kai getting up to no good and Reina, says that she doesn’t believe that Kai is capable of doing what he is accused of, as if he hasn’t been a horrible person throughout the whole book, what is going on?
I could go on but bloody hell. All in all the book was a fun read but I wouldn’t give it to a teenage girl to read.
cheesie's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
edit: i am actually wondering if i misinterpreted these characters to be younger than they actually are? the author says it’s “upper ya/na” so i’m really not sure what the vibes are lol. if these characters are actually adults then disregard everything i whine about their ages
kind of struggling to word how i feel about this book! first of all, it features a black female lead and an asian male lead and is written by a black women and i am happy this book exists and is diversifying the ya fantasy genre that is very white.
i would say my first impression of this book was negative. i had this idea of my review saying it’s like they put my hero academia, shatter me and shadow and bone into an AI generator and this is what we got— and that is how the pre-academy act felt, to be fair, but i think it got a lot better than that once they got to the school.
overall, i know i’m like 8-10 years older than the ideal audience for this book so i can only complain so much. the fact the whole series is a free audiobook on youtube is really nice and accessible!
pros:
- diverse characters and a young interracial couple without one of them being white
- the worldbuilding is easy to understand and the story gets right into it
- nicely paced and a short audiobook: not a daunting length
- for the most part, all the characters were distinct and didn’t blend together like big casts tend to do in my brain
- fun cliffhanger!
cons:
- weirdly sexual language for a ya book: the hyperfocus on reina being a virgin (and everyone being like “you’re a virgin?!?!”) and kaito having sex is weird, and the bullying scene focusing on her underwear was also weird
- i’m not really sure what reina’s bad traits are (too loyal? too powerful? virgin?)
- definitely feels like the first book in a series and i wish it had a more interesting conflict that could stand alone
kind of struggling to word how i feel about this book! first of all, it features a black female lead and an asian male lead and is written by a black women and i am happy this book exists and is diversifying the ya fantasy genre that is very white.
i would say my first impression of this book was negative. i had this idea of my review saying it’s like they put my hero academia, shatter me and shadow and bone into an AI generator and this is what we got— and that is how the pre-academy act felt, to be fair, but i think it got a lot better than that once they got to the school.
overall, i know i’m like 8-10 years older than the ideal audience for this book so i can only complain so much. the fact the whole series is a free audiobook on youtube is really nice and accessible!
pros:
- diverse characters and a young interracial couple without one of them being white
- the worldbuilding is easy to understand and the story gets right into it
- nicely paced and a short audiobook: not a daunting length
- for the most part, all the characters were distinct and didn’t blend together like big casts tend to do in my brain
- fun cliffhanger!
cons:
- weirdly sexual language for a ya book: the hyperfocus on reina being a virgin (and everyone being like “you’re a virgin?!?!”) and kaito having sex is weird, and the bullying scene focusing on her underwear was also weird
- i’m not really sure what reina’s bad traits are (too loyal? too powerful? virgin?)
- definitely feels like the first book in a series and i wish it had a more interesting conflict that could stand alone
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent
Minor: Death and Violence
jlen's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of the anime My Hero Academia. Some people have gifts, some don't, and the gifts vary in strength. There is an exclusive school for the Elite, and people are desperate to get in. I enjoyed the characters and the premise of the book. Can't wait to read the second in the series.
I was give a free copy of this book for an honest review.
I was give a free copy of this book for an honest review.
gonewithflynn's review
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised by this one! I just finished binging Zodiac Academy and was worried that, given the similarities, I would just compare the two but, that wasn’t the case and everything turned out great! This was such an easy read! I found myself utterly wrapped up in the story and very much enjoyed the characters and everyone’s magical powers! The concept of the MC’s powers in this one is super unique and I did not expect that ending! I can’t wait to see where this goes.
Bonus: If you look up the author on YouTube, she has the audiobook available there! The narrators were great!
CW: Violence, bullying
Bonus: If you look up the author on YouTube, she has the audiobook available there! The narrators were great!
CW: Violence, bullying
mariek25's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
3.25