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stories_swimming_in_my_head's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This book had so much potential; the world building was great, the plot was great, and the romance was pretty well written. But. The characters just didn't appeal to me. Despite all the good things about this book, I don't care enough about the characters to bother reading the next one. There was one scene where Safiya reflects on all her mistakes, and I was excited to see some development, but the in the end she decides she's perfect and doesn't need to change, like, umm what??? So anyway, it was an ok book and I liked the author's writing style, but the characters fell flat. You decide if it's worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
chiruruchi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
theaceofpages's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
3.25
I loved the magic system but I'm not sure if I'm going to continue. Intriguing premise but I didn't enjoy the writing as much as I hoped I would.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Violence
cordeliant's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Death
One of the main characters of this book is part of a fictional minority group, so she's often called slurs and discriminated against.whatiskatelynreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
I read this once before a really long time ago and didn't vibe with it enough to continue, but idk what past me's problem was, cuz I am already planning on asking for the box set for Christmas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Racial slurs
hawkrose18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
CAWPILE: 8.64
Alright, so I don't know why I waited so long to read this book. I bought this sometime in 2015 or maybe early 2016 around when it came out and before the second one came out because I was really interested in the book and I was planning on buddy reading it with a friend. Well, that never happened, and instead I read it this week and I really did enjoy this. It definitely reads like a 2015 YA fantasy, but I still loved the friendships within this book and the tension between love interests made me so happy. I also liked that we got four different points of view, but I did prefer some over others, but I still loved the characters. I am already planning on ordering the rest of them soon and might try to binge the rest of the series during my spring break next week. I was fascinated by the magic system and hope to learn even more about it and the different powers. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here and I hope that I really enjoy it.
Alright, so I don't know why I waited so long to read this book. I bought this sometime in 2015 or maybe early 2016 around when it came out and before the second one came out because I was really interested in the book and I was planning on buddy reading it with a friend. Well, that never happened, and instead I read it this week and I really did enjoy this. It definitely reads like a 2015 YA fantasy, but I still loved the friendships within this book and the tension between love interests made me so happy. I also liked that we got four different points of view, but I did prefer some over others, but I still loved the characters. I am already planning on ordering the rest of them soon and might try to binge the rest of the series during my spring break next week. I was fascinated by the magic system and hope to learn even more about it and the different powers. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here and I hope that I really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I went into this book with high expectations and I'm glad I was not disappointed. The world building was very to the point and the exposition didn't feel forced. At times I found myself asking questions about what the characters were talking about in conversation, but it would be explained through context as the story progressed. I actually wish more authors did exposition like this. The relationships between characters were well fleshed out. Even for characters like Merik and Kullen, which we didn't see an excessive amount of, we got enough exposition to be able to infer the depth of their relationship. My favorite character by far was Safi. She can be impulsive but her banter with Merik was probably one of my favorite parts of this book. Dennard succeeded in making each character have strong motives for their actions. I'll probably wait a bit before I keep reading the rest of the series because book 3 doesn't come out until January 2019 and I'd rather read book 2 as the release date gets closer. Really great book, though. I highly recommend it for anyone into fantasy!
Edit after reread in 2022:
It had been a lot of years since I had read this and I found that I had forgotten a lot, so I decided to reread it in 2022. I feel like this was as enjoyable as I remember it being. There is very detailed world building that becomes more relevant in the sequels that I appreciated more on a reread. I actually took notes of details I think are important and that I might forget for future reference, which was very helpful in terms of connecting the dots for things I do remember reading in the second book. I'm looking forward to catching up on all the books published so far so I can be ready for the upcoming last book in the series. I think this is a series that definitely benefits from having the books read back-to-back because the small details really become important later, so that would be my main recommendation. I still stand by what I thought initially, though. A great series!
Edit after reread in 2022:
It had been a lot of years since I had read this and I found that I had forgotten a lot, so I decided to reread it in 2022. I feel like this was as enjoyable as I remember it being. There is very detailed world building that becomes more relevant in the sequels that I appreciated more on a reread. I actually took notes of details I think are important and that I might forget for future reference, which was very helpful in terms of connecting the dots for things I do remember reading in the second book. I'm looking forward to catching up on all the books published so far so I can be ready for the upcoming last book in the series. I think this is a series that definitely benefits from having the books read back-to-back because the small details really become important later, so that would be my main recommendation. I still stand by what I thought initially, though. A great series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment