Reviews with content warning for War - Gegen das Schicksal

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the Divergent series from Veronica Roth and I liked her writing style. This book was challenging with all the new world building and characters. But unlike The Chosen One and Divergent – the first book in this series dragged and was slow-paced and this book was no different.

In this world everyone has a gift which they call a currentgift. This book is set from two character’s point of view. The first character is Cyra. She is the sister of the brutal tyrant named Ryzek who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — a gift in which she hates and is in total agony but her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows. She is determined free herself from her brother’s control. The second character’s point of view is Akos and his currentgift is unusual. He is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the planet of Thuvhe. Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get this brother out alive — no matter what the cost. Cyra and Akos’s lives are ruled by their fates, spoken by the oracles at their birth. The fates, once determined, are inescapable. Akos is in love with Cyra, in spite of his fate. And when Cyra’s father, Lazmet Noavek – who has come back from the dead – reclaims the Shotet throne, Akos believes his end is closer than ever. As Lazmet ignites a barbaric war, Cyra and Akos are desperate to stop him at any cost. For Cyra, that could mean taking the life of the man who may – or may not – be her father. For Akos, it could mean giving his own.

The one thing I liked about this book is the multiple POVs, enemies to lovers and the found family tropes. I liked the characters that came from both world who wanted to work together and fix the issues on each planet. Cyra also grew on me during the novel and I liked her character development. I liked Akos from the first chapters because of his actions and his loyalty from the beginning. I just struggled with this book. It was very slow-paced compared to Roth’s other series. I struggled with the world building and the new terminology that I didn’t really understand the first quarter of the novel. Once I got into it, I was just waiting for the big action or the big reveal that didn’t really happen. The “Big Reveal” in this book was so bloody obvious from the hints we saw in this book and the first book. I just really struggled and was literally reading it to be finished with this series.

I was very disappointed because Roth’s other books are quite strong and this one just didn’t do it for me. I don’t know if it was the space aspect of it or the slowness of the novel, I'm just glad I've finished this duology.

Content Warnings

axaja's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-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? No

3.5

The story was good but I expected something more. I liked most of the characters but missed a more engaging and intriguing plot.

Content Warnings

crochetplush's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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