aardwyrm's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Exquisite use of the medium and a story that pushes boundaries despite its sweet, pat YA beginnings. Lovely, thoughtful, had swordfights, says a lot with a little.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Xenophobia
rnbhargava's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really loved this book with its Middle East (Jordan I believe specifically) setting and the protagonist from an ethnicity that’s thought of as “the enemy”. The characters are nuanced and not all are what they seem. The characterizations are all spot on. The main fault with this book is that it kind of wraps up a bit too fast. At least there’s a tease for a potential sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Violence, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/injury detail, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
This book has all of these themes but does it all in a fairly most ages friendly way. Think of the sensibility of a show like “Avatar: The Last Airbender”
More...