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shadow_cat94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The things I didn't like about this book was the ending and the main character, Imani. I will be as vague as possible for the ending to avoid spoilers. In the final 20 pages we finally reach the climax of the story only for it to get resolved peacefully with an exchange of a few words. It felt anticlimactic, rushed, and frustrating even after I finished the book.
As for Imani, I was hoping for her to go through more character development during her journey than she did. There is nothing wrong with starting your book with a stubborn, selfish, and prideful main character as long as they end somewhere else at the end of the book. She is also a warrior known for these great feats, but she quickly gives up when confronted with large obstacles which made her warrior characteristic feel conflicting. Her only saving grace is her love for her family, which is to an obsessive point. Overall, I think Amira - the sister - should have been the main character.
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Medical content, and War
kbairbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cinnamonandpancakes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
For what it's worth, I think a fan of YA Romantasy would likely enjoy this much more than I.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Racism, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Torture, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War
manaledi's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
kirstenf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Colonisation
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and War
ashli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Slavery, Grief, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Torture, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I don't mean to say in this that the rest of it was bad, as it wasn't. Spice Road is a book that I am still trying to work out my feelings for. It took a long time for me to read it - over a month - and that may have had something to do with it.
I can appreciate Ibrahim's intent here, and for what I believe is a debut author, I think - objectively - that she has done some very accomplished work here. The worldbuilding and magic system was reasonably crafted and was well-communicated to the reader. The characters were well-drawn and developed, particularly Imani (our MC), Taha and Qayn. I puzzled over the motives of the latter two of these characters constantly, which I suspect was Ibrahim's intention. The action scenes were fast-paced and contrasted well with the quieter moments between.
Maybe the problem was despite the quality of the worldbuilding, fantasy elements, pacing and characters, I couldn't get into it enough, in a way that I'm really having trouble describing here. I did fly through the last 200 pages because it was compellingly written and really well-paced. But even then, I couldn't really warm up to it.
The ending of the book left me with enough potential to make me consider continuing the series when the next book is released, but I haven't decided yet.
Objectively, Spice Road is a good book. Emotionally, I'm not entirely sure.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cultural appropriation and War
espressoreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder
marleywrites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Vomit, Police brutality, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual harassment
Description of decomposing bodies