Reviews

I didn’t realize until half way through the book that the main character, Cego, is 13 years old oops. It reads like a YA book but then he goes into detail about bones breaking and blood. Side characters definitely embody classic tropes. I really enjoyed the concepts in this book, like the spectrals, the circles, and fighting one on one vs wars against armies. Story really picks up at the end but some of the story I found predictable

mbs1236's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An extremely fun and an addicting read. Great action scenes and very compelling mysteries. A page turner that doesn’t let you go when u get hooked into it.

neehawh's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

satunrus's review against another edition

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4.0

this one left my mouth gaping !!!!!! how could this be so exciting and heartbreaking at the same time HUH

kliberty21's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I've been meaning to read this book for a while now, but once I finally sat down to read it, I could not stop.

The worldbuilding very easily drew me in, and although combat is a huge focus, it's written so that it really pulls you into it.

I was interested at the start, but with each chapter, I grew more and more consumed. I immediately put the second book on hold as soon as I returned this one.

Content Warnings

paperbackdanny's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book has been on my tbr for a while now but I don’t usually read science fiction or fantasy so it took me a while to get to it. This book surprised me because I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did and it exceeded any expectations I had for it.

The world building was pretty detailed and I enjoyed all the characters. I was skeptical about how well MMA fights would translate to a book, but it worked very well. The combat is a big focus, but the book is written in a way that’s easy to understand even if you’re not familiar with it. I was so invested in the story and it kept my attention the whole time.

The book started strong and finished even stronger. The Lyceum was giving Hogwarts except with hand-to-hand combat, which I loved. It’s the first book in a trilogy so I can’t wait to read the other two in the series. I definitely recommend this one.

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