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kat_rowlen'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: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
meghansarmiento97'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
chrilovyl's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Dialogue: 3/5
Setting: 5/5
———
What I Didn’t Like:
• In my opinion it took a bit too long for the characters to get into the Greater Jungle (which seems to be the main plot point in the synopsis).
• There were a lot of names being dropped in the very beginning which made it a bit hard for me to keep track of
• I think the author’s clutch phrase is “Character A started to [blank] then thought better of it” (there were so many times that phrase was used that it became distracting)
•
• Not a fan of when conflict could be solved if characters JUST COMMUNICATED
• A bit confused by the end:
What I Liked:
• The first few chapters definitely intrigued me and although it took me quite a bit to get all the way through, I was interested in finding out what was going to happen next
• The writing was both easy to read and has some beautiful lines
• The world building felt well-developed and thought out (probably the highlight of the book for me)
• OCD rep
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Alcohol
book_loving_dragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
thatnerdclaire's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Violence and Death of parent
shortsweet123's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Drug use, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty and Murder
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I blame myself for the majority of lack of understanding here. I struggle with listening to fantasy audiobooks because I know that I miss a lot of the minor details that make the story come together. However, when I began this one, I was driving, which allowed me to almost fully focus on the book and retain all the information. I couldn't stop listening! It was fascinating and the characters hooked me. I felt like I understood what was happening really well.
However... about halfway through, I had to listen to it while doing things other than driving or cleaning, which mean my focus was split. This created a bit of a gap in my mind during the most crucial moments. I should've known that the second half was where it would need my attention the very most.
That being said, there were things that I missed that made me feel a little disconnected towards the end. This made me realize that for the sequel I need to do one of two things: either listen to the entire thing while accomplishing brainless tasks OR read a physical copy to retain it better. I really do want to comprehend the intricate story because it truly did interest me.
There were some great twists that I did catch and I loved that. I didn't see them coming, which is a rarity for me! I also liked the character development a lot, though the ending was slightly predictable in my opinion, as I've seen it so many times before in stories like this one. I'm excited to see how the sequel will surprise me!
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Slavery
stephbakerbooks'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
4.0
I loved the world-building in this one—the book starts with two maps so you know it's gonna be good. There's no info-dumping but things are clearly explained, and the magic system was so interesting! I'm constantly impressed by fantasy authors that continue to come up with unique ways for magic to work in their worlds. I also really loved the jungle setting here—I was getting Catching Fire vibes which definitely had me more on the edge of my seat!
The characters were also great. We spend the most time with Koffi and Ekon of course, and they get the development and complexity they're due as main characters, but I'd say it's more plot-focused than character-focused. There are some interesting side characters I would've like to spend more time with, but maybe that'll happen in book two.
The plot, like I said, started out really slow, and I think I felt this way because it just took forever for the characters to actually meet and start their journey in the jungle. There were also some repeated scenes from a different POV that slowed the pace down. But once it picked up, the plot pretty much hit all the points I was expecting from a YA fantasy—which is a good thing!
Overall, definitely a good fantasy story and I'm looking forward to reading book two!
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Drug use