leah_peters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.25
alexa_gr's review
4.0
I ended up really liking this book. It´s a typical YA fantasy novel and yes, there are some things in this book you have already seen (elemental magic, dark vs light) but it was well done and entertaining. I just wish Ignacio would have had a different power because his specific one is something I did see too often before. Surprisingly, the book didn´t end the way I expected, but maybe I was thrown off by the fact that this is a triology. I´m also really excited to read the next novel because I liked the characters a lot and want to see what else they have to face and how their relationship develops.
I can recommend this book to everyone who wants a light, classic fantasy that is fun to read, especially if you are a fan of Six of Crows you might enjoy certain plot elements.
Now to something I wasn´t a fan of: the Latinx representation. I´ve said it before, this is my personal opinion, but I just don´t think that throwing in some Spanish words and making reference to Tequila, Sangria and some popular dances does the job. Not all of it is typical for all Latin American countries and I missed an explanation of why these specific things existed in this world. And then Spanish was used as the "Magic language" which has been oppressed, but looking at colonial history Spanish itself was actually the language of the oppressor. Even the Kingdom is called Castellan which refers to the term the Spanish use to describe their Spanish language. It didn´t really make sense to me. I have read in some other reviews that they quite liked the Latino aspects. That's why I don´t think it will bother the broad majority of this book's readers, but if you are from Latin America you might not be convinced by it either.
Because it is such a personal topic I tried not to let this influence my rating, hence the 3.5s despite my issues from above.
I can recommend this book to everyone who wants a light, classic fantasy that is fun to read, especially if you are a fan of Six of Crows you might enjoy certain plot elements.
Now to something I wasn´t a fan of: the Latinx representation. I´ve said it before, this is my personal opinion, but I just don´t think that throwing in some Spanish words and making reference to Tequila, Sangria and some popular dances does the job. Not all of it is typical for all Latin American countries and I missed an explanation of why these specific things existed in this world. And then Spanish was used as the "Magic language" which has been oppressed, but looking at colonial history Spanish itself was actually the language of the oppressor. Even the Kingdom is called Castellan which refers to the term the Spanish use to describe their Spanish language. It didn´t really make sense to me. I have read in some other reviews that they quite liked the Latino aspects. That's why I don´t think it will bother the broad majority of this book's readers, but if you are from Latin America you might not be convinced by it either.
Because it is such a personal topic I tried not to let this influence my rating, hence the 3.5s despite my issues from above.
mitzee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A bit predictable but overall a solid story.
lenchen25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Death
jessisawesome's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! There was such a sense of urgency that I was never bored. It was amazing. I will be thinking about this one for a while
slippytiles's review
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
aggielexi's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
I was excited to read this but left disappointed. I think maybe I'm too old, if I was younger maybe I could have overlooked some elements I had issues with.
I almost DNF'd it
I was eager for some Latin American fantasy, but was left disappointed by that. The brushes with the culture are superficial at best, with random spanish words thrown in as magic words. If I was a native speaker I think that would be a huge turnoff.
The beginning of the book where Alfie is grieving his brother and coming to terms with being the future king, and Finn is dealing with some facechanging or lack there of, was really good, I enjoyed that. But then we meet our villian and there lacked the originality, that's when it went downhill. It then became the same silly YA trope, super responsible crown prince who always thinks things through refuses to ask an adult for help when he knows he is way out of his league. But yeah, that's fine, moving on. The climax is so predictable that I actually skimmed past sections.
The book is part of a series, I will not be reading the next one and am actually a bit disappointed I purchased this book.
I almost DNF'd it
I was eager for some Latin American fantasy, but was left disappointed by that. The brushes with the culture are superficial at best, with random spanish words thrown in as magic words. If I was a native speaker I think that would be a huge turnoff.
The beginning of the book where Alfie is grieving his brother and coming to terms with being the future king, and Finn is dealing with some facechanging or lack there of, was really good, I enjoyed that. But then we meet our villian and there lacked the originality, that's when it went downhill. It then became the same silly YA trope, super responsible crown prince who always thinks things through refuses to ask an adult for help when he knows he is way out of his league. But yeah, that's fine, moving on. The climax is so predictable that I actually skimmed past sections.
The book is part of a series, I will not be reading the next one and am actually a bit disappointed I purchased this book.
colorlessdaisy's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.75
fromjuliereads's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
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
3.5
I really liked the characters and the premise. I especially loved the weaving of Spanish into the conversations and that it is the language of magic! The only reason I cannot rate it higher is because I found the pacing off. Through the middle of the book, I found myself not as eager to pick it up. The beginning had me fully engaged and of course the ending. But the middle I struggled with a little bit.
Anyways. I think this story can actually stand alone so I'm determining if I will continue on! I originally thought it was a duology but it looks like it will at least be a trilogy.
Anyways. I think this story can actually stand alone so I'm determining if I will continue on! I originally thought it was a duology but it looks like it will at least be a trilogy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Body horror, Death, Blood, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Suicide