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abby_can_read'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
I thought this was a good book. I had a good time reading it. I liked the characters, Koffi and Ekon. I thought the pacing was off at times. I like the worldbuilding. I'm excited to see what happens in the sequel.
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury
emilysreadingbooks's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
renee_fae'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
Minor: Death, Violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
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
vaniavela'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
Positives Aspects:
- The characters were well written and I found them likable, being that Koffi, Ekon and Adiah had complex personalities. I enjoyed reading the perspectives of all of them, giving us a different view of the kingdom and the story.
- The world of Lkossa was amazing, full of cultural details and vibrant descriptions. I would have loved to see more scenes in more interesting locations, such as the night zoo or the jungle.
Negative Aspects:
- It was slow paced, not much happens in the first hundred pages. Also, before reading the book I thought the animals would have a bigger part in the story. I expected more of that.
rep: Black/African female MC, Black/African male MC with anxiety and OCD, Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.
cw: Blood, death, drug use, fire, injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.
Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
ajthequeen'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
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Genocide, and Fire/Fire injury
queergoth_reads'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
4.75
I did find it a little slow to begin with but it didn't take long to pick up the pace and draw me in.
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
thenovelbookshelf's review
- 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
When the Night Zoo goes up in flames, Koffi and her mum run away from their indentation at the zoo, if it wasn't for the mythological beast, the Shetani, Ekon, an upcoming warrior would have caught them. Instead Ekon realises Koffi can communicate with the Shetani.
When Ekon comes back empty-handed, his life as a warrior is over. He's determined to save his name by capturing the Shetani, that kills anything in its path. Ekon realises that he'll need Koffi to do this.
Together they must make their way through the terrifying Greater Jungle filled with the unknown.
BoP is a fast paced novel which will draw you into the story. The only thing that annoyed me about this book, was that just as the chapter builds suspense, the next chapter starts and changes characters. Ayana, we NEED the next book now!!!
Minor: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
tine9625'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 cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
betweentheshelves'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
Most of the plot follows a typical YA fantasy story, but the world-building and the characters definietley make up for it. I loved this from start fo finish!
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Drug use, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse and Death of parent