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mbjem_'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The world building is interesting, unique, and compelling enough to be worth reading more about on its own. While I'm not totally endeared to the main characters yet, I did like several of the side characters quite a lot. Hopefully, the sequel will show some real growth for the main characters and make them more likable. At this point, I'm cautiously optimistic about the future and the next books!
Graphic: Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
cdoubet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
annorabrady'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Slavery, Police brutality, and Trafficking
anni_swanilda'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Self harm and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Abandonment, and War
strawberrytheauthor'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual content
tinysierra'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
-The author includes a list of trigger warnings at the beginning!
-Someone I follow compared this book to Raybearer, so no wonder I liked it!
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit
corriejn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Torture, Cannibalism, and War
queenie_ofthe_void'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
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and War
kiahmaria04'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
firstly, i cannot believe this was a debut book. it was so well written and had everything you would want in a fantasy (and lowkey romance) book. it was so refreshing and interesting to read a book based on west and north african folklore and i loved getting to dive into this magical world. despite the book being relatively fast paced, i still felt like it flowed well, the plot was cohesive (and relatively easy to understand for a fantasy book lol), and the characters had really good development. Karina and Malik’s struggles with mental illness we’re definitely relatable to me and it made my heart so full to see them overcome their struggles (i felt like a proud mom lol). the romance in this book, i thought, was definitely more lowkey, however i didn’t mind. i think that it was still well done and contributed well to the plot. i think (and hope!) that Brown will dive more in depth to the main character’s romance in the next book. all in all, i literally cannot wait until “a psalm of storms and silence” comes out!!
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Vomit, Grief, and Murder
pagebypaigereviews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
--A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
Once every 50 years a comet passes by Ziran, and its people hold a week long celebration to usher in a new era. But unbeknownst to the majority, the comet's passing has even greater significance than just a reason to party. Malik and Princess Karina each harbor dangerous secrets, which leads them on separate, deadly missions to save someone they love.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is told from two perspectives: Malik and Princess Karina. Each main character has their own mental health struggles and unresolved trauma. It features a unique magic system and world building. I was fascinated by the concept behind the belief system, but the amount of world building did make it slower for me to get into. Most of the action picks up in the second half of the book. The end was a series of shocking reveals that had me yelling at my book!
One thing that kind of bothered me was the ease with which each of the characters considered murder. I thought there would have been more moral qualms associated with the act. It also seemed a little repetitive at times. At the end, I still had a hard time understanding everything about the magic system, so I hope we get more explanation in the next book.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, and Vomit