ruaidhri_'s review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Writing style was good. It made the whole story flow. Unfortunately the plot wasn't so great. Plotline and struggles of getting over new challenges felt like so reused. I just kept thinking "man I read something similar", although the ending of the book was decent. The "time limit" in the book is just there to be, it doesn't affect the story almost at all, the characters just forget about it constantly. Magic system was just ok, just a lot of small plot holes. But don't get me started on the romance subplot. I hated it. It was kinda unecesary, and it needed a whole arc that didn't make any difference in the end. Topic of racism was portrayed in a very strong way, that didn't affect the story but made you thing. I'm going to continue with the series tho.
emilyeslomski's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! Love everything about this! The annotated chapter at the end made me absolutely fall in love with the author! I want to read that fan fiction. Best acknowledgements in a book ever!
azur's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
5.0
maddie_may's review against another edition
1.0
DNF’d @ 62%. Just couldn’t bring myself to finish the audiobook. I was just bored.
The writing was good, and I did enjoy the narration in the audiobook; but overall I couldn’t get into the story. I found myself only slightly enjoying it… then I just got bored, stayed bored for a while then let myself off the hook and called it quits. /:
I wanted to like this book and maybe I will read a physical copy and enjoy it better in the future, but for now i feel meh about it.
The writing was good, and I did enjoy the narration in the audiobook; but overall I couldn’t get into the story. I found myself only slightly enjoying it… then I just got bored, stayed bored for a while then let myself off the hook and called it quits. /:
I wanted to like this book and maybe I will read a physical copy and enjoy it better in the future, but for now i feel meh about it.
eiretulip's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. I was hooked from the start and am looking forward to book 2. Added bonus - Bahni Turpin is the best narrator out there.
heathercide's review against another edition
4.0
I'm almost speechless. It's been a long time since a book has made me feel so many strong, competing emotions. Sorrow. Rage. Vindication. Hope. Wonder.
Spoilers below!!
Sure, sometimes the prose is a little plain (though the passage near the end after the death of Baba and Zelie absorbs his spirit is astonishing and moving). Sure, every main character makes an astonishingly stupid decision at least once (but hey, they're teenagers). And I'm still a little unclear on what the rules are regarding the ritual at the end of the book and the return of magic.
But holy crap does this book rise above its flaws by the end of the novel, and Adeyemi was unafraid to make readers squirm in frustration and despair to get us there. I've seen it said that this book is very trope-y; in some ways it is, but in others--and in one huge way--it absolutely upends them. At first glance, the character of Iman--the crown prince of the nation of Orisha, good-hearted son to a cruel king who has unleashed a reign of terror and oppression against the maji--seems like he's going to be a kind of Zuko, with a complete redemption arc. Because I was led to this assumption, I was frustrated with how quick his supposed "redemption" seemed, and also annoyed at the trope-y romance he forms with previously hard-headed Zelie, but was ready for the narrative to get on with it. But his was not a redemption story; it was a story of how even a good-heart--with no Uncle Iroh to guide him--can be crushed and twisted by the evil around it, especially when one of them is your father-king. He constantly thinks of his father's maxim--Duty before self--and wants the best for Orisha, but ultimately is swayed time and time again by his father's words, despite having the gift for seeing into someone's dreams and pain. In the end, he was not choosing between duty and self; he was choosing between a desire for his father's approval and love and his desire for Zelie's. Deep down, though he could feel her pain for a little while, it was all too easy for him to forget it; he never really took the time to listen or learn about the maji's plight, and time and time again, after doubting and loathing his father, running back to him, even after knowing he brutally tortured Zelie. He was naive and pathetic; a spark of Zuko within him but crushed by end of season 3 Azula. I hated him by the end, but felt a smidge of pity and much more respect for Adeyemi's handling of the character, even if it didn't end happily.
Amari, though. Wonderful, sweet, smart, fierce, caring, strong Amari. The best developed character in the book. Already one of my favorite YA characters simply for the fact that, unlikely many hereos of these types of stories, she killed her father because he was a brutal, evil, oppresive tyrant whose death instantly made the world better, with no twitterings over her own conscious or relationship.
Also, the world building!! I'm glad that I see they're making a movie, because I desperately need to see the world of Orisha beyond my imagination, but goddamn they better have a big enough budget to do it justice.
Lastly, I just want to appreciate how Adeyemi's acknowledgements were a good 4 pages. Obviously that's not what most of us are here for, but I think it speaks volumes about her that she took the time to genuinely and meaningfully talk about the people who meant the most to her and the book and give them more than just a mention of their name.
Spoilers below!!
Spoiler
Sure, sometimes the prose is a little plain (though the passage near the end after the death of Baba and Zelie absorbs his spirit is astonishing and moving). Sure, every main character makes an astonishingly stupid decision at least once (but hey, they're teenagers). And I'm still a little unclear on what the rules are regarding the ritual at the end of the book and the return of magic.
But holy crap does this book rise above its flaws by the end of the novel, and Adeyemi was unafraid to make readers squirm in frustration and despair to get us there. I've seen it said that this book is very trope-y; in some ways it is, but in others--and in one huge way--it absolutely upends them. At first glance, the character of Iman--the crown prince of the nation of Orisha, good-hearted son to a cruel king who has unleashed a reign of terror and oppression against the maji--seems like he's going to be a kind of Zuko, with a complete redemption arc. Because I was led to this assumption, I was frustrated with how quick his supposed "redemption" seemed, and also annoyed at the trope-y romance he forms with previously hard-headed Zelie, but was ready for the narrative to get on with it. But his was not a redemption story; it was a story of how even a good-heart--with no Uncle Iroh to guide him--can be crushed and twisted by the evil around it, especially when one of them is your father-king. He constantly thinks of his father's maxim--Duty before self--and wants the best for Orisha, but ultimately is swayed time and time again by his father's words, despite having the gift for seeing into someone's dreams and pain. In the end, he was not choosing between duty and self; he was choosing between a desire for his father's approval and love and his desire for Zelie's. Deep down, though he could feel her pain for a little while, it was all too easy for him to forget it; he never really took the time to listen or learn about the maji's plight, and time and time again, after doubting and loathing his father, running back to him, even after knowing he brutally tortured Zelie. He was naive and pathetic; a spark of Zuko within him but crushed by end of season 3 Azula. I hated him by the end, but felt a smidge of pity and much more respect for Adeyemi's handling of the character, even if it didn't end happily.
Amari, though. Wonderful, sweet, smart, fierce, caring, strong Amari. The best developed character in the book. Already one of my favorite YA characters simply for the fact that, unlikely many hereos of these types of stories, she killed her father because he was a brutal, evil, oppresive tyrant whose death instantly made the world better, with no twitterings over her own conscious or relationship.
Also, the world building!! I'm glad that I see they're making a movie, because I desperately need to see the world of Orisha beyond my imagination, but goddamn they better have a big enough budget to do it justice.
Lastly, I just want to appreciate how Adeyemi's acknowledgements were a good 4 pages. Obviously that's not what most of us are here for, but I think it speaks volumes about her that she took the time to genuinely and meaningfully talk about the people who meant the most to her and the book and give them more than just a mention of their name.
thebookmushroom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Yeah. This book ateeeeee!!!😭
bookowl's review against another edition
2.0
Beautifully written, and excellent world-building. The physical copy of this book is gorgeous, too. I just felt like I’d read the story before somehow, so I couldn’t get into it.