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faysalbasil's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Bullying
This was a very entertaining fantasy book. Fun, love the magic, very interesting conflict. It’s a very interesting fantasy world overall. Did not enjoy the love triangle and sometimes it felt less like a journey for the characters and more like the events were predestined. I usually like to at least feel like I can’t tell where the events will go next.mmoran22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- 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? No
2.5
I really wanted to love this book, but it felt like every three pages there was a plot twist or a scene change or a new character who you’ll never see again etc etc. The characters are fine, but I think if you’re going to make young/immature main characters then there should be more focus on their growth and development than what happened in this book. The world building was awesome, I liked seeing a magical world through this lens, but the plot and the characters didn’t do it for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Violence and War
dmrains's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
There were a lot of terms introduced that were spelled similarly that I had a hard time remembering what they meant, but thankfully they didn't impact my understanding. She included a "dramatis personae" at the end which was helpful because there were a TON of characters, so I could look them up at the back to help me remember who's who. The last 'act' seemed to escalate really quickly compared to everything else in the plot. Very well written
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
pernrider's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- 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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Trafficking, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
thereadingmarshmallow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
e_briar's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
bookstaash's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This epic fantasy debut follows Dèmi, a magic wielding Oluso, who is trying to survive a brutal regime that murdered her mother and invaded her homeland. She and other Oluso must hide their powers, as capture would mean death or enslavement. When a regional lord offers Dèmi the chance to secure the safety of her people by kidnapping a prince, she embarks on an adventure that will challenge everything she knows about her heritage, her magic and herself.
This debut from Okosun was a really fun and unique read! The Nigerian mythology and cultural setting were new but, very well-explained and illustrated throughout the novel. I liked the author’s writing style and enjoyed the overall story. The love triangle/romance was adorable, and one of my favorite aspects.
My biggest criticism is that I didn’t understand the motives or histories of the “villains” throughout the story. Alastair Sorenson and Mari seemed to have started a war based on Dèmi’s mother rejecting them - ?. It’s possible I just didn’t understand but, their reasoning seemed kind of lame. I also don’t feel like I really understood how Yétunde fit in to their lives before the war. I think some of this is due to the fact that the story is told from Dèmi’s perspective, and I’m sure their will be more details in the next book (as she learns more).
Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexual assault, Trafficking, and War
morrigan_gaines_writes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. This is my honest review**
3.5 STARS!
There were a lot of positives for this book, BUT the pacing/transitions made it hard to follow what was happening sometimes. I wanted to love this book but several times I was flipping back through feeling like I had missed something important.
<b>Some things I loved:</b>
The world and magic system is elaborate and engaging.
It is fast-paced.
The magic, creatures, and various fantasy elements are a breath of fresh air after reading so many books with European inspired fantasy.
The overarching theme of colonization was done well. There was so much this story had to offer in surviving as an oppressed people and what it means to rise up against injustice. The internal conflicts/reactions of each of the three characters felt genuine in regards to their part in the political and social issues of this world.
Ehigbor Okosun's writing shows a talent and great potential for wrapping us up into a story. I really enjoyed her writing style. The descriptions don't feel forced or drawn out, the magic system is fascinating and the political/social aspects of the world make you want to read more.
<b>Things that didn't work for me:</b>
We flew through things at times. We'd be dealing with one plot point and suddenly that was resolved and we had skipped through to a totally new conflict in the plot. Normally this would make for a fast-paced book but the transitions made the plot feel disjointed to me. I (on multiple occasions) had to pause and check if I had skipped something or missed an important detail.
I felt like the magic system needed some clarifying. For example, what was essentially a magical leash for Jonas, on several occasions was described as not being able to stretch very far. But then there are times that Demi is a whole room over without concern.
We need a glossary. There are so many terms, words for different types of Oluso, and so much in this world that I had difficulty remembering what was what.
There is a huge cast of characters and we didn't always get enough of an intro about a character for them to stick in my mind the next time they appeared. Again this may be because of the pacing/transition issue for my brain.
<b>Additional Comments:</b>
The love triangle was hard. I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between two of the characters, so it didn't feel so much like a love triangle but more like the MC was just using the characters to relieve some of her trauma/stress through physical affection. This does appropriately fall under romantic fantasy genre, not fantasy romance, as the romance is a subplot.
I believe this is suppose to be marketed as a New Adult or Adult fantasy book. But the characters are young and the way they act makes it hard to read it as adult fantasy. HOWEVER, they are young but dealing with very much ADULT issues. So I am interested in seeing if the second book expands on that idea and matures them. I'd say for the general adult fantasy reader, this book may not be what they're use to because of the immaturity of the characters.
<b>Final Notes: </b>
As a debut novel, Forged by Blood did intrigue me. I will be watching Ehigbor Okosun in the coming years and reading her books because there is amazing potential in her writing. I think that if the transitions and plot pacing wasn't so rough for me, this would have easily been a 4 or 5 star read. It's a solid debut and I can't wait to see what comes next!
3.5 STARS!
There were a lot of positives for this book, BUT the pacing/transitions made it hard to follow what was happening sometimes. I wanted to love this book but several times I was flipping back through feeling like I had missed something important.
<b>Some things I loved:</b>
The world and magic system is elaborate and engaging.
It is fast-paced.
The magic, creatures, and various fantasy elements are a breath of fresh air after reading so many books with European inspired fantasy.
The overarching theme of colonization was done well. There was so much this story had to offer in surviving as an oppressed people and what it means to rise up against injustice. The internal conflicts/reactions of each of the three characters felt genuine in regards to their part in the political and social issues of this world.
Ehigbor Okosun's writing shows a talent and great potential for wrapping us up into a story. I really enjoyed her writing style. The descriptions don't feel forced or drawn out, the magic system is fascinating and the political/social aspects of the world make you want to read more.
<b>Things that didn't work for me:</b>
We flew through things at times. We'd be dealing with one plot point and suddenly that was resolved and we had skipped through to a totally new conflict in the plot. Normally this would make for a fast-paced book but the transitions made the plot feel disjointed to me. I (on multiple occasions) had to pause and check if I had skipped something or missed an important detail.
I felt like the magic system needed some clarifying. For example, what was essentially a magical leash for Jonas, on several occasions was described as not being able to stretch very far. But then there are times that Demi is a whole room over without concern.
We need a glossary. There are so many terms, words for different types of Oluso, and so much in this world that I had difficulty remembering what was what.
There is a huge cast of characters and we didn't always get enough of an intro about a character for them to stick in my mind the next time they appeared. Again this may be because of the pacing/transition issue for my brain.
<b>Additional Comments:</b>
The love triangle was hard. I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between two of the characters, so it didn't feel so much like a love triangle but more like the MC was just using the characters to relieve some of her trauma/stress through physical affection. This does appropriately fall under romantic fantasy genre, not fantasy romance, as the romance is a subplot.
I believe this is suppose to be marketed as a New Adult or Adult fantasy book. But the characters are young and the way they act makes it hard to read it as adult fantasy. HOWEVER, they are young but dealing with very much ADULT issues. So I am interested in seeing if the second book expands on that idea and matures them. I'd say for the general adult fantasy reader, this book may not be what they're use to because of the immaturity of the characters.
<b>Final Notes: </b>
As a debut novel, Forged by Blood did intrigue me. I will be watching Ehigbor Okosun in the coming years and reading her books because there is amazing potential in her writing. I think that if the transitions and plot pacing wasn't so rough for me, this would have easily been a 4 or 5 star read. It's a solid debut and I can't wait to see what comes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Slavery, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy