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amschelly153's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Well written, complicated and lovable characters. Beautiful and intriguing magic system!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
acielawhorn3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I enjoyed this book quite a bit for some of it, a solid 4 stars. But after so many plans failed and constantly hearing about how Amari needs to tale the throne and blah blah blah it just became so incredibly redundant at times. . Just like in the last novel, Inan was still my favorite POV to read and see him come to his senses by the end of the novel. but just like the last one his constant flip-flopping on whose side to take was just kind of annoying especially when most of the time theres no real reason for the changing decisions. He did the right thing by the end of the novel which is what matters but still it was a little annoying.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
lizzie24601's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
An interesting installment for the trilogy that deals with a lot of the same themes of the first book. This one frustrated me, tho, because of the lack of character growth. The main characters continue to make the same mistakes time and time again and grapple with the same flaws that it becomes boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement
ethuiliel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Minor: Sexual content
paintedpolarbear's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
3.0
To start with, the introduction of Titans was, at the beginning, a logical progression from the ending of the previous book. "The Gods work in mysterious ways" indeed, and it appeared to be a natural consequence of magic returning to the world. How would maji, with their closed cultural practices revolving around magic, adapt to the sudden influx of non-religious magic users? How would the new Titans adapt to their unprecedented powers? The answer was badly, on both counts, with the arrival of Titans sowing immediate chaos and disunity among the nation. Nobody handled this well. My major gripe was how quickly the argument among the maji devolved from actual cultural concerns to "well we just have to account for them when drawing up plans on how to kill as many people as possible." The idea that this was the gods' plan all along just never came up, which is insane considering how many other discussions revolved around trying to puzzle out the gods' will. What should have been a metaphor for socio-religious conflict became "my enemy leveled up, so now I have to level up as well," ad infinitum. Nobody wins in an arms race, btw.
One constant bugbear throughout the entire book was Amari's choices and actions. She quickly went from a character I was rooting for to a character I was hoping would die in a rockslide or something. Like, I get it, what are you supposed to do when the person whose approval you need says to your face that the best thing you can do for your country is die, but...I think the right answer is NOT to turn around and immediately magically lobotomize that person, take up the role of tribal elder (it's giving settler colonialism 🥴), and proceed to develop your own special and unique take on magic that completely disregards the cultural history that you have only just now become even slightly curious about. I'm also side-eyeing Mama Agba for condoning and encouraging literally everything about this.
Not to mention the LITERAL ACTUAL WAR CRIME of TARGETING CIVILIANS. Over which she has the AUDACITY to be shocked and dismayed that people are upset that she committed. Of which SHE is upset ONLY BECAUSE IT DIDN'T WORK. And expected everyone (including her boyfriend) to forgive her when OTHER PEOPLE have to resort to BLOOD SACRIFICE to invent NEW MAGIC just to UNDO WHAT SHE DID.
(This is not to say I am not side-eying Zelie/the Iyika literally using the exact same superweapon in their attack against the monarchy in the next scene, but it's fine because they're targeting soldiers? Can we be serious.)
Oh and the epilogue. Why was the trans-Atlantic slave trade overture necessary at all?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sweetchocolatez's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Genocide, Slavery, Torture, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
lady_valhella's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism
jlemms87's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I didn’t think it was possible for this one to destroy me more than the first, but here I am. Destroyed.
SO well done. I had to pace myself because the darkness and hate were so well written that I needed breaks. My heart is still aching for each of the characters, and for how desperately I just wanted them to listen to one another.
SO well done. I had to pace myself because the darkness and hate were so well written that I needed breaks. My heart is still aching for each of the characters, and for how desperately I just wanted them to listen to one another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
someryarns's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Kidnapping
ginalucia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi is a fantastic, intense, and emotional read. Adeyemi expertly blends emotions with logic, drawing us into a world where every character's struggle feels incredibly authentic.
The characters themselves are what really make Adeyemi’s writing stand out. They are beautifully flawed, making hasty decisions influenced by a mix of intense emotions - something we can all relate to.
This book delves into the complexities of leadership and the impact of decisions. It’s honestly a wild and troubling ride.
Listening to the audiobook version adds another layer to the experience, making the story even more immersive and intense. If you debating on picking it up as an audiobook, I highly recommend it. Bahni Turpin did an amazing job.
The relentless pace of the book, with one high-stakes situation after another, is the reason for my four-star rating. A few moments of calm within the storm would have made a big difference.
Overall, Children of Virtue and Vengeance is an engaging, thought-provoking read that stays with you. Definitely worth picking up.
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel ( ttps://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Blood, and Classism