Scan barcode
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
pacifickat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was a decent second installment of the series, albeit not as polished and clearly directional as Children of Blood and Bone (one of my favorite YA Fantasy books to date, so I don't blame Virtue and Vengeance for not reaching that bar). It felt a bit like Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia series, where the preceding book had a plot with a lot of upward momentum ending on a clearly positive note after the main characters experienced notable development in a single direction, but the following book is mired in character flaws, violence, and a bleaker outlook. I actually liked that to a certain extent, because mixed motives, continued resolve, and not becoming frustrated with a cause that is slow to succeed are all very real and believable.
As I grew frustrated (likely by author design) with the foibles of each character and their seeming devolving character arcs, I also realize the plot of the first book took place in what I believe was a matter of weeks. It's no wonder the characters are experiencing some backsliding, especially when their next steps toward success are less defined, and debatable depending on each one's motivations and past traumas. However, it was often difficult to be in their heads, particularly Zélie's POV chapters. Our girl turned it around by the end though, once her vendetta became less personal and she found strength in truly uniting her people. Can magic fix everything? Maybe.
In truth, I was a bit baffled by Inan's chapters, as he repeatedly experienced horrific realizations regarding his family's past and the corruption of the monarchy, and yet (for the most part) continued on their side in spite of feeling sick about it. He is truly a slow-turning vehicle, and it felt unbelievable to see him continue to believe in his corrupt institution. A bit on the nose in today's political climate? Perhaps.
And Amari, my favorite character through the bulk of this story, arguing for a future with peace for all Orïshans, had an enormous, disappointing twist. I'm not sure the author did enough to develop Amari to then make her murder of civilians a believable course of action, but she did sprinkle in Amari's (violently abusive) father's voice in Amari's head throughout the book as she becomes increasingly desperate to succeed. It's a clever use of POV to capture internal monologue that I am unsure will translate well into movie form should they decide to do a live action version of this series. Ultimately, she learns that peace at any price is too high a cost to pay. The author makes it sound like Amari could have a path back to grace following this murderous episode, but that will be a difficult pill for some readers to swallow after she massacred an entire village (even if the author copped out of it by conveniently resurrecting everyone...but this is YA after all).
Ultimately, it turns out that Roën, the mercenary side-character without a POV chapter of his own, displayed the most character development of anyone. He pulls a Severus Snape, going from a grey area of working for both sides for personal gain to finding a reason to fight for something better, a transformation nearly entirely driven by his love for Zélie. While I remain skeptical that two highly-volatile characters who have been primarily fueled by rage and pain can make for a successful long term relationship (perhaps one of the Healers can invent cognitive therapy), their story still felt like one of the few satisfying elements of the entire book.
So, in the end, it turns out war, genocide, structural racism, and governmental overthrow are messy. Everyone involved has mixed motivations and violence is a near a guarantee. Are vengeance-fueled teens frustrating and a little scary? Yes. Can idealism turn dark? For sure. Are child warriors disturbing? Absolutely. All in all, this is a book with complicated plot and subject matter that meanders so much I wasn't sure how the author would wrap it all up. An abrupt, cliff-hanger, twist ending may not be what we, the faithful readers, disserved after hanging on through this entire book. But what did we expect? I guess we'll have to wait for the third and final installment to see if we get any real resolution to what has been a wild ride of a series.
In truth, I was a bit baffled by Inan's chapters, as he repeatedly experienced horrific realizations regarding his family's past and the corruption of the monarchy, and yet (for the most part) continued on their side in spite of feeling sick about it. He is truly a slow-turning vehicle, and it felt unbelievable to see him continue to believe in his corrupt institution. A bit on the nose in today's political climate? Perhaps.
And Amari, my favorite character through the bulk of this story, arguing for a future with peace for all Orïshans, had an enormous, disappointing twist. I'm not sure the author did enough to develop Amari to then make her murder of civilians a believable course of action, but she did sprinkle in Amari's (violently abusive) father's voice in Amari's head throughout the book as she becomes increasingly desperate to succeed. It's a clever use of POV to capture internal monologue that I am unsure will translate well into movie form should they decide to do a live action version of this series. Ultimately, she learns that peace at any price is too high a cost to pay. The author makes it sound like Amari could have a path back to grace following this murderous episode, but that will be a difficult pill for some readers to swallow after she massacred an entire village (even if the author copped out of it by conveniently resurrecting everyone...but this is YA after all).
Ultimately, it turns out that Roën, the mercenary side-character without a POV chapter of his own, displayed the most character development of anyone. He pulls a Severus Snape, going from a grey area of working for both sides for personal gain to finding a reason to fight for something better, a transformation nearly entirely driven by his love for Zélie. While I remain skeptical that two highly-volatile characters who have been primarily fueled by rage and pain can make for a successful long term relationship (perhaps one of the Healers can invent cognitive therapy), their story still felt like one of the few satisfying elements of the entire book.
So, in the end, it turns out war, genocide, structural racism, and governmental overthrow are messy. Everyone involved has mixed motivations and violence is a near a guarantee. Are vengeance-fueled teens frustrating and a little scary? Yes. Can idealism turn dark? For sure. Are child warriors disturbing? Absolutely. All in all, this is a book with complicated plot and subject matter that meanders so much I wasn't sure how the author would wrap it all up. An abrupt, cliff-hanger, twist ending may not be what we, the faithful readers, disserved after hanging on through this entire book. But what did we expect? I guess we'll have to wait for the third and final installment to see if we get any real resolution to what has been a wild ride of a series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Vomit
This book contains child soldiers.kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
This is an intense, fast-paced read. The battle scenes are brutal, the love stories are laced with complications, and the young people who are at odds with each other are naive yet steadfast toward their beliefs. The ending was such a cliffhanger that I didn’t expect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
robinks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.25
Compared to the first volume, this one felt a little less intense and more about internal struggles, and I found myself super frustrated at different points. The epilogue had really powerful imagery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, and Alcohol
debthebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Before I learned there is a third book coming, I was fully prepared to throw this book across the room. Ending with what I can only assume are the Europeans coming to enslave the Orïshans instead of giving us the victory Zélie deserves would have been a compete let-down.
But Children of Anguish and Anarchy is coming! So I can focus on how I feel about the pages leading up to the end.
I was not prepared for Amari's arc. Seeing her turn exactly into what her parents raised her to be and sacrificing Ibadan was frustrating, and I wished she had been sacrificed for the other elders to join their hearts. I expected Mama Agba to go, but not like that. All in all, it was a beautiful send-off.
Zélie and Inan hurt. I was excited to learn that Inan was alive, even though he was so aggravating and the reason Baba died. He and Zélie, though, were just something I wanted to work, and watching him fight himself again but this time also having to fight against his mother, I rooted for him to break free so he could do the right thing. It took the whole book, but I'm glad it happened.
Also, so much pain. Having to watch Zélie get broken down to the point where she didn't want to fight anymore was so painful. Mâzeli did not deserve to die, and it was her fault! There were so many instances of everyone not listening or trusting each other, I didn't know who was going to prevail.
Overall, story-wise, I loved seeing more maji, watching Zélie blossom with her own little clan, discovering cênters, and seeing the maji sanctuary. The twists were really good. I was shocked every time. The last few chapters, jumping from character to character every 3 pages, was jarring, but I pushed through. Also unless this is addressed in Book 3, we never learned what happened to Ramaya.
I debated on how many stars to give this, but those issues stop me from giving it 5.
But Children of Anguish and Anarchy is coming! So I can focus on how I feel about the pages leading up to the end.
Zélie and Inan hurt. I was excited to learn that Inan was alive, even though he was so aggravating and the reason Baba died. He and Zélie, though, were just something I wanted to work, and watching him fight himself again but this time also having to fight against his mother, I rooted for him to break free so he could do the right thing. It took the whole book, but I'm glad it happened.
Also, so much pain. Having to watch Zélie get broken down to the point where she didn't want to fight anymore was so painful. Mâzeli did not deserve to die, and it was her fault!
Overall, story-wise, I loved seeing more maji, watching Zélie blossom with her own little clan, discovering cênters, and seeing the maji sanctuary. The twists were really good. I was shocked every time. The last few chapters, jumping from character to character every 3 pages, was jarring, but I pushed through. Also unless this is addressed in Book 3, we never learned what happened to Ramaya.
I debated on how many stars to give this, but those issues stop me from giving it 5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, and Vomit
puggreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sea_sea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
I really liked this book. It was really good, but very very sad and there was also quite a lot of violence.
There is also a lesbian background couple <3 I am definitely looking forward to the third book. Hopefully their story ends well! >~<
There is also a lesbian background couple <3 I am definitely looking forward to the third book. Hopefully their story ends well! >~<
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.0
📱
After finishing the first book, I had high exceptions and I don't think this book lived up to them. This was a decent book and there were parts that I enjoyed reading.
After finishing the first book, I had high exceptions and I don't think this book lived up to them. This was a decent book and there were parts that I enjoyed reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Gaslighting and Colonisation
grets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture and Fire/Fire injury