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esme_may's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Takes a while to get going but picks up once you get familiar with the world. I was worried that I wouldn't be as into this one as I thought because I'm not that interested in rebellion stories these days, but it wasn't what I was expecting at all. Really excited to see where this series goes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
starrysteph's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-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
3.0
I know they say not to judge a book by its cover .. but WHAT a cover!
This was a complex (& dense) high fantasy read. I would strongly recommend taking it easy and reading small chunks at a time to slowly become immersed and gain a better understanding of the world.
There was a lot of richness here (and I don't think I've read a Jamaican-based fantasy before – so, very cool!), but it was very slow and often overwritten.
Here's what I enjoyed:
This was a complex (& dense) high fantasy read. I would strongly recommend taking it easy and reading small chunks at a time to slowly become immersed and gain a better understanding of the world.
There was a lot of richness here (and I don't think I've read a Jamaican-based fantasy before – so, very cool!), but it was very slow and often overwritten.
Here's what I enjoyed:
• The worldbuilding and lore was new and fresh and rich
• I also really liked the magic system and how the viewpoints of different characters physically changed the way they were able to utilize magic
• Both POVs played with power & victimhood in interesting ways, leading to a unique and complicated setup of good vs. evil and general villainy
• The premise is awesome! Two rival witches ... an examination of revenge and leadership and sacrifice
• I also really liked the magic system and how the viewpoints of different characters physically changed the way they were able to utilize magic
• Both POVs played with power & victimhood in interesting ways, leading to a unique and complicated setup of good vs. evil and general villainy
• The premise is awesome! Two rival witches ... an examination of revenge and leadership and sacrifice
Here's what didn't quite work for me:
• The book needed some editing (it was unnecessarily long & some word choices were peculiar) and the pacing was off; the first 75% was incredibly slow with most action happening offscreen but then everything came together in an overwhelming way
• I'm speaking for myself but I think other readers can probably relate: I desperately needed a glossary for the amount of names/positions and terminology
• While the POVs were theoretically very different, their voices blended together for me and it wasn’t obvious who was speaking - this was especially frustrating because it was told in first person
• The book needed some editing (it was unnecessarily long & some word choices were peculiar) and the pacing was off; the first 75% was incredibly slow with most action happening offscreen but then everything came together in an overwhelming way
• I'm speaking for myself but I think other readers can probably relate: I desperately needed a glossary for the amount of names/positions and terminology
• While the POVs were theoretically very different, their voices blended together for me and it wasn’t obvious who was speaking - this was especially frustrating because it was told in first person
• Some of the plot points converged a little too conveniently at the end
• The introduction to the romance wasn’t strong in my eyes. I’m curious how this will play out in book 2
CW: violence, blood, death, murder, child death, death of parent, war, torture, confinement, body horror, vomit, bullying, sexual assault (mentioned), suicide (mentioned)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
puttingwingsonwords's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Xenophobia, Grief, and Alcohol
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
First of all, the narrators for this audiobook were phenomenal. They brought so much to these characters and really brought the story to life. Smart plunges you right into this world she created, and while it took me a minute to get my bearings (a downfall sometimes when listening to fantasy books on audio), I loved the complexity behind the characters. Can't wait for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Torture
Minor: Rape
fromjuliereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
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
4.0
**Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**
Let me start off by saying that this cover looks like it is going to be absolutely gorgeous! I cannot wait to see it in person.
I ended up needing to sit with this book for a day before I felt like I could write my full review and thoughts out. Even though I had some minor mixed thoughts about the book and how the plot played out, this book was absolutely fantastic in its entirety - especially for a debut book.
I want to briefly mention the only reasons I felt I couldn't give this book a full 5 stars. They might seem minor to some people, but they really pulled me out of the story and stuck with me through most of my reading experience. The biggest thing was the way the beginning of the book was set up. For me, I found it quite confusing in the first 50 pages to follow everything that was happening, all of the characters, all of the terms, the worldbuilding, and the magic system. For a complex fantasy novel, it felt like far too much thrown at me at once. This book does begin in media res, which is one of my favourites - but I felt for too long like I was lacking the knowledge to truly grasp what I was reading. I am wondering if I had gotten some explanations sooner, or if some characters weren't introduced immediately, if it would have made it less confusing and overwhelming. It was somehow both a lot but not enough - I think I needed some of the information spread out and clarified just a little more for it to feel like a more natural in media res that drew me in. I wonder if the chapters weren't so short for the first bit, if we had gotten to stay with each character just a little longer to set things up, I think that could have made a huge difference. But, I digress.
The only other thing that I struggled with is that the plot of this book is entirely based on lies and miscommunication. While I loved it, it was incredibly frustrating at times, because everyone is lying to each other and simple conversations could be had to avoid catastrophic events. I do understand that this is kind of the point, since they have all been enemies for so long and are after their own agendas, but for 400 pages, it becomes a little tedious and frustrating at times. I just wanted a truth or trust, like, once...
BUT in comparison to what I loved about this book, those are quite minor things. If you like morally grey characters, is this ever the book for you! I don't think I have ever found a book with so many morally grey, chaotic neutral (or possibly even chaotic evil?) characters. It was kind of fun in a lot of ways - when it wasn't entirely frustrating... haha! Jazmyne has such an intriguing character arc. I thought her character was going an entirely different way than where she ends up at the end of this book - and it was actually really refreshing to see from the typical character arcs that we get in YA fantasy novels. And Ira (Iraya) - what can I really say except for that she is a sarcastic and sassy badass, and I actually really loved her character! I was surprised because I thought her character would be frustrating - distrustful, somehow both selfish and selfless, reckless, a warrior - and while she makes TERRIBLE choices at times, she is actually relatable in a lot of ways. And I loved her character and arc. Kirdan was my favourite character though - he is such a great character full of mystery and intrigue. You have no idea what is happening with his character most of the time and I LOVED it.
I also loved the addition of the other characters - Anya, and the Obeah like Delyse, Shamar, and Ford. They were all really well-done characters.
The magic system didn't have as many rules outlined as I personally like, and I found some of it a bit confusing at first, but it is a really unique and amazing magic system integrated into the story and the background history for the novel. It really helps to set up the divides in a way between the Alumbrar and Obeah, and I found it so interesting. I know that the Obeah and their magic was based on some specific Jamaican culture, which is so amazing to see integrated. The worldbuilding was well done - I was reading an arc in digital, so I am curious if there is a map in the finished copy, because that would be stupendous! You can see the influence of Jamaica in the world building, and in the conversations between characters. I really enjoyed it!
I would definitely recommend the book if you like fantasy and are looking for a unique and diverse read.
**Please make sure to check out some own voice reviews!! I of course do not have knowledge on the Jamaican culture and cannot comment on the representation.
Let me start off by saying that this cover looks like it is going to be absolutely gorgeous! I cannot wait to see it in person.
I ended up needing to sit with this book for a day before I felt like I could write my full review and thoughts out. Even though I had some minor mixed thoughts about the book and how the plot played out, this book was absolutely fantastic in its entirety - especially for a debut book.
I want to briefly mention the only reasons I felt I couldn't give this book a full 5 stars. They might seem minor to some people, but they really pulled me out of the story and stuck with me through most of my reading experience. The biggest thing was the way the beginning of the book was set up. For me, I found it quite confusing in the first 50 pages to follow everything that was happening, all of the characters, all of the terms, the worldbuilding, and the magic system. For a complex fantasy novel, it felt like far too much thrown at me at once. This book does begin in media res, which is one of my favourites - but I felt for too long like I was lacking the knowledge to truly grasp what I was reading. I am wondering if I had gotten some explanations sooner, or if some characters weren't introduced immediately, if it would have made it less confusing and overwhelming. It was somehow both a lot but not enough - I think I needed some of the information spread out and clarified just a little more for it to feel like a more natural in media res that drew me in. I wonder if the chapters weren't so short for the first bit, if we had gotten to stay with each character just a little longer to set things up, I think that could have made a huge difference. But, I digress.
The only other thing that I struggled with is that the plot of this book is entirely based on lies and miscommunication. While I loved it, it was incredibly frustrating at times, because everyone is lying to each other and simple conversations could be had to avoid catastrophic events. I do understand that this is kind of the point, since they have all been enemies for so long and are after their own agendas, but for 400 pages, it becomes a little tedious and frustrating at times. I just wanted a truth or trust, like, once...
BUT in comparison to what I loved about this book, those are quite minor things. If you like morally grey characters, is this ever the book for you! I don't think I have ever found a book with so many morally grey, chaotic neutral (or possibly even chaotic evil?) characters. It was kind of fun in a lot of ways - when it wasn't entirely frustrating... haha! Jazmyne has such an intriguing character arc. I thought her character was going an entirely different way than where she ends up at the end of this book - and it was actually really refreshing to see from the typical character arcs that we get in YA fantasy novels. And Ira (Iraya) - what can I really say except for that she is a sarcastic and sassy badass, and I actually really loved her character! I was surprised because I thought her character would be frustrating - distrustful, somehow both selfish and selfless, reckless, a warrior - and while she makes TERRIBLE choices at times, she is actually relatable in a lot of ways. And I loved her character and arc. Kirdan was my favourite character though - he is such a great character full of mystery and intrigue. You have no idea what is happening with his character most of the time and I LOVED it.
I also loved the addition of the other characters - Anya, and the Obeah like Delyse, Shamar, and Ford. They were all really well-done characters.
The magic system didn't have as many rules outlined as I personally like, and I found some of it a bit confusing at first, but it is a really unique and amazing magic system integrated into the story and the background history for the novel. It really helps to set up the divides in a way between the Alumbrar and Obeah, and I found it so interesting. I know that the Obeah and their magic was based on some specific Jamaican culture, which is so amazing to see integrated. The worldbuilding was well done - I was reading an arc in digital, so I am curious if there is a map in the finished copy, because that would be stupendous! You can see the influence of Jamaica in the world building, and in the conversations between characters. I really enjoyed it!
I would definitely recommend the book if you like fantasy and are looking for a unique and diverse read.
**Please make sure to check out some own voice reviews!! I of course do not have knowledge on the Jamaican culture and cannot comment on the representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Stalking