The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
katievallin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abandonment
kat_rowlen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
meghansarmiento97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Grief, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Trafficking
wizardingwisteria's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Slavery and Animal cruelty
Minor: Blood
nutmegandpumpkin's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Dialogue: 3/5
Setting: 5/5
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What I Didnât Like:
⢠In my opinion it took a bit too long for the characters to get into the Greater Jungle (which seems to be the main plot point in the synopsis).
⢠There were a lot of names being dropped in the very beginning which made it a bit hard for me to keep track of
⢠I think the authorâs clutch phrase is âCharacter A started to [blank] then thought better of itâ (there were so many times that phrase was used that it became distracting)
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⢠Not a fan of when conflict could be solved if characters JUST COMMUNICATEDÂ
⢠A bit confused by the end:
What I Liked:
⢠The first few chapters definitely intrigued me and although it took me quite a bit to get all the way through, I was interested in finding out what was going to happen nextÂ
⢠The writing was both easy to read and has some beautiful lines
⢠The world building felt well-developed and thought out (probably the highlight of the book for me)
⢠OCD rep
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Classism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
book_loving_dragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
thebakerbookworm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved the world-building in this oneâthe book starts with two maps so you know it's gonna be good. There's no info-dumping but things are clearly explained, and the magic system was so interesting! I'm constantly impressed by fantasy authors that continue to come up with unique ways for magic to work in their worlds. I also really loved the jungle setting hereâI was getting Catching Fire vibes which definitely had me more on the edge of my seat!
The characters were also great. We spend the most time with Koffi and Ekon of course, and they get the development and complexity they're due as main characters, but I'd say it's more plot-focused than character-focused. There are some interesting side characters I would've like to spend more time with, but maybe that'll happen in book two.
The plot, like I said, started out really slow, and I think I felt this way because it just took forever for the characters to actually meet and start their journey in the jungle. There were also some repeated scenes from a different POV that slowed the pace down. But once it picked up, the plot pretty much hit all the points I was expecting from a YA fantasyâwhich is a good thing!
Overall, definitely a good fantasy story and I'm looking forward to reading book two!
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Drug use
isabellesbookroom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Minor: Slavery, Torture, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Drug abuse, and Classism
vaniavela's review
- 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
4.0
 Positives Aspects:
- The characters were well written and I found them likable, being that Koffi, Ekon and Adiah had complex personalities. I enjoyed reading the perspectives of all of them, giving us a different view of the kingdom and the story.Â
- The world of Lkossa was amazing, full of cultural details and vibrant descriptions. I would have loved to see more scenes in more interesting locations, such as the night zoo or the jungle.Â
Negative Aspects:
- It was slow paced, not much happens in the first hundred pages. Also, before reading the book I thought the animals would have a bigger part in the story. I expected more of that.Â
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rep: Black/African female MC, Black/African male MC with anxiety and OCD, Black/African female MC, supporting cast of BIPOC characters.Â
cw: Blood, death, drug use, fire, injury detail, medical content, mental illness (anxiety/OCD), murder, panic attacks/disorders, violence, xenophobia.Â
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death