The worldbuilding was so rich, unique and well developed. There's a lot of folklore and oral storytelling that happens within the story which I love. Like stories within stories to explain the history and traditions. Court politics, found family, complex characters. Really a fantastic YA fantasy and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves that genre!

audiobook was also well narrated (I did a mix)

What a journey! I loved Tarisai’s story and her motivations. The friendship, love, adversity was engaging and the power and darkness that runs this world was extraordinary. The stakes were high! The past, present and lore had me glued to the pages. The colors and cultures were immersive. I’m excited to read the sequel! 

I highly recommand the audiobook. The narrator is incredible, very engaging and even thogh the world is complicated and full of names im not used to, i didnt feel lost. The story itself is unlike anything i ever read before, and i loved it. It was very interesting and felt real. Incredible worldbuilding. I would recommend it to people who would like a new taste of fantacy, rich lore and worldbuilding, found family and messy family relations, and a brave, complicated fmc.

When I picked up this book, I didn't know what to expect but from how beautiful the cover was presented I knew this book was bound to be intriguing. I was very happy after I finished this book and found a new fantasy series i am interested in reading more of! 

The first thing I want to talk about is the world building and the world itself. The world was so interesting and a world I have never seen before in a novel. Each location had it's own culture, people, and diverse landscapes. Each place was different from the other, making the world feel alive and lived in like it could be a real place. The magic system in place was well explained and unique, the powers of the Ray and how the council was joined together as one was a cool concept to explore. The Harrows were cool and explained how some had abilities while others didn't. 

The characters were amazing and one of my favorite parts of the book! How you had a strong young female character of color who you watched go through so much and couldn't help but root for her till the very end. Tarisai had earned everything she got in the end and worked hard to get to that point! She had to go through so much but came out stronger by the end! She felt very believable and her struggles connect her with a lot of women who have went through similar obstacles in their own lives. Dayo was also a very well thought out character, he was kind and honest nothing like usual male characters who were born into royalty. He was a noble but he didn't act like it. Also he is canonically asexual, which is unheard of in most books especially if it's the main male lead character. And Tarisai and Dayo had more of a friendship or brother and sister like bond which was very refreshing to read after so many love triangles involving main characters. Sanjeet was a great character, I loved him so much and he was another well thought out and deep character! His story and how he connected to Tarisai was sweet and honestly adorable to read about. They both kept each other grounded and understood each other on a deeper level. Kirah was a supportive and amazing best friend to Tarisai, she was there for her and helped her out without question. Woo In was hilarious and the king of sarcastic humor. The Lady, I think she is one of the best and most complex villians I have read about in a long while. At times her motives are heinous and cruel, other times you understand why she did what she did and sympathize with her. It was fun to have a villian you could feel both ways about. 

The themes of emotional abuse and the effects it can have on one person for the remainder of their lives is thought provoking. You love that parent but you hate what they did to you and their hold on you despite wanting to break free from it. They are still your family and you still feel a love for them despite everything they have done to you. It also showed how a system can favor one class over the other, making everyone else's lives harder. How important culture is to a person and how changing that can hurt a group of people. 

This book was overall a treat to read and I am glad that I gave this book a chance! I cant wait to read the second book in the series and see what happens next! 

Oooh I loved this book. I was intrigued om the fist page. Although, full disclaimer, I do love it when fantasy books are based on different cultures. This was a massive plus for me and I kept finding myself wanting to learn more about this world. 

The book mainly focusses on Tarisai's journey and I loved seeing her grow and become more confident through the pages. We meet her as a child and learn more of her world as she matures and grows up. The whole concept of the curse is fascinating and I loved seeing her struggle with it, her largely unknown family and what she wants for herself. I enjoyed seeing the subtle shifts in the writing as she grew up to reflect her own changes. While this book is marketed as YA, it is definitely just as suitable for adults. It feels a lot more fleshed out than a lot of the YA books I've recently read and doesn't rely on romance to push the plot forward. The characters feel real and I think that people of all ages can  It focuses a lot less on romance than modern YA books seem to and spends more time looking at self growth and destiny and the importance of other forms of love (something I absolutely love and want to see way more of in books). While some characters were definitely more of a focus than others (especially Tarisai and Dayo), all of them felt well thought out. I very much enjoyed how deeply flawed they all were and learning about their weaknesses and fears just as much as their strengths. 

There is a lot of beautiful imagery in this book and I liked how it tied back to its African folklore inspirations. The author did reuse a lot of descriptions though and often in the same scenarios. I enjoyed the unique magic system and the concept of the council. The way it works and grants power is fascinating. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it before. The world is clearly well thought out and the book does and incredible of of exploring it and just how diverse all its cultures are, while also looking at the dangers of xenophobia and attempts at cultural suppression for the sake of conformity. Although I felt some parts towards the end were a little bit expositiony, this is largely done in a natural way through the plot.

I can definitely recommend this book to fantasy lovers who would like to explore a unique world, particularly those who would like to read beyond the typical European-inspired fantasy realms (not that there is anything wrong with them of course). And to those who enjoy YA fiction but are tired of how romance and love triangle heavy the genre has gotten. I will definitely be reading the next book as this one, while it has a good end point, definitely leaves a lot of questions unanswered about the future of Tarisai's world

Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars

A lush exploration of character, plot, and the world.