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caprice_573'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
5.0
Graphic: Child death and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny and Vomit
Minor: Rape
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Stalking, Pregnancy, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ashlikes'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Pregnancy
modernhobbitvibes's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
jan1e'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
5.0
This is the sort of book I would recommend if you’re looking to escape to a world where there is hope in the end. Found family and a fantastic coming of age story for a girl with mother issues. Cannot sing enough praises for this book full of culture and love inside a great story! Cried from all the emotions! A five star read, it has my heart!
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
bipoc, asexualthecatconstellation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
My only critique is that the council members are supposedly so meaningful to Tar, but only a few of them are fleshed out beyond the most basic level.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Alcohol
agodfrey_gardens'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape
pagesandtales'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
poorunfortunatereader'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
The whole time I was reading, I kept getting Black Panther vibes in the best way possible.
This features a lot of tropes I enjoy: magical trials, political intrigue, unique magic systems, and found family.
The author does a good job of immediately pulling you into this world and this story and I found the story as a whole to be really fun and entertaining.
Compared to other similar books that are inspired by African mythology, something this did different was incorporate multiple African cultures into the story and it completely enriches the setting of this novel.
The writing itself did feel a bit juvenile at times, but I didn’t particularly mind that because when we first meet our main character she’s 11 years old, so it made sense to the novel. Also I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this being geared more towards a younger YA audience
One minor criticism I have is that I wish the trials described in the synopsis were developed more. We only really get to experience these trials and competition within the first third of the novel, and I just wanted more of the trials.
There are also some moments in the middle of the book that describe the mundane details of palace life in this world and I didn’t find those scenes entirely interesting.
Overall though, I think this is a highly imaginative young adult fantasy novel full of great characters, magic and a sprinkling of political intrigue that would recommend to fantasy readers.
Graphic: Child abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Rape
bookishmillennial'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
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexual content