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coffeekitaab's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
This was a rollercoaster ride - chapters 40ish onwards (all I'll say is the ceremony of all the leaders) is where this became a pageturner for me. I had been lulled into a false sense of security and leisurely reading at my own pace but then it became imperative to finish this book asap as I was struggling to put it down without knowing what happened next and then in the end!
Book 2 was incredible - Book 1 for comparison only was a slower read but in hindsight the introduction we needed before all the madness, action, drama and magic that unfolded in book 2. I adored the storyline and Altair is even more of a favourite after book 2, his trajectory in this book for me personally was gorgeous. His innuendos had me laughing out loud and his equation with Lana as a banter-ful duo was so fun to witness. Faizal did justice to stay true to the traits of each character, there were so many laugh out loud points, then I'd be riveted by emotion at tender moments within the characters, the loyalty of the zumra and the love between them was beautiful....I was then left in awe of the sudden plot twists which came out of nowhere and took my breath away. Simply, wow.
This is a 4.75 star for me - Nasir's hesitancy and indecisiveness in the beginning. I get it is his character and arguably, the 2nd half of the book left me vindicated but the guy is so frustrating at times. For all selfish purposes, I was also left wanting for something to happen between Yasmine and Altair - weirdly had picked up on some energy in the Epilogue of Book 1 and was craving it throughout Book 2, the suspense around their meeting left a void in me and as the writing is so brilliant, I knew that I would have loved this equation no matter what direction Faizal had taken with it/what that introduction would look like - the book would have absolutely been a five star for me! I have my fingers crossed for a book 3 with these two as the main characters...eek! In summary though, I want to congratulate Hafsah Faizal at penning this one down, an absolute mastermind in delivering a powerful, fierce, emotive and magical piece of writing. Kudos!!
After this and A Tempest of Tea, I am absolutely a fan - cannot wait for Faizal's next!
Book 2 was incredible - Book 1 for comparison only was a slower read but in hindsight the introduction we needed before all the madness, action, drama and magic that unfolded in book 2. I adored the storyline and Altair is even more of a favourite after book 2, his trajectory in this book for me personally was gorgeous. His innuendos had me laughing out loud and his equation with Lana as a banter-ful duo was so fun to witness. Faizal did justice to stay true to the traits of each character, there were so many laugh out loud points, then I'd be riveted by emotion at tender moments within the characters, the loyalty of the zumra and the love between them was beautiful....I was then left in awe of the sudden plot twists which came out of nowhere and took my breath away. Simply, wow.
This is a 4.75 star for me - Nasir's hesitancy and indecisiveness in the beginning. I get it is his character and arguably, the 2nd half of the book left me vindicated but the guy is so frustrating at times. For all selfish purposes, I was also left wanting for something to happen between Yasmine and Altair - weirdly had picked up on some energy in the Epilogue of Book 1 and was craving it throughout Book 2, the suspense around their meeting left a void in me and as the writing is so brilliant, I knew that I would have loved this equation no matter what direction Faizal had taken with it/what that introduction would look like - the book would have absolutely been a five star for me! I have my fingers crossed for a book 3 with these two as the main characters...eek! In summary though, I want to congratulate Hafsah Faizal at penning this one down, an absolute mastermind in delivering a powerful, fierce, emotive and magical piece of writing. Kudos!!
After this and A Tempest of Tea, I am absolutely a fan - cannot wait for Faizal's next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, War, Blood, Body horror, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, and Grief
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, War, and Sexism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, and Child death
maple_dove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
In my humble opinion, this book did not fall into the pit of sequel in a trilogy/duology syndrome (I forgot what it's called). I'm stuck between rating this 4.75 or 5 stars. I chose the latter.
This book just made me love the characters and the world even more. I binged this book in two days.
There's also aroace rep! It's nice to not have every character to have a romantic love interest. :)
I didn't write any quotes down, however, there are a lot of good quotes in this book.
This book just made me love the characters and the world even more. I binged this book in two days.
There's also aroace rep! It's nice to not have every character to have a romantic love interest. :)
I didn't write any quotes down, however, there are a lot of good quotes in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, War, Violence, Murder, Confinement, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, and Gore
Minor: Torture and Sexual content
I didn't keep exact track of the content warnings as I did for the previous book so these content warnings might not be entirely accurate.paigeinabook's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Addiction, Violence, Sexual content, and Child abuse
kinsportch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Classism, Violence, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Child abuse, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Slavery
handsome_enough_to_tempt_me's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-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
5.0
OK THIS IS LITERALLY SO GOOD FIVE STARS NO QUESTIONS ASKED
THE NASIR/ZAFIRA T E N S I O N PLSSSS SAY LESS I CANT EVEN I CANT
AND LIKE THE SIDE CHARACTERS AND ALTAIR’S DEVELOPMENT IS TOO GOOD I CANT JUST GO READ THIS DUOLOGY OK GOGOGOGO
THE NASIR/ZAFIRA T E N S I O N PLSSSS SAY LESS I CANT EVEN I CANT
AND LIKE THE SIDE CHARACTERS AND ALTAIR’S DEVELOPMENT IS TOO GOOD I CANT JUST GO READ THIS DUOLOGY OK GOGOGOGO
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse
DNEUSIDJDNDJDNDBHSHSKSKAKEOSIDDJJSNSWLWOEOIVJFDJ GO READ
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