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wellingtonestatelibrary's review
4.0
I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I had expected to! The plot and characters were compelling from the start, and the magic system was fresh and interesting. I didn't realize, when I pre-ordered it, that it was a prequel to an existing book, but I will definitely be picking up Of Fire and Stars in the near future.
ken_untitled's review
adventurous
tense
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? No
3.5
cynthia_nobear's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Confinement, and Death
celina_666's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
I must admit. I had a hard time beginning this, but once that was over it went really smoothly.
romanticalrj's review against another edition
5.0
SPOILERS LATER IN REVIEW - WILL GIVE WARNING
I previously read Of Fire and Stars by the same author, and liked it, but wasn't supremely impressed by it. I wasn't expecting much more from this book, but I was really craving some sapphic fantasy, so I picked it up anyways.
I am SO glad I did.
I wasn't immediately drawn in by the characters at the beginning of the book when I started it over spring break, and so I stopped reading it for several weeks. The book begins with Ina and Asra already in a relationship, and without any build up, I couldn't really find a connection to their relationship or story. However, I ended up pushing through a couple weeks later, and completely changed my mind.
The book evolved into an epic story of fantasy, betrayal, love, and family, and it was AMAZING. I actually can't get over how surprised I am that I loved this book. The writing was absolutely gorgeous; every description allowed me to taste the world inside the book. The writing of the characters was absolutely splendid, and really took into account the reality of humanity for every single character, in the sense that people make choices based on what they believe is good in the moment even if it turns out to have disastrous consequences.
Basically I loved absolutely everything about this book, from the fantasy, to the writing, to the characters, to the character arcs, the plot development, the lessons learned, the observations on humanity, and the discovery of family. Did not seem trope-y or cliche at all, despite having some well known story tools (like chosen family, chosen one gets pushed out of home by extenuating circumstance). Everything about it was simply and completely lovely. I was pleasantly surprised by how hard I fell for this book.
SPOILERS
I also absolutely adored how Asra's relationship with Hal evolved throughout the story, and how he ended up becoming her family after becoming her best friend. I also loved how Asra ended up with the little baby (despite Ina being.... Ina). The little family they made was so sweet, and I absolutely fell in love with the three of them.
And despite hating Ina from the beginning, I actually grew to kind of like and understand her by the end of the book. And I was strangely glad when it was revealed that she had grown to love Hal's sister. It was another one of those moments that revealed that even villains can find love, and no one is the villain of their own story. Ina wasn't doing evil for the sake of it - she believed she was doing what was right, even though it hurt Asra.
END OF SPOILERS
I previously read Of Fire and Stars by the same author, and liked it, but wasn't supremely impressed by it. I wasn't expecting much more from this book, but I was really craving some sapphic fantasy, so I picked it up anyways.
I am SO glad I did.
I wasn't immediately drawn in by the characters at the beginning of the book when I started it over spring break, and so I stopped reading it for several weeks. The book begins with Ina and Asra already in a relationship, and without any build up, I couldn't really find a connection to their relationship or story. However, I ended up pushing through a couple weeks later, and completely changed my mind.
The book evolved into an epic story of fantasy, betrayal, love, and family, and it was AMAZING. I actually can't get over how surprised I am that I loved this book. The writing was absolutely gorgeous; every description allowed me to taste the world inside the book. The writing of the characters was absolutely splendid, and really took into account the reality of humanity for every single character, in the sense that people make choices based on what they believe is good in the moment even if it turns out to have disastrous consequences.
Basically I loved absolutely everything about this book, from the fantasy, to the writing, to the characters, to the character arcs, the plot development, the lessons learned, the observations on humanity, and the discovery of family. Did not seem trope-y or cliche at all, despite having some well known story tools (like chosen family, chosen one gets pushed out of home by extenuating circumstance). Everything about it was simply and completely lovely. I was pleasantly surprised by how hard I fell for this book.
SPOILERS
I also absolutely adored how Asra's relationship with Hal evolved throughout the story, and how he ended up becoming her family after becoming her best friend. I also loved how Asra ended up with the little baby (despite Ina being.... Ina). The little family they made was so sweet, and I absolutely fell in love with the three of them.
And despite hating Ina from the beginning, I actually grew to kind of like and understand her by the end of the book. And I was strangely glad when it was revealed that she had grown to love Hal's sister. It was another one of those moments that revealed that even villains can find love, and no one is the villain of their own story. Ina wasn't doing evil for the sake of it - she believed she was doing what was right, even though it hurt Asra.
END OF SPOILERS
singh_reads_kanwar2's review
4.0
Asra is a demigod with a dangerous gift: the ability to dictate the future by writing with her blood. To keep her power secret, she leads a quiet life as a healer on a remote mountain, content to help the people in her care and spend time with Ina, the mortal girl she loves.
But Asra’s peaceful life is upended when bandits threaten Ina’s village and the king does nothing to help. Desperate to protect her people, Ina begs Asra for assistance in finding her manifest—the animal she’ll be able to change into as her rite of passage to adulthood. Asra uses her blood magic to help Ina, but her spell goes horribly wrong and the bandits destroy the village, killing Ina’s family.
Unaware that Asra is at fault, Ina swears revenge on the king and takes a savage dragon as her manifest. To stop her, Asra must embark on a journey across the kingdom, becoming a player in lethal games of power among assassins, gods, and even the king himself.
They faught and with king and killed king and Asra found her love in Hal and they travel and take vengeance till end she want to change past but now she want to change the future and she did as said she will do.
But Asra’s peaceful life is upended when bandits threaten Ina’s village and the king does nothing to help. Desperate to protect her people, Ina begs Asra for assistance in finding her manifest—the animal she’ll be able to change into as her rite of passage to adulthood. Asra uses her blood magic to help Ina, but her spell goes horribly wrong and the bandits destroy the village, killing Ina’s family.
Unaware that Asra is at fault, Ina swears revenge on the king and takes a savage dragon as her manifest. To stop her, Asra must embark on a journey across the kingdom, becoming a player in lethal games of power among assassins, gods, and even the king himself.
They faught and with king and killed king and Asra found her love in Hal and they travel and take vengeance till end she want to change past but now she want to change the future and she did as said she will do.
bella_ruth's review against another edition
5.0
I loved of fire and stars and of ice and shadows so I had really high expectations for this book and it met all of them!!!! this book bridges gaps of information between the two books in the main series and gives you a deeper understanding of the origins of all characters originating in zumordia !!!
luna_bear's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
3.75
themoonlightbook's review
2.0
1. Mir wurde Gay versprochen und ich hab nur eine Ex Freundin bekommen
2. Es liest sich nicht gut
3. Idk es war nicht furchtbar aber auch echt nicht gut
2. Es liest sich nicht gut
3. Idk es war nicht furchtbar aber auch echt nicht gut
laurajnelson's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
4.5