Reviews

Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena

elizajaquays's review

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

I picked this up when it came out and I am absolutely kicking myself for how long it took me to get to this. It was such a good book!

izzys_internet_bookshelf's review

DNF

I just found it to be really slow and I tried to get into it but I couldn't. I really liked the idea of it though.

booklifeisthelife's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I think it's a 4.75 for me, not quite a 5. I felt the ending could have been a little more in depth/elaborated upon and

the bad guys should have been punished more severely though I suppose it was realistic. Roshan's doubt if Navin loved her or not at the end was a bit frustrating. Seemed to go back and forth. I also wish the side charactes were more developed though they weren't bad bad. Not something that affected my writing but I didn't agree with some of Roshan's choices. However they began to make sense to her character as we learned more about her. I still don't agree but I think it fits her. But otherwise I really loved this book. The romance doesn't take up the whole book but it's still explored in depth while. I enjoyed the romance and the maim characters. It wasn't exactly what I thought it would be going in but I still enjoyed it a lot. I love books where the female is the anti hero/ morally grey who is mainly fighting for justice/good cause but doesn't do it legally and the male is an ignorant high ranking person who comes to see the truth of the world through her.

thebacklistbook's review

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved this book from the first page. As soon as I saw the map I knew it would be a wild ride. The story follows a group of bandits struggling to get by because they insist on helping others as well as themselves. Through magic, emotional turmoil, and war they persevere. But will they get what they need or only what they want? You will just have to read it. 

arathy8's review

adventurous inspiring 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? It's complicated

We see roshan Chaya's evolution into being the Subedhar of her Shadow Clan. Both main characters Roshan Chaya and Rajkumar Naveen were lovable and developed into strong leaders within their own right. I especially liked the bond between Lalith and Roshan and Roshan with her clan. I personally liked the writing in this book better than Bhathena's previous works. It's definitely for an older youth audience, but I enjoyed the banter between the MCs and the world building was food. I also like that it's a stand alone novel rather than a series. It's hard to find a stand alone fantasy YA these days.

katiemhuang's review

adventurous 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? Yes

3.75

lillanaa's review against another edition

5.0

This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is phenomenal, and the world drew me in from the first few chapters; the characters are fantastic, and there are very few YA fantasy novels that can keep a plot to one book without leaving any (or very few) threads, and this does a phenomenal job. I loved Roshan and Navin so much, and the progression here felt interesting without being forced. This was definitely a good time, and if you're into the genre it has a place on anyone's shelf.

olive_oil_'s review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

twin2's review

4.0

3.8 Stars

slayquoia's review

3.0

3.5 - Not a huge fan of fantasy but I still enjoyed it