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itsjustbethg's review
adventurous
funny
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: War, Blood, Genocide, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
kathigh86's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My first 5/5 of the year!
Hafsah Faizal is such an amazing author. Her writing is compelling and elegant. She is a master at trapping the reader in her worlds.
I absolutely adored the political commentary and how Faizal paralleled her world to the real world. I’m very excited to see how Ettenia evolves in the next book.
I loved the multi-POV in this book. We got a little bit of each character without giving away too much of their own secrets. I really enjoyed trying to guess everyone’s ulterior motives.
I have read the Sands of Arawiya duology. I felt like I was in on a little secret. It definitely added to my reading experience but not necessary to understand the general plot.
Overall this book was amazing. It was very slow in the beginning but once you hit part 2/the 60% mark everything is full steam ahead. I was not able to put this book down for the last 25%. So many things left unsaid too. I’ll be waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book!
Hafsah Faizal is such an amazing author. Her writing is compelling and elegant. She is a master at trapping the reader in her worlds.
I absolutely adored the political commentary and how Faizal paralleled her world to the real world. I’m very excited to see how Ettenia evolves in the next book.
I loved the multi-POV in this book. We got a little bit of each character without giving away too much of their own secrets. I really enjoyed trying to guess everyone’s ulterior motives.
I have read the Sands of Arawiya duology. I felt like I was in on a little secret. It definitely added to my reading experience but not necessary to understand the general plot.
Overall this book was amazing. It was very slow in the beginning but once you hit part 2/the 60% mark everything is full steam ahead. I was not able to put this book down for the last 25%. So many things left unsaid too. I’ll be waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Blood, Classism, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, and Trafficking
Minor: Alcohol, Genocide, Stalking, Colonisation, and Confinement
mariahmmm's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
Spindrift- tea rooms by day, illegal blood trade by night. In its walls, Arthie and Jin provide a refuge for vampires to safely feed without attracting attention from the Ram guards.
But Spindrift's future is in turmoil as the Ram battles to control and condemn vampires. Unlikely alliances and a deadly heist may be the only way to protect the tearoom and push back against the Ram.
A promising story that had a few too many plot holes, things jumping around, weird time gaps, and areas that needed polishing for me to feel immersed in the story or to fully enjoy it.
Jin and Flick had some real depth to their characters, and I enjoyed Matteo and Laith, but I never ended up liking Arthie which is a shame because she could have been a strong lead.
But Spindrift's future is in turmoil as the Ram battles to control and condemn vampires. Unlikely alliances and a deadly heist may be the only way to protect the tearoom and push back against the Ram.
A promising story that had a few too many plot holes, things jumping around, weird time gaps, and areas that needed polishing for me to feel immersed in the story or to fully enjoy it.
Jin and Flick had some real depth to their characters, and I enjoyed Matteo and Laith, but I never ended up liking Arthie which is a shame because she could have been a strong lead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, and Sexual content
soniajoy98's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Classism, Racism, Grief, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Torture, Cursing, Genocide, and Sexual content
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, War, Slavery, Stalking, and Hate crime
wylanslcve's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
upon completing this book, I have two main thoughts:
1) hafsah... how DARE you
2) I need the sequel right now or I'll combust
now, I completely understand why some may not like this book. the first act in particular is slow-paced and more character-oriented than some may prefer (I personally didn't mind it because I love character-oriented storytelling when it's done right, and I think this book does it pretty well - although I will say, the fact that barely 24 hours pass within the first 150ish pages still has me completely flabbergasted), some bits fall into exposition-dump territory (especially the more character-driven parts - there could definitely have been more seamless character exploration rather than dumping a whole lot of information at once, but I suppose that's bound to happen in character-oriented narratives) and sometimes it feels like it was trying a little too hard to be like six of crows (i.e. my favourite book of all time currently). all that in mind, I still really enjoyed this!
this is my first of hafsah's books and I think it's safe to say that I've found a new favourite author because her writing style in particular is spectacular: there's something so lyrical and captivating about it, and it was definitely a highlight of this entire book for me personally. the characters were so interesting and I fell in love with each and every one of them instantly. the six of crows somewhat-reluctantly-found-family-heist vibes were definitely there and, while I did mention that tempest at times tried a little too hard to be that book, it didn't really interfere with my reading experience (except for the amount of anxiety caused by the fact that not all 5 characters get chapters from their pov in tempest because six of crows did the exact same thing with not giving wylan any chapters from his pov in the first book due to reasons that aren't revealed until the end of the book, and I immediately assumed the same would happen with tempest... needless to say my anxiety was completely warranted because oh my goodness-)
the third act in particular was full of twists and turns that had me spiralling then sobbing hysterically but it was completely worth it. I managed to guess two of the more "minor" twists and was so proud of myself, then hafsah humbled me immediately by pulling an additional three or so plot twists that made my annotations turn into incoherent screaming. hafsah you'll be paying my therapy bills.
1) hafsah... how DARE you
2) I need the sequel right now or I'll combust
now, I completely understand why some may not like this book. the first act in particular is slow-paced and more character-oriented than some may prefer (I personally didn't mind it because I love character-oriented storytelling when it's done right, and I think this book does it pretty well - although I will say, the fact that barely 24 hours pass within the first 150ish pages still has me completely flabbergasted), some bits fall into exposition-dump territory (especially the more character-driven parts - there could definitely have been more seamless character exploration rather than dumping a whole lot of information at once, but I suppose that's bound to happen in character-oriented narratives) and sometimes it feels like it was trying a little too hard to be like six of crows (i.e. my favourite book of all time currently). all that in mind, I still really enjoyed this!
this is my first of hafsah's books and I think it's safe to say that I've found a new favourite author because her writing style in particular is spectacular: there's something so lyrical and captivating about it, and it was definitely a highlight of this entire book for me personally. the characters were so interesting and I fell in love with each and every one of them instantly. the six of crows somewhat-reluctantly-found-family-heist vibes were definitely there and, while I did mention that tempest at times tried a little too hard to be that book, it didn't really interfere with my reading experience (except for the amount of anxiety caused by the fact that not all 5 characters get chapters from their pov in tempest because six of crows did the exact same thing with not giving wylan any chapters from his pov in the first book due to reasons that aren't revealed until the end of the book, and I immediately assumed the same would happen with tempest... needless to say my anxiety was completely warranted because oh my goodness-)
the third act in particular was full of twists and turns that had me spiralling then sobbing hysterically but it was completely worth it. I managed to guess two of the more "minor" twists and was so proud of myself, then hafsah humbled me immediately by pulling an additional three or so plot twists that made my annotations turn into incoherent screaming. hafsah you'll be paying my therapy bills.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Classism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, and Blood
darkskin_aminata's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
I just finished this book. I can’t lie it was my most anticipated read for the beginning of this year. The first pages had me hooked but it became slow and more 56% in I wasn’t feeling it, but I did force myself through because I wanted to see the end of it boy am I glad I did. I was hooked by 65%. The plot twists I didn’t expect. Now I’m mad it ended on a Cliff hanger. Miss Faisal I request the second book soon. I have so many unanswered questions. Please. 😩
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Murder, Racism, and Genocide
jdasilva's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
I thought it was starting off slowly, but it was just beautiful character development. Couldn’t put it down once I was halfway through. I was destroyed by the time I got to the end. What a ride. Can’t wait for the next in the series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Trafficking, Murder, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Grief, Genocide, Death, and Colonisation
mamacita88's review
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Classism, Violence, Colonisation, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Xenophobia, Genocide, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery
embersbookventures's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
An adventure the whole way through - hard to put down. At first I felt like the writing was chaotic with what was revealed and what wasn’t, but I see an artful master behind it now, crafting carefully revealed and concealed details - I don’t quite know how to feel after finishing it, except that I wish I had the second one in front of me to start literally right now😭 I adore all the characters - Matteo, Arthie, Jin, Penn, Flick - the whole crew.
Really good - the pacing was nice and kept me engaged - would recommend for fellow loose leaf tea connoisseurs!😉
Also, I *deeply* appreciate how this book consistently addresses the theme of colonialism and its many horrors - I’m a sensitive reader; and it wasn’t too much for me as far as it being graphic or overly detailed. But now more than ever, an absolutely essential thing for us to see in mainstream books, narratives, etc. Handled fabulously and had me cheering Arthie the whole way, as well as shedding more than a few tears.
Really good - the pacing was nice and kept me engaged - would recommend for fellow loose leaf tea connoisseurs!😉
Also, I *deeply* appreciate how this book consistently addresses the theme of colonialism and its many horrors - I’m a sensitive reader; and it wasn’t too much for me as far as it being graphic or overly detailed. But now more than ever, an absolutely essential thing for us to see in mainstream books, narratives, etc. Handled fabulously and had me cheering Arthie the whole way, as well as shedding more than a few tears.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Death of parent
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