A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
- Downloads：7877
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-28 08:51:13
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Roseanne A. Brown
- ISBN：0062891502
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
An instant New York Times bestseller！
The first in a gripping fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction—from debut author Roseanne A。 Brown。 This New York Times bestseller is perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi， Renée Ahdieh， and Sabaa Tahir。
For Malik， the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran。 But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister， Nadia， as payment to enter the city， Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina， Crown Princess of Ziran， for Nadia’s freedom。
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own。 Her mother， the Sultana， has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck。 Grief-stricken， Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic 。 。 。 requiring the beating heart of a king。 And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition。
When Malik rigs his way into the contest， they are set on a heart-pounding course to destroy each other。 But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir， will they be able to see their tasks to the death？
"Magic creates a centuries-long divide between peoples in this stunning debut novel inspired by North African and West African folklore。 An action-packed tale of injustice， magic， and romance， this novel immerses readers in a thrilling world and narrative reminiscent of Children of Blood and Bone。" （Publishers Weekly， "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List"）
The first in a gripping fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction—from debut author Roseanne A。 Brown。 This New York Times bestseller is perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi， Renée Ahdieh， and Sabaa Tahir。
For Malik， the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran。 But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister， Nadia， as payment to enter the city， Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina， Crown Princess of Ziran， for Nadia’s freedom。
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own。 Her mother， the Sultana， has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck。 Grief-stricken， Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic 。 。 。 requiring the beating heart of a king。 And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition。
When Malik rigs his way into the contest， they are set on a heart-pounding course to destroy each other。 But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir， will they be able to see their tasks to the death？
"Magic creates a centuries-long divide between peoples in this stunning debut novel inspired by North African and West African folklore。 An action-packed tale of injustice， magic， and romance， this novel immerses readers in a thrilling world and narrative reminiscent of Children of Blood and Bone。" （Publishers Weekly， "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List"）
Reviews
Mary Neugebauer
，
I need the sequel！
Vitor
，
Ohhh this was unexpected， for me the biggest strength of this book it's how each protagonist has a unique and realistic voice in the story， the plots on the end of the book was very predictable？ Yes， but i can't denied the fact that i had a great time reading， intrigued to read the next one 🤸🏼♂️。 （warning : it's very！！！ ya） Ohhh this was unexpected， for me the biggest strength of this book it's how each protagonist has a unique and realistic voice in the story， the plots on the end of the book was very predictable？ Yes， but i can't denied the fact that i had a great time reading， intrigued to read the next one 🤸🏼♂️。 （warning : it's very！！！ ya） 。。。more
Tessa
，
I liked this book， but it was a really slow beginning。 I am on board with a slow-burn。 Children of Blood and Bone took some time to build up， but it started with a good hook and was paced well even through the slow build。 This one was a good hundred pages or so in before we got to the hook and I wasn't really invested until about the halfway point when the mystery picked up。 More mysteries and riddles， please。Part of it is that I wasn't on board with the romance。 I saw more chemistry in the shor I liked this book， but it was a really slow beginning。 I am on board with a slow-burn。 Children of Blood and Bone took some time to build up， but it started with a good hook and was paced well even through the slow build。 This one was a good hundred pages or so in before we got to the hook and I wasn't really invested until about the halfway point when the mystery picked up。 More mysteries and riddles， please。Part of it is that I wasn't on board with the romance。 I saw more chemistry in the short sparring scene between Karina and Dedele than in the whole book between Karina and Malik。 The narrative tells us that they're drawn to each other， but I just did not feel it。Despite the lack of chemistry between the two leads， I did like them a lot on their own。 I liked how Malik's anxiety and panic attacks influenced the plot （particularly during the climax）。 I liked that Karina is fairly selfish and self-centered in ways that made sense given her past。 I liked her scenes with the Council and Malik's scenes with the other champions。 I really liked the necropolis sequence。I liked the worldbuilding and the magic system and the mythology。 I liked the way oppression plays out in the city and in the world at large and think that will be developed more deeply in book 2。I liked the tension between Malik and Karina's opposing goals and the way that helping each other brings them both closer to their inevitable deaths。 There's a lot to like here。 On paper， this book should be right up my alley。 But in execution， it didn't quite land for me， and I can't pin down why。 Maybe it was just the pacing。 I hope Brown irons that out for book 2 because I am interested to see where this goes。 。。。more
GavShire
，
You actually get to follow the whole story。。This is a must read！！！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Sarah Hammel
，
Only reason it took me so long to finish is because I had to work so many shifts at my jobs but I absolutely loved this world that Roseanne Brown has built。 After finishing I am wondering if there came a second or if there will be a second soon because I want far more of these characters and this world。 Own voices ✅LGBT casual representation ✅Mental health issues represented ✅Magic ✅Hidden identities ✅
Amanda Rodrigues
，
4。5
ALMIRA
，
It kept me completely enthralled all the way thru。 If you have some great stories like this one， You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ just email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top It kept me completely enthralled all the way thru。 If you have some great stories like this one， You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ just email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top 。。。more
Nick Hendry
，
"Do not underestimate the strength it takes to be kind in a world as cruel as ours" A Song Of Wraiths And RuinRoseanne A。 Brown， what a wonderful story you have weaved and one that could rival Malik's storytelling！ I was a little hesitant picking up this book， but I am glad I did because I loved it！ A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin follows Princess Karina who seeks to raise her mother from the dead after she was assassinated during the Solstasia Festival of their city Ziran， and it also follows Malik "Do not underestimate the strength it takes to be kind in a world as cruel as ours" A Song Of Wraiths And RuinRoseanne A。 Brown， what a wonderful story you have weaved and one that could rival Malik's storytelling！ I was a little hesitant picking up this book， but I am glad I did because I loved it！ A Song Of Wraiths And Ruin follows Princess Karina who seeks to raise her mother from the dead after she was assassinated during the Solstasia Festival of their city Ziran， and it also follows Malik who escapes his war torn city with his sisters to make a better living in Ziran。 Add in a vengeful spirit， friendly competitions between champions from surrounding cities， magic， hidden cities of the dead， and West African Lore， you end up having some wonderful storytelling that paints such beautiful scenes in your head。I don't think there was a single thing I didn't like about this book。 I feel it's well written， strong characters， very layered plots to the story and it's characters， I absolutely LOVED the West African Lore， all the characters are people of color which is great seeing their representation in magnificent stories like this， and the narration by A。J。 Beckles and Jordan Cobb was fantastic！ I absolutely loved the character of Hyena and I can't wait until the next book comes out！ 。。。more
Anushka
，
honestly i started this book way earlier but it took me forever to get through。 i really love the rep and the world seems very interesting。 i was kind of confused about how some parts of the world worked but there was a lot of descriptions。 i wish there were more interactions between karina and malik and because they didn't speak to each other much or even spend much time together， i felt like the book progressed kind of slowly。 honestly i started this book way earlier but it took me forever to get through。 i really love the rep and the world seems very interesting。 i was kind of confused about how some parts of the world worked but there was a lot of descriptions。 i wish there were more interactions between karina and malik and because they didn't speak to each other much or even spend much time together， i felt like the book progressed kind of slowly。 。。。more
Ooha Biddala
，
I wanted them to kill each other and end the story on a high note。
Beccy
，
RICH MYTHOLOGY， A LUSH AND UNIQUE STORY Roseanne A。 Brown is a genius， it’s the only way to say it。 That book got me excited and shocked til the last page and I’m endlessly happy that the second book is soon to be available！ The mythology was so deep and rich， I can’t believe someone can think so full of facets， everything was connected， there weren’t any wholes in the idea。 That it is inspired by real folklore makes it even better。 One thing that I almost loved more than the mythology was the c RICH MYTHOLOGY， A LUSH AND UNIQUE STORY Roseanne A。 Brown is a genius， it’s the only way to say it。 That book got me excited and shocked til the last page and I’m endlessly happy that the second book is soon to be available！ The mythology was so deep and rich， I can’t believe someone can think so full of facets， everything was connected， there weren’t any wholes in the idea。 That it is inspired by real folklore makes it even better。 One thing that I almost loved more than the mythology was the city Ziran！ While reading I explored the streets and of course the unique palace， the world building was just excellent and beyond anything I’ve expected when I started reading。 I can’t wait to dive even deeper in this world， I just need to know more about Karina’s ancestors and Malik’s magic！ Talking of the characters; I’m so happy to read of a princess with flaws and a hero that’s not two meters tall and full of arrogance！ Anxiety， depression， panic attacks， traumas， loosing control， flaws。 These topics made Malik and Karina relatable and full of edges。 No one needs another flat， perfect princess and the author knew that！ And don’t get me started with Afua， that girl is FIRE and I love her！I dearly recommend this book to every single fantasy lover out here， in my opinion it’s an absolute must read and you can’t change my mind！ 。。。more
Ally Marshall
，
[Listened to the audiobook] A fun fantasy book！ This follows 2 perspectives， both of which I enjoyed reading about。 I liked how one of the characters was shown to have anxiety， but was also shown to be very strong and to have methods to live with that anxiety。The setup for the sequel （which is out soon！） was really good， I'm very interested to see what happens in the second book！The audiobook was lovely to listen to， there are 2 narrators and they both do a great job。 It can be a little confusin [Listened to the audiobook] A fun fantasy book！ This follows 2 perspectives， both of which I enjoyed reading about。 I liked how one of the characters was shown to have anxiety， but was also shown to be very strong and to have methods to live with that anxiety。The setup for the sequel （which is out soon！） was really good， I'm very interested to see what happens in the second book！The audiobook was lovely to listen to， there are 2 narrators and they both do a great job。 It can be a little confusing with all of the names and fantasy terms at times， but overall very enjoyable listen！ 。。。more
Chiara
，
Non so。。 Sono un po' indecisa su quanto dare a questo libro， ma più in generale su quanto mi sia piaciuto。 L'idea alla base è molto interessante， la rappresentazione di personaggi con una salute mentale un po' precaria è realistica e riesci ad impatizzare molto bene。 Dall'altro lato il mondo che sembra avere un sacco di sfaccettature non ci viene spiegato particolarmente， soprattutto la parte magica/soprannaturale; chi sia il cattivo è un po' prevedibile e la storia d'amore proprio non mi convin Non so。。 Sono un po' indecisa su quanto dare a questo libro， ma più in generale su quanto mi sia piaciuto。 L'idea alla base è molto interessante， la rappresentazione di personaggi con una salute mentale un po' precaria è realistica e riesci ad impatizzare molto bene。 Dall'altro lato il mondo che sembra avere un sacco di sfaccettature non ci viene spiegato particolarmente， soprattutto la parte magica/soprannaturale; chi sia il cattivo è un po' prevedibile e la storia d'amore proprio non mi convince。 Quindi。。 3 stelle？ 。。。more
Destiny Henderson
，
Very slow-paced but intrigue steadily builds throughout the story。 The male lead， Malik， is soft-hearted and always messing things up while Karina is clever and headstrong but bratty。 At times， I thought certain scenes dragged， but the ending was good。 （view spoiler）[ I needed more time with the Kestrel to feel anything for her。 I know her death was the catalyst for Karina to become Sultana， but it felt underdeveloped。 Also， sorry， but I felt for Leila。 So many times she had to remind him to get Very slow-paced but intrigue steadily builds throughout the story。 The male lead， Malik， is soft-hearted and always messing things up while Karina is clever and headstrong but bratty。 At times， I thought certain scenes dragged， but the ending was good。 （view spoiler）[ I needed more time with the Kestrel to feel anything for her。 I know her death was the catalyst for Karina to become Sultana， but it felt underdeveloped。 Also， sorry， but I felt for Leila。 So many times she had to remind him to get his butt into gear。 （hide spoiler）]I think it’s lovely the book includes content warnings at the beginning。 。。。more
Kaitlin Boswell
，
I'm settling on 3 stars for this one。 I enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick read， despite it being a bit longer than the average YA Fantasy。 The world building was absolutely exquisite， and I found my favorite parts were the descriptions of this land， its culture and traditions。 However， I never really felt invested in these characters。 They all felt flat。 I particularly did not care for the early interactions between Malik and Karina。 Their chance meetings were forced and unrealistic。 I'm settling on 3 stars for this one。 I enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick read， despite it being a bit longer than the average YA Fantasy。 The world building was absolutely exquisite， and I found my favorite parts were the descriptions of this land， its culture and traditions。 However， I never really felt invested in these characters。 They all felt flat。 I particularly did not care for the early interactions between Malik and Karina。 Their chance meetings were forced and unrealistic。 Despite this， I felt the author did a good job constructing the plot， to include the reveal at the end which expertly paved the way for the next book。 I am looking forward to the next book and would certainly recommend this one。 。。。more
Endia Mathews
，
2。5/5 stars。 Although the novel has an interesting premise I could barely enjoy reading it as the writing style was just awful to me。 The characterizations were just all over the place and I felt as a whole the story was just all over the place with no character， idea， or theme that was fully developed。 It seemed like a lot of times Brown forgot about characters or elements of magic or the civilization that she originally introduced and when she remembered she decided to write them in again。 The 2。5/5 stars。 Although the novel has an interesting premise I could barely enjoy reading it as the writing style was just awful to me。 The characterizations were just all over the place and I felt as a whole the story was just all over the place with no character， idea， or theme that was fully developed。 It seemed like a lot of times Brown forgot about characters or elements of magic or the civilization that she originally introduced and when she remembered she decided to write them in again。 The tone of the story shifted too often for my liking， and the dialogues made me cringe。 I expect that a novel targeted to young adults would be a bit predictable and have some cheesy-generic tropes but this novel was written in such a way I feel like I would even hate as a teenager。 It was way to formulaic and therefore everything that could have been in this story to make this book outstanding， was not there as Brown definitely played it safe in her storytelling。Also it continuously felt that Brown was trying to force empathy or sympathy out of me for the characters and their situations。 But ultimately I didn’t care for any of the characters。 Characters that should have been intriguing seemed to not be fully developed and I wish that Brown didn’t just write the character’s emotions and thoughts so plainly and would give more space for the reader to make up their own conclusion about their personalities。 （Show not tell） I couldn’t help waiting until the book was over while reading as the story was so generic and bland it ultimately felt like a waste of my time reading。 With all that being said， the book did pick up in pace as well as showed more of its originality towards its end。 Which sucks for me because now I’m kind of curious to see how the story ends and where the characters end up， I just don’t know if I can handle any more of Brown’s writing style。So in conclusion: the book had a lot of potential， but Brown played it too safe and stuck with the formula。 。。。more
EWM BookClub
，
A masterful telling of two stories that are intertwined， this interesting and thrilling book makes its readers victim to the "just another chapter" disease and sleepless nights will likely happen。 This high fantasy does a great job of establishing the lore， location and people。 Extremely excited for other work done by this author。 A masterful telling of two stories that are intertwined， this interesting and thrilling book makes its readers victim to the "just another chapter" disease and sleepless nights will likely happen。 This high fantasy does a great job of establishing the lore， location and people。 Extremely excited for other work done by this author。 。。。more
trishla ⚡ | YourLocalBookReader
，
5 stars。 But it’s also true that to aid even one person is to save an entire world。 tw // blood， murder， death， parental abuserep // Black MC I am SO SO SO hooked on this book right now。 I cannot wait for the next one to come out later this year！！！ This book follows two perspectives， Malik， a refugee that the world would rather pretend didn't exist， and Karina， a princess grieving the death of her father and sister （and now murder of her mother） and looking to escape the city。 But due to Malik 5 stars。 But it’s also true that to aid even one person is to save an entire world。 tw // blood， murder， death， parental abuserep // Black MC I am SO SO SO hooked on this book right now。 I cannot wait for the next one to come out later this year！！！ This book follows two perspectives， Malik， a refugee that the world would rather pretend didn't exist， and Karina， a princess grieving the death of her father and sister （and now murder of her mother） and looking to escape the city。 But due to Malik's sister's accidental involvement in magic， he's going to have to kill her。 But alas， love strikes at the worst of timings。 What I found so interesting is that their paths didn't cross until about 33% of the book。 And even then they still went on pretty separate paths， both on journeys for their families that will inevitably bring them together again and again。 I really liked the magic system in this book， and even more that it wasn't full explained until much later in the book， which allows for great pacing as magic has been supposedly gone for a long time in their world。 I also loved the world building， there was SO much of it。 I really felt involved in Zolsatia， the week long festival。 There was so much description that it came to life before me。 Malik is honestly such a sweet soft boy as well。 Karina is a hurricane ready to strike at any moment。 I didn't know how much I needed that in fantasy until I read it。 Their dynamic is so fun to read in the moments where they do interact。 Find me on: instagram 。。。more
Nishat Salsabil Raka
，
This story has lots of rich mythology and folklore that gets incorporated into it。 I really appreciate the mental illness rep for Malik which is really important to show in a male character and also for a fantasy book these days。 So if you're looking for stories with different types world building， this is the book you can definitely check out。 This story has lots of rich mythology and folklore that gets incorporated into it。 I really appreciate the mental illness rep for Malik which is really important to show in a male character and also for a fantasy book these days。 So if you're looking for stories with different types world building， this is the book you can definitely check out。 。。。more
Anessa Lawrence
，
i love the whole i have to kill you to save someone i love trope now。 this book is quite hard to get into at first but really picks up around page 150。 that’s when things start to snowball and gets more serious。 i love the aspect of magic in here and the characters are so easy to love。
Ariel （ariel_reads）
，
Solid story with great twists and turns。 Looking forward to book 2！
Kayla Christensen
，
This book was amazing！！
Ayesha
，
I originally gave this book five stars， but after I began writing this review I thought it was only fair to bump it down a star。 I don't expect much nowadays whenever I pick up fantasy， YA or not。 I expect to either drop it a chapter in or finish it with lukewarm feelings。 I expected the same from A Song of Wraiths and Ruin。 I was genuinely surprised however。This book did not break me out of my generally pessimistic attitude towards fantasy， but I am happy to say that it did subvert a lot of exp I originally gave this book five stars， but after I began writing this review I thought it was only fair to bump it down a star。 I don't expect much nowadays whenever I pick up fantasy， YA or not。 I expect to either drop it a chapter in or finish it with lukewarm feelings。 I expected the same from A Song of Wraiths and Ruin。 I was genuinely surprised however。This book did not break me out of my generally pessimistic attitude towards fantasy， but I am happy to say that it did subvert a lot of expectations。 The difference is that it did it in the small things。 A character makes a different choice here or Brown chooses to postpone a moment until later。 I found myself genuinely happy whenever these moments occurred， no matter how small it may seem to someone else。 These small decisions decide if the reader is going to be bored throughout the book because they can guess everything that will happen。Let's begin with our main characters， Malik and Karina。 One is a member of the lowest class while the other is a part of the highest class， the ruling family。 This is a common enough trope that I admittedly love， but Brown does something different with her characters。 She takes these aspects of the characters and make them the central part of their resolves and conflicts。 It is WHO they are in this society that is important， that gives their characters drive and depth， that give their actions and decisions depth。 Malik's decisions are important because he is the refugee and one of the most hated people of the country。 Karina's decisions are important because she is the epitome of the privileged class， the one who remains ignorant of the sufferings that gave her her power。 Then there is the characterization of these characters that allow them to develop beyond their outward identities。 I loved Brown's decision to make Karina fiery and arrogant because oftentimes these characteristics are used in this romanticized light， but with Karina that is not the case。 Her anger is not cute。 It is volatile and unkind。 Malik is her absolute opposite。 He lacks confidence and overflows with empathy。 Yet again it is not romanticized。 His lack of confidence is crippling and his empathy can be argued to be his greatest flaw。 Because of all this， I was immensely invested in how Brown would choose to develop their relationship。This was where I was let down a bit though。 There is nothing wrong with instant attraction。 It made sense in this case。 Malik is wholly unversed in romance so obviously he would crush on a beautiful girl and I can totally understand Karina's attraction to Malik after his display of magic。 It makes sense， but then after that， I believe it grows too strong in a sense。 The attraction starts to exceed the plausibility of their relationship since they only know each other for a week。 Thankfully， Brown does not let any of the characters drop the L-word and she doesn't go too far。 However， the summary for the second book is getting me worried， but then again Brown has surprised me before。I also wanted to talk about the side characters。 Surprisingly， I found them compelling， but in an odd way。 They felt like they were three-dimensional characters， or at least have the potential to be， but it was as if we knew that there was more to them just around the corner--we could see the beautiful light of Character Development spilling out--but we are never allowed to peek around the corner。 I'm going to hold out hope that this means Brown is waiting for the second book to develop them further。 Plot wise， I believe Brown did what she could with the time frame she had given herself。 A comet can only stay in the sky for so long。 She had to shovel plot development， relationship development， world-building， and character arcs all into one week。 I think that's why the relationship aspect may have suffered because for all the other three aspects I mentioned， these characters were not together for those three。 （The second book doesn't promise any more of that， soooo。。。。）In the end， I am eager to read the second book in order to explore the world more as well as the characters and their dynamics。 。。。more
Lauren Mukavitz
，
I wanted to like this book so badly。。。 but when it came down to it， I was just so underwhelmed。 The pacing was all over the place and for some reason despite the fact that the MC’s were supposed to be 17， I couldn’t help but see them as little 10 year olds， cause that’s honestly how they acted。 There were some cool aspects of the book though: I liked how mental health was incorporated and the folktale’s that were weaved throughout the story were cool。
Sierra
，
I loved so many individual things about this book， but they quite didn’t fit together。 Still， this was a good， relatively quick read that puts an African spin on typical YA fantasy tropes。 What I liked: • The West African mythology was by far the best part of this book and I wish there were more fantasies like it。 The magic system was kind of confusing， but the vibes were fantastic。 • Malik， the male narrator， is super sweet。 He’s so full of kindness， although he’s not generally very competent， I loved so many individual things about this book， but they quite didn’t fit together。 Still， this was a good， relatively quick read that puts an African spin on typical YA fantasy tropes。 What I liked: • The West African mythology was by far the best part of this book and I wish there were more fantasies like it。 The magic system was kind of confusing， but the vibes were fantastic。 • Malik， the male narrator， is super sweet。 He’s so full of kindness， although he’s not generally very competent， which is refreshing。 His successes come from being a good person， but he fails often。 • The book mostly revolves around Solstasia， which is a festival， but it’s not overly focused on the competition。 Malik’s participation in the competition adds to his character and is not dragged out for too long。 What I didn’t like:• Karina， the female narrator， was wholly unlikeable pretty much until she met Malik。 Then she instantly became more sympathetic， and this development felt completely unnatural。 I liked her better unlikeable。 • Also Malik and Karina didn’t meet until like halfway through！ I wasn’t rooting for them to get together， but I was getting impatient with all the “I’m going to kill the other one” plotline。• Enemies to lovers is kind of old for me by now。 • There are some awkward tone switches。 。。。more
Ziggy
，
Very engaging story。 Can't wait till book 2 comes out。 Very engaging story。 Can't wait till book 2 comes out。 。。。more
Cesar
，
I can't put in words what I'm feeling right now。 Thank you for this masterpiece。 I can't put in words what I'm feeling right now。 Thank you for this masterpiece。 。。。more
Hannah Lien
，
People that enjoy competition arcs and ancient secret tropes are probably going to enjoy this series。 It kind of had the same vibe as Goblet of Fire for me because of the competition， particularly the labyrinth challenge。 The setting is intriguing and Brown places her characters into a number of interesting set pieces， including scenes not taking place during the challenges。 That said， the competition isn't the main meat of the story， it's the two lead characters， Malik and Karina， both of whom People that enjoy competition arcs and ancient secret tropes are probably going to enjoy this series。 It kind of had the same vibe as Goblet of Fire for me because of the competition， particularly the labyrinth challenge。 The setting is intriguing and Brown places her characters into a number of interesting set pieces， including scenes not taking place during the challenges。 That said， the competition isn't the main meat of the story， it's the two lead characters， Malik and Karina， both of whom are very engaging。 The sad thing is that for as well developed as the leads are， many of the side characters fade into the background。 I'm hoping that this improves as the series goes on。 Brown left the story off in such a way that should allow for supporting characters to have bigger roles in the future。 There's a reveal about 5/6ths of the way through the story that was low-key obvious， but I'm not going to fault it for that because I don't think Brown intended for it to be a massive shock to the reader。 I'm excited to see how this series progresses。 。。。more
Booksletstalkabout
，
2。8✨So here it goes I know I am among the minority who didn't like it。I like the plot the whole story line and loved the magic system。 The only thing that threw me of was the female lead。 I adored the male lead but 90% for the life of me I couldn't feel a once of anything for the female lead。 She annoyed the hell out of me and I have read and loved books with untrusty， ire liable protagonist with immoral life choices， but the thing is I did relate to them and see where they came from， but with t 2。8✨So here it goes I know I am among the minority who didn't like it。I like the plot the whole story line and loved the magic system。 The only thing that threw me of was the female lead。 I adored the male lead but 90% for the life of me I couldn't feel a once of anything for the female lead。 She annoyed the hell out of me and I have read and loved books with untrusty， ire liable protagonist with immoral life choices， but the thing is I did relate to them and see where they came from， but with this one I just couldn't， she just goes around being mean to everybody and when she needs help she just knows she will get it， cuz she is the damn princes， she does like all the privilages that comes with being a princess， but no not the responsibility and the work， half of her problem seemed like her own creation ，again I love a good antihero but I wasn't onboard with the onboard， annoying， spoiled and selfish， spoiled princess character and that hinder my experience with the whole book a lot。 The ending was predictable' The female lead annoyed me so much I couldn't get into the book Anyways that's my opinion。 Will I continue with the series， maybe because I enjoyed the plot， the story line， the magic system and the whole world in general with the exception of the female lead。 。。。more
Greyland Reviews
，