from a cultural standpoint, this book is fantastic. the diversity and representation (especially the anxiety rep!) is what gives this story its power. theres so much magic and heart and imagery. it reminded me very much of ‘children of blood and bone.’ and although im not as obsessed with the plot (full of YA clichés) and characters (karina is soooo annoying) as everyone else seems to be, i still found this to be a pretty good story. i thought malik was a high point - his humble nature is quite

3.5/5 stars, rounded up because I really appreciated the mental illness rep. We don't get enough of that in fantasy books these days. I'll clean up this review later, but here's a summary of my thoughts:- The incorporation of African mythology was great, and I loved the Hyena stories. I hope we get to hear more of those.- Love me a good musician, and Karina's performance skills were a fun addition.- As I mentioned, the mental illness rep was great. Malik's panic attacks and Karina's migraines an...

I got a headache just by reading the description. It sounds too complicated for my mental capacity.

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestDNF @ p.130I originally wasn't going to rate this book, since it was a debut and I didn't particularly care for the writing style, but people keep coming onto this review and leaving me rude comments saying that apparently you aren't allowed to write (non-rated) reviews for books you haven't read... so while I wait for my copy to renew again from the library, and since I did read almost a quarter of it, I will post my (rated) review with

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. I mean sooooo many. But I think I'm going to go with giving this one a 3.75 and hope that I can explain why my feelings are all over the place . So A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is a debut YA fantasy and the premise for this book is extremely interesting. Both main characters are seeking to help their families in ways that will put them into situations where they would ultimately kill each other. Of course this doesn't end up working out the way...

SO FREAKING GOOD!! I absolutely loved every second of this story. Between the rich worldbuilding to the dual perspectives of Malik and Karina (who both I was SO MAD AT sometimes but could always bring myself to love again), this story was brilliant! Can’t wait for book two!!

4.5 - such a strong debut! This has everything I love in YA fantasy AND THEN SOME

This book gets five stars alone for Malik’s character. If you’re looking for more anxiety rep in high fantasy, definitely pick this one up!

And I’ve found another favorite book! When I first read the synopsis I knew this was a book that I needed in my life. I’m happy that I actually took my time with it because the world building was something to behold. It was so much more complex than I thought. Every minute was riddled with stories and folklore and it was all just so magnificent that I couldn’t really put the book down (had to force myself to most of the time). It wasn’t in an info dumping way but everything was told when it need...

4.5 but we're rounding up!Me loving a YA high fantasy? 2020 is wild.

i honestly don’t know how to feel, i don’t want to rate this book until i get my thoughts straight because i really was forcing myself to read this book and i feel like it would be unfair to the author. i really loved malik as a character, he was so soft and the rep for his anxiety was amazing but i didn’t really care for karina, i found myself dreading her characters because i feel like her character and her characters drive wasn’t conveyed well. i wasn’t convinced with the romance because sis

3.5 starstw: death of family members; anxiety/panic attacks; hallucinations; self harm; possessionThis was an intriguing start to a fantasy duology featuring a world and magic inspired by West African folklore. The world is lush and interesting, with a lot to build on. Creatures, celebrations, dieties, spirits, different kinds of magic.. this has it all! I enjoyed both of our main characters seperately, but less so when their paths crossed. Karina is an angry, stubborn character without feeling

I really appreciate Brown's thought and care into the worldbuilding and the way she infuses West African mythology and culture into the story. There’s a lot of love written for Brown’s culture and it’s infused in everything from the folklore to all the delicious food that gets described. She also makes sure to highlight internal issues that the protagonists face like anxiety and panic attacks, and it’s especially important to see that softness and vulnerability in a male lead. I was most impress...

Thank you Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for the ARC.in case you need some good news right now, the author describes this book as: black princess who doesn't give a fuck, black boy who gives so many fucks, slow burn enemies to lovers romance with PINING, so much backstabbing.it's literally a west african jasmine and aladdin au but they need to kill each other despite obvious attraction.CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS.

Honestly one of the best fantasies I’ve read in a while. Lush, elaborate worldbuilding, genuine emotional stakes, beautiful imagery, engaging writing, and best of all, the story COMMITTED to itself. The grief, the familial relationships, the depiction of anxiety as an actual debilitating illness - this book showed up and actually delivered on its promises. Not only that, but it treats its villains with compassion and does not rest on the trite cliché of “good vs evil”. A unique, compelling, exci...

Enjoyable and unique but all in all rather mediocre. The constant telling instead of showing, lack of interesting character motives and instalove made me feel disconnected from this story. A shame, because the world is unique and i feel this had a lot of potential. I did have an overall good time reading this, though (especially loved all the lore and storytelling aspects).I go a bit more in depth in my video review!https://youtu.be/tSFHmMYnvFE?t=56

RTC (Spotify book playlist)—★—I'm proud of how different communities are supporting #BlackLivesMatter in the current climate.ATTENTION!Thanks to Cath, I've found out Fairyloot has a limited exclusive edition of this book, all of the profits for which go to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which supports the Black College Community and thousands of Black college students.It's hardcover and comes with green sprayed edges and a signed book plate. For more info, go HERE.

UGH SO GOOD. I NEED BOOK TWO NOWWW. loved both our main characters as the book alternates perspectives between Malik (our soft boy) and Karina (our determined fierce girl). this fantasy world is so rich with magic and history and truly comes alive on the page. BUT DAMN THE PLOT TWISTS, i need to know what happens next. this is the beginning of something epic, i can feel it.

“Now that he was seeing Karina up close, mistaking her for a servant felt like having mistaken the sun for a candle.” Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (more like 4,7)❗❗No spoilers, here. You're all good.❗❗*Updated*I dug up some weird, scattered notes I had of my thoughts on this book to re-write this review. And it was all for you guys. Because you're a fabulous bunch of cuties.The story was very well written. Roseanne Brown has done an excellent job with it. The West African Folklore she based it on was absolu

My two brain cells: You need to get your life together, Sofia. This sounds like a book you would hate and then rant about. It's a Blank of Blank and Blank. There's a princess and forbidden love. Not to mention a "deadly competition" that will probably just be a cover-up for the instalove. This is not okay.The rest of the empty space in my brain: oooo shiny green tbr button, me want to press