Rating: 3.5 stars (between I liked it and I really liked it according to GR rating scale)
Okay, so this review is going to be full of spoilers. I can't write a review without spoilers as it's where I put my thoughts about everything that happened, so please don't read this unless you want to be spoiled! Also, this review is probably going to be long as I'm incapable of writing short reviews. I have a lot of thoughts. So, here we go.
Let's start off with the things I liked:
- The magic system. The magic system was SO interesting. I love how there's 2 different types of magic and even then your magic depends on what day of the week you're born. It was so intriguing and unique! There's so many interesting magical combinations and I'm looking forward to seeing more in the next book. I also thought the spirit blade was really cool. To have a tattoo that turns into a knife is badass! And they also were able to talk to a freakin' god which I thought was crazy!
- Malik's character. I love how he struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. I don't think I've ever read about a protagonist who suffers from those things and I loved it. I related very much to Malik's indecision and stress because I am indecisive about literally everything. It was refreshing to meet a character who had no idea what the best move was most of the time. I'd be second guessing myself every second too if I was in his shoes!
- Hyena. This legendary figure was very interesting to me. I loved how she was putting all the pieces into place and manipulating people without them ever knowing. She was a great puppet master, and I'm curious to see how the story she's arranged plays out.
- Idir is now bound to Malik. I just personally love this trope of having to share your body with an evil creature. And now Malik can use Idir's magic!
- The last part of the book was so good! It was action-packed and very twisty. I didn't guess some major twists and I literally gasped aloud once or twice. A lot of people get stabbed. The ending didn't feel rushed at all, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book!
Moving on to the things I didn't like:
- The romance. It felt very insta-lovey to me. They met and conversed literally 3 times and they were in looooooove. Okay I've never had someone save me from a giant mythical beast, but it would take me some time to fall in love. Karina was willing to kill an ex-boyfriend she admitted she was close to falling in love with for someone she barely knew!! Like what? I do like how they're actual enemies by the end of the book and am very curious to see how their relationship progresses in the sequel.
- Bahia's story. Honestly I'm pretty confused to the timeline of Bahia's story and what happened. Some of the story made it seem like Idir turned on her and summoned some supernatural backup to destroy her. Others make it seem like he found out about her plans to sacrifice their child, she banished him, and built the Barrier. Maybe he found out and summoned the backup to try and stop her from killing their son? And then he got banished? I guess the winner's write history but I'm still not sure as to what actually happened.
- Unclear writing. There were scenes where the writing made it unclear what was happening. When they were running from the serpopard, it was mentioned Karina was somehow using her teeth to scale a wall. This jarred me so much I kept rereading the paragraph trying to picture her climbing a rope with her teeth. Also, the scene where she "poisons" the council she says she used antivenom. I don't have a working knowledge of antivenom but is it supposed to be able to melt a hole through a table?? She says she drinks it before every meal and my question is then how is she still alive?? Wouldn't it have burned a hole through her? I was confused and it still doesn't make sense to me.
- Plot holes. There are a few I saw so stick with me here. First, the Barrier is supposed to keep out spirits and yet Malik always has a whole crowd of them following him around? Also, how is he even able to see them because Afua said spirits were banished to the spirit realm? Second, my friend @gracesworldofwords who I was buddy reading with pointed out Karina was never technically crowned sultana. If she's not the queen then how could getting married result in a king's heart? Just saying. Third, the Sentinels are sworn to protect Karina yet they betray her a lot. I assumed they'd be blood sworn to protect the Alahari family but they repeatedly turn on her and follow Farid's orders. I guess he is part of their family, but he's not an Alahari. I would think their blood oaths would prevent them from harming her but I guess not??? Also, I was pretty confused about the whole Sentinel magic thing. So they all have magic that has been enchanted away into physical prowess. It's mentioned that Farid is going to remove that enchantment now. My question is why? It's repeated a lot how they're such an elite fighting force. Why would he want to remove the enchantment that makes them so? Also, Karina mentioned how she could feel magic coming off them. I figured they were under someone's spell which is how they were able to betray her but I guess she just sensed their own magic? Even though it was said to be repressed? Idk this whole thing is very confusing to me.
- Farid. Literally everything fell into his lap at the last possible minute. If Karina hadn't found the Tome of the Dearly Departed she never would've known to get married. How did Farid think he was going to get a king's heart? I guess that was his main motivation for assassinating the Kestrel and he would've convinced Karina that since they were in danger she needed to get married in case something happened to her. Fine. But the blood moon flowers? He had no clue how to get them. Like how did he think he was going to be able to do the Ritual?? And the Barrier! He was supposed to take down the Barrier to uphold his bargain with Idir in order to do the Ritual. He didn't even do that!!! Karina did!! AGAIN. Literally everything just played right into his hands without him having to lift a finger! It makes me mad that it didn't even seem like he was trying to figure out a way to destroy the Barrier or get the materials needed for the Rite. It was PURE LUCK!!! Like if he was so desperate to do the Rite then you'd think he'd be out there trying to get everything done. Also, this whole thing could've been avoided if he'd used his powers to stop Karina's when she summoned that storm. Just sayin'.
- Assuming they're related to the Ulraji Tel-Ra. I was confused that just because Malik and Farid are ulraji they're automatically related to the Ulraji Tel-Ra. Were the Ulraji Tel-Ra the last ulraji in existence at that time? If so, that makes sense to me. Otherwise, just because they have the same type of powers doesn't mean they're related.
As you can see, I was left with quite a few questions. However, I am very interested in seeing where this story goes from here and will be picking up the next book.
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![A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by [Roseanne A. Brown]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Jkw8cPfsL._SY346_.jpg)
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Like the griot in this story Roseanne Brown weaves a story that transports you in a way that very few stories have the ability to do. She doesn’t just tell you the story of Malik and Princess Karina she transports you there much like you’re in Ziran. It’s as if your taking part in Solstassia. The sights and sounds are alive and you feel every bit of a emotion that is shared with the characters in the book.This story was unique and all encompassing that I had a hard time putting it down to actually do some work. Every interruption, every call pulled me from this well created story that I never wanted to leave. She created these characters I loved and I haven’t felt that way about a story in a long time. She built a world that as you read it it seems as if it’s really a place, the stories your told are true and you feel a range of emotions throughout.There was a big hype for this book and normally that worries me because I end up being disappointed but this was not the case with A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. I already find myself eager for the second book in this series. I want to know what happens with our group so much so that it’s killing me. Bravo Roseanne Brown if I could give more than five stars for this book than I would because it more than deserves it.
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𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒 .𝐴. 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛
A Song of Wraiths and Ruins is the first in a fantasy debut by Roseanne A Brown inspired by West African folklore. Here we follow two perspectives; Malik and Karina. At the start Malik and his sisters are trying to get into the city of Ziran where they hold a once every 50 years festival called Solstasia, so he can start a new life for himself and his sisters, however they are having trouble getting in because people of Maliks culture are not allowed to enter Ziran. Due to this his little sister ends up making a bargain, thats she’s unaware of, with a very ruthless god and when they finally enter Ziran Malicks younger sister is captured by this god. In order for Malik to get his sister back there is one thing he has to do and that is to kill the crown princess Karina, and in order to do this and get close to her he decides to enter the Soltasia festivals tournament.
Our other perspective Karina is crown princess of Ziran, however she is looked down upon by her people because she can be very rebellious and doesnt percieve herself to be a good leader. You can understand why she is so rebelious because she was thrown in to be crown princess very quickly after her older sister and father was killed, and she struggles to get along with her mother. Right before the solstiasia festival her mother was assassinated. this piled on a whole lot more grief but also responsibility on Karina and she can’t take it. She decides to use this resurrection ritual in order to bring her mother back but in order to do so she needs various different ingredients and one of these ingredients is the beating heart of a king. in order to get what she is looking for, she announces to the people of Ziran her prize for whoever wins Solstasia. The prize will be her hand in marriage.
…. and the story gets very interesting from there.
This book has the most intriguing plot ever. i was so excited when i finally received my copy so i could just jump right in. However at first i was slightly disappointed because I struggled with the beginning of this book. There were so many words relating to the world etc. thrown at you that reading it was a drag, however is got so much more interesting as you got to the actual main plot of the story so i was happy for that. My favourite part of this story was the plot, however, i think the world building and the magic system could have been described much better. I struggled to get a grasp on the whole world and magic system and it did not do well to draw me in. I also didn’t feel as connected to the characters as i would usually feel, so I’m hoping this can change for me within the sequel. This book gave me a terrible book hangover and i actually forgot the ending. i had to go back and read it before writing this review to refresh my mind. I am excited for the sequel though to see if it gets better from here. please do not make my review hinder your reading experience or if you want to pick it up because i do recommend you read it and gather your own thoughts. I don’t hate this book but i also don’t love it. however i do like it and i truly believe there is room for improvements within the sequel.
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