Divided by their order. United by their vengeance.
–GoodReads
My Review
I’m going to start this off by saying the ONLY reason this is not a full 4 cups of coffee for my review is because of pacing.
OTHERWISE?
IT’S AMAZING.
Just so unfortunate that it has such a slow start and it takes so long for the plot to get moving but ahhhh when it does?
AHHHH.
This gave off some serious vibes with that cover and guess what? Vibes of the cover match the book entirely lol. I did think from the blurb that the girls would be working together and this was an interesting point that I’d like to talk more about but I’ll leave it alone for spoiler reasons.
Our two MCs Iraya and Jazmyne are so different from one another. They both have so far to grow and while in the beginning I was clearly in favor of one, by the end I had completely switched sides and I will now die for the other one in a heartbeat lol I would die on that hill as well stating why she ended up being my favorite.
When I say this is slow, this is not an exaggeration, judging from other reviews I glanced at, so many people had this problem and quite a few ended up putting the book down. If you press forward? I found it totally worth it.
Unique af magic system definitely had me squealing like a fangirl btw.
Also can we just appreciate the fact this was a Jamaican inspired fantasy? I was in need of such a thing and didn’t know it. (But on that point once more from other reviewers, Jamaican reviewers, the patois is perhaps something that might have been best left out or redone entirely. I obviously can’t comment on that but I can see what they meant, it felt forced like times when people throw me Spanish or Italian tidbits in books and I wonder why they did it instead of just leaving it out because it’s forced and awkward. Click here for a link to a really well written review discussing this.) BUT the setting itself was so intriguing.
The last idk, 1/3 or 1/4 of the book had me on the edge of my seat though and by the end my jaw was actually hanging open. I felt a little like I was reading a villain origin story by that point and I was here for it. JUST SO MUCH happens and it’s just ‘BAM’ you are left with the ending and thinking ‘great, now gimme book 2.’
The writing style is gorgeous but it is super heavy for not necessarily world-building but with details. Sometimes I love that, sometimes it gets tedious but if you’re intrigued enough and stick with it, hopefully you end up enjoying it as much as I do.
3.5/ Cups of coffee from me. Slow moving, great setting and world-building, intense characterization and unique magic system. BUT SLOW MOVING. (So excited for book 2)
The Caffeinated Reader 