The organic development of Jyosh and the skills progression is indicative of a well-thought-out plot, especially how training can be completed in a Tel’aran’rhoid-like place.

I think this is very reminiscent of many Nigerian children today (the torn from cultural roots part), which is sad because we are losing our cultural values fast, and they may be gone forever. ...

The characters in this book are numerous, and it’s no surprise that my favorite character is Zachery Ezra Rawlins. He is a weird and queer guy, and I really enjoyed reading about his character d...

The author’s style of writing and world-building is not unnecessarily complex, making the book an easy read. The switch in POVs makes for an exciting change in pace and format throughout the book. Nic...

If you know someone with an abusive partner, please don’t constantly judge them by asking why they can’t just leave because it’s not as easy as it seems, and Stockholm’s syndrome is really a thing ...

So this is a YA book, and going into it, I expected the regular YA tropes. While there were a few tropes here and there, it wasn’t as much as I expected. 

If you enjoy knowing your characters intimately, history, a well-written story and Asian culture, I recommend you pick up this book.

The book covers themes such as racism, politics in the pre and post-colonial era in Africa, Identity crisis, infidelity, the slave trade, and the importance of knowing one’s roots

Ebere has a theory that a killer is out there that claims his victim every Christmas, and she believes their best friend Janet was one of his victims.

She carried the burden of guilt, thinking about all the things she could have done to avoid her brother’s dying, blaming herself for even starting the chain of events that led to his death. ...

The book, rather than being plot-based, is character-based. It follows the development of a character from being a juvenile psycho to being mature.

The entire thing is a complex weave of even more complex characters, themes of violence, betrayal, love and redemption.