As usual, I have nothing but praise for Efua’s writing. It’s easy to read, and you’re sure to stay glued to the story.

In the place of complex characters and elaborate settings, the author builds on the magic system and the world lore, both of which are done fairly well.

A father pawning off his daughter and a king betraying his queen are just hors ​d’oeuvre to the main course ahead.

Since this is a war fantasy, many well-depicted fight scenes exist. The magic wasn’t well explained, but I still loved it

One of my most beloved things in the book was the characters. They’re brave, petulant, criminal, and amusing.

Religion takes front and center stage in this book. It was pretty interesting to explore how religious beliefs influence people’s behaviors, mindsets, and actions.

If you’re looking for noble characters with a strong sense of right and wrong, happy endings, and damsels in distress, this book is not for you.

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...

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.