Rich descriptions and a smooth, casual writing style brought this story to life and made it easy to immerse in. The world-building was also skilfully expanded and delivered without any glaring information dump, making it more engaging than the previous book. My only issue was that the extensive details of Ikenna’s emotions and internal conflicts made the narrative somewhat repetitive.
Almost 5-stars
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THE BLOOD TRIALS by N. E. Davenport
Despite some information dumps, I was utterly impressed by the detailed world that is established and infused with a creative mix of sci-fi and magic. Besides this, the casual writing style was easy to follow and filled with sufficient details and descriptions to bring the characters and story to life.
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DIVINE RIVALS by Rebecca Ross
A captivating prose, vivid descriptions and dual points of view smoothly bring this story to life. I was also mesmerised by the fascinating world, with its gods, historical setting and creative elements like enchanted buildings and typewriters.
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THE FINAL STRIFE by Saara El-Arifi
Despite feeling overwhelmed by initial waves of worldbuilding information, I was soon captivated by the expansive and brutal world that emerged. Even more impressive were the intricate layers constantly added to the worldbuilding throughout the story. All this is delivered with a simple yet rich writing style that brings the world and story to life.
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THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The smooth writing style laced with heart and foreboding was very engaging. Besides this, time jumps between and within past and present events are flawlessly done. I also loved the news articles distributed within the story, as these were a fun way of presenting information.
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THE MERCILESS ONES by Namina Forna
Namina tremendously expands the rich, brutal world of Otera with impressive mythology, creatures and powers. The considerable information needed for this was gradually introduced in bite-sized pieces throughout the story, so it never felt overwhelming.
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BLOOD SCION by Deborah Falaye
Steeped in Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, the world Deborah Falaye creates is immersive, graphic and fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the extensive history and culture that unapologetically showcases the Yoruba language. While there is no avoiding the wealth of information needed to establish this complex world, I love that Deborah takes her time to gradually weave this information into the story. This allows the fast pace of the story to be maintained and presents the details in manageable pieces.
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REDEMPTOR by Jordan Ifueko
Wow. Just wow!
Jordan Ifueko did not play around with this sequel!
“You don’t get to choose why people love you. But what you do with the love you receive . . . that’s a choice you make every day.”