A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

Product Information

Their two stories collide (literally) fairly early when Malik and his sisters disastrously manage to enter the city amidst a chaotic distraction and Malik crashes into Karina as she’s navigating the streets in disguise after performing in a tavern. I just really couldn't get into it, and I'm going to try again, and if I feel like it improves upon a second read, I will adjust my rating and post an update to my review reflecting that. The world-building is not so different from many other books I have read (but that's what happens after a while when you read so many YA and fantasy novels I guess) and the magic was subtly weaved into it. I did guess who the baddie was pretty early on though and I think I was expecting more based on the huge amount of hype surrounding this book, but it was a really solid read and I can't wait for the sequel!

I feel like the world and magic system were interesting (I actually have more thoughts on this to come later in the review). But as part of his deal to Idir, Farid has to kill Karina on his behalf, which he doesn’t seem to have any remorse for because he blames the death of Hanane and the king on Karina. This was not a bad book, but I still can't get over the fact (or the impression I have at least) that Malik is a 13 years old or 14 years old teenager and I have trouble connecting with that.I really appreciate Brown's thought and care into the worldbuilding and the way she infuses West African mythology and culture into the story. During the scuffle, Malik and his sisters find themselves in a strange hut, where a powerful spirit manifests before them.

All that said, I do still want to read the sequel, because despite its faults (largely faltering on major components), the story did set up a lot of interesting new plot threads at the end and I'm curious how they'll play out. Karina and Tunde are married quickly and secretly, and they consecrate their marriage (it’s revealed that Karina is not a virgin, she and Tunde had slept together many times during their previous relationship).Later that evening, just before the comet arrives, assassins sneak into the palace and attack Karina and her mother, and the fight ends with the Kestrel dead, making Karina the new sultana of Ziran.

Although we only got glimpses for most of them, they completely intrigued me and I can't wait to see more of them in the future. There’s a lot of love written for Brown’s culture and it’s infused in everything from the folklore to all the delicious food that gets described. So Malik feels entirely betrayed, because he is starting to fall for Karina, but this just hardens his resolve to kill her and save his sister. Malik is able to trap Idir within Malik’s mind where he resides at the end of the story, and his background is more complicated.But I have to say with the hype the romance in this book has gotten, there's honestly not much of it. Malik is trying to justify his response, and Karina is about to jump in when Afua arrives out of nowhere, attacking Karina and crying that her family has been taken prisoner because of the raids by the Sentinels. It's nothing any of us haven't read before, nothing really original, more like your typical I-came-to-kill-you-but-I-ended-up-loving-you kind of story, but very, very good nontheless. and although im not as obsessed with the plot (full of YA clichés) and characters (karina is soooo annoying) as everyone else seems to be, i still found this to be a pretty good story.

Malik is poor and part of a discriminated-against cultural minority, and he and his sisters end up in a Jareth from Labyrinth-type situation with one of the gods when his younger sister accidentally makes a bargain and the only way to save her is to, you guessed it, assassinate the princess Karina. After admitting that her mother is dead, Karina enlists Afua’s help with the eventual ritual that needs to happen. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed a slight break from fairy tale retellings to read a review of a mostly-fantasy story.These are attributes that are often given to male characters, but it’s fitting that they are given to Karina, especially since Ziran is a matriarchy. So if you’ve got any other fantasy novels to recommend that are written by black/POC authors, please drop them in the comments, I read a lot of novels by white ladies, which is fine, but certainly not the only YA fantasy perspective out there and I really want to broaden my horizons.