A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

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And just as he thinks he’s going to fail the first challenge and be eliminated from Solstasia, the griot Nyeni who was part of the reason they got into this mess with Nadia and Idir appears and offers him the final mask of the challenge, and he arrives just in time to complete it. Of course this doesn't end up working out the way that they anticipate once they have the opportunity to meet each other face to face.

I was shocked by the connections that were made that I didn't necessarily see coming in the beginning of the novel. But the main ingredient needed is the heart of a king, which Ziran has not had since her father died. Malik and his 2 sisters are fleeing their dangerous homeland and are hoping to find a job in the capital city, but when Malik's younger sister is captured by a magical being, their plan changes.As for their "chemistry", well I am still looking for it because I sure did not feel any chemistry between Karina and Malik in this book. Both main characters are seeking to help their families in ways that will put them into situations where they would ultimately kill each other. WE LOVE TO SEE IT): mild self-harm ideation, fantasy violence, emotional and physical abuse, anxiety and panic attacks, parent death and animal death. The sheer care and thought that went into constructing this vibrant world can be felt with every word - the history, the folklore, the mythology, the different cultures and their dynamics, the religion. I don’t often read books with male protagonists, but even when I do find them I’ve never come across one anything like Malik.

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 didn't hate this book, but it was really hyped as an Aladdin inspired enemies to lovers epic, and I just didn't get out of it what I was hoping to.

A refugee escaping his crumbling war-torn home alongside his sisters, seeking a better life in the very city that wreaked havoc on his country - only for a dangerous spirit to steal his younger sister and trap him in an impossible deal. But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister, Nadia, as payment to enter the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal-kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia's freedom. The story's confrontation of colonialism was also great to see, with the Zirani occupation of Malik's home, the Eshran Mountains. i really loved malik as a character, he was so soft and the rep for his anxiety was amazing but i didn’t really care for karina, i found myself dreading her characters because i feel like her character and her characters drive wasn’t conveyed well.A powerful sorcerer, one of the few left, he betrays Karina and blames her for the death of Hanane and the king. He and Tunde race to the finish, Tunde having decided that he does in fact want the opportunity to marry Karina. stars based on my personal level of enjoyment, which stems from not really getting attached to the characters or believing in the romance. Because he is a powerful sorcerer who has been working with Idir himself and wants to perform the resurrection ritual on Hanane, his true love. At the opening ceremony of Solstasia, she announces that whoever wins the festival will win her hand in marriage.

In the end, Karina choses him as the Solstasia victor and the two are married, despite Karina wishing she could chose Malik.representation: all Black cast (own voices West African inspired fantasy), anxiety and panic attacks. I’m out here trying to diversify my bookshelf, and I realized really the only other fantasy series I had on my shelves that was written by a black author is Children of Blood and Bone.