Roseanne A. Brown

4.75 stars. In a lot of ways, this doesn't break the usual YA formula, but I still really enjoyed it. What stood out to me, aside from the unique inclusion of West African folklore, was the main characters. One is a princess, Karina, with the pressure to fill her mother - the queen's - shoes but also to fulfill the needs of a terrible necromantic spell. The other is a boy, Malik, refugee from a vilified nation, desperate to save his young sister from the clutches of an evil, supernatural being who wants the royal line ended. Their paths collide ofer the backdrop of a contest between chosen champions during a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event.

Karina is unlikable - in a likeable way? If that makes any sense. She doesn't follow a typical princess archetype in YA. She's ruthless. Malik on the other hand, has not only very real outward struggles, but suffers from severe anxiety and panic attacks. The two were a very interesting combo together. I liked their romance, though it kinda took the backseat in the story. Overall, though, I was mesmerized by the lore and what might happen next.… (mais)

#ReadAroundTheWorld #Ghana

This is the debut novel of Ghanaian author Roseanne A. Brown, and is the first of a YA fantasy duology based on West African folklore.

This is an enemies-to-lovers type romance with the main characters, Malik and Karina, pitted against each other. Malik has been given the quest of killing Karina, crown princess of Ziran, and daughter of the reigning Sultana, by the evil spirit who has kidnapped his little sister. Karina has her own slightly more loopy reasons to need to kill Malik, as she wants to bring her mother back to life after her recent assassination, and the magic requires the beating heart of a king. She decides to marry the winner of the Solstasia competition, thus creating a king she can kill. Can the two of them see their quests through, despite the attraction between them?

Malik is portrayed as a gentle person, who suffers anxiety and panic attacks. Karina has always fought against her destiny and bonds, and tries to gain some independence. I enjoyed this book, particularly Malik’s character. I did not fully understand the magic system. I did not completely enjoy the audio-narration either, it seems odd to me in a fantasy with black characters, based on African mythology, that the characters would need American accents rather than African ones.… (mais)

* I got this book for review from the publisher*
I loved this book!! I would give this book 4.75 for review. I think ending could have been a bit tighter and clearer in regards to plot. I also read a arc so the story may have gotten clearer. I loved the characers in this book. I also loved both the found family that serwa found and also the "scooby" gang . I also loved the plot in this read, it also had many under the rader thigs about being black american in the world and as a teacher this hit me a different way. I also enjoyed explorig the ghanna mythology! I was shocked by the twists and turns at the end of this read and will def read book 2!!… (mais)