This had been one of my most anticipated releases of the year and is one book that took bookstagram by storm! And I must say, the hype is legit real! ❣️✨ In this book, both characters are grappling with the idea of killing the person they have growing feelings for or allowing their family members to be killed/left dead. How did you feel about this kind of conflict? What would you do in their shoes?

One of my struggles with ASoWaR was the pacing, something I felt was entirely resolved in this book. Everything that happened had the perfect amount of time devoted to it, which is such an impressive achievement? Especially coming from someone like me that struggles with feeling as though pacing is often extremely inconsistent. Hands down Malik stole the show for me. 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.

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A Psalm of Storms and Silence was really not what I was expecting from a sequel and... it was not necessarily ina good way. Brown's writing was still engrossing and I loved the world-building very very much, but the pace was a bit too slow for me during the first 65% or so. The Ballad of Bahia Alahari was a mournful tune that told the story of how the first sultana of Ziran had battled her own husband, the Faceless King, when he had sided with the Kennouan Empire during the final battle of the Pharaoh’s War. Within minutes, the audience had tears streaming down their faces, many even openly sobbing. However, a number of patrons, many of whom were noticeably non-Zirani, seemed unaffected by the performance, and Karina kept her attention on them as her opponent played. The romance. It felt very insta-lovey to me. They met and conversed literally 3 times and they were in looooooove. Okay I've never had someone save me from a giant mythical beast, but it would take me some time to fall in love. Karina was willing to kill an ex-boyfriend she admitted she was close to falling in love with for someone she barely knew!! Like what? I do like how they're actual enemies by the end of the book and am very curious to see how their relationship progresses in the sequel.

I did find myself getting frustrated with both Karina and Malik because they kept forgetting their role, especially Malik, during the competition I found that he was thinking less of his sisters and more of what was happening at the moment and I just kept asking myself ‘what about Nadia!? What about Leila!? You don’t even know where they are’. A cheer resounded through the restaurant as the bard strummed his last note. He collected his donations in a velvet coin purse, then strode over to their table and dropped into a low bow. Hey. Nadia tugged on Malik’s pants leg with her free hand, then pointed to the cloth goat whose head poked out of the front of her faded djellaba. Gege wants to know if I get to have your bag if the chipekwe steps on you next time.

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stars, rounded up because I really appreciated the mental illness rep. We don't get enough of that in fantasy books these days. In spite of its dull moments, I would still recommend this book/series. It is definitely worth reading. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting an original fantasy story without all the stale elements of your typical fantasy. I would recommend this book to people of color, especially writers of color, who are looking to get into fantasy novels but are tired of seeing the same white cast over and over again. I would recommend this to anyone, just in general, because it’s just a really good story. I still think people are subconsciously sleeping on this doulogy. Go and do yourself a favor and read this. Fully-realized complex characters with dual points of view, rich world-building, gripping plot and a romance to root for - I wish this was the kind of YA fantasy I'd read in my teens.