Quick takeaways:

Protagonists: Likeable

Side Characters: Mixed

Antagonist(s): Obvious

Plot: Above Average

Writing: Good

Summary:

Did not know Scrabble had tournaments but shouldn’t have been surprised since a lot of niche things do.

I read the first few pages of a sample and immediately had to buy and read the book. It really does a good job of drawing you in with the mysterious death of Trina Low. The author did a good job of painting who this young woman was and the tremendous influence that she had over everyone she met. Najwa was a really good, relatable lead and I was rooting for her throughout the book. Some side characters were interesting but others were forgettable and just there to be red herrings.

It felt obvious who the bad guy was but didn’t detract from the story. I did feel the ending was weak though.

Good novel to binge over a weekend.

Quick takeaways:

Protagonists: Serviceable

Side Characters: Passable

Antagonist(s): Hateable but one dimensional

Plot: Average

Writing: Average

Summary:

The setting and the diversity of this story is great. I loved the descriptions of the palace and cities. LGBT is represented well and naturally without being pandering. The magic system is like Avatar the Last Airbender but expanded to Bones and Steel. Overall, the author is really creative.

The downside is this is a novella so it feels so rushed. You don’t really feel a connection to the characters. The author should relook into expanding this into a series and flesh out the characters and settings even further. Overall, the setting left a bigger impression on me than the characters. 

Also, sometimes it was hard to tell who was speaking and the format of the book seemed off (I read on the Kobo app).

Second attempt reading it. I tried but just can't get into it. The writing is only ok. The situation seems forced and outcomes seem predictable.