I agree with what you said and I felt the ending was extremely rushed, questions brushed aside and the epilogue was honestly more confusing to me than it should have been. I was really looking forward to an awesome conclusion...
@Jmaldo.designs it feels like if we say something bad and the film flops it will be because we didn't support it but it's not fair it's just honest critique
I completely agree!!! I was obsessed with these books and characters and was so excited for this last book. I was gutted when I found out it was 360 pages. 4 years for 360 pages!?!? It felt like a completely different series. I also could not figure out where the two new groups of people were. Like the skulls were barbaric but because of the masks I could not get a vibe and the other group I was getting East Asian vibes but also felt like tribes in the Amazon or Mexico that are untouched by modern society. I was also SOOOO annoyed by how much she would use people’s names in certain scenes. Like the one part she used “silver skull” like 15 times in one page it felt like (I listened to the audiobook) the writing felt so different for me and I HATED that they changed the wonderful narrator for this final book. The first 2 books are my absolute favourite audiobooks to listen to and no hate to the new narrator but she made it feel so different and made the characters feel different for me too. I am glad I am not alone in feeling severely disappointed in this book.
Also to add I was so thrown because I thought that them being captured on the boat was the plans of the queen and the mercenaries. I was so excited to see how that was going to play out. Or even having it be the king capturing them. This felt so out of place
You hit the nail on this one!! I feel the EXACT same way. 4 years waiting and the potential it had and she completely dropped the ball on the last book..
Wppftt! I completely agree. I'm probably about an eight through the book. But straight off the bat, I could tell. My spirit said what is going on here... Granted I haven't finished the book but yeesshhh, reading the first few chapters has been painful. I'm just so confused at this point. That's literally how I found your video because I had to know it wasn't just me who was feeling this way. But thankfully not! Your review was honest and sincere and I appreciate that so much. Sadly it's been disappointing so far but I'm going to press on and continue reading even though it's breaking my heart page by page. Thank you for the video. You've got a new subscriber! Looking forward to checking out the rest of your channel x
I 100% agree. I didn't think others felt this way. I thought I was losing my mind. I was never a Roen fan because I felt like I didn't know wnough about him or where he came from to juat like him for Zelie also I didn't know how old he was and it seemed like he was a man attracted to a teenage girl. However, that being said, I would have liked to see him in this book and maybe have him fleshed out a bit more. I don't like the Amari/Tzain/Mae twist. I don't mind LGBTQ characters, but it felt like Amari's came out of nowhere. I went back because I couldn't see what I had missed. I know a few fans have always insinuated that Amari and Zelie were the real couple, but I've never seen it. At least if it had been introduced in the beginning of the book, it would feel so "slapped in." I'm so mad that after everything, Inan had to give up his life for Zelie to live. How is that fair? The moment Mae mentioned the connection, I had a feeling that it would go that way, and I hoped I was wrong. The way characters disappeared and then just popped up as we should have just assumed they were there already. The way the prophecy is juat accepted and never questioned like why are Orisha and New Gaia connected. Where are the skulls from, and why do they feel so entitled to this ultimate power. The ending left more questions and confusion.
Honestly, it seems like she spent more thoughtful time writing and developing the first section of the book while they were on the boat. But after that, it’s like she stepped away from her desk for while and the rest of the book didn’t even carry the same tone or attention to staying true to the characters’ traits and personalities.
It seems like the language the Skulls speak is Icelandic so maybe Tomi was going for that angle? I also definitely agree that the new land they explore are coded Portugese
Thank you for this ! I just finished the book today and had to go search for reviews bc this is so disappointing, I just can’t believe she put this out . We waited for so long…this was a birthday present for myself and I’m just so shocked. Did the industry get to her ? What happened here smh ? Rushed work…cliche style writing for each chapter…I skipped so much and still was able to follow along . She wasn’t into this book, her spirit was not with this at all.. Loved your thoughts on the characters feeling “less, hollow”. Zellie just kept doubting herself which made me soo angry, like my goodness when will she stand up ? And Roen?! How can you write off a whole main character ?! She could of had him standing on the Orisha at the end but nope…gone Back to re-reading Octavia Butler and Rena Barron
7:07 One of the things that really bothered me and there were many many things that bothered me about this book, was the medallion itself. You would have thought that the medallion might have been doing something bad to z, but all the medallion gave her was benefits. It healed her. It healed the maji. It gave them back their magic. It completely took away all the hard scars that z had, had been undone by the medallion essentially undoing all of that trauma that she had went through that made her who she was. It gave her insight. It translated languages. You would have thought that perhaps it would have had a negative impact. I mean it is a medallion burrowed in your chest. Maybe it could have been stealing some of her memories. No. Perhaps she could have been fighting against it to try not to become like a skull. No. Maybe if She didn't do such and such by the blood moon She died. No.😂 The only thing the medallion seem to do wishes get on her nerves by buzzing and humming in her chest all the time. 😂 Like, girl... And everything was wrapped up so nice and neat and easily. The book was SOOOO RUSHED! She wrote exposition to avoid dialogue, and she described EVERYTHING. And it was all so DRAMATIC! People couldn't just walk. No they had to thunder and shake mountains when they walked😂😂. I just don't understand what she was trying to do but I will be getting my $20 back. I know that's right! She does not deserve my money for this book.
ha I didnt even get to rant about that but the medallion was ridiculous. the magic set up wasnt clear to begin with but as you say, it didnt seem to be doing anything bad to her so what was the big deal.
I felt the same way about Kingdom of Souls’ trilogy ending! It had so much potential! I hope the Burning series (Rage of Dragons), Dark Star Trilogy (Black Leopard Red Wolf) and the TJ Young & the Orishas series don’t end up disappointing us like these two series.
Oh no! Dont say that! Ive not finished KoS yet but i really liked. I hate to say it but it feels like cause the books dont get hype, the writers lose their love for it and just stop caring. Might be a reach but it feels like they give up cause “noone cares anyway” 😢
@@charliauthor Oh sorry you may like it it’s just me I felt it didn’t do the first two books justice. I won’t spoil it for you. And I don’t think that’s the case to be fair. I hear the Raybearer duology ended well same with some of N.K Jemisin’s trilogy books. People we were waiting and reading the works I mean we are getting a movie after all. I just think Tomi rushed from the beginning she didn’t know where she was taking the story. She could have foreshadowed the “true enemy” going back to book one and as you’ve stated this book is so face paced it feels rushed. It’s just a huge shame. Usually when it comes to adaptations I say stick to the source material but, with this I hope they change this story a bit and actually build a lore and not bring a random villain out of no where mirroring the slave trade for the first act. It’s just so disappointing.
I agree with you 100%! Even though I could not finish the third book because I knew where it was going; I thought it was unnecessary and disappointing. I was hoping she, the author would have allowed our magic to return. The end of the narrative in AF history no matter where it is written, is always capture, disintegration of our very being and then we are reduced to so much less than who we actually are. Unfortunately, Black Panther movie is as close as it has gotten to truly show the GREATNESS of the more melanated people. I understand people would say “write your own” and no worries, I will, however, when are we, as a collective going to stop beating on ourselves? We have real life slavery still happening, EVERY SINGLE DAY! We see it, we live it. Why can’t we escape in a book!? Why can’t we hold black authors accountable for the consistent emotional damage? I am definitely on a tangent but… if not here then where 😅. I am sure the movie is going to remind “us” of our place. I am sure the movie (the 1st one) will be a remake of “Roots” or “Amistad”. Again…on my soap box, don’t mind me, I am just a frustrated African & Native American person who is tired of this same narrative.
I totally get this. We know this section of our history but it doesnt have to continue to be all we're about. I was excited to see the movie but now knowing it ends like this, I'd rather not.
I'll wait until I'm finished before I comment. As is the case when I read any book, I don't project my wants on the finished product. I just read what has been written and see how it rates on its merits and not what I wanted to see. If I want that, I'll write my own book.
This review sums up a lot of what I felt. I told my bestfriend (who hasn’t read the series) that it felt like a fan fiction of the story. I enjoyed the writing and world building, it just wasn’t the story the first two books told. I agree that it felt like the first book of a new series and not the concluding book. I also questioned the Portuguese if these are uncolonized people.
OMG!!!!!! I want to cry seeing you cry and feel so deep about the book! I also read the comments below and I cannot believe what I am reading! I love the series, (although the second book was not that impressive, I still had much hope for the third one.) And it was among my most anticipated books this year! like whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!😒 Especially when you mentioned the part of slave narrative...arrrrrrrrrrrrgh your review might be one among many that I have seen circulating around, regarding the book that will make me not read the book I'm afraid. awwww man.🤦♀
The part on the ship lasted way too long! I wish it wasnt written. It seemed to quit literally cage these characters of who they truly were and it was hard to read. I just kept thinking it would get better. It didnt feel like the same story. It didnt feel like the same characters. I am so disappointed. I love Tomi. She is in my top 3 favorite authors. I met her 5 years ago and just loved her. I am so sad to see that this is how we are all saying goodbye to Oisha. I just know Tomi is better than this.
This is a spoiler alert so don’t read if you haven’t read yet!!! You guys 😢I waited so long for this book to be let down. You hit in the head it felt rushed. We needed to know who king baldyr was why was he on the hunt where was he from. Also what happens with Orasia(sorry if spelled wrong) they rebuild but with who as the leader? Does Amari stay and mend things with her mother is she to stay on the other island…. So many questions left unanswered. And Inan most importantly did not have to die in my opinion. Such a set up of forgiveness to only have him die like WHAT… I’m confused I thought I was getting so much more than what I got. You guys need to read “The Gulded Ones” trilogy so so so good the ending was what a finale should be!!!!
I finished the book today. Was looking for fellow reviews. I feel you. Black Male. I have been reading this book at my part-time at the gym. I recommended the first one and even the second, this third one has me troubled. I have no idea where the other character in this love triangle went so that felt like a whole wasted plot line. Amari made sense because of Binta - I was already wondering. we have no idea what happened to the kingdom. also, I didn’t fully catch on about the other ethnicities with the other countries. I don’t know how that would look on film. How are we going to have two films directed towards black communities and learning about internal battling and strife and then you completely throw in other races, especially in the climate we have right now it’s going to be polarizing.
Once I was finished book 3, I had that feeling you get when you really love a season of a TV series & after you've become invested & are looking forward to the next season, you hear that it got canceled & you're left with all of these unanswered questions. I really tried to like this book but it felt so disconnected from the first 2 & I just did NOT. It felt rushed & lazy at the same time.
Maybe I missed it but I have a few questions: what happened to Ronen (spell check); why didn't we explore Tzain's hidden unleashed power more? What happened to Inans mom? Did Mama Agba or that one guy from them Temple knew this was going to happen? Like I'm so confused 😕
I’m with you. Spoilers ahead. I actually stopped reading in the first chapter and went to the epilogue. I just needed some kind of hope that there would be some form of happiness in the end. After reading the epilogue I decided to keep reading . I hate slave narrative. If I know it’s in a book I don’t read it. But I was invested in the series so I wanted to finish it. I hated the plot holes like the elder connections. And Roen. Where the fuck is Roen? He was one of my favorites and he’s just gone . And Inan. Why did she do that to him? I hated the ending. It felt like a cliffhanger. I’m so disappointed in this last book. So very disappointed. There’s so much more I could say but I won’t. Just so disappointed. What the fuck was she thinking?
I literally cried when Inan died because why? Why couldn't him and Zelie have a happy black love story since he clearly redeemed himself. Also yes how does Roen just get cut. Nah I need a rewrite or when they make the movie make it different. The slave narrative didn't bother me because it united majI and titans but too much was placed on it I just finished it on vacation and I'm bummed out
@@hopedee5719 I cried too😭 I was so disappointed I couldn’t even finish the book. I want to write fantasy romance books, movies, or series with all black characters when I’m older and I took so much inspiration from this series.😔
I really liked the book in spite of its flaws. It was engaging and exciting! Exploring other worlds and cultures was captivating. The 2 major flaws to me is the lack of set up with the skrulls and the fairy tale ending. This book should have been book 4 and book 3 should have set all of this up. The ending did bother me with the tone of everyone working together. Like a war would magically erase all the years of conflict. I can’t see the queen who hates Maji all of a sudden turn into a fan of them. She probably should have died in the conflict to remove that lingering presence. Or, had a moment with her and Amari and Zellie. Lastly, as an African-American living in a country that’s trying to erase our history, I’m ok with the slave angle. Someone needs to keep it out there with all the book banning in certain state. Tomi to me, wrote it well as people overcoming without reducing us to slaves. God bless
For me, the first section of book 3 was expected, as it continued directly from the ending of book 2, where the cast was captured by ships. Naturally, I assumed their main goal in book 3 would be to escape captivity. Overall, I didn’t mind this development. Books like The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi were far worse or just as bad in terms of content.
Most definitely expected but the new villain, less so. It couldve been say another maji tribe or a group of foreign titans or anything else other than this brand new villain that we'd never even been made aware of so it felt completely left field for me :( I disliked the Final Strife too but more so for stylistic choices than the actual story.
It should have just been 2 books. If 3 then it should have been a book about the struggles of rebuilding a nation after war and everyone facing the consequences of their actions. Amari should have dealt with the consequence of almost committing genocide. Zelie should have dealt with the consequence of trauma and war and gone through a path of healing. Inan could have frankly remained dead cause he’s whole Zelie romance was unnecessary. The main conflict could have been about who should rightfully rule cause Amari and Inan aren’t fit and Zelie is too traumatized. It could have been that instead. E.g black panther 2 they lose their king and the story focuses on rebuilding a nation after their king passes. And it would still have the conflicts and magic elements. Maybe even for a book 4, we can still see the New Gaians cause I liked the Amari twist but it wasn’t developed well or needed when you examine the story’s plot at that point. I genuinely hope she sees comments like these and takes them as criticism not hate. People only criticize because they see potential and she has potential, book 1 showed it. However, truly I hope they scrap that slavery thing if they make book 3 a movie. Love the New gaians but they needed to wrap up the first 2 books before introducing new elements.
I also didn’t like how they made Inan’s mum the reason for the maji attack. It was a cope-out. Frankly we could have even had the main 4 attempting to uncover the truth of the events in order to establish peace or something. Like how in Harry Potter they needed to learn about Voldemort to know how to kill him. Or how in the Avater comics we see Zulu unveiling his mother’s dissaperance while simultaneously struggling with his new duties as Fire Lord. Just focus on the maji, focus on the characters, focus on the world.
Honestly, I'm very angry that I spent 2 weeks of my life powering through all 3 books. Book 1 was good, book 2 was bad, and book 3 was rubbish! Very badly story-telling
tbh the title of this book makes ZERO sense. Anarchy isn't just a stand-in word for "pure chaos", it's an actual political ideology so if you're going to include it in the title, AT LEAST TALK ABOUT THE FUCKING IDEOLOGY. I do not want to read this lmao
I missed the magical essence of the first two books. I am from Puerto Rico and a lot of the descriptions reminded me of home. It was the coolest feeling ever like Harry Potter meets lord of the rings but with more flavor, love, sense of unity. I felt confused with the different POV’s. I do agree she could have finished it w/o them getting taken away on the second book. Thank you for your thoughts.
Also, I missed the person who did the voice over from the first two books, she was so good. I felt like I was listening to my great grandma telling me the greatest story ever.
@@crissdeltoro yeah i got central/south American vibes but it just wasnt clear. I think i got confused cause say its Brazil and they came from Nigeria then how long were they on the boat!? It didnt feel long enough logistically
@@crissdeltoro Tomi said at a recent event that she wanted to pay homage to Brazil with book 3 since that’s where she was when she got the idea to write the series.
I don’t usually comment on youtube or social media but your review is troubling to me. You said that she made the characters glorious and then “reduced” them by having them captured presumably as enslaved people. They were glorious and wonderful before capture and their struggle and triumph at the end showed they continued to be glorious and wonderful people. I’m sure you didn’t mean it this way but as a descendent of Africans enslaved in the US, I found that comment offensive. While I know there are a fair amount of people who don’t enjoy slave narratives or stories around that topic, not everyone feels that way and many of us certainly aren’t disturbed or disappointed if a person of African descent includes that. It happened and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Many AA writers write horror and sci fi around this topic and the many horrors we have experienced in part to explore our resilience and perseverance. Additionally, Adeyemi has stated that issues concerning police brutality and other challenges Black people face in America was top of mind and a catalyst for her desire to write this series. Anyway, this review made me very sad.
We know our story but we dont need it repeated as bate or to sell movies every single chance it is given. We are reminded in every day life of slavery, of subjugation, systematic racism and oppression. It would be nice to have a book such as this, allow us to win. We are so much more than a group of black people in chains that got captured and our magic taken away. So much more than what we are always reduced down to. I am actually glad this review allowed you to come to some conclusion of sadness. If you are sad about why the author felt a need to write this, due to the current state of black America, then we should hold the Author accountable for keeping us in that same state, even in a book. Books hold more weight than we think. Fantasy or not, black people have a connection with what is written about them. This is one of those times. Taking our actual history and then allowing the future of our history (book 3) to simulate what white america has tried to accomplish for the past 400+ years, subjugation.
I completely agree with Charli’s assessment of the characters being a bit watered down in the third book. Slave narrative aside, Zelié went to hell and back in order to bring magic back in the first book, then facing the serial acts of betrayal in the second book, to not only being captured in the last book but also have her magic stripped from her AGAIN! So in a way, in terms of character development, it would make complete sense for Zelié’s spirit to be broken, BUT not watered down! She lacked the same intensity she once possessed from the previous books. She survived being captured and tortured by the king, but she never lost her tenacity. I feel the same way about the other characters as well. They all came off as washed out versions from the previous books.
Honestly, I'm very angry that I spent 2 weeks of my life powering through all 3 books. Book 1 was good, book 2 was bad, and book 3 was rubbish! Very badly story-telling
I agree with what you said and I felt the ending was extremely rushed, questions brushed aside and the epilogue was honestly more confusing to me than it should have been. I was really looking forward to an awesome conclusion...
I think a lot of us want to root for tomi and the world of Orïsha but bad storytelling is bad storytelling 🤷♀️
@Jmaldo.designs it feels like if we say something bad and the film flops it will be because we didn't support it but it's not fair it's just honest critique
I finished it today and came here to see if anyone felt the same.. and I guess we’ve all been let down
I completely agree!!! I was obsessed with these books and characters and was so excited for this last book. I was gutted when I found out it was 360 pages. 4 years for 360 pages!?!? It felt like a completely different series. I also could not figure out where the two new groups of people were. Like the skulls were barbaric but because of the masks I could not get a vibe and the other group I was getting East Asian vibes but also felt like tribes in the Amazon or Mexico that are untouched by modern society. I was also SOOOO annoyed by how much she would use people’s names in certain scenes. Like the one part she used “silver skull” like 15 times in one page it felt like (I listened to the audiobook) the writing felt so different for me and I HATED that they changed the wonderful narrator for this final book. The first 2 books are my absolute favourite audiobooks to listen to and no hate to the new narrator but she made it feel so different and made the characters feel different for me too. I am glad I am not alone in feeling severely disappointed in this book.
Also to add I was so thrown because I thought that them being captured on the boat was the plans of the queen and the mercenaries. I was so excited to see how that was going to play out. Or even having it be the king capturing them. This felt so out of place
Agreed. I never thought the capturing was going to come from outside so it was very odd to regress this way
You hit the nail on this one!! I feel the EXACT same way. 4 years waiting and the potential it had and she completely dropped the ball on the last book..
Wppftt! I completely agree. I'm probably about an eight through the book. But straight off the bat, I could tell. My spirit said what is going on here... Granted I haven't finished the book but yeesshhh, reading the first few chapters has been painful. I'm just so confused at this point. That's literally how I found your video because I had to know it wasn't just me who was feeling this way. But thankfully not! Your review was honest and sincere and I appreciate that so much. Sadly it's been disappointing so far but I'm going to press on and continue reading even though it's breaking my heart page by page. Thank you for the video. You've got a new subscriber! Looking forward to checking out the rest of your channel x
Definitely let me know how you feel once youve finished. I just feel so underwhelmed but also severely overwhelmed by how much this disappointed 😢
I 100% agree. I didn't think others felt this way. I thought I was losing my mind. I was never a Roen fan because I felt like I didn't know wnough about him or where he came from to juat like him for Zelie also I didn't know how old he was and it seemed like he was a man attracted to a teenage girl. However, that being said, I would have liked to see him in this book and maybe have him fleshed out a bit more. I don't like the Amari/Tzain/Mae twist. I don't mind LGBTQ characters, but it felt like Amari's came out of nowhere. I went back because I couldn't see what I had missed. I know a few fans have always insinuated that Amari and Zelie were the real couple, but I've never seen it. At least if it had been introduced in the beginning of the book, it would feel so "slapped in." I'm so mad that after everything, Inan had to give up his life for Zelie to live. How is that fair? The moment Mae mentioned the connection, I had a feeling that it would go that way, and I hoped I was wrong. The way characters disappeared and then just popped up as we should have just assumed they were there already. The way the prophecy is juat accepted and never questioned like why are Orisha and New Gaia connected. Where are the skulls from, and why do they feel so entitled to this ultimate power. The ending left more questions and confusion.
Honestly, it seems like she spent more thoughtful time writing and developing the first section of the book while they were on the boat. But after that, it’s like she stepped away from her desk for while and the rest of the book didn’t even carry the same tone or attention to staying true to the characters’ traits and personalities.
I feel this heavy lol all this time was spent on the start that they were on the deck for what felt like forever then everything else was rushed.
😭 found this review after trying to figure out what went wrong. I so so so wanted something else. Thank you for your honesty and emotion.
It seems like the language the Skulls speak is Icelandic so maybe Tomi was going for that angle? I also definitely agree that the new land they explore are coded Portugese
Thank you for this ! I just finished the book today and had to go search for reviews bc this is so disappointing, I just can’t believe she put this out . We waited for so long…this was a birthday present for myself and I’m just so shocked.
Did the industry get to her ? What happened here smh ?
Rushed work…cliche style writing for each chapter…I skipped so much and still was able to follow along . She wasn’t into this book, her spirit was not with this at all..
Loved your thoughts on the characters feeling “less, hollow”. Zellie just kept doubting herself which made me soo angry, like my goodness when will she stand up ? And Roen?! How can you write off a whole main character ?! She could of had him standing on the Orisha at the end but nope…gone
Back to re-reading Octavia Butler and Rena Barron
Rena Barron DID NOT disappoint
7:07 One of the things that really bothered me and there were many many things that bothered me about this book, was the medallion itself.
You would have thought that the medallion might have been doing something bad to z, but all the medallion gave her was benefits. It healed her. It healed the maji. It gave them back their magic. It completely took away all the hard scars that z had, had been undone by the medallion essentially undoing all of that trauma that she had went through that made her who she was. It gave her insight. It translated languages. You would have thought that perhaps it would have had a negative impact. I mean it is a medallion burrowed in your chest. Maybe it could have been stealing some of her memories. No. Perhaps she could have been fighting against it to try not to become like a skull. No. Maybe if She didn't do such and such by the blood moon She died. No.😂
The only thing the medallion seem to do wishes get on her nerves by buzzing and humming in her chest all the time. 😂 Like, girl...
And everything was wrapped up so nice and neat and easily. The book was SOOOO RUSHED! She wrote exposition to avoid dialogue, and she described EVERYTHING. And it was all so DRAMATIC! People couldn't just walk. No they had to thunder and shake mountains when they walked😂😂. I just don't understand what she was trying to do but I will be getting my $20 back. I know that's right! She does not deserve my money for this book.
ha I didnt even get to rant about that but the medallion was ridiculous. the magic set up wasnt clear to begin with but as you say, it didnt seem to be doing anything bad to her so what was the big deal.
I felt the same way about Kingdom of Souls’ trilogy ending! It had so much potential! I hope the Burning series (Rage of Dragons), Dark Star Trilogy (Black Leopard Red Wolf) and the TJ Young & the Orishas series don’t end up disappointing us like these two series.
Oh no! Dont say that! Ive not finished KoS yet but i really liked. I hate to say it but it feels like cause the books dont get hype, the writers lose their love for it and just stop caring. Might be a reach but it feels like they give up cause “noone cares anyway” 😢
@@charliauthor Oh sorry you may like it it’s just me I felt it didn’t do the first two books justice. I won’t spoil it for you.
And I don’t think that’s the case to be fair. I hear the Raybearer duology ended well same with some of N.K Jemisin’s trilogy books.
People we were waiting and reading the works I mean we are getting a movie after all. I just think Tomi rushed from the beginning she didn’t know where she was taking the story. She could have foreshadowed the “true enemy” going back to book one and as you’ve stated this book is so face paced it feels rushed.
It’s just a huge shame. Usually when it comes to adaptations I say stick to the source material but, with this I hope they change this story a bit and actually build a lore and not bring a random villain out of no where mirroring the slave trade for the first act. It’s just so disappointing.
That's such a shame!!! Based on how book 2 ended, I did think that was the direction she was going, but I'd hoped I was wrong 😢
Its just so odd. I dont think ive ever been this disappointed
I agree with you 100%! Even though I could not finish the third book because I knew where it was going; I thought it was unnecessary and disappointing. I was hoping she, the author would have allowed our magic to return. The end of the narrative in AF history no matter where it is written, is always capture, disintegration of our very being and then we are reduced to so much less than who we actually are. Unfortunately, Black Panther movie is as close as it has gotten to truly show the GREATNESS of the more melanated people. I understand people would say “write your own” and no worries, I will, however, when are we, as a collective going to stop beating on ourselves? We have real life slavery still happening, EVERY SINGLE DAY! We see it, we live it. Why can’t we escape in a book!? Why can’t we hold black authors accountable for the consistent emotional damage? I am definitely on a tangent but… if not here then where 😅. I am sure the movie is going to remind “us” of our place. I am sure the movie (the 1st one) will be a remake of “Roots” or “Amistad”. Again…on my soap box, don’t mind me, I am just a frustrated African & Native American person who is tired of this same narrative.
I totally get this. We know this section of our history but it doesnt have to continue to be all we're about. I was excited to see the movie but now knowing it ends like this, I'd rather not.
I'll wait until I'm finished before I comment. As is the case when I read any book, I don't project my wants on the finished product. I just read what has been written and see how it rates on its merits and not what I wanted to see. If I want that, I'll write my own book.
This review sums up a lot of what I felt. I told my bestfriend (who hasn’t read the series) that it felt like a fan fiction of the story. I enjoyed the writing and world building, it just wasn’t the story the first two books told. I agree that it felt like the first book of a new series and not the concluding book. I also questioned the Portuguese if these are uncolonized people.
OMG!!!!!! I want to cry seeing you cry and feel so deep about the book! I also read the comments below and I cannot believe what I am reading! I love the series, (although the second book was not that impressive, I still had much hope for the third one.) And it was among my most anticipated books this year! like whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!😒 Especially when you mentioned the part of slave narrative...arrrrrrrrrrrrgh your review might be one among many that I have seen circulating around, regarding the book that will make me not read the book I'm afraid. awwww man.🤦♀
The part on the ship lasted way too long! I wish it wasnt written. It seemed to quit literally cage these characters of who they truly were and it was hard to read. I just kept thinking it would get better. It didnt feel like the same story. It didnt feel like the same characters. I am so disappointed. I love Tomi. She is in my top 3 favorite authors. I met her 5 years ago and just loved her. I am so sad to see that this is how we are all saying goodbye to Oisha. I just know Tomi is better than this.
Exactly! They literally got off the ship close to page 70😅 like I couldn’t believe it.
This is a spoiler alert so don’t read if you haven’t read yet!!! You guys 😢I waited so long for this book to be let down. You hit in the head it felt rushed. We needed to know who king baldyr was why was he on the hunt where was he from. Also what happens with Orasia(sorry if spelled wrong) they rebuild but with who as the leader? Does Amari stay and mend things with her mother is she to stay on the other island…. So many questions left unanswered. And Inan most importantly did not have to die in my opinion. Such a set up of forgiveness to only have him die like WHAT… I’m confused I thought I was getting so much more than what I got. You guys need to read “The Gulded Ones” trilogy so so so good the ending was what a finale should be!!!!
He did not! He deserved a better ending! Like why?!!! And where did Roen go?
Nah she needs to rewrite this.
I finished the book today. Was looking for fellow reviews. I feel you. Black Male. I have been reading this book at my part-time at the gym. I recommended the first one and even the second, this third one has me troubled. I have no idea where the other character in this love triangle went so that felt like a whole wasted plot line. Amari made sense because of Binta - I was already wondering.
we have no idea what happened to the kingdom.
also, I didn’t fully catch on about the other ethnicities with the other countries. I don’t know how that would look on film. How are we going to have two films directed towards black communities and learning about internal battling and strife and then you completely throw in other races, especially in the climate we have right now it’s going to be polarizing.
Agree heavily. I was so exciting to see this on film but now i'm scared. It feels like i'll be watching Roots with magic :(
Once I was finished book 3, I had that feeling you get when you really love a season of a TV series & after you've become invested & are looking forward to the next season, you hear that it got canceled & you're left with all of these unanswered questions. I really tried to like this book but it felt so disconnected from the first 2 & I just did NOT. It felt rushed & lazy at the same time.
Maybe I missed it but I have a few questions: what happened to Ronen (spell check); why didn't we explore Tzain's hidden unleashed power more? What happened to Inans mom? Did Mama Agba or that one guy from them Temple knew this was going to happen? Like I'm so confused 😕
*the temple
Exaaaaacty! Cause i have absolutely NO idea. Zelie mentioned Roen once and that was it. None of it made sense/was wrapped up properly
I just finished the audiobook and im hurt. Inan shouldve lived after so much he went through and what happened to Roen?
I’m with you. Spoilers ahead. I actually stopped reading in the first chapter and went to the epilogue. I just needed some kind of hope that there would be some form of happiness in the end. After reading the epilogue I decided to keep reading . I hate slave narrative. If I know it’s in a book I don’t read it. But I was invested in the series so I wanted to finish it. I hated the plot holes like the elder connections. And Roen. Where the fuck is Roen? He was one of my favorites and he’s just gone . And Inan. Why did she do that to him? I hated the ending. It felt like a cliffhanger. I’m so disappointed in this last book. So very disappointed. There’s so much more I could say but I won’t. Just so disappointed. What the fuck was she thinking?
@@Angel-st6uf it was very disappointing for me. It didnt go the way i thought it wouldve of and not in a positive way unfortunately
Wait, what happened to Inan? I'm not gonna finish the book, so I don't mind spoilers.
@@Live_Laugh_Love_Yourself He died :(
I literally cried when Inan died because why? Why couldn't him and Zelie have a happy black love story since he clearly redeemed himself. Also yes how does Roen just get cut. Nah I need a rewrite or when they make the movie make it different. The slave narrative didn't bother me because it united majI and titans but too much was placed on it
I just finished it on vacation and I'm bummed out
@@hopedee5719 I cried too😭 I was so disappointed I couldn’t even finish the book. I want to write fantasy romance books, movies, or series with all black characters when I’m older and I took so much inspiration from this series.😔
I really liked the book in spite of its flaws. It was engaging and exciting! Exploring other worlds and cultures was captivating.
The 2 major flaws to me is the lack of set up with the skrulls and the fairy tale ending. This book should have been book 4 and book 3 should have set all of this up.
The ending did bother me with the tone of everyone working together. Like a war would magically erase all the years of conflict. I can’t see the queen who hates Maji all of a sudden turn into a fan of them. She probably should have died in the conflict to remove that lingering presence. Or, had a moment with her and Amari and Zellie.
Lastly, as an African-American living in a country that’s trying to erase our history, I’m ok with the slave angle. Someone needs to keep it out there with all the book banning in certain state. Tomi to me, wrote it well as people overcoming without reducing us to slaves. God bless
For me, the first section of book 3 was expected, as it continued directly from the ending of book 2, where the cast was captured by ships. Naturally, I assumed their main goal in book 3 would be to escape captivity. Overall, I didn’t mind this development. Books like The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi were far worse or just as bad in terms of content.
Most definitely expected but the new villain, less so. It couldve been say another maji tribe or a group of foreign titans or anything else other than this brand new villain that we'd never even been made aware of so it felt completely left field for me :( I disliked the Final Strife too but more so for stylistic choices than the actual story.
Cape verde woud make sense distance wise, but yeah it was clearly meant to be Brazil
I think it was Cape Verde. The distance and language makes sense for it to be it.
She’s heavily inspired by Brazilian culture
I think it's Cape Verde and not Brazil.
@@hopedee5719 ahhh yesss!!! I see what you mean
Lmfao im 92% done with the book and also let down especially after begging my gf to start reading the 1st book
It should have just been 2 books. If 3 then it should have been a book about the struggles of rebuilding a nation after war and everyone facing the consequences of their actions. Amari should have dealt with the consequence of almost committing genocide. Zelie should have dealt with the consequence of trauma and war and gone through a path of healing. Inan could have frankly remained dead cause he’s whole Zelie romance was unnecessary. The main conflict could have been about who should rightfully rule cause Amari and Inan aren’t fit and Zelie is too traumatized. It could have been that instead. E.g black panther 2 they lose their king and the story focuses on rebuilding a nation after their king passes. And it would still have the conflicts and magic elements. Maybe even for a book 4, we can still see the New Gaians cause I liked the Amari twist but it wasn’t developed well or needed when you examine the story’s plot at that point. I genuinely hope she sees comments like these and takes them as criticism not hate. People only criticize because they see potential and she has potential, book 1 showed it. However, truly I hope they scrap that slavery thing if they make book 3 a movie. Love the New gaians but they needed to wrap up the first 2 books before introducing new elements.
I also didn’t like how they made Inan’s mum the reason for the maji attack. It was a cope-out. Frankly we could have even had the main 4 attempting to uncover the truth of the events in order to establish peace or something. Like how in Harry Potter they needed to learn about Voldemort to know how to kill him. Or how in the Avater comics we see Zulu unveiling his mother’s dissaperance while simultaneously struggling with his new duties as Fire Lord. Just focus on the maji, focus on the characters, focus on the world.
Honestly, I'm very angry that I spent 2 weeks of my life powering through all 3 books. Book 1 was good, book 2 was bad, and book 3 was rubbish! Very badly story-telling
tbh the title of this book makes ZERO sense. Anarchy isn't just a stand-in word for "pure chaos", it's an actual political ideology so if you're going to include it in the title, AT LEAST TALK ABOUT THE FUCKING IDEOLOGY. I do not want to read this lmao
Have you read the legend born series?
@@justusdavis9486 ive read book 1
They sounded Brazilian to me
I missed the magical essence of the first two books. I am from Puerto Rico and a lot of the descriptions reminded me of home. It was the coolest feeling ever like Harry Potter meets lord of the rings but with more flavor, love, sense of unity. I felt confused with the different POV’s. I do agree she could have finished it w/o them getting taken away on the second book. Thank you for your thoughts.
Also, I missed the person who did the voice over from the first two books, she was so good. I felt like I was listening to my great grandma telling me the greatest story ever.
@@crissdeltoro the first two were magical
@@crissdeltoro yeah i got central/south American vibes but it just wasnt clear. I think i got confused cause say its Brazil and they came from Nigeria then how long were they on the boat!? It didnt feel long enough logistically
@@crissdeltoro Tomi said at a recent event that she wanted to pay homage to Brazil with book 3 since that’s where she was when she got the idea to write the series.
I don’t usually comment on youtube or social media but your review is troubling to me. You said that she made the characters glorious and then “reduced” them by having them captured presumably as enslaved people. They were glorious and wonderful before capture and their struggle and triumph at the end showed they continued to be glorious and wonderful people. I’m sure you didn’t mean it this way but as a descendent of Africans enslaved in the US, I found that comment offensive. While I know there are a fair amount of people who don’t enjoy slave narratives or stories around that topic, not everyone feels that way and many of us certainly aren’t disturbed or disappointed if a person of African descent includes that. It happened and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Many AA writers write horror and sci fi around this topic and the many horrors we have experienced in part to explore our resilience and perseverance. Additionally, Adeyemi has stated that issues concerning police brutality and other challenges Black people face in America was top of mind and a catalyst for her desire to write this series. Anyway, this review made me very sad.
@@sonya-i8b sorry it made you sad
We know our story but we dont need it repeated as bate or to sell movies every single chance it is given. We are reminded in every day life of slavery, of subjugation, systematic racism and oppression. It would be nice to have a book such as this, allow us to win. We are so much more than a group of black people in chains that got captured and our magic taken away. So much more than what we are always reduced down to. I am actually glad this review allowed you to come to some conclusion of sadness. If you are sad about why the author felt a need to write this, due to the current state of black America, then we should hold the Author accountable for keeping us in that same state, even in a book. Books hold more weight than we think. Fantasy or not, black people have a connection with what is written about them. This is one of those times. Taking our actual history and then allowing the future of our history (book 3) to simulate what white america has tried to accomplish for the past 400+ years, subjugation.
I completely agree with Charli’s assessment of the characters being a bit watered down in the third book. Slave narrative aside, Zelié went to hell and back in order to bring magic back in the first book, then facing the serial acts of betrayal in the second book, to not only being captured in the last book but also have her magic stripped from her AGAIN! So in a way, in terms of character development, it would make complete sense for Zelié’s spirit to be broken, BUT not watered down! She lacked the same intensity she once possessed from the previous books. She survived being captured and tortured by the king, but she never lost her tenacity. I feel the same way about the other characters as well. They all came off as washed out versions from the previous books.
Honestly, I'm very angry that I spent 2 weeks of my life powering through all 3 books. Book 1 was good, book 2 was bad, and book 3 was rubbish! Very badly story-telling