This is an Afrofuturistic dystopian fantasy book I saw being promoted on the authors TikTok. As someone who loves reading Afro-centric books with dystopian elements by Black authors, I did not pass up the opportunity to buy and read. Jashi, an orphan girl who is part of a rare and forgotten tribe of people who can secretly command and sprout fire from her body at will, is faced with a dilemma when she is arranged to be married to her country’s most feared King/Faresh - who also happens to be a childhood acquaintance - and gets entangled in a bigger plot to save the country of Ksundii from the imminent war powers that be .


This was an amazing concept and premise that held me attention but the second Act is where the pacing felt slowed down tremendously and the book did a lot of “telling” rather than “showing” the plot twists and backstories. I appreciate the many elements to this story - the dragons, the legend of Ksundii and dragon tribe people, and the comparisons between Zendaalans and the Western Powers of today. I just felt like whenever an interesting gem would drop it would drop because one character would spend 10 pages telling it to another character, instead of creating any tension or action to portray it in a more lively manner. 


I don’t feel too particularly strongly towards any character. Not quite a forced marriage-romance, not quite a battle story but I think this is a well written beginner First Book for a series, and I am excited for what lies for the Ksundii and Omani people and where that war is headed. Would entertain Book 2 if it does come out.