HERE BE SPOILERS. YOU ARE WARNED

I am ticked off.
At the book. At the author. At whoever gave the writing advice. At all those glorious reviews - from people who have, apparently, read a different book altogether.

The story is excessively bland. There is no pressing sense of urgency. It's burdened by a blatantly obvious set-up, Special Snowflake Syndrome (everything-drops-in-her-lap variety) and spectacular case of leading by the hand.

For a while I could not quite tell what was bothering me. But now I know.
Everyone just DOES THINGS FOR HER FOR NO APPARENT REASON!
(my caps-lock of rage are fully justified in here)
THAT? Pisses me off.

At the very beginning, had she herself gone to ask for a possible solution involving her not inconsiderable musical talent instead of having it presented on a proverbial silver platter, I might have felt a little more charitable.

Heroes are made in adversity, in struggles and clashes - of words, ideals, personalities, swords. Doesn't matter if they are reluctant, or not heroes at all. (Nothing rivals some True Evil shooting down some upstart evil overlord for ruining a garden, or some such).
This, here, when a solution is presented scant moments after a crisis occurs? That's pathetic.

Also: This book is depressing me in its blandness. As in, I want to chuck it into a furnace and watch it burn. I half wish I've never picked this up. This book fails spectacularly in oh so many ways.

If I had to describe it:
This is a book for adults who think that political commentary should be sledge-hammered into children.

FINAL VERDICT: There is a whole scope of wonderful books to be read. You do NOT want to be wasting your time on this one. But that's IMO. ( )

Mara Levi, who lives in a city where magic is in the hands of a pitiless ruling class, is caught in a plague that turns its victims eyes dark. She and her unlikely friend Azariah stumble across the cure in an ancient book in a forgotten language and spark a revolution when they insists on distributing it equally to all the afflicted.

Love the characters and enjoy the world. Good insight into how social norms can cause people to act without kindness, even when they have a better self.

Advanced reader copy provided by edelweiss. ( )

After a few disappointing reads where I was clearly not the target audience, I feel like this is a book that was written for me. (Thanks, author!) A smart female lead, ancient languages, music, and magic... seriously, I couldn't put it down. ( )

This is a very well-written fantasy novel for readers around 11 to 14 years old. The main character is Marah Levi, a smart, accomplished 14-year old girl who lives in a stratified society. She is halani - her people are considered lower class since they cannot perform magic. The kasiri people can perform magic and are considered upper class in this society. When trouble in the form of a mysterious plague strikes, she becomes friends with a kasiri boy to find a magical cure. The world building is intriguing and the plot makes for a real page turner by the end. There are sad outcomes in this story and this writer doesn't talk down to young readers. There is also a refreshing respect for love of family, doing hard work, doing well in school, and for the importance of fairness in society. ( )