If they do not reveal which one of them hired the assassin, she will let all of them die (including herself as she has also drunk the tea). He agrees, and Idir gives Malik the “mark”, which can move all over his body and manifests into a dagger when he needs it.

The pacing structure is incredibly strange- sometimes picking up and moving with grace and speed- and other times, dragging and focusing on details that didn't feel like they were contributing a lot to the story and atmosphere as a whole.The Fire Alignment champion, Dedele, is an expert wakama player and in front of everyone challenges Karina to a match. Karina is enchanted by Malik’s story, but she is now sure that he may win Solstasia and she’ll have to kill him for his heart.

She happens upon Malik, who fled from the pub where he was having drinks and discussing an alliance with two of the other champions, Tunde and Driss. But the main ingredient needed is the heart of a king, which Ziran has not had since her father died. Without knowing it, Karina and Malik are set on a collision path, each determined to kill the other. But even with all of these “weaknesses”, Malik is determined and never ever wavers from his goal of saving his sister, no matter what the cost.Later that evening, just before the comet arrives, assassins sneak into the palace and attack Karina and her mother, and the fight ends with the Kestrel dead, making Karina the new sultana of Ziran. duh) I did find the fact that both Karina and Malik were planning on killing the other each for their own reasons to be a very nice touch. The evil spirit says that he has to kill the princess by Solstasia's end or they will kill Malik's sister. Their ancestor, Bahia Alahari, the founding sultana of Ziran, created a Barrier around Ziran to protect it from enemies, but the current sultana and her heir powered the barrier and thus could never leave Ziran.

I just really couldn't get into it, and I'm going to try again, and if I feel like it improves upon a second read, I will adjust my rating and post an update to my review reflecting that. Instead, they’re tales of trickery, clever riddles, and moral lessons, and feature more animal characters than human. The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.The Twist: I’m not sure what the twist is for particular folk tales, but the biggest draw of this book is the African-inspired setting, cast of color, and unique magic system! I feel like the world and magic system were interesting (I actually have more thoughts on this to come later in the review). He’s the “man” of the family, but he suffers from panic attacks and cries at multiple times throughout the story.

Brown has admitted to using Ghanaian folk tales as an inspiration for her book, this story isn’t really a fairy tale or folk tale retelling.By marrying the champion of the Solstasia competition, she’ll have the heart she needs to bring her mother back and free her from the responsibility of ruling Ziran.