The Girl with the Fierce Eyes Review

The Girl with the Fierce Eyes by Sophia Vahdati is out in the world. The first installment in a new incredible series where the color of your eyes determines your destiny, had me breathtakingly hooked from the beginning. Read my 4-star review.

In the Empire of Shariza, people are put into castes according to their eye color, which determines wealth and magic. Jantsia is marked as an Azure, the lowest of the ocular castes. But she has a dangerous secret. She is a dual-oc & must hide it to stay alive. What does this mean for her power? And what is her role in the rebellion brewing?

A Caste-driven, near-future dystopia, this is an immersive world, a melting pot of cultures, attention-grabbing and demanding of that attention, to learn all the new things and due to the wonderful pace. I like that there are futuristic objects like hoverbikes, but also duties fulfilled by their powers, like cleaning the water. There is an undercurrent of power running through the rich narrative, a gradual buildup that gets stronger, a pressing in your chest till you are almost screaming at the end. Paragraphs are embellished with plenty of imaginative details — descriptions are of beautiful and evocative wording. I loved the use of punchy sentences to emphasize the intensity of a scene. The author has created this reality in its entirety and is sharing it with us.

Daezen's entrance into the story is all the money. Each POV has its own voice, an intimacy as we delve into their innermost thoughts and enjoy their view of the state of things. I like how the characters rediscover of actually finally see each other. There is a third, unexpected POV that spells peril. A 'monkey wrench' in our two heroes' lives, their plans, their mission. They all have in common the secrets they must keep. The intrigue is palpable as your mind works overtime on theories

"Stay invisible. Stay alive." is the story's mantra, showing not only our protagonist's fear, but surmising what the ugliness of prejudice does to those who must or think they must hide who they are. Submission takes many forms, unwilling or unknown. The sensitivity and realness with which the author deals with the aforementioned through her characters and their heart-squeezing reality are admirable.

There were some parts I had to reread a few times to get what was going on. Explanations of the science of their powers were not clear enough for me. There was an unevenness in the time spent on each POV in the middle of the book. Giving the lion's share to the one that I consider secondary, kind of jiggled at my nerves and made the book sort of laggy instead of its usual fast pace. Otherwise, the story is so great, the way everything comes together, a dynamic overture of brilliant plotting, of captivating writing.

This book deals with conquering fear. With freedom. A gilded cage is still a cage. I came for the premise and stayed for the engrossing storyline and characters — the danger that threatens to explode and colors the prose. This is certainly the beginning of an incredible series.