A big thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Sophia Vahdati for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Girl with the Fierce Eyes in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl with the Fierce Eyes is a YA dystopian novel set in a vividly imagined world where eye colour dictates your social standing — with privilege and power reserved for a select few. In this divided society, crossing class lines is forbidden, and our main character, Jantsia, holds a dangerous secret: she’s the child of parents from two different castes.

What unfolds is a classic rebellion storyline, with a focus on challenging injustice and seeking change. While the plot follows familiar dystopian beats, the story moves at a solid pace, and the ending brings a burst of energy that left me curious about what’s to come.

Though I’ve rated this first book 3 stars, it’s clear that Sophia Vahdati has laid the groundwork for a compelling sequel. There’s a lot of potential here, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story and characters evolve in the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC.

The Girl with the Fierce Eyes has a really compelling concept — a world where every person is ranked and granted powers based on the color of their eyes. It immediately caught my attention, and I was excited to dive into something so original.

One of the strongest parts of the book was the main character, Jantsia. She felt refreshingly real — not overly mature, not overly childish, but just the right mix of emotions, confusion, and strength that felt true to being a teenager. I also enjoyed the supporting cast, especially her best friend Kain, his older brother, and, surprisingly, her parents. The contrast between their personalities added an interesting dynamic that made the family scenes especially engaging.

Where the book didn’t fully land for me was in the world building. The premise was so intriguing, but I often found myself confused or unsure about how certain things worked, or why the world operated the way it did. A little more detail or clarity in those areas would’ve really helped deepen the experience and draw me in further.

Overall, I think the book has a lot of potential and a unique voice. It’s a strong debut with great characters, and with a bit more depth in the world building, it could be something truly exceptional.

Thank you onemorechapterhc for providing me with this arc trough netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I do think this book has it’s charms and audience, but I feel I am not a part of that.

The start of the book feels quite weird to me and a bit complicated/messy. There is no real world building (or explanation) nor any real introduction to the characters. You just get shot in and it doesn’t really work for me. There is a lot that’s told that doesn’t make sense and that pulled me out of the story as I was wondering the whole time what was happening and why (and not in a good way). In that way it left me wondering if I started book 2 in a series, but I didn’t as this is book 1.

Secondly, I was very frustrated by the relationships between characters and they were fluctuating the whole time, living parents, parents that don’t like their kid, best friend, meanest person to her ever, etca. And this bugged me a lot and was also a big reason that I decided to DNF the book as this was just to frustrating/irritating for me.

Something I did like in the book is that the author managed quite well to have a 17 year old who acts and thinks like one, so I actually found that really refreshing to read.

I loved how this book played out, it hit all of my boxes and while it is very much a YA, I still enjoyed it in my mid-20s.

I really enjoyed The Girl with the Fierce Eyes! This debut YA romantasy delivers a compelling blend of dystopian tension, sweet romance, and magicvfilled rebellion. The world gave me major Divergent vibesvin the best way. In the Empire of Shariza, eye color determines everything: your power, your worth, your future. But Jantsia, our fierce and secretive main character, doesn’t quite fit in. She’s a “dualvoc,” born with two different colored eyes, something that is illegal and punishable by death. Her whole life mantra has been “stay invisible, stay alive”, but as rebellion brews, so does the pressure to stand up and fight for more.

The romance was sweet and understated, but I’m especially curious (and a little giddy) about the potential love triangle developing in future books. Daezen was definitely my favorite because he gave off serious broody, ride or die energy. The way he [spoiler redacted 😉] at the end? Loved it.

This story is told from three POVs: Jantsia, Daezen, and the mysterious Soba, and I really appreciated how each character’s voice felt unique. The pacing was solid and the writing style was easy to follow, making it great for those just getting into fantasy or dystopian fiction. There were a few clunky spots with world building and some info dump moments, but overall, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

The magic system and societal structure were super intriguing (eye color based caste? Yes, please!), and while dark themes like grooming and abuse are touched on, the story balances those heavier moments with hope, rebellion, and the strength of its characters.

This one was a fun ride and left me excited for what’s to come in book two. The ending definitely had me shouting “You can’t leave it like THAT!”

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophia Vahdati, and HarperCollins One More Chapter for the eARC of this book.

This debut YA romantasy was well written and and the romance was sweet. Very dystopian-vibes with some mentions of past child grooming/death/torture.
Jantsias mantra in life is ‘stay invisible stay alive’
The world is very divergent-esque, where eye colours dictate your wealth, status and magic. Our FMC has a secret though… she has two different eye colours. This is illegal in this society and she has had to hide this all her life. But… there is a rebellion coming, and she has to choose what and who to protect, and what is worth the risk…

Daezen was my absolute favourite, and the way he (insert spoiler here) at the end was just a whole vibe and I am really excited for more!
There’s potential in this story for a love triangle in the next book I suspect and I’m excited to see how this develops.
The writing was clear and easy to read, it was dual POV and all three POVs were unique in their thoughts and devilling and I was able to keep pace with the story easily.
I think this book would be a great step for new to fantasy/dystopian readers!


Blurb.
Red Queen meets Divergent in this fast-paced YA fantasy romance debut―packed with love triangles, betrayal, and a heroine who must risk everything to survive.

👁️ Your eyes decide your destiny 👁️
***

Jantsia’s secret will kill her…

In the Empire of Shariza, eye colour determines wealth, status and even access to magical powers. Jantsia's blue eyes mark her as Azure, the lowest of the four oculary castes. Destined for servitude.

But no one – not even the boy who owns her heart – knows the truth. Jantsia is a dual-oc, a forbidden mix of two castes, condemned to death if discovered. To survive, she clings to one rule: stay invisible, stay alive.

Or will the truth save them all?

Yet whispers of rebellion are growing, and cracks are forming in the very foundations of their society. Could it be that the fiery untapped power burning inside Jantsia is a gift rather than a curse?

But who to trust when different means death?

The Girl with the Fierce Eyes
by Sophia Vahdati.
This was a really good read. I loved the cover and blurb of this book. I did like Jantsia and Daezen. Especially how he saved her. I liked the writing style. Wow. The ending. That did surprise me. I di hope there is more to come.

Blurb.
Description
👁️ Your eyes decide your destiny 👁️
Jantsia’s secret will kill her…

In the Empire of Shariza, eye colour determines wealth, status and even access to magical powers. Jantsia's blue eyes mark her as Azure, the lowest of the four oculary castes. Destined for servitude.

But no one – not even the boy who owns her heart – knows the truth. Jantsia is a dual-oc, a forbidden mix of two castes, condemned to death if discovered. To survive, she clings to one rule: stay invisible, stay alive.

Or will the truth save them all?

Yet whispers of rebellion are growing, and cracks are forming in the very foundations of their society. Could it be that the fiery untapped power burning inside Jantsia is a gift rather than a curse?

But who to trust when different means death?

👁️❄️👁️❄️


@Sophia Vahdati ~ YA Fantasy Author
@HarperCollins UK
@oneMoreChapter
@netgalley
#FreeBookReview #ad

Thanks to the author, HarperCollins One More Chapter, and the author for the ARC.

This is the author's debut novel, and is a YA fantasy story about a world where eye color dictates your status and abilities in society, and a girl has a secret.

I thought the premise was interesting and the characters had potential. The world building could have been improved by some better pacing and placement of when information was revealed: it felt random when we would get little snippets of knowledge, and it tended more towards info dumping. This made the pace and the voice feel uneven and a bit clunky. I also have no clue what's going on with the background ethnicities and languages, as we get some full Spanish sentences mixed in with an Irish phrase mixed in with a French word mixed in with a preponderance of created words and phrases without a real deliberate reason for it?

Unfortunately, I also don't know if I found any of the characters particularly compelling, whether they were given a POV or not, and I didn't care for the inclusion of some good ol young woman who was groomed by a conniving dude, and some solid parental abuse and dysfunctional relationships.

I finished this, because I wanted to give it full consideration, but I wouldn't pick up any future books.

This is a great YA book, packed with action, wholesome youngsters and a very distinct magic system.

Jantsia is not supposed to exist — her high born Obsidian eyed mother lives against the rules and in secret with her Azure eyed father. Everyone knows children born to parents with different eye colors contract a horrible disease and die young, so they’re killed as babies. It’s imperative that no one finds out about Jantsia’s mixed heritage, as you might imagine.

Jantsia also grapples with perfectly normal teenage things like being in love with her best friend, Kain, while also being inexplicably attracted to Kain’s older mysterious and dangerous brother. Exams are fast approaching and since Jantsia is neither Obsidian nor Azure, she struggles accessing her magic causing stress. Her high born mom is strict and doesn’t understand her struggles, and there’s some parental tension happening.

All this goes on while they uncover a rebellion, try to fight the good fight for inclusion, acceptance and equality. And despite there being plenty of dark themes (drugs, betrayal, grooming of minors), it’s a rather wholesome affair. The characters in focus are complex and real in a way that is just lovely for a younger audience. I’m rooting for all of them.

Thanks Sophia Vahdati, OneMoreChapter and NetGalley for granting me this eARC to review!

The Girl with the Fierce Eyes is a YA dystopian novel with a unique concept, but unfortunately, it didn’t fully work for me.

I really appreciated the multiple POVs, which added depth to the storytelling. The worldbuilding was impressively detailed, though I found it is likely to be a bit too complex for younger readers who are the target audience. Still, the overall plot had strong potential and kept me invested.

What ultimately affected my experience was the FMC’s characterisation. She felt frustratingly repetitive, and her whining made it difficult for me to connect with her. Since my enjoyment of a book heavily depends on liking the main character, this aspect significantly influenced my reading experience. I can see what the author was attempting here though, and I do feel it will work well for some dystopian fans.

Thank you for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to netGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC.

I had to stop reading about 50% of the way, this book just really wasn't for me, though the cover and the premise were quite interesting.

I wasn't really fond of the execution, especially in the first part of the book. I had difficulties getting into the story, the world, and the jargon, it was thought out, but I wasn't following very well.

I also couldn't follow the way the characters were thinking aside from Jantsia, and some scenes just seemed clunky and would just wrap up to keep the book moving.

Either way, the cover is gorgeous, and I'm sure a younger audience than me would really sink their teeth into a book like this.

I was SCARED after the first 2 pages because there are so many names of locations, characters, and terms thrown in before anyone even speaks.

Great characters, but I felt like I was thrown into the second book of a series or something because I felt like I should know more of what was going on than I actually knew.

The story was interesting, although a little confusing, and the characters were great, although there were a lot of them. I definitely still find this book completely worth picking up and it was a really fun read for me.

I cannot wait to listen to the audiobook and get the special edition later after release! thank you to Netgalley for offering me the opportunity to read this early in exchange for a review!

Here is my spoiler free review of The Girl with the Fierce Eyes.

Wow wow wow, this book was INCREDIBLE. I already know this is going to be one of my top reads of the year and it's only June.

The Girl with the Fierce Eyes is a YA fantasy set in a dystopian world where the colour of your eyes determines your place in society.
Our FMC Jantsia has blue eyes which mark her as Azure, the lowest ocularly class within the Empire. But Jantsia has a secret, she is actually a dual-oc, her parents have different eye colours. This is forbidden within society and punishable by death due to the apparent dangers this can cause, so Jantsia and her parents must hide this secret at all costs. Her mantra for life is 'Stay invisible, stay alive'. But a rebellion is coming, how can she follow this mantra while also following her heart and fighting for what is right?

The book is multi-POV so we also have chapters from Daezen. He is part of the rebellion and older brother to Kain, Jantsia's best friend and love interest. He stepped up to head of the family after his father's death, but with the lowest of jobs in society and treading the line of poverty he wants change. Although not explored too much in this book we start to see the beginning of a potential love triangle with Daezen, his brother and Jantsia. I am hoping for some good yearning from him in book 2.

The final POV character is the mysterious Soba. She is working as an inspector who is able to infiltrate the rebellion but there's more to her than meets the eye. I don't want to give too much away about her but I loved her chapters and I'm so excited to see where her storyline goes in book 2.

The story flowed so well, it was easy to follow and there never seemed to be a lull. Even though it was 3 POVs you still got enough from each character to learn enough about them and connect with them, as well as adding depth to non POV characters. This was really well executed. I feel like there was a lot of set-up for book 2 and I am so excited to read that.

Tropes
* Multi POV
* Rebellion
* Powers/untapped power
* Political intrigue
* Best friend to lovers
* LGTBQ+ rep
* Dystopia

And one last thing I have to say, the last page of this book was giving Onyx Storm energy as, for the second time this year, I was left screaming 'NOO you can't just leave it there!!'

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Sophia Vahdati for the ARC

Overall really enjoyed this one. I think the world building and the magic was a bit confusing at times, felt like there was information I was missing throughout.

The girl with the fierce eyes is a cool and interesting dystopian story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. This book is aimed at teens and young adults and the relationship dynamics and storyline reflect this so I have reviewed this one so highly based on the fact that I would have been obsessed with this as a teenager.

What I particularly liked:
- I loved that Soba’s POV was included. Too often the inspectors and police in this type of book are painted as irrationally evil. To see Soba as a genuine character with motivations and secrets of her own was refreshing.
- I think Sophia Vahdati has done a particularly excellent job of portraying how difficult and uncomfortable Jantsia’s hidden life was. The scene where she and her father have to pose as servants while an inspector flirts with her mother was difficult reading but really helped me understand her rage.

This was a really well built world with hover bikes, a criminal underworld and a rebellion. The perfect introduction to the dystopian genre for teens and a great fun read for everyone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I was really excited to read this as I am a big fan of "Divergent", but unfortunately, there were several things that didn't work for me here.

while the concept of the world is unique and really captivating, the execution left something to be desired. most of the time, it felt like I was reading the second book in a trilogy while having no idea what happened in the first book. there was so much information about the different regions/countries, about the history that led to the creation of the Empire, but it was simply too hard to keep up. I normally love complex and intricate worlds, but I don't believe this one was done right. and on that note, I think adding a map and/or a glossary would've made a world of difference.

also, the magic system felt lacking in some parts and it could've been developed more or, at the very least, explained better.

however, even though I didn't particularly enjoy the setting, I was fascinated by the characters and their personalities and beliefs. Jantsia really saved the book for me, and while the book does end on a cliffhanger because of some revelations that happen at the end, what I'm most excited to see is how the relationships between the characters evolve in the sequel.

(side note, Jantsia's family dynamics was something that I hadn't read about before and I would've wanted to see more of that in the book because it was something new that you normally don't see in a YA romantasy, or any romantasy for that matter)

thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4⭐️ read!

The Girl with the Fierce Eyes is a YA Dystopian fantasy based in a society where your eye colour determines your place in society and your powers which reminds me a little of the Divergent series! In this world there are four oculary powers (Obsidian, Sepia, Verdidian, and Azure) that are divided into a caste like system where those that have lighter eye colours live a life of poverty and servitude with intermixing between these groups are condemned by the empire.

Just to be warned there are a couple trigger warnings such as: (past) sexual grooming, sibling/infant death, racism and discrimination, threatened torture and death.

Sophia Vahdati did an amazing job creating a world that has magic, political intrigue and betrayal. I loved this book and can’t wait for book 2!!

A YA Dystopian fantasy that really put into perspective real life problems. As a white man, even I was reading this thinking “Blimey, this is so relevant in today’s world”

Jantsia is an amazing character who struggles with not fitting into her social circles due to her heritage and appearance, she also has to lie about her identity at home all while suffering with a “blood sickness”. Following her story of growth and acceptance after scenes where she’s gone to such efforts to fit in with the Azures around her was so good.

Daezen is Jantsia’s best friend Kains’s older brother. Broody, a son who’s stepped up as head of the household after his father’s death. His character arc was also really good to read and I can’t wait to see where his story goes.

Soba’s our other point of view throughout the story, she’s the “bad guy”, strong, athletic, rugged. An inspector whose job it is to find and infiltrate the rebels plans. Her story was heartbreaking. You really felt for her and what she’d been through, helping you understand why and how she’s ended up where she is.

The only trigger warning I noticed that was missing was that grooming has a part to play in this story. It was handled and written well a long with the other plots of discrimination and stereotypes.

Sophia Vahdati has created a world that reflects our current world and its issues with discrimination while putting a dystopian fantasy twist of her own on it. The magic and caste system was fantastic. The idea that your place in the hierarchy is dependant on your eye colour and corresponding power was so well done.

Eager to carry on this story in the next instalment.

I've read about 10% and would like to give some early thoughts. Will update as I progress along.

Chapter 3: Any clear association between them and Topper could peak the Inspectors’ interests.
I think this should be "pique". Apologies if I'm misunderstanding the intention to use "peak".

Chapter 4: The guard’s reaction was priceless. His narrow, beady eyes opened as wide as they could, and his mouth sucked in like a butthole.
I feel like this is not appropriate for YA but maybe there's a connect to something else later but this paragraph was where I really felt like I had to stop.

I'm determined to give this book another go but I'm gonna read another book for a palette cleanser first. I love the concept of this book but I'm not enjoying the writing style.
.

I would rate this book as a quite solid 3.5 ⭐️.

This was a book with a really interesting premise, that the colour of your eyes could determine your rank in society and also your powers.

The fmc of the story is living with a secret, and I enjoyed reading about how this impacted her relationships with her friends and family, and also her view of herself, her own self worth.

There was a decent amount of world building, although the dialogue and flow of the story was a little clunky at times. The pace was a little slower than I would normally enjoy, and there were occasional info dumps that could possibly have been handled a bit better.

Although I am conscious of the fact that I’m not in the age bracket that this book is targeted at, so possibly that impacted my enjoyment. But I have read and enjoyed several other ya books that felt maybe a little bit more substantial than this one.

However, overall this was a pretty solid, enjoyable read and one that I would recommend. And by the end of the story I had started to feel like I cared about the characters and would be interested to know what happens to them next.