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bionerdatgc's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
On pacing: it was very slow to start, which is OK when weaving lots of storylines together. However, the story's first POV character actually gets the least amount of "screen" time - which in my opinion is a tragedy, because she and the Eastern dragons are the most interesting part of the story yet seem more like afterthoughts. Everything builds so slowly that when any action happens, it's over too fast and feels unfulfilling. The climax is awesome at least. I felt like it was paced just right, but there wasn't enough of it compared to the buildup.
I think this was a very well-conceived story, and it was woven together well in the amount of space it had. It lives up to the scale of epic fantasies. That said, I think it fell flat of its potential. Seriously, DRAGONS! Why have hundreds of pages of court intrigue on one side of the world when there are DRAGON RIDERS on the other side? And a convent of DRAGON SLAYERS down in the south? Flashbacks from Ead's childhood in the Priory would have added action to slower stretches and provided a much richer backdrop. And I really wish Tané had been given more time with her dragon. I would have loved to see them patrolling together instead of just talking, for instance. I would have loved to see the Sea Guard in action. So many things that could have been developed were overlooked in favor of court intrigue.
As a writer, I'm glad I read this book because I've learned a lot about my own preferences and style from it. However, I did not enjoy it enough to read it again.
Graphic: Cursing, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, Infertility, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Death, Confinement, Outing, Dementia, Death of parent, Blood, and Gore
tvdlinkcd's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Pedophilia
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Incest, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Infertility, and Xenophobia
keelahope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infertility and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage, Incest, and Pedophilia
LGBTQ+ relationships and sexual content. They are relatively easy to skip but would not recommend.talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, War, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Classism, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Animal death, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Sexism, Confinement, Torture, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest, Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Excrement, Self harm, Vomit, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
Illness, epidemic.lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Infertility, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, Violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Rape, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Death of parent, Incest, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Infidelity, Dementia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Torture