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Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent
- When I suspend disbelief, I am a fan of the idea of the world built. I'm a fantasy nerd -- sue me
Cons:
- - The viciousness of the environment that the main character lives in (especially the primary environ-- the war school) is overtly hostile to that it almost defies logic
- The sex scenes are poorly written - not for the lack of description, but the actual wording and verbiage. It's like a teenage wrote it. Cringe is the word I'm looking for
- The recurring themes of fighting with the main character's male best friend, the main character's internal thoughts about the boy she's interested in and their conflict with said boy etc .. got a bit dull after awhile.
I find other books with similar themes like the Inheritance Cycle (e.g. Eragon) and Hunger Games to be much better written and therefor more engaging.
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, War
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Gore
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship
Pros:
-The general premise is really fun. I was excited to learn more about the dragon, magic, and government systems of the world
-The action sequences actually felt tense, and they definitely felt like they would be cinematic if in a visual format
-The side characters were really fun (and often eclipsed the main character in likeability)
-Xaden is an interesting and actually respectful male lead
Cons:
-A lot of Violet's inner monologue feels jarring and sometimes detracts from a tense vibe in a scene
-A lot of scenes that would be interesting and would add to the characters' growth are left offscreen, like they were cut for time, despite this being an original work where the author could decide what did and didn't exist. For instance,
-A lot of visual descriptions of settings were left out, like
-For the most part, we have to take Violet's word for it that characters, including herself, have experienced growth. The growth seems to happen offscreen and is not substantiated by their onscreen actions
Additionally, this book is screaming to be part of a series (I am aware that the sequel is out and a series is in the works, as is a movie). In my opinion, there is no finite conclusion of the book's overall plot quest at the end, mostly because there is not one unifying plot quest. The extent of the book is defined temporally, not from a plot perspective, which can give the book the feel of a series of episodes, rather than a unifying experience.
Obviously, this book is popular! I did enjoy it, and I can see how others may enjoy it more than me. That being said, it is not a polished experience, but if you know to expect that, it may help you brace yourself and enjoy it more.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, War
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Alcohol