Reviews

Don't be turned away by the map + pronunciation guide at the beginning- it's simple to get once you've read a little.

The basic idea behind the world is that a. magic exists, b. dragons are real and can do magic (simplification), and c. the Norse were the first white colonizers to come to the Americas, and that much of North America (and presumably Central and South America) is still indigenous (it goes further than that, in truth, but that's for you to discover!). The Anglish are still very much colonizers, and are still very violent towards the indigenous people with whom they come into contact, but it is on a smaller scale (although, great dying maybe small pox or plague? I want to know more about the great dying so badly). I do wish the historical aspect of the world building was pushed even further? Like, there are some really great parts and broad strokes, but I wanted even more. I guess I wanted incredibly detailed erelore for every single civilization mentioned, which kind of detracts from the rad dragons. I can't help it, I'm the person who loved all of the singing, walking, and history lessons in LotR.

If you like dragons I think this book is absolutely worth your while. The powerset of the dragons in the book is very interesting and creative, def not something I've seen before.

I like the characters, but the character growth we see isn't really in the protag, it's in the supporting cast. I feel like the protag doesn't really 'grow' so much as plant her feet- she grows stronger in her convictions and her determination.

The protag has two love interests and is very much down for dating both of them, which is exactly what we want to see when multiple love interests are introduced. That said, one of them is definitely more developed than the other by the end of the book. I'm hoping that Liberty gets more time to shine in the next book.

Which leads me to: def planning on reading the next one.

Content Warnings

grae's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

tayckingaldor's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I had a hard time getting into the book but once I did I couldn't put it down! The characters are so loveable and the author did a great job with making this a fantasy book while still somehow making it feel so real and addressing important social justice topics.

thesearethebooks's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

shayfiction's review

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adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

evansee's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

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