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keschneider's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
Through my tears, I bring you, finally, my review of this never-ending book (she says affectionately). 4.5 stars
Loved:
-Eragon grows immensely throughout this book, both in his power and in his maturity. I loved how much he came to trust in himself and Saphira, in their abilities and in their wisdom. He truly seems to become a man by the end of the story, accepting of his flaws and knowing himself deeper than he ever has before (thus leading to the discovery of his true name).
-The way in which Eragon finally defeats Galbatorix is one that neither the characters nor the readers expect coming, and it was exciting and felt like... justice. When Galbatorix begs Eragon to end his torment and thus the all-consuming and devastating feelings of the generations of dragons and riders who were wronged by him, among others, and Eragon just goes... "No." Like so simple, so cold. It made me feel so proud of him! He did not resort to cruelty, or to blood, but rather to force Galbatorix to face the horror of his own decisions and his effect on others. Eragon forced EMPATHY onto Galbotorix, and it was the last thing literally anyone would have expected him to do, let alone for it to work.
-Roran is so badass in this, and every, book. While I can't imagine him as an "Earl" or whatever, I'm glad he survived and gets to move back to Palancar valley with his wife and baby. Good for him, he deserves every bit as much of praise and adoration for defeating Galbatorix's armies as Eragon deserves for defeating Galbatorix himself. G is just one man. Roran took on HUNDREDS and succeeded because of his strength and his cunning, not because of magic and a dragon. And his crazy. The man is a bit wack.
-Nasuada and Murtagh. Ugh I love them. If they don't get together in the next book, I won't be surprised, but I will be ENRAGED. Murtuada forever. They make so much more sense than Eragon and Arya ever did. Like yeah Nasuada is queen and Murtagh did a bunch of horrible things, but it's all water under the bridge you know. Let those two kids be happy. I demand it.
-When Nasuada is basically just f*cking around while Galbatorix is tormenting her and trying to unhinge her mind with visions? Iconic. I'm obsessed with her.
-I like that Eragon and Arya don't end up together. I honestly never saw them as compatible, for many of the reasons that Arya stated herself to him when he RELENTLESSLY pursued her. He is so young and she is old. Her life experience far outlives his own and they are too different. And he left Alagaesia anyways. It never would have worked. The only thing is that I am sad for Eragon being lonely, but he is young and stupid and obsessed, and I'm sure he will find someone else to love just as fiercely, someone who is more who he needs. If Murtagh wasn't in the picture, I would have loved to see him get together with Nasuada.
-When Eragon goes to see Brom's tomb, as his son. :') And it's the final time (we assume) that Eragon will be able to visit him. This is when the tears started to form.
-Part of me got annoyed with the super long, super drawn-out goodbye chapters, but most of me enjoyed them, because oftentimes that's what goodbyes are like. Procrastination abounds, everyone gets drunk, and no one actually wants to say goodbye or part ways. I only wish Eragon had found Murtagh or at least contacted him to let him know he was leaving. They are brothers after all.
-I also liked that the story didn't just immediately end or completely drop off after Galbatorix dies. Rarely do you kill a monarch and then everything is totally fine and all the world is at peace.
-Angela. Period.
Critiques:
-This is more a critique of the series overall, but I wish Galbotorix had been a more present and active threat/villain. Making Murtaugh and Thorn fill that role over and over again, while knowing they were not the real villains made much of their interactions with Eragon and Saphira, and the Varden, feel hollow. Inconsequential. And to have the final confrontation with Galbatorix and Shuikan end in only a few chapters... I don't know. He's built up as being such a powerful being, and Shruikan being utterly huge, crazy, and terrifying. And then it's just... over. It felt weird to me. Not the way in which G-man was defeated, but the swiftness of it. The only time Eragon faces Galbatorix directly and he defeats him first try? I would have liked to have seen at least one more battle, or a more drawn out/complex conflict. Then again, I suppose that is the point of Galbatorix's character, that he refused to come out and confront them directly so that he could just chill out while Murtagh and Thorn did all of the hard fighting.
-Orrin's character kind of did a 180 to me? Like all of a sudden he was super annoying, suspicious of everyone and demanding to be crowned King of, what, the whole world? Chill my dude. Play with your chemicals and whatever you did before you got so puffed up with self-importance and wine you became incredibly unpleasant to literally every character in this book.
-Birgit's "Blood Price" was so dramatic and stupid. She's annoying. We get it. The Ra'Zac ate your husband and you blame Roran for condemning him to that fate, even though that's ridiculously misplaced blame and a misguided desire for vengeance. Stupid. This is a Palancar Valley custom that I think should die. All it does is cause more harm.
-As awesome and badass as Angela is as a character, she also seems to be conveniently mysterious whenever the circumstances were dire. And never answers Eragon's questions, and by extension the readers' questions, concretely, if at all. The first few books of this were funny and hey I like a good sense of mystery, but after a while, I just wanted some damn answers from this lady.
-The length of this book is overwhelming. I feel like there were many things that could have been left out, or shortened, like some of the siege chapters. Even the chapters on Vroengard seemed a bit long to me, as fascinating as they were.
-Finally, the end. I understand it. I really do. It reflects much of what "the hero's journey" usually is, in a fantasy epic, as established by Tolkien. Frodo leaves middle earth, never to return due to wounds that cannot heal and trauma that will always be with him. Even though it's never explicitly said in this way, I feel Eragon leaves Alagaesia for many similar reasons. Yes he is leaving to safeguard the dragons and eldunari, but he also feels no purpose, no drive in Alagaesia anymore. As if he not only lost his Uncle and Father, but also his home, his country, and who he used to be. Many of the chapters following the final battle he expresses feeling empty, the same way Frodo did. My heart breaks for him, having to leave his remaining family, his friends, Arya, and Orik. I understand why the story ended the way it did, but I still wish it had ended differently. When Roran screams and cries as Eragon departs for the unknown I lost it. (on an unrelated note, I hate goodbyes) (his farewell to Angela sucked and I wish they had had one actual conversation ever)
This series is so nostalgic for me. I remember writing one that was basically the same but with a female dragon rider, because I was so inspired by it. I love the Eragon series, I always will. Here's hoping the TV series is something worth watching. I think it has the potential to be amazing.
I hope Eragon is happy, wherever he ended up.
Loved:
-Eragon grows immensely throughout this book, both in his power and in his maturity. I loved how much he came to trust in himself and Saphira, in their abilities and in their wisdom. He truly seems to become a man by the end of the story, accepting of his flaws and knowing himself deeper than he ever has before (thus leading to the discovery of his true name).
-The way in which Eragon finally defeats Galbatorix is one that neither the characters nor the readers expect coming, and it was exciting and felt like... justice. When Galbatorix begs Eragon to end his torment and thus the all-consuming and devastating feelings of the generations of dragons and riders who were wronged by him, among others, and Eragon just goes... "No." Like so simple, so cold. It made me feel so proud of him! He did not resort to cruelty, or to blood, but rather to force Galbatorix to face the horror of his own decisions and his effect on others. Eragon forced EMPATHY onto Galbotorix, and it was the last thing literally anyone would have expected him to do, let alone for it to work.
-Roran is so badass in this, and every, book. While I can't imagine him as an "Earl" or whatever, I'm glad he survived and gets to move back to Palancar valley with his wife and baby. Good for him, he deserves every bit as much of praise and adoration for defeating Galbatorix's armies as Eragon deserves for defeating Galbatorix himself. G is just one man. Roran took on HUNDREDS and succeeded because of his strength and his cunning, not because of magic and a dragon. And his crazy. The man is a bit wack.
-Nasuada and Murtagh. Ugh I love them. If they don't get together in the next book, I won't be surprised, but I will be ENRAGED. Murtuada forever. They make so much more sense than Eragon and Arya ever did. Like yeah Nasuada is queen and Murtagh did a bunch of horrible things, but it's all water under the bridge you know. Let those two kids be happy. I demand it.
-When Nasuada is basically just f*cking around while Galbatorix is tormenting her and trying to unhinge her mind with visions? Iconic. I'm obsessed with her.
-I like that Eragon and Arya don't end up together. I honestly never saw them as compatible, for many of the reasons that Arya stated herself to him when he RELENTLESSLY pursued her. He is so young and she is old. Her life experience far outlives his own and they are too different. And he left Alagaesia anyways. It never would have worked. The only thing is that I am sad for Eragon being lonely, but he is young and stupid and obsessed, and I'm sure he will find someone else to love just as fiercely, someone who is more who he needs. If Murtagh wasn't in the picture, I would have loved to see him get together with Nasuada.
-When Eragon goes to see Brom's tomb, as his son. :') And it's the final time (we assume) that Eragon will be able to visit him. This is when the tears started to form.
-Part of me got annoyed with the super long, super drawn-out goodbye chapters, but most of me enjoyed them, because oftentimes that's what goodbyes are like. Procrastination abounds, everyone gets drunk, and no one actually wants to say goodbye or part ways. I only wish Eragon had found Murtagh or at least contacted him to let him know he was leaving. They are brothers after all.
-I also liked that the story didn't just immediately end or completely drop off after Galbatorix dies. Rarely do you kill a monarch and then everything is totally fine and all the world is at peace.
-Angela. Period.
Critiques:
-This is more a critique of the series overall, but I wish Galbotorix had been a more present and active threat/villain. Making Murtaugh and Thorn fill that role over and over again, while knowing they were not the real villains made much of their interactions with Eragon and Saphira, and the Varden, feel hollow. Inconsequential. And to have the final confrontation with Galbatorix and Shuikan end in only a few chapters... I don't know. He's built up as being such a powerful being, and Shruikan being utterly huge, crazy, and terrifying. And then it's just... over. It felt weird to me. Not the way in which G-man was defeated, but the swiftness of it. The only time Eragon faces Galbatorix directly and he defeats him first try? I would have liked to have seen at least one more battle, or a more drawn out/complex conflict. Then again, I suppose that is the point of Galbatorix's character, that he refused to come out and confront them directly so that he could just chill out while Murtagh and Thorn did all of the hard fighting.
-Orrin's character kind of did a 180 to me? Like all of a sudden he was super annoying, suspicious of everyone and demanding to be crowned King of, what, the whole world? Chill my dude. Play with your chemicals and whatever you did before you got so puffed up with self-importance and wine you became incredibly unpleasant to literally every character in this book.
-Birgit's "Blood Price" was so dramatic and stupid. She's annoying. We get it. The Ra'Zac ate your husband and you blame Roran for condemning him to that fate, even though that's ridiculously misplaced blame and a misguided desire for vengeance. Stupid. This is a Palancar Valley custom that I think should die. All it does is cause more harm.
-As awesome and badass as Angela is as a character, she also seems to be conveniently mysterious whenever the circumstances were dire. And never answers Eragon's questions, and by extension the readers' questions, concretely, if at all. The first few books of this were funny and hey I like a good sense of mystery, but after a while, I just wanted some damn answers from this lady.
-The length of this book is overwhelming. I feel like there were many things that could have been left out, or shortened, like some of the siege chapters. Even the chapters on Vroengard seemed a bit long to me, as fascinating as they were.
-Finally, the end. I understand it. I really do. It reflects much of what "the hero's journey" usually is, in a fantasy epic, as established by Tolkien. Frodo leaves middle earth, never to return due to wounds that cannot heal and trauma that will always be with him. Even though it's never explicitly said in this way, I feel Eragon leaves Alagaesia for many similar reasons. Yes he is leaving to safeguard the dragons and eldunari, but he also feels no purpose, no drive in Alagaesia anymore. As if he not only lost his Uncle and Father, but also his home, his country, and who he used to be. Many of the chapters following the final battle he expresses feeling empty, the same way Frodo did. My heart breaks for him, having to leave his remaining family, his friends, Arya, and Orik. I understand why the story ended the way it did, but I still wish it had ended differently. When Roran screams and cries as Eragon departs for the unknown I lost it. (on an unrelated note, I hate goodbyes) (his farewell to Angela sucked and I wish they had had one actual conversation ever)
This series is so nostalgic for me. I remember writing one that was basically the same but with a female dragon rider, because I was so inspired by it. I love the Eragon series, I always will. Here's hoping the TV series is something worth watching. I think it has the potential to be amazing.
I hope Eragon is happy, wherever he ended up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Violence
f18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Ableism, Drug use, Xenophobia, Animal death, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Sexism, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Child death, Genocide, and Pregnancy
tooth trauma, giving someone hallucinogenic drugs when they think its just alcohol seemed kinda weirdgracefully_jk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Torture, Violence, Suicide, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Gore, and Mental illness
There is generally a lot of war in this series, and this book is no different; in fact, it has somewhat less fighting than previous volumes. However, there are still descriptions of violence, including a character losing a handreadbyella_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Torture, and War
Moderate: Blood and Murder
laszloluvr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and War
melancholymegs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Kidnapping, Torture, Physical abuse, War, and Confinement
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Genocide
vogelobre's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this book decently. Rereading the Eragon books as an adult after first liking and then hating them as a tween/teen, I've found them pretty fun and easy to read, with likeable characters and respectable attempts at diversity considering they were written by a white teen boy in the 2000s. I was pleasantly surprised to see both a WoC PoV character as well as some subversion of common fantasy race tropes. Of course there could have been more of that, and the writing of female characters was often not the best, but still.
I liked Inheritance as a finale to the Eragon saga. I won't say it's the best book in the series, but it certainly had the most on its plate and it tied up the plot pretty neatly. I also liked the more or less open ending. The thing that bothered me the most about the book is the way the main villain was written. He was clearly meant to have a very intimidating and charismatic presence, but in my opinion the writing failed at conveying that. He felt like a third-rate Bond villain to me, which is kind of sad when the other books had been building up to this very threatening, unknowable sort of antagonist. Something that also ties into this is that the author is, in my opinion, not great at writing smack talk or funny/witty dialogue. I can't remember a single 'funny' line in the series that I actually found funny, all of the quips and jokes just lanr somewhere between 'forgettable' and 'embarrassing'. That's the main reason I don't like the character Angela, her dialogue basically only consists of jokes that don't land and paper-thin quirky/mysterious allusions that go nowhere. Sorry, Angela.
This problem extends to the main antagonist as well. He doesn't really have any lines that are meant to be funny, but he says a lot of things that are meant to be threatening, and almost all of those fall flat. I wish he would talk less, it would make him seem much more intimidating.
Apart from that, I found the book very fun and pleasant to read. It doesn't really have any super deep themes apart from 'working together is good' and 'violence is bad, maybe, sometimes'. Its main point seems to be 'dragons are cool', and it very successfully gets that point across. Dragons *are* cool, especially the ones in this series, and dragon-riders are also very cool. I'd recommend this book series to anyone who likes dragons and easy-to-read fantasy books. I like both, and I had a nice time with the Eragon series (despite mostly focusing on the negative stuff in this review. Sorry.)
I liked Inheritance as a finale to the Eragon saga. I won't say it's the best book in the series, but it certainly had the most on its plate and it tied up the plot pretty neatly. I also liked the more or less open ending. The thing that bothered me the most about the book is the way the main villain was written. He was clearly meant to have a very intimidating and charismatic presence, but in my opinion the writing failed at conveying that. He felt like a third-rate Bond villain to me, which is kind of sad when the other books had been building up to this very threatening, unknowable sort of antagonist. Something that also ties into this is that the author is, in my opinion, not great at writing smack talk or funny/witty dialogue. I can't remember a single 'funny' line in the series that I actually found funny, all of the quips and jokes just lanr somewhere between 'forgettable' and 'embarrassing'. That's the main reason I don't like the character Angela, her dialogue basically only consists of jokes that don't land and paper-thin quirky/mysterious allusions that go nowhere. Sorry, Angela.
This problem extends to the main antagonist as well. He doesn't really have any lines that are meant to be funny, but he says a lot of things that are meant to be threatening, and almost all of those fall flat. I wish he would talk less, it would make him seem much more intimidating.
Apart from that, I found the book very fun and pleasant to read. It doesn't really have any super deep themes apart from 'working together is good' and 'violence is bad, maybe, sometimes'. Its main point seems to be 'dragons are cool', and it very successfully gets that point across. Dragons *are* cool, especially the ones in this series, and dragon-riders are also very cool. I'd recommend this book series to anyone who likes dragons and easy-to-read fantasy books. I like both, and I had a nice time with the Eragon series (despite mostly focusing on the negative stuff in this review. Sorry.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, War, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Body horror
This is a children's fantasy book. It's got some violence and stuff, one scene is pretty disgustingdarkefyres's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, War, Blood, Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Medical content
kew16's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Blood and Torture
Minor: Animal death
clockworkhobbit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, War, Blood, Confinement, and Torture
Moderate: Ableism, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Self harm, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Infertility, Kidnapping, and Misogyny