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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
I enjoyed it. Like the way I enjoy a kit Kat even though it’s not great chocolate. It’s fun but too long, a bit predictable at times. A few too many plot elements that seem to get put aside when inconvenient I.e. Violet’s disability. Not sure the final twist did it for me but I’ll read the third to see where it goes.
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Audio review. I actually like this better than book 1. (the review may not sound like it! but I did enjoy this LOL)
But the world building is frustrating. Lacking. I don't know where all these random places that are mentioned are. I don't know why I care. Battles happened at XYZ. Now ABC was attacked. OK. Sure. Fine. Minor annoyance.
Let me just say there will be spoilers.
I am going to vent a bit here.
So many things in this book are pointless. Just plot devices. There is literally no reason why telepathy/bond links/mind reading/whatever should not work at a distance.
I still don't know what a luminary is. Or why it was needed. I literally thought it was a type of signet. Like a mender or wielder. They jumped through hoops to get it. And then. ? Crickets
Andarna- her reveals were obvious. Not surprised in the slightest. But back to plot devices- wonky wing. Never be able to fly. Will fly. Can never carry a rider. Oh the Horror. I'm sorry a human weighs what compared to a dragon? She is eating many sheep per day. I'm guessing she picks them up when she catches them. They weigh what, 200#? Violet weighs maybe 100#? I'm unclear on how big Andarna is at this point. But she is bonded to a tiny human
Ok Violet's turn. Her disability is only a problem when it leads to conflict or tension in the story. Otherwise she can just wrap her joints and VOILA! All good. She can run and jump and fight. And be tortured. But try to save one flyer. Nope. Dislocation. Conflict.
Jack Barlow. WTF. Makes zero sense. Was he venin before going to Basgiath? How would he have turned while there? Aren't the wards supposed to prevent them from pulling power from the runes/earth? How could he hide it? Am i missing something? Was he dead in book 1? I literally cannot fathom how he didn't die. Was Varrish there last book? Why else would Nolan have been doing what he was doing? How would they have been there fast enough to mend him? Why would they even try to keep him alive? Did being venin keep him from dying? Were they already working on this potion? What was the point? He saved Violet because the sage wants her? So are the venin controlled by the sage? Doesn't bode well for Xaden then. If not mind controlled then seems out of character for Jack to be helping the sage.
Xaden- WTF dude. He was an actual character in book 1. First half- he is just 'love me or leave me, I won't ever be honest with you'. Second half- 'I love you so fucking much. Everything else be damned'
Blech. Sex scenes weren't quite as cringy this time. Although I did skip the first one. So they literally don't communicate this whole book. Which, plot device, leads to problems. "Ask me anything and I will tell you". Oh, I'm sorry. Was I supposed to know to ask if you have psycho ex-betrothed that might ramp up my emotions with her signet?!? Both are dreaming of the sage and neither mentions it to the other? Does he have to leave now? Seems Jack is eager to do the sage's bidding (why tho?). So is X gonna run off to tuen full on venin? So what happens to Segale (sp?) now that he turned? Also, why did she say to watch her words? How could Violet make it worse? lol
Seems to me, even if NAvarre wanted to change all of history and destroy old texts to use their propaganda, they would still have scribes pass down the wardstone info. Surely they may want to make new ones. They have the journals. There must be curious scribes. Why would that info getting out be a threat to Navarre or the 'original 6"? Why don't the dragons have this info??
Why, other than plot device, would a dragon only be able to 'fire' one rune?
Why would Jesinia and Violet actually believe that Lira's journal to be the lie when they know Warrick didn't want the info out there? Why is a 7th breed of dragon so monumental? Seemed really weird. Especially Violet jumping to Tairn must not know and therefore I must go talk to the eldest dragon I know. Even though you can't talk to another dragon or get killed. I really didn't even pick up on the colors being the breed. Or was that just thrown out there at the end. Along with dragons can choose their tail but not their color. So 6 colors. Black, brown, red, orange, blue, green. 6 dragon breeds. EXCEPT. They all know feathertails exist. They don't know they are hatchlings. SO why is it top secret OMG there is a 7th breed excitement?!? So Andarna was just sitting in her egg for 650 years waiting for the chosen one?? Is there only one purple at a time?
ugh. Is that all? Hmmm.
Just for fun- because I am listening, I don't know the spelling of names. I literally thought Solas' name was Soulless. I'm like dang you have to be a bad guy to bond a dragon named soulless. Then 3/4 of teh way through the book the narrator calls him 'solace' instead of 'soulless'. But I didn't want to look it up until I finished lest I see spoilers.
Oh wait. Is there a point to having gryphons and flyers? Other than Navarre needing a bad guy and wanting to keep venin a secret. Which seems like a huge and pointless conspiracy. The part of the gryphons/flyers could have been any people/dragons outside the wards.
Despite all that. I did enjoy this book and wanted to keep listening.
But the world building is frustrating. Lacking. I don't know where all these random places that are mentioned are. I don't know why I care. Battles happened at XYZ. Now ABC was attacked. OK. Sure. Fine. Minor annoyance.
Let me just say there will be spoilers.
I am going to vent a bit here.
So many things in this book are pointless. Just plot devices. There is literally no reason why telepathy/bond links/mind reading/whatever should not work at a distance.
I still don't know what a luminary is. Or why it was needed. I literally thought it was a type of signet. Like a mender or wielder. They jumped through hoops to get it. And then. ? Crickets
Andarna- her reveals were obvious. Not surprised in the slightest. But back to plot devices- wonky wing. Never be able to fly. Will fly. Can never carry a rider. Oh the Horror. I'm sorry a human weighs what compared to a dragon? She is eating many sheep per day. I'm guessing she picks them up when she catches them. They weigh what, 200#? Violet weighs maybe 100#? I'm unclear on how big Andarna is at this point. But she is bonded to a tiny human
Ok Violet's turn. Her disability is only a problem when it leads to conflict or tension in the story. Otherwise she can just wrap her joints and VOILA! All good. She can run and jump and fight. And be tortured. But try to save one flyer. Nope. Dislocation. Conflict.
Jack Barlow. WTF. Makes zero sense. Was he venin before going to Basgiath? How would he have turned while there? Aren't the wards supposed to prevent them from pulling power from the runes/earth? How could he hide it? Am i missing something? Was he dead in book 1? I literally cannot fathom how he didn't die. Was Varrish there last book? Why else would Nolan have been doing what he was doing? How would they have been there fast enough to mend him? Why would they even try to keep him alive? Did being venin keep him from dying? Were they already working on this potion? What was the point? He saved Violet because the sage wants her? So are the venin controlled by the sage? Doesn't bode well for Xaden then. If not mind controlled then seems out of character for Jack to be helping the sage.
Xaden- WTF dude. He was an actual character in book 1. First half- he is just 'love me or leave me, I won't ever be honest with you'. Second half- 'I love you so fucking much. Everything else be damned'
Blech. Sex scenes weren't quite as cringy this time. Although I did skip the first one. So they literally don't communicate this whole book. Which, plot device, leads to problems. "Ask me anything and I will tell you". Oh, I'm sorry. Was I supposed to know to ask if you have psycho ex-betrothed that might ramp up my emotions with her signet?!? Both are dreaming of the sage and neither mentions it to the other? Does he have to leave now? Seems Jack is eager to do the sage's bidding (why tho?). So is X gonna run off to tuen full on venin? So what happens to Segale (sp?) now that he turned? Also, why did she say to watch her words? How could Violet make it worse? lol
Seems to me, even if NAvarre wanted to change all of history and destroy old texts to use their propaganda, they would still have scribes pass down the wardstone info. Surely they may want to make new ones. They have the journals. There must be curious scribes. Why would that info getting out be a threat to Navarre or the 'original 6"? Why don't the dragons have this info??
Why, other than plot device, would a dragon only be able to 'fire' one rune?
Why would Jesinia and Violet actually believe that Lira's journal to be the lie when they know Warrick didn't want the info out there? Why is a 7th breed of dragon so monumental? Seemed really weird. Especially Violet jumping to Tairn must not know and therefore I must go talk to the eldest dragon I know. Even though you can't talk to another dragon or get killed. I really didn't even pick up on the colors being the breed. Or was that just thrown out there at the end. Along with dragons can choose their tail but not their color. So 6 colors. Black, brown, red, orange, blue, green. 6 dragon breeds. EXCEPT. They all know feathertails exist. They don't know they are hatchlings. SO why is it top secret OMG there is a 7th breed excitement?!? So Andarna was just sitting in her egg for 650 years waiting for the chosen one?? Is there only one purple at a time?
ugh. Is that all? Hmmm.
Just for fun- because I am listening, I don't know the spelling of names. I literally thought Solas' name was Soulless. I'm like dang you have to be a bad guy to bond a dragon named soulless. Then 3/4 of teh way through the book the narrator calls him 'solace' instead of 'soulless'. But I didn't want to look it up until I finished lest I see spoilers.
Oh wait. Is there a point to having gryphons and flyers? Other than Navarre needing a bad guy and wanting to keep venin a secret. Which seems like a huge and pointless conspiracy. The part of the gryphons/flyers could have been any people/dragons outside the wards.
Despite all that. I did enjoy this book and wanted to keep listening.
An amazing sequel. I would have given four stars but the pacing of the book for the last 250ish pages sucked, making the book a chore to read. Another reason I didn’t give four stars is because of Xaden turning venin. I’m sure this has value for the plot somewhere down the line, but right now, it seems pointless and just a way for the main characters to not have a happyish ending.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is book two in the series. I’m still obsessed. The speed at which this story flies is amazing.
Twists and turns. New characters. A few actually come back from the dead. More loss. A complexity of a war that leadership chose to keep hidden. Now it may be too late to claim victory. Violet and Xaden find themselves exactly where everyone feared was their destiny - leading a revolution.
The ending is devastating and a wonderfully complex layer to unravel.
Twists and turns. New characters. A few actually come back from the dead. More loss. A complexity of a war that leadership chose to keep hidden. Now it may be too late to claim victory. Violet and Xaden find themselves exactly where everyone feared was their destiny - leading a revolution.
The ending is devastating and a wonderfully complex layer to unravel.