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tfaison3's review
adventurous
emotional
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? No
3.0
sydstap24's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-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
3.75
lilmeze's review
adventurous
emotional
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
3.75
diandra_s's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kzimm2024's review
3.0
Not sure why, but lately Ms. Dravens books have been "ok" for me.
She builds a good world, has a strong female lead and swoony hero, a draga which is cool.
Great dialogue between the main characters, sexy times.
But why can't I get the happy good feelings like I did with Radiance?
Or Master of Crows?
I had a horrible feeling at 30% that I knew exactly how frustrating the rest of this book would be with the stolen piece of bone disappearing from Mal again and headed to the city with Hamod. And (of course the empress must die or this series will continue), please god kill her so this series can end?
The ending was a bit sad, would Mal just live on with Halani dying at the end of her life span? I needed more hope that they could live on- that was 1 topic not discussed, his long life span.
Sorry for being dramatic- I just wasn't feeling like investing anymore into this series.
Oh well- waiting for the Ippos King, maybe the spark will be back?
She builds a good world, has a strong female lead and swoony hero, a draga which is cool.
Great dialogue between the main characters, sexy times.
But why can't I get the happy good feelings like I did with Radiance?
Or Master of Crows?
I had a horrible feeling at 30% that I knew exactly how frustrating the rest of this book would be with the stolen piece of bone disappearing from Mal again and headed to the city with Hamod. And (of course the empress must die or this series will continue), please god kill her so this series can end?
The ending was a bit sad, would Mal just live on with Halani dying at the end of her life span? I needed more hope that they could live on- that was 1 topic not discussed, his long life span.
Sorry for being dramatic- I just wasn't feeling like investing anymore into this series.
Oh well- waiting for the Ippos King, maybe the spark will be back?
anitak88's review
4.0
4.5 stars for this book which is the second in the series. The only reason I took off half a star is because I wasn't a huge fan of how quickly the two main characters fell in love. I would have really liked to see more relationship development when it came to that.
Other than that it was another great read by this author and I really enjoyed seeing what happened immediately after the first book ended because that's where this one starts so you still get to see the characters from the first book. We also get an update on what's going on with the empire and the empress as well as we get to meet the two main characters that are going to be in the last book.
More great world building and just amazing writing overall. What are my favorite things with this series is learning about the Legends and lore that the people believe and then how that is then related to the actual characters and how it ties into the story it's so amazingly well done. Having said all that I do and don't want to read the last book just because I'm not a huge fan of the male main character.
Other than that it was another great read by this author and I really enjoyed seeing what happened immediately after the first book ended because that's where this one starts so you still get to see the characters from the first book. We also get an update on what's going on with the empire and the empress as well as we get to meet the two main characters that are going to be in the last book.
More great world building and just amazing writing overall. What are my favorite things with this series is learning about the Legends and lore that the people believe and then how that is then related to the actual characters and how it ties into the story it's so amazingly well done. Having said all that I do and don't want to read the last book just because I'm not a huge fan of the male main character.
thewordslinger's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
While I LOVED being in this world again, and found myself getting lost in the fantasy of it, I was a little disappointed by this one.
There's a lot to love this one, don't get me wrong. The lore is great, the stories told are great. The danger and enemies are great. The interactions between Halani and Malachus flow naturally and their feelings develop in a believable way (even if it's a slow-burn almost to the extreme).
I actually enjoyed the development of the relationship between Halani and Malachus more than the one that developed in <u>Phoenix Unbound</u>. The enemies to lovers that took place in book one was difficult for me to get behind because of just how rough the enemies bit was in the beginning.
That being said, because there's so little drama between Halani and Malachus, the relationship sort of feels...boring in places. Mostly because for well over the first half of the book, virtually <i>nothing</i> of any significance happens.
The PLOT took forever to get to. There's a lot of sitting around and drinking tea and eating stew and reading/spelling lessons. And a whole lot less of Malachus hunting down the very important mother-bond he's been after since the beginning.
We were promised a dragon. The title literally says we're unleashing one. But there is no dragon. Not until the very end of the book. And when Malachus finally DOES transform, it's only for a page or two. Loved it, but would have loved it way more if it had happened earlier in the story, and more than just once.
If you love stories about characters telling stories, if you love books with lots of lore, this might tweak your gourd. If you're a character reader over a plot reader, this book will probably be your jam. But if you're expecting excitement and danger and dragons and <i>stuff happening</i>...meh you'll probably not enjoy this.
There's a lot to love this one, don't get me wrong. The lore is great, the stories told are great. The danger and enemies are great. The interactions between Halani and Malachus flow naturally and their feelings develop in a believable way (even if it's a slow-burn almost to the extreme).
I actually enjoyed the development of the relationship between Halani and Malachus more than the one that developed in <u>Phoenix Unbound</u>. The enemies to lovers that took place in book one was difficult for me to get behind because of just how rough the enemies bit was in the beginning.
That being said, because there's so little drama between Halani and Malachus, the relationship sort of feels...boring in places. Mostly because for well over the first half of the book, virtually <i>nothing</i> of any significance happens.
The PLOT took forever to get to. There's a lot of sitting around and drinking tea and eating stew and reading/spelling lessons. And a whole lot less of Malachus hunting down the very important mother-bond he's been after since the beginning.
We were promised a dragon. The title literally says we're unleashing one. But there is no dragon. Not until the very end of the book. And when Malachus finally DOES transform, it's only for a page or two. Loved it, but would have loved it way more if it had happened earlier in the story, and more than just once.
If you love stories about characters telling stories, if you love books with lots of lore, this might tweak your gourd. If you're a character reader over a plot reader, this book will probably be your jam. But if you're expecting excitement and danger and dragons and <i>stuff happening</i>...meh you'll probably not enjoy this.