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s_everson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Violence and War
ladypalutena's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I have seen these books on the shelf at Barnes & Noble, and I've been interested because if you put the spines together, they make a dragon scene. I finally picked up this first book, since I finished the Scholomance earlier this year, and this is an excellent book.
It's a retelling of the Napoleonic Wars, but with DRAGONS. What more can you want? I will admit that it was a little hard to get into at first, because I had to get reacquainted with a way of writing I haven't come across since I took a graduate class on Jane Austen (that's my fault; I've been reading things written in the last hundred years or so, not from the 1800s). Novik does an incredible job of mimicking the Austen style, and my husband, who's a huge Master and Commander fan, may end up picking these up at some point as well.
I keep wavering on how to rate it, so I think I'll settle for the baseline of a four - it was an interesting story, there were some parts that felt rushed (it's a very short book!), and there were a few parts that were unclear (at one point, a character is hanged for treason. I had no idea he was killed until other characters were talking about it a few pages later. It's a poorly written scene. Gives me big "Wait, did Jet just die?" vibes). Overall, a very interesting retelling and enough for me to maybe want to buy the whole box set because they'd look great on my shelf.
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Sexism
miraclesnow's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Blood, Animal death, War, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexism
beanaroni's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, Murder, Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Classism
themoonshoes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, War, Death, and Violence
Minor: Gore, Grief, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
birdbug's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Moderate: War, Violence, and Blood
beeping_librarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Watch out for the blindly upper class perspective and the lukewarm treatment of female characters, as well as the uncomfortable premise of dragons being happy to serve.
Moderate: Classism and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexism, and Blood
directorpurry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
readingelli's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: War, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Violence
Treason, betrayalarrono's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and War