Scan barcode
precy's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
There is so much to say about this book, but the main thing is if you like epic action adventure books (and high fantasy): READ THIS BOOK! It takes fantasy readers out of Europe based mythology and bring us to African based mythology in a such immersive way! The books present us a complex society with a rigid caste system, a wonderful and so interesting magic system (each time the book explained how the magic of this world works, I was 100% there, and fascinated), there are a lot of character development, and what I loved is that the magic is there, but it’s only used when needed, what grounds the story in a more relatable world.
The things that for me were an “issue” was the action part. I got why it says is a mix of GOT and Gladiator. As I’m not much for battles, some time I was like “I don’t wanna read about fights anymore” but then something interesting happens!
Let’s talk about the main character: be prepared for a love and hate relationship! The character has its reasons, but many times I was like “stop being stupid!” But I couldn’t stop cheering for him!
The writing: FAST PASSED! Sometimes I had to remember to breathe while I was reading! Well constructed dialogues, necessary descriptions, but not too much to get bored, I got lost sometimes in the action parts, but nothing that was terrible for my reading experience.
I’ll for sure read book 2, I need to know what will happen …
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Rape
badbadwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, War, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Genocide, Child death, Gore, Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Rape, and Religious bigotry
wsteen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and War
Minor: Torture and Rape
tsuharesu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
At first I didn't agree with the writing style, but the pace and the story got me going. By the end of it, I was entranced by the story, by Tau's story, by everything happening in Xiddeea. What a magnificent book! If you like fantasy books and want to read something rooted in Africanisms, go for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, and War
Minor: Rape
forget_full's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
straw_hat_kd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Rage of Dragons is incredible. From the first page to the last I found myself wanting to come back to this world and find out what's going to happen next. The world building is incredible. You understand the stakes of what's going on in this world and regardless of what's going on in the story, the looming threat is always a factor. The battles...the way Evan puts words together to describe the battles is surreal. There's one passage where he describes the sound of a weapon hitting a helmet and I could imagine it allas if I was right there. The main character, Tau, a beast. Every battle he gets in is as engaging as the next. Around Chapter 6 and 7, the book hits another gear and I was unable to stop reading. I finished the second half of the book in a few short hours. The chapters are broken down into smaller digestible chunks which made it easier to get through the longer chapters, especially in the beginning. There 's twists, betrayals, demons, dragons and so much more all set in a South African inspired fantasy world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, War, Gore, Genocide, and Death
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Rape
blacksphinx's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Death of parent, War, Violence, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
murphysmate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Lots and lots of fight scenes, but otherwise very good, with a great magic system, and a different universe to most fantasy books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Death, War, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual content
little_white's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, War, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Rape, and Torture
ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've had this book for a year now and for some reason kept putting it off. Which was my loss because this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's just fast-paced and interesting and compelling and the characters and their motivations are so well done. It is a book about war, and one that looks at colonization and violence from caste system. If you're not in the mood for a lot of fight scenes, it's not for you. But if you're good with that it's fabulous.
If you liked R.F. Kuang's Poppy War series, you'll probably love this.
If you liked R.F. Kuang's Poppy War series, you'll probably love this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, War, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Vomit, Body horror, and Child death
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault