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ericiusm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.75
Graphic: Colonisation, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Misogyny, Police brutality, War, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Torture, Sexism, Xenophobia, Death, Violence, and Hate crime
melist6'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
5.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Murder, Violence, Medical content, Sexism, and War
emmacbush's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Cursing
andmingmingtoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Pros:
-The general premise is really fun. I was excited to learn more about the dragon, magic, and government systems of the world
-The action sequences actually felt tense, and they definitely felt like they would be cinematic if in a visual format
-The side characters were really fun (and often eclipsed the main character in likeability)
-Xaden is an interesting and actually respectful male lead
Cons:
-A lot of Violet's inner monologue feels jarring and sometimes detracts from a tense vibe in a scene
-A lot of scenes that would be interesting and would add to the characters' growth are left offscreen, like they were cut for time, despite this being an original work where the author could decide what did and didn't exist. For instance,
-A lot of visual descriptions of settings were left out, like
-For the most part, we have to take Violet's word for it that characters, including herself, have experienced growth. The growth seems to happen offscreen and is not substantiated by their onscreen actions
Additionally, this book is screaming to be part of a series (I am aware that the sequel is out and a series is in the works, as is a movie). In my opinion, there is no finite conclusion of the book's overall plot quest at the end, mostly because there is not one unifying plot quest. The extent of the book is defined temporally, not from a plot perspective, which can give the book the feel of a series of episodes, rather than a unifying experience.
Obviously, this book is popular! I did enjoy it, and I can see how others may enjoy it more than me. That being said, it is not a polished experience, but if you know to expect that, it may help you brace yourself and enjoy it more.
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Torture, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Stalking, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Chronic illness, Classism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic friendship, Child death, Ableism, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
tess_gee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: War, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexism, Body shaming, Bullying, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, and Body horror
cheruphim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Like many who probably approached this book, I've heard of it through its rampant popularity, from BookTok to BookTube to "Top 10 Fantasy Books That You Have To Read" on places like Book Riot or [Insert Website Set Up Purely to Soak Up Google SEO Revenue]. So, eventually when I was able to get my hands on the audiobook version through Libby/Overdrive, I had to give it a listen. And what did I think?
Ehhhh, probably a 7/10.
I compare this to ACOTAR for being a super popular entry in the romantasy genre. Its premise is appealing for any current/former 'dragon girl' or fan of video games like Panzer Dragoon or Drakengard: students are enrolled at a military academy where they are trained in combat as well as developing a spiritual bond with a dragon. Our protagonist, Violet Sorrengail, is a woman with an unnamed disability (but I imagine Ehlers Danlos disease, as the writer has said she based her disability off her own, which is Ehlers Danlos), but is forced into military academy life by her commander mother (never says why outright, but as you read along you can sort of infer as to why that happened). She goes through an arc of becoming a stronger warrior in a life she didn't expect, along with bonding with a powerful dragon, falling in love, and becoming aware of corruption afoot in the confines of this super lethal military academy. There is fantasy politics intrigue, will-they-won't-they relations, and of course, smut.
I really dug the premise of this book, and the author does a good job of incorporating the logistics of dragonflight and living alongside dragons. The author does a solid job portraying them as magnificent yet adorable creatures. I liked the variety of dragon sub-species based on attributes like their tails or size. The eventual smut scenes are very well-written and don't have the overly flowery prose that has plagued romance novels. I liked seeing the relationship between Violet and her enemy-turned-lover Xaden Riaorson develop, as well as the wedge that forms between Violet and her childhood friend Dain Aetos for getting close to Xaden. How Dain evolved from being set up as the childhood friend love interest to a cop-like character refusing to budge on the rules and constantly babying Violet is interesting. Violet's relationship with her dragon Tairn is cute too, and the dynamic she has with her general mother is also a fascinating dynamic.
However, this book isn't without its faults, and as I kept reading, I found myself finding more flaws that kept mounting. The character dialogue and Violet's narration really feels too 'contemporary' for the setting, and often times I found myself cringing at how so much of the dialogue feels like a teen dramedy, a Twitter thread, or a Marvel movie (overly snappy and trying to be witty). And much like ACOTAR, the character motivations feel juvenile and unreasonable at times. Like yeah, let's refuse to kill the psychokiller guy that has been gunning for you since day one, let's refuse help from people who obviously care about you,see you struggling, and ARE NOT trying to baby you.
Outside of Violet, Xaden and their immediate circles, the rest of the cast feels "Harry Potter"-esque that's there to fill tropes - there's the girl best friend, the sadistic rival, and the other friends that hover around them in their clique to pad out the cast. I like how Rhiannon, the girl best friend is bi, as well as other LGBT+ shoutouts in the book, but I also can't help but feel like these side characters are filler that's there to banter with the main character and eventually get killed off for the sad factor. The book also ended rather abruptly for my liking - I liked the twist but things really started moving suddenly towards the end, almost too fast for my liking, and I felt that a lot of the 'big reveals' at the end got introduced way too late. The twist comes, and you feel the satisfaction of seeing it, only to realize there's only twenty pages left and most of it is spent on a fight scene. I know it's book one in a trilogy, and you want to keep them hanging, but also I wish these revelations were given more room to breathe, as opposed to the attention put on extended grueling academy exercises.
In conclusion, I found this book entertaining, and despite its faults it did have me binging it towards the end. It's not perfect, obviously, and I think people looking for a more refined and mature high fantasy experience should look elsewhere, but if you're willing to sift through some corny YA-esque dialogue and tropes for the world building and romance, or want to see what the fuss is about, it's worth a peak. If you're not into young adult fantasy and romance this book isn't for you, but if you are, try it out.
Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, War, and Chronic illness
Minor: Misogyny, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Sexism
Dragon Fantasy, Military Fantasy, High Fantasy, M/F Romance, Smut, Romance, Ehlers Danlosbook_lovers20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Violence, War, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Gun violence, Alcohol, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Vomit, Violence, War, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Death of parent, Torture, Bullying, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
spicyspookypotato's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, Vomit, Ableism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, and War
prairieraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Ableism, Cursing, Confinement, Child death, Violence, Police brutality, Genocide, Stalking, Sexual content, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Murder, and Misogyny