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courtwoof's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed Elysia Dayne as a character, her romance with Isabella was a frustrating experience. The way they bounced back and forth between sweet and tender to arguing out of nowhere drove me nuts. Elysia would be head over heels for Isabella on one page and then tell herself she had to leave the princess and remain true to herself on the next. It got old. Their bickering outweighed the enjoyable moments they shared.
The time skips between three different parts of Elysia's life sounded great in theory. I loved the flower indicators in each chapter to highlight where we were. But I felt like we spent too much time in Elysia's past. I wanted more time from Elysia's present. We get all these things told to us about what she did as the Knight Butcher and how she saved this village and that, but we never get to see any of those scenes. Instead, we spend a lot of time with Elysia right after her village is decimated, and I just wanted the story to move on.
The dense pages with overlarge paragraphs made for slow reading. The whole thing felt dense like I was struggling to chew through it all. I'm used to reading much faster, but the way these paragraphs were laid out slowed me down considerably.
With all that said, the action is good, even if the final battle is a bit drawn out. I did want more of Kailen's story. She was the most interesting character to me. The weapons and descriptions of Elysia's equipment were solid. I could easily picture her swords, knives, dagger, and bow. And the world was an enjoyable enough place to make this journey. The author didn't have any trouble with world-building. It was just his characters and large paragraphs that made this story hard to read at times. Oh, and the cover and inner artwork are gorgeous.
Unsure if I'll continue with book #2. I'm on the fence.
The time skips between three different parts of Elysia's life sounded great in theory. I loved the flower indicators in each chapter to highlight where we were. But I felt like we spent too much time in Elysia's past. I wanted more time from Elysia's present. We get all these things told to us about what she did as the Knight Butcher and how she saved this village and that, but we never get to see any of those scenes. Instead, we spend a lot of time with Elysia right after her village is decimated, and I just wanted the story to move on.
The dense pages with overlarge paragraphs made for slow reading. The whole thing felt dense like I was struggling to chew through it all. I'm used to reading much faster, but the way these paragraphs were laid out slowed me down considerably.
With all that said, the action is good, even if the final battle is a bit drawn out. I did want more of Kailen's story. She was the most interesting character to me. The weapons and descriptions of Elysia's equipment were solid. I could easily picture her swords, knives, dagger, and bow. And the world was an enjoyable enough place to make this journey. The author didn't have any trouble with world-building. It was just his characters and large paragraphs that made this story hard to read at times. Oh, and the cover and inner artwork are gorgeous.
Unsure if I'll continue with book #2. I'm on the fence.
storyfae's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to both the author and Reedsy Discovery for the opportunity to read this book in advance, via ARC!
Under an Azure Sky - Elysia Dayne: Book 1 stars Elysia Dayne, a young woman turned dragon slayer after a tragedy turned her from a naïve and innocent child into a hardened hero with whom 'love' has lost all meaning. Until she meets Princess Isabella after being tasked with rescuing her from goblins. At first, Isabella is cold towards her, being the typical image of a spoiled princess at ease with the idea of marrying a prince and becoming a queen. Without spoiling certain events, over time they warm to each other as they face increasingly dangerous threats to their safety.
Elysia as a hero (she states in the book she isn't fond of the term 'heroine' as it 'sounds lesser' than hero) is an interesting depiction of the usual heroic type. She isn't perfect by any means, but she's far from inept. She laughs off the legends that surround her, and even the princess is disappointed when they finally meet and Elysia confirms her identity. The blend of being skilled but not invincible makes her feel more human, and that kind of characterization applies to a lot of the characters in the book. It intrigued me how even characters who are killed off as quickly as they're introduced get moments with bits of background information or an idea of their personalities. The book also gives nonhuman characters and antagonists sympathetic traits, so that very few seem one-note. That being said, I feel like some scenes feel drawn out, though that may be a personal issue. It may put off anyone weary of long, heavily descriptive scenes, but I'm aware many people like detailed descriptions.
The primary draw of the story is the romance between Elysia and Isabella, which is incredibly well-done. As someone who's usually not a fan of slow burn, it was entertaining to watch their relationship develop. Their personalities clashed in a way that was believable and any arguments they had felt realistic, never feeling like they had an argument quota to fill before they could start truly liking each other. The way their relationship gradually mends itself feels real and not at all forced.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantastical worlds, meaningful relationships, and great care given to even the most minor characters.
Under an Azure Sky - Elysia Dayne: Book 1 stars Elysia Dayne, a young woman turned dragon slayer after a tragedy turned her from a naïve and innocent child into a hardened hero with whom 'love' has lost all meaning. Until she meets Princess Isabella after being tasked with rescuing her from goblins. At first, Isabella is cold towards her, being the typical image of a spoiled princess at ease with the idea of marrying a prince and becoming a queen. Without spoiling certain events, over time they warm to each other as they face increasingly dangerous threats to their safety.
Elysia as a hero (she states in the book she isn't fond of the term 'heroine' as it 'sounds lesser' than hero) is an interesting depiction of the usual heroic type. She isn't perfect by any means, but she's far from inept. She laughs off the legends that surround her, and even the princess is disappointed when they finally meet and Elysia confirms her identity. The blend of being skilled but not invincible makes her feel more human, and that kind of characterization applies to a lot of the characters in the book. It intrigued me how even characters who are killed off as quickly as they're introduced get moments with bits of background information or an idea of their personalities. The book also gives nonhuman characters and antagonists sympathetic traits, so that very few seem one-note. That being said, I feel like some scenes feel drawn out, though that may be a personal issue. It may put off anyone weary of long, heavily descriptive scenes, but I'm aware many people like detailed descriptions.
The primary draw of the story is the romance between Elysia and Isabella, which is incredibly well-done. As someone who's usually not a fan of slow burn, it was entertaining to watch their relationship develop. Their personalities clashed in a way that was believable and any arguments they had felt realistic, never feeling like they had an argument quota to fill before they could start truly liking each other. The way their relationship gradually mends itself feels real and not at all forced.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantastical worlds, meaningful relationships, and great care given to even the most minor characters.
connorjdaley's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-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
3.0
This is Elysia Dayne book 1. The author very nicely sent me an audio code for review. I think the narration done by Rhonda Pownall was very good. The characterizations she brought to life were enjoyable.
I have to be honest, this book is kind of chaotic, but I did enjoy it. Elysia faces hardship after hardship in life, a fact that makes her turn out rather…hard. Tough, but also maybe a little stubborn too. She’s known for being a dragon slayer, a monster killer, but for the most part, the reader doesn’t get very much of that. She rescues a princess, which then becomes a kind of enemies to lovers-ish trope. It wasn’t that they weren’t enjoyable together, it was just never outwardly started, and then in the end it’s a very big deal as if it was official.
This novel features both past sequences and present ones. And it’s not that I’m against chapters of varying lengths, but there were some that legitimately only lasted 8-11 minutes, while others were up to an hour+. It made it hard to follow, the past bled into the present story, and although Elysia, the main character, goes from age 13 to that of an adult (I think?) she’s written entirely the same throughout, adding to the confusion. Perhaps more chapters to break things up, with additional time switches, would have really aided the pacing.
What I particularly enjoyed were the little tidbits throughout. The tiny glimpses of world the reader is given. At one point there is a parasitic, proboscis-having dragon leech-thing that gets mentioned because the proboscis is harvested to penetrate dragon hide like a needle. Super crazy, minute detail, but that’s where this writing shone for me. The action is heavy and vicious as well, I’m pretty sure everyone ever is dead.
Personally a 3/5* for me. But I would like to petition the word “suckle” in all forms be removed from the English language.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
em_s_corner's review
I was send an eCopy of this book by Netgalley so thanks to them and the author. I DNFed this 5% in, I just couldn’t get into it. It’s too much saying and no showing at all.
kristianamr's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Under an Azure Sky by Wil Chan is the first in a series based on the character Elysia Dayne, renowned dragon slayer and hero to many. This debut instalment explores Dayne’s journey after rescuing Princess Isabella with narrative and tense shifts as we learn more about Elysia, her past and what motives her.
The more I read contemporary fantasy fiction, the more I feel refreshed by how this genre has taken on diverse characters and storylines. Chan centres the relationship and love between two women in this story and what I appreciated the most was how Chan wrote about this love no differently than any romance. The LGBTQIA+ element is treated normally and both women are confident in who they are and their sexuality.
The character development overall was strong, with Chan’s use of flashback enabling us to understand Elysia’s determination, flaws and strengths as the story and her journey with Isabella progressed. Chan also writes combat incredibly well - the pace in these sections was at its best - with a clear knowledge of movement and action. Most of the description was pertinent too, especially with regard to the world building within this series - it was interesting to see how Chan drew upon recent fantasy worlds alongside medieval history and the Latin language.
At times the pacing could have been improved - not because of the flashbacks - but because of the frequent lulls in Elysia and Isabella’s journey on foot. This felt very slow and I found myself itching to read ahead, especially towards the end when the resolution was nigh and the description felt like filler rather than important.
The resolution itself, if read as a standalone book, is disappointing. While the final page build up is well done, the final moments seemed to sap all I had invested thus far into these characters, especially Elysia. But, it must be noted that this is the first in a series. Thus, I have no doubt the resolution you read in this book is not a permanent end at all but a cliffhanger to entice you into book two of the series; which, based on book one, promises to be another good story! Elysia is certainly a character I want to spend more time with.
little_miss_darkness's review
Big thank you to NetGalley for providing this free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Reading this book felt like playing a video game on the early 2000s with poor graphics.
The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. It looks amazing and something that might belong as a cover of a graphic novel (or a video game). The blurb was very consistent to the story. However, the quality of the story and writing was lacking. It didn't feel like a book, rather more like a collection of children's stories someone was trying to pass off as adult novel.
I am sad to say that I didn't even read the end part fully, I just flew over it because I could not engage with the story. All in all, sadly this book was a huge disappointment. I was looking forward to a good story with dragons. But did not get it.
Reading this book felt like playing a video game on the early 2000s with poor graphics.
The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. It looks amazing and something that might belong as a cover of a graphic novel (or a video game). The blurb was very consistent to the story. However, the quality of the story and writing was lacking. It didn't feel like a book, rather more like a collection of children's stories someone was trying to pass off as adult novel.
I am sad to say that I didn't even read the end part fully, I just flew over it because I could not engage with the story. All in all, sadly this book was a huge disappointment. I was looking forward to a good story with dragons. But did not get it.
velmadykley's review
It actually makes me really sad to say that I ended up not finishing this book, because I absolutely loved the prologue. From the writing style to the content of the story, I thoroughly enjoyed the first few pages of the novel. However, when the actual story starts, it’s as if the writer has done a complete 180 — the writing becomes, somehow, a bit juvenile in my eyes, especially the interactions between characters (the dynamic between the main character and the princess she rescued felt poorly executed to me), and the way in which the action is presented is simply not as appealing anymore, not immersive. I was very excited to read this, but the story turned out to be quite underwhelming, and I just couldn’t force myself to keep reading after a while.
fairestofthestars's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
1.0
I received a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book was amazing, and the prologue chapter was very promising, so I went into the story with high hopes. Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me.
I will start with the good things. As I mentioned, the premise sounded great. The protagonist, Elysia Dayne, who is a dragon slayer goes on a quest to save a princess. We learn more about her past, her adventures and watch as she and the princess, Isabella, get closer. The world seems rich and interesting, with some of the lore scattered throughout the story.
Now, I must move on to what I didn't enjoy. As I mentioned, both the plot and the world seem interesting, but my biggest complaint is that it all seems underdeveloped. The story had great potential, but I feel like we don't get to experience it in its full glory.
My first issue was the pacing. It made the book hard to read. It's slow in the beginning, but with a lot of info-dumping in the prologue chapter, and the plot of some of the later chapters seems to be dragging more than it's necessary and enjoyable.
There were many flashbacks incorporated, and while it's a writing element I usually enjoy, here it was distracting from the main plot. The main plot was Elysia's quest to save Isabella (and their journey) and the flashbacks provide information about Elysia's past. The flashbacks were often, and pretty lengthy and sometimes they were more interesting than the main plot. Which, in my opinion, defeats their purpose which is to be filler content and provide exposition. There was a lot of back and forth and the way it was done made the story dizzying and confusing at times.
The writing style in general consisted mostly of telling and not showing, using many filler words, and there were many drawn-out details that just failed to keep my interest. It seems more like I'm supposed to guess what the author meant to do, rather than actually experience it while reading.
The characters were, in my opinion, underdeveloped. They had the potential to be really interesting, but they sadly were not. It is clear what the author meant to do with the characters, but they seem unfinished. They seem pretty flat, two-dimensional and even the main character had next to no personality. I was well into the book (about 70%) when I finally felt like the main character had a personality whatsoever. This made it hard to connect with the characters and care about their stories. It again seems like I am guessing who the characters are, but because I'm assuming and not because they're presented that way in the book.
The relationship between Elysia and Isabella falls flat for me. There is no buildup to it, and while they spent time together, there is no chemistry between them and it doesn't look like a significant bond is forming. These are the chapters where the plot dragged the most, as it seemed that every chapter is exactly the same just packaged to be slightly different. They don't seem to like each other at all, especially Elysia, whose POV we're reading from. She seems to view Isabella as a child and complains about her constantly, and there are no actual indicators to tell us she is getting more fond of Isabella but all of a sudden she is in love with her. It seemed very uncharacteristic, and there wasn't anything leading up to it, it was like a switch went on.
The dialogues seemed stilted, and the banter seemed forced. There were a couple of instances of banter between Elysia and Isabella I enjoyed, but like most things in this book - it was underwhelming. In the flashbacks, most of the dialogues are used as exposition, to find out more about Elysia, but many of them just seem to be pandering. Many characters tell Elysia how great of a hero she is, how they admire her, and so on, but I think those dialogues could've been used to show what her actual personality is, and not just to tell us that she is a great hero. Asides from Elysia and Isabelle, no other character seems even remotely important, they just seem to be there to push the plot, and I wish there was more to the side characters. The main character also doesn't experience any character development, in my opinion, she is exactly the same throughout the entire book.
I did like the world, but I wish there was more world-building. It is obvious that the author put a lot of thought into creating this world, but we only see it in snippets. Hopefully, the next book incorporates more world-building, as I think this world has a lot more to offer.
Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I think this would be more suited for someone who is less character-oriented while reading, and/or for someone who likes episodic storytelling - the flashbacks provide fun little adventures that someone might enjoy more than I did.
The premise of this book was amazing, and the prologue chapter was very promising, so I went into the story with high hopes. Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me.
I will start with the good things. As I mentioned, the premise sounded great. The protagonist, Elysia Dayne, who is a dragon slayer goes on a quest to save a princess. We learn more about her past, her adventures and watch as she and the princess, Isabella, get closer. The world seems rich and interesting, with some of the lore scattered throughout the story.
Now, I must move on to what I didn't enjoy. As I mentioned, both the plot and the world seem interesting, but my biggest complaint is that it all seems underdeveloped. The story had great potential, but I feel like we don't get to experience it in its full glory.
My first issue was the pacing. It made the book hard to read. It's slow in the beginning, but with a lot of info-dumping in the prologue chapter, and the plot of some of the later chapters seems to be dragging more than it's necessary and enjoyable.
There were many flashbacks incorporated, and while it's a writing element I usually enjoy, here it was distracting from the main plot. The main plot was Elysia's quest to save Isabella (and their journey) and the flashbacks provide information about Elysia's past. The flashbacks were often, and pretty lengthy and sometimes they were more interesting than the main plot. Which, in my opinion, defeats their purpose which is to be filler content and provide exposition. There was a lot of back and forth and the way it was done made the story dizzying and confusing at times.
The writing style in general consisted mostly of telling and not showing, using many filler words, and there were many drawn-out details that just failed to keep my interest. It seems more like I'm supposed to guess what the author meant to do, rather than actually experience it while reading.
The characters were, in my opinion, underdeveloped. They had the potential to be really interesting, but they sadly were not. It is clear what the author meant to do with the characters, but they seem unfinished. They seem pretty flat, two-dimensional and even the main character had next to no personality. I was well into the book (about 70%) when I finally felt like the main character had a personality whatsoever. This made it hard to connect with the characters and care about their stories. It again seems like I am guessing who the characters are, but because I'm assuming and not because they're presented that way in the book.
The relationship between Elysia and Isabella falls flat for me. There is no buildup to it, and while they spent time together, there is no chemistry between them and it doesn't look like a significant bond is forming. These are the chapters where the plot dragged the most, as it seemed that every chapter is exactly the same just packaged to be slightly different. They don't seem to like each other at all, especially Elysia, whose POV we're reading from. She seems to view Isabella as a child and complains about her constantly, and there are no actual indicators to tell us she is getting more fond of Isabella but all of a sudden she is in love with her. It seemed very uncharacteristic, and there wasn't anything leading up to it, it was like a switch went on.
The dialogues seemed stilted, and the banter seemed forced. There were a couple of instances of banter between Elysia and Isabella I enjoyed, but like most things in this book - it was underwhelming. In the flashbacks, most of the dialogues are used as exposition, to find out more about Elysia, but many of them just seem to be pandering. Many characters tell Elysia how great of a hero she is, how they admire her, and so on, but I think those dialogues could've been used to show what her actual personality is, and not just to tell us that she is a great hero. Asides from Elysia and Isabelle, no other character seems even remotely important, they just seem to be there to push the plot, and I wish there was more to the side characters. The main character also doesn't experience any character development, in my opinion, she is exactly the same throughout the entire book.
I did like the world, but I wish there was more world-building. It is obvious that the author put a lot of thought into creating this world, but we only see it in snippets. Hopefully, the next book incorporates more world-building, as I think this world has a lot more to offer.
Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I think this would be more suited for someone who is less character-oriented while reading, and/or for someone who likes episodic storytelling - the flashbacks provide fun little adventures that someone might enjoy more than I did.
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