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annettesbookbanter's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
2.5
2.5 Stars
Let me start with the positives. The dragons were done well and I enjoyed the telepathic type connection with their riders. I thought that the collars and how they worked were interesting.
If you love The Fast And The Furious movie and thought it would be cool with dragons instead of cars than you might enjoy this. When I read the synopsis I was anticipating to notice some influence from that movie as well as Fourth Wing and How To Train Your Dragon (HTTYD), since it had mentioned that this was for fans of them. However the storyline basically mirrored that of the storyline from the first Fast & Furious (F&F) movie, with a few noticeable influences from HTTYD. There wasn't a lot of character development which also made it difficult to really become invested in their story. The romance was very quick, partly I think due to where the story starts off, but it still felt relatively authentic. However it too followed the same path as the MMC from F&F and his love interest. I also felt that the world building was lacking and the book relied too heavily on the fact that this was set in a future version of our world.
I received this as an arc and am not sure if the fact that the version I received, being only 180 pages instead of the 310 pages that is stated in Goodreads, means that I received and earlier edit of the book.
Thank you to Booksirens for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start with the positives. The dragons were done well and I enjoyed the telepathic type connection with their riders. I thought that the collars and how they worked were interesting.
If you love The Fast And The Furious movie and thought it would be cool with dragons instead of cars than you might enjoy this. When I read the synopsis I was anticipating to notice some influence from that movie as well as Fourth Wing and How To Train Your Dragon (HTTYD), since it had mentioned that this was for fans of them. However the storyline basically mirrored that of the storyline from the first Fast & Furious (F&F) movie, with a few noticeable influences from HTTYD. There wasn't a lot of character development which also made it difficult to really become invested in their story. The romance was very quick, partly I think due to where the story starts off, but it still felt relatively authentic. However it too followed the same path as the MMC from F&F and his love interest. I also felt that the world building was lacking and the book relied too heavily on the fact that this was set in a future version of our world.
I received this as an arc and am not sure if the fact that the version I received, being only 180 pages instead of the 310 pages that is stated in Goodreads, means that I received and earlier edit of the book.
Thank you to Booksirens for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
toastyghosty13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I got this as an ARC from NetGalley.
I really wanted to enjoy this book based on the premise that it is How to Train Your Dragon mixed with Fourth Wing. I do not feel like it properly lived up to that hype, and I wish it did. I think at a base level the idea was there, but that it almost went too quick to properly form an attachment to any of the characters. I think the idea of post modern dragon air force is cool, but there was not enough meaningful world building to really get me hooked.
The book takes place in/around Seattle, WA and the characters go to a school for dragon riding similar to Basgiath in Fourth Wing. The main character Markus has failed to "break a dragon" and must pack his bags and leave until one of his superior officers offers him the chance for redemption: to use a dragon whose rider was recently murdered and catch whoever has been hijacking the obsidian shipments.
This book was supposedly 180 pages, but I think it was more like 360 since it def felt longer. Ironically, I think it could have used more world building and probably less of the small things like being in class that don't matter as much. There were some cool aspects like gong to Amira's family dinner to talk to her mobster dad that I wish were explored more if Markus was supposed to be a double agent. Instead, we got capture the flag and other games that I feel like did not add much value for the worldbuilding or for creating attachments to the side characters. There was even a romance that I felt was a bit rushed, from classmates to full on banging.
The book ends in a way that sets it up for a sequel. I think that the concept is there and could be another great dragon read, but it definitely needs a bit of work.
I really wanted to enjoy this book based on the premise that it is How to Train Your Dragon mixed with Fourth Wing. I do not feel like it properly lived up to that hype, and I wish it did. I think at a base level the idea was there, but that it almost went too quick to properly form an attachment to any of the characters. I think the idea of post modern dragon air force is cool, but there was not enough meaningful world building to really get me hooked.
The book takes place in/around Seattle, WA and the characters go to a school for dragon riding similar to Basgiath in Fourth Wing. The main character Markus has failed to "break a dragon" and must pack his bags and leave until one of his superior officers offers him the chance for redemption: to use a dragon whose rider was recently murdered and catch whoever has been hijacking the obsidian shipments.
This book was supposedly 180 pages, but I think it was more like 360 since it def felt longer. Ironically, I think it could have used more world building and probably less of the small things like being in class that don't matter as much. There were some cool aspects like
The book ends in a way that sets it up for a sequel. I think that the concept is there and could be another great dragon read, but it definitely needs a bit of work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
caitlinromanelli's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
inkybajinky's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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
3.5
thetasigma906's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
I initially loved the sound of this book, having read Fourth Wing fairly recently and loved that! When I saw a new dragon book that was based around a school, I knew I wanted to read it, and I enjoyed it! The main character, Markus, is likeable and his dragon, Loki, is brilliant! He's sarcastic, an adrenaline fan and they have such a good bond. On the note of bonds, the idea that each future rider forges a collar that gives the bond between dragon and rider is unique and something that I particularly liked.
I do wish there was a little more world building as I don't feel like I quite got where the school is located, and I found myself using Google Maps quite a lot to picture locations, although that could just be because I'm from the UK and I've never visited the area setting in the book.
The crew had a nice found family feeling, and I like the strong relationship between Tobias and Amira, and when we found out why the mastermind was doing everything they were doing, I really felt for them and understood their thoughts and reasoning. I do hope there's a second book, because I'd love to read more of these characters!
I do wish there was a little more world building as I don't feel like I quite got where the school is located, and I found myself using Google Maps quite a lot to picture locations, although that could just be because I'm from the UK and I've never visited the area setting in the book.
The crew had a nice found family feeling, and I like the strong relationship between Tobias and Amira, and when we found out why the mastermind was doing everything they were doing, I really felt for them and understood their thoughts and reasoning. I do hope there's a second book, because I'd love to read more of these characters!
mrufka's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
cballar5's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This felt like grown up Eragon, but shortened. This book is less than 200 pages, so that’s usually a strike for me. It’s hard to develop a world and characters in less than 200 pages. Thankfully, this one is speculative fiction, so the world we’re reading about is fairly normal to us. Basically in the future, but with dragons. The story was fleshed out pretty decently and the plot line was interesting. This author was a bit repetitive with some phrases, and for someone who reads quickly it gets a little tedious reading the same phrase multiple times. The characters were thought out pretty well considering the length of the book. There’s a couple of spots I wish we had more exposition of characters, but for a quick and fun read, it works. The writing was a bit simplistic, not a lot of frills or ornamentation in the language, which is again, fine for a short story. Obviously the plot is king in these sort of books, and the plot was definitely interesting enough to keep you into it.
All in all; not my favorite, but you have to consider my favorite is epic fantasy. For what it is, this is good! 3⭐️
This felt like grown up Eragon, but shortened. This book is less than 200 pages, so that’s usually a strike for me. It’s hard to develop a world and characters in less than 200 pages. Thankfully, this one is speculative fiction, so the world we’re reading about is fairly normal to us. Basically in the future, but with dragons. The story was fleshed out pretty decently and the plot line was interesting. This author was a bit repetitive with some phrases, and for someone who reads quickly it gets a little tedious reading the same phrase multiple times. The characters were thought out pretty well considering the length of the book. There’s a couple of spots I wish we had more exposition of characters, but for a quick and fun read, it works. The writing was a bit simplistic, not a lot of frills or ornamentation in the language, which is again, fine for a short story. Obviously the plot is king in these sort of books, and the plot was definitely interesting enough to keep you into it.
All in all; not my favorite, but you have to consider my favorite is epic fantasy. For what it is, this is good! 3⭐️
kayhush's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This book had me immediately at "inspired by The Fast and The Furious". And if you are like me and can nearly quote the entire first movie from memory, then I highly recommend this book. My favourite parts were the almost word-by-word quotes from the first movie. Whenever I came across another, I would mentally schedule my next re-watch of the movie (and series...).
Overall, the book could have benefitted from more world- and character-building. We are dropped into this story in much the same place as the movie, but in the movie, we already inherently know the world since it is not a fantasy. In this book, we get a few snippets of history and fantasy explanations through the academic aspects, but I would have loved to see more. As for the characters, I'd have liked to know more about them as individuals and dove more into their histories and motivations.
The writing is quite simple and doesn't carry much in the way of flowery descriptions or prose. While this did work for me, it may not work for others. I would have appreciated a bit more description of the world around us to set the scenes, but the writing as-is did lend itself to a quick read.
Second to the movie quote references, my favourite part was the relationships with the dragons. I love the mind-speak aspect because it always lets us understand the dragon as a character as opposed to a simple creature.
Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Overall, the book could have benefitted from more world- and character-building. We are dropped into this story in much the same place as the movie, but in the movie, we already inherently know the world since it is not a fantasy. In this book, we get a few snippets of history and fantasy explanations through the academic aspects, but I would have loved to see more. As for the characters, I'd have liked to know more about them as individuals and dove more into their histories and motivations.
The writing is quite simple and doesn't carry much in the way of flowery descriptions or prose. While this did work for me, it may not work for others. I would have appreciated a bit more description of the world around us to set the scenes, but the writing as-is did lend itself to a quick read.
Second to the movie quote references, my favourite part was the relationships with the dragons. I love the mind-speak aspect because it always lets us understand the dragon as a character as opposed to a simple creature.
Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
hannuhreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
2 Stars.
🐉 The vibes:
- dragons
- Undercover
🐉 My thoughts:
When Markus is unable to “break” a dragon at his dragon riding academy, he is given one final opportunity to get his own dragon if he accepts an undercover mission to find who has been stealing obsidian. There’s dragons, death, and of course the secret ops mission.
There was little to no world building on this one. You’re thrown in to the dragon den (heehee) immediately and you have to learn quick. There’s a lot of names; a lot of backstory that I had to pick up on and assume. I felt like there was a lot of potential once we got to the plot line, but it was so rushed that I didn’t feel very invested in the characters or the plot.
There are heavy topics explored such as police brutality and racism but it is rushed through and I found myself confused on where these topics were introduced and was thrown right in the middle of it which unfortunately was the theme of the book. I was confused most of the book and had a hard time following the plot.
There’s a romance element but that also felt rushed for me.
It did feel like the Fourth Wing universe as far as the dragon school. And I think a lot of the elements were taken from Fourth Wing and implemented in this novel.
Overall- I really liked the idea of this book. A dragon rider academy with dragon racing akin to Fast and Furious sounds both fun and unique. I think I would have enjoyed this one more if the plot and characters were fully fleshed out and less rushed through. The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger and it appears there will be more books to come.
Release date: June 20, 2024.
Thank you so much to Kris’s Dean, Yggdrasil Press, and NetGalley for the gifted copy.
aruktai's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Firstly, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The storyline was interesting, and I enjoyed the characters within. Our main character Markus was a decent protagonist, but I wouldn't say he was particularly unique. However, paired with his dragon, they made for some pretty funny banter and interaction. His romance seemed a bit rushed, with the characters already obviously attracted to each other at the beginning of the book.
However, that may have been due to the lack of a world building. We are introduced into a world that is not too different from our own, with the addition of dragons. Other than a brief explanation that it's almost the end of his first year, we are just thrown straight in.
On the other hand, the dragons are done very well. I loved all the dragons, with their different forms and general personalities/abilities. A shame that it ended the way that it did, very open-ended. When we were introduced to the Black dragon, I already had an inkling it would go the way it did, but I did hold out hope for our beloved adrenaline junkie.
A enjoyable read, would definitely read the second.
The storyline was interesting, and I enjoyed the characters within. Our main character Markus was a decent protagonist, but I wouldn't say he was particularly unique. However, paired with his dragon, they made for some pretty funny banter and interaction. His romance seemed a bit rushed, with the characters already obviously attracted to each other at the beginning of the book.
However, that may have been due to the lack of a world building. We are introduced into a world that is not too different from our own, with the addition of dragons. Other than a brief explanation that it's almost the end of his first year, we are just thrown straight in.
On the other hand, the dragons are done very well. I loved all the dragons, with their different forms and general personalities/abilities. A shame that it ended the way that it did, very open-ended. When we were introduced to the Black dragon, I already had an inkling it would go the way it did, but I did hold out hope for our beloved adrenaline junkie.
A enjoyable read, would definitely read the second.