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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.75 stars - almost 3 stars, but not quite.
I was very disappointed by this book. It had so much potential and did many things right, however the elements that missed the mark impacted my enjoyment of the story to too high a degree.
The world building was very interesting. Instead of being in a brand new fantasy world like Fourth Wing, you get to see what the 1920s (specifically England) would look like if there were dragons amongst humans. The changes to various societies around the world were intriguing and I would have liked to experience more than the book includes. From what I know of languages and translation, it felt like the author had a strong grasp of what would be involved, and the sheer magnitude of trying to translate a brand new language was staggering.
However, the problems with the story boil down to one main issue - lack of nuance. The character arcs are very clunky - for all characters involved but especially for the FMC, Vivien. Vivien is a pretty awful human being, selfish and naive to an infuriating level. And that's ok, if that's what the author is going for. The problem is that her development swings wildly between extremes with no consistency and her internal struggle comes across as trite and unstable. I have no confidence in any changes of heart. Other characters also seem to experience moods swings with quick reverses of attitude or opinion. Everything is angsty and extreme. The same could be said of the political machinations - very clunky and hard to follow with reason. There are leaps all over the story that you simply have to accept and move on.
The book definitely feels like a YA book because it's a teen itself, full of big emotions and little logic (except regarding the translations). I probably won't be continuing on, as there are so many other books I'd rather read from my TBR.
I was very disappointed by this book. It had so much potential and did many things right, however the elements that missed the mark impacted my enjoyment of the story to too high a degree.
The world building was very interesting. Instead of being in a brand new fantasy world like Fourth Wing, you get to see what the 1920s (specifically England) would look like if there were dragons amongst humans. The changes to various societies around the world were intriguing and I would have liked to experience more than the book includes. From what I know of languages and translation, it felt like the author had a strong grasp of what would be involved, and the sheer magnitude of trying to translate a brand new language was staggering.
However, the problems with the story boil down to one main issue - lack of nuance. The character arcs are very clunky - for all characters involved but especially for the FMC, Vivien. Vivien is a pretty awful human being, selfish and naive to an infuriating level. And that's ok, if that's what the author is going for. The problem is that her development swings wildly between extremes with no consistency and her internal struggle comes across as trite and unstable. I have no confidence in any changes of heart. Other characters also seem to experience moods swings with quick reverses of attitude or opinion. Everything is angsty and extreme. The same could be said of the political machinations - very clunky and hard to follow with reason. There are leaps all over the story that you simply have to accept and move on.
The book definitely feels like a YA book because it's a teen itself, full of big emotions and little logic (except regarding the translations). I probably won't be continuing on, as there are so many other books I'd rather read from my TBR.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow. Talk about a cliffhanger! Can’t wait for book 2
I’m so glad I got to read the ARC!
I haven’t read a lot of YA fantasy, but this is by far the best I’ve ever read. I’m not a fan of politics or war themes in books, especially if it drags on, but this author executes those themes so well that I was hooked. This was a page turner and I for one loved every bit of it.
It was sweet, it was captivating and it was sad. So many emotions were expressed when I was reading that when I finished the book I wanted to cry, BUT I couldn’t cause I was at work
I’m so glad I got to read the ARC!
I haven’t read a lot of YA fantasy, but this is by far the best I’ve ever read. I’m not a fan of politics or war themes in books, especially if it drags on, but this author executes those themes so well that I was hooked. This was a page turner and I for one loved every bit of it.
It was sweet, it was captivating and it was sad. So many emotions were expressed when I was reading that when I finished the book I wanted to cry, BUT I couldn’t cause I was at work
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book from a harpercollins event in exchange for an honest review!
This is a really solid debut. It's a mix of the translation aspect and dark academia vibe from 'Babel' with dragons and cracking the enigma code. I really liked the world building, the political relationship between the dragons and the humans was interesting to delve into and I was glad that a lot of the plot surrounded that relationship.
The plot itself felt high-stakes and fast-paced. There's a good cast of characters, my favourite relationships being between Vivian's family members. The constant thread of Viv taking this job to save her family makes for a compelling story, especially after meeting her adorable younger sister Ursa. Marquis, Viv's cousin, is probably my favourite character, but Gideon is a close second!
The actual codebreaking/translation aspect was so much fun, Williamson was flexing that languages degree and it comes across perfectly in our main character Vivian who talks so passionately about translation.
My main downside was that some points of the book felt slightly rushed, a lot of problems would be fixed within a few pages making them feel a bit inconsequential.
However, with that ending I will be needing a sequel and fast! Solid read, would recommend to anyone who needs a new YA Dark Academia novel, or their next fix of dragon politics :)
P.S. Although it is a slow-burn romance I wouldn't call it enemies-to-lovers
This is a really solid debut. It's a mix of the translation aspect and dark academia vibe from 'Babel' with dragons and cracking the enigma code. I really liked the world building, the political relationship between the dragons and the humans was interesting to delve into and I was glad that a lot of the plot surrounded that relationship.
The plot itself felt high-stakes and fast-paced. There's a good cast of characters, my favourite relationships being between Vivian's family members. The constant thread of Viv taking this job to save her family makes for a compelling story, especially after meeting her adorable younger sister Ursa. Marquis, Viv's cousin, is probably my favourite character, but Gideon is a close second!
Spoiler
I'm going to be needing a full redemption arc in book 2 please!The actual codebreaking/translation aspect was so much fun, Williamson was flexing that languages degree and it comes across perfectly in our main character Vivian who talks so passionately about translation.
My main downside was that some points of the book felt slightly rushed, a lot of problems would be fixed within a few pages making them feel a bit inconsequential.
Spoiler
The other aspect I wasn't particularly a fan of was making Atlas a 'priest-in-training', I think the class difference was enough to make it a 'forbidden romance' and that this idea could have been removed from the book entirely and it wouldn't have changed anything. This is mostly a personal opinion but it felt weirdHowever, with that ending I will be needing a sequel and fast! Solid read, would recommend to anyone who needs a new YA Dark Academia novel, or their next fix of dragon politics :)
P.S. Although it is a slow-burn romance I wouldn't call it enemies-to-lovers
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this one, review to come
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced