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kowalskepie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
egurgens's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
booklover160's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 66%.
I will start with the good in this. The premise is interesting and captivating. The dragons have real personalities and I liked that they were integral to the story rather than used as bait for drawing readers. Uh... that might be it.
Starting off, I want to stress that this is MY opinion and I try not to let any other reviews influence it. I will say however, I do agree with the things the 1 to 2 star reviews are saying. Okay let's dive in.
If you're gong to have abuse in your story, I would rather see it, than have it implied. The implications were a bit too vague and glossed over way too much to make an impact in the way I think the author was hoping. It almost felt like there's was no point in including it if it wasn't a big deal. Her "overcoming" the abuse wasn't even shown as she went from a meek slave girl to the most powerful person ever in .02 seconds. Everything seemed to come easy to her and it negated her previous trauma.
I had a big issue with one scene in particular: While in the rebel camp, someone begins to sexually harass her and basically they got away with it. What the fuck? That makes the whole book feel contradictory up until now. She tries to overcome her trauma only to get harassed again with NO CONSEQUENCES FOR THE HARASSER. Whaaat???? I thought it would have been an excellent time to show that harassers have consequences, but nope?
I finished the book during the fight with the Kingsmen when Andra releases a powerful explosion of magic. Just before that, she kills a bunch of soldiers no problem. I found that entirely unbelievable. And then to finish it off with her being super overpowered, I just lost all interest entirely.
I would read works from this author again, as I did find her writing to be engaging, but this one was not for me.
I will start with the good in this. The premise is interesting and captivating. The dragons have real personalities and I liked that they were integral to the story rather than used as bait for drawing readers. Uh... that might be it.
Starting off, I want to stress that this is MY opinion and I try not to let any other reviews influence it. I will say however, I do agree with the things the 1 to 2 star reviews are saying. Okay let's dive in.
If you're gong to have abuse in your story, I would rather see it, than have it implied. The implications were a bit too vague and glossed over way too much to make an impact in the way I think the author was hoping. It almost felt like there's was no point in including it if it wasn't a big deal. Her "overcoming" the abuse wasn't even shown as she went from a meek slave girl to the most powerful person ever in .02 seconds. Everything seemed to come easy to her and it negated her previous trauma.
I had a big issue with one scene in particular: While in the rebel camp, someone begins to sexually harass her and basically they got away with it. What the fuck? That makes the whole book feel contradictory up until now. She tries to overcome her trauma only to get harassed again with NO CONSEQUENCES FOR THE HARASSER. Whaaat???? I thought it would have been an excellent time to show that harassers have consequences, but nope?
I finished the book during the fight with the Kingsmen when Andra releases a powerful explosion of magic. Just before that, she kills a bunch of soldiers no problem. I found that entirely unbelievable. And then to finish it off with her being super overpowered, I just lost all interest entirely.
I would read works from this author again, as I did find her writing to be engaging, but this one was not for me.
amarylissw's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately, the style of writing was really off-putting. A “traumatic” event happens to Andra, but I felt nothing over the story as neither Andra or any of the other characters had been fleshed out enough for me to care. The style of the story is childish, all tell, not show, and the concept is nothing new either.
carolina_dreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
booksidio18's review against another edition
DNF.
Ok so this was definitely not what I was expecting. I read this book way back when it was posted on Inkitt and that version is just way better. It's definitely more brutal and violent, but overall better.
The cut out version isn't bad, the writing style is the same, but I wish she would have left everything in. The worst part is that that version is dead for probably anyone but her. Oh well. As I said, this isn't a bad book, I really like Erin Swan's way of writing and she managed to keep me engaged for it all, but it's just not the same for me.
Ok so this was definitely not what I was expecting. I read this book way back when it was posted on Inkitt and that version is just way better. It's definitely more brutal and violent, but overall better.
The cut out version isn't bad, the writing style is the same, but I wish she would have left everything in. The worst part is that that version is dead for probably anyone but her. Oh well. As I said, this isn't a bad book, I really like Erin Swan's way of writing and she managed to keep me engaged for it all, but it's just not the same for me.
spiringempress's review against another edition
3.0
"But Andra knew that she wouldn't. She had spoken a single word, and that word became a death sentence. She wouldn't allow it to happen again."
At the start of this story, Andra is a servant in the Chief Judge's manor. She serves with her best friend, Talias, and the two are always managing to get into mischief. The pair sneaks into the introduction between potential dragon riders and the dragons. Curious, Andra eventually also sneaks into the pairing ritual, where she interrupts the rare violet dragon as she's about to make her choice. As a result, five years are added to Andra's contract and she's sent to Judge Castigo's manor, where her mother and her tormentor, Ledo, live.
Enraged with Ledo's antic, Andra insults him and Judge Castigo deems that his son can pick a fitting punishment. Extremely cruel, Ledo decides to execute Andra's mother. Horrified, Andra decides to remain silent and protect those around her. For an entire year, she suffers abuse at Ledo's hands until she is rescued by a group of rebels, who infiltrate the Judge's manor. Among the rebels is Kael, the leader, who protects Andra and decides not to kill her, as well as, Alik and Colmen, who are also rebels. From here, Andra becomes involved in the rebel cause and learns she possesses an extremely formidable power.
Star Bright started off very promising. Immediately, I have liked the characters and enjoyed the antics of the pair. I was settling into the environment and the relationship, but then suddenly this was ripped away. Andra was sent away, then her mother died, then a year passed where she was abused, immediately Kael rescues her, and then they're off on various rebel plots. The plot moved at lighting sped and overall felt rushed. There was barely any explanation for the main plot and Andra also developed her powers with little to no training. This also affected the romance, where one moment Andra and Kael were skirting around each other and the next, they were declaring their undying love. It was a story that would have benefitted from being a trilogy and allowed Andra to grow into her impressive powers.
My second problem was the lack of world-building. The book starts off with a lot of interesting concepts, including this idea of dragons being paired with a rider and the system of the Judges, but there's really no explanation. About halfway through the book, I stopped to wonder why the rebels were actually revolting. Sure, Judge Castigo and his son were horrible and illustrated how the political system could be corrupt, but was that an overall problem or just one judge? This still remains unclear to me and I felt like it more of a plot convenience than actually spending time creating the world and outlining what the issues were.
At the start of this story, Andra is a servant in the Chief Judge's manor. She serves with her best friend, Talias, and the two are always managing to get into mischief. The pair sneaks into the introduction between potential dragon riders and the dragons. Curious, Andra eventually also sneaks into the pairing ritual, where she interrupts the rare violet dragon as she's about to make her choice. As a result, five years are added to Andra's contract and she's sent to Judge Castigo's manor, where her mother and her tormentor, Ledo, live.
Enraged with Ledo's antic, Andra insults him and Judge Castigo deems that his son can pick a fitting punishment. Extremely cruel, Ledo decides to execute Andra's mother. Horrified, Andra decides to remain silent and protect those around her. For an entire year, she suffers abuse at Ledo's hands until she is rescued by a group of rebels, who infiltrate the Judge's manor. Among the rebels is Kael, the leader, who protects Andra and decides not to kill her, as well as, Alik and Colmen, who are also rebels. From here, Andra becomes involved in the rebel cause and learns she possesses an extremely formidable power.
Star Bright started off very promising. Immediately, I have liked the characters and enjoyed the antics of the pair. I was settling into the environment and the relationship, but then suddenly this was ripped away. Andra was sent away, then her mother died, then a year passed where she was abused, immediately Kael rescues her, and then they're off on various rebel plots. The plot moved at lighting sped and overall felt rushed. There was barely any explanation for the main plot and Andra also developed her powers with little to no training. This also affected the romance, where one moment Andra and Kael were skirting around each other and the next, they were declaring their undying love. It was a story that would have benefitted from being a trilogy and allowed Andra to grow into her impressive powers.
My second problem was the lack of world-building. The book starts off with a lot of interesting concepts, including this idea of dragons being paired with a rider and the system of the Judges, but there's really no explanation. About halfway through the book, I stopped to wonder why the rebels were actually revolting. Sure, Judge Castigo and his son were horrible and illustrated how the political system could be corrupt, but was that an overall problem or just one judge? This still remains unclear to me and I felt like it more of a plot convenience than actually spending time creating the world and outlining what the issues were.
venuzx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
nataliesboooks's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked that it was a standalone, but at the same time, that meant that the characters and plot weren’t as flushed out as they could have been.
allieonreading's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
2.75
I haven’t read a fantasy with a dragon in a long time! Was this book perfect? No, not by any means. But I still really liked it. I found it engaging and fast paced, and I loved how the dragons worked in the world.