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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
I was expecting a romance set in a generic fantasy setting. However, it was the weird world building that threw me off. It's a work set in our world, the real world, yet instead of carefully integrating what it would be like to live in an earth with magical creatures, we get this strange half thought out, half thrown it in to justify the plot setting. Why mention South Asian cuisine but then set the story in a generic valley town in Anywhere? Why go into specific details about one aspect of dragons and ignore everything else? I get that this is a romance and I'm supposed to care more about that, but the inconsistent world building really pulled me out of any whimsy and delight having baby dragons would entail. Add in bland characters I've seen done better in other works, paper thin and predictable relationships, and you have a subpar work that expects cute dragons to carry its weight.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Het idee is erg leuk, de uitvoering minder. Eigenlijk was het allemaal een beetje slap; de romantiek, de fantasy, de karakters, het plot en het einde. En constant on-ironisch het woord ‘draggos’ gebruiken, gaf me echt enorme kriebels 😬
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
At some point I reserved the audiobook of this at my library and then forgot about it, so I wasn’t necessarily planning to listen to it at the moment but didn’t want to waste the reservation. It seemed like a cute premise and I was keen to find out what would happen as the book progressed but something about the way it was written didn’t gel with me. The language seemed very repetitive and the romance was rather cringey. Maybe I should have expected the latter. It felt a bit like reading fan fiction or at least a book very much for teens but I don’t think this is supposed to be YA? And I’ve definitely read YA that’s written well, too. Either way, there was still a sort of intrigue that kept me reading (or listening) and I admit I did enjoy this somewhat. But yeah, definitely felt guilty about enjoying it – and it wasn’t even ‘spicy’ romance. Haha. Clearly any level of romance isn’t for me.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
This was a lovely, charming, warm book about finding your family and overcoming grief. I truly adored the baby dragons and world building, and while I thought the overall feeling was a bit less nuanced than I would normally enjoy, it was a fast and fun read.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very cute and cozy read, I really enjoyed myself. There were some things that felt a little anachronistic with the magical world that the story was set in though. Some parts of the plot also felt a little awkward and weren't always fully explored. Still, I had a good time!
While definitely cute dragons, the writing felt like YA at times then all of a sudden Adult. And something about how cellphones, cars and what not are in this fantasy world didn’t really mesh well. It kept pulling me out. Overall good story. I liked the two main characters and the background ones as well.
The stakes were non-existent, and there was very little to the plot. Any tension between the main characters— even things that could have a major impact on them or their relationship— is casually brushed away within pages of being introduced. The romance is slow-burn, but not in the sense that they gradually fall in love; it’s insta-love that is stalled out by the childish insistence “there’s no way these obvious signs they like me means they like me,” and Saphira’s refusal to make a move even when she knows Aiden returns her feelings.
The fantasy worldbuilding consists of swapping dogs for dragons and giving them prestige value to the aristocracy. There’s nothing interesting to the dragons themselves or the world around them.
The writing style was very simplistic and had a tendency to over-elaborate on basic thoughts. I also noticed the repetition of the same idea or action a few sentences apart multiple times, although I am reading from an ARC, so I don’t know if those will remain in the finished book.
The fantasy worldbuilding consists of swapping dogs for dragons and giving them prestige value to the aristocracy. There’s nothing interesting to the dragons themselves or the world around them.
The writing style was very simplistic and had a tendency to over-elaborate on basic thoughts. I also noticed the repetition of the same idea or action a few sentences apart multiple times, although I am reading from an ARC, so I don’t know if those will remain in the finished book.
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
relaxing
fast-paced