Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Rage of Dragons

I have no words for how stunningly good this book was. Where do I begin?

Evan Winter's writing is gripping and real, the characters were all so pristinely human despite this being in a fantasy world. In a refreshing setting - based on Brozen Age Africa - and with a rare (at least nowadays) focus on pure revenge, The Rage of Dragons is an absolute epic. Not only is Winter's characterization haunting and gorgeous, but the social and political commentary and intrigue are just as frustrating in all the right ways. At first, most of the views Winter presents about war, power, class, and peace may seem simple, but they were stuck incredibly deep in my skin and Winter's writing allows these ideas to seep into every word of his work. My perspective has been totally changed and humbled and opened within 523 pages.

I want to say more, but frankly, I'm at a loss. Winter is simply a paramount writer, and after reading this I immediately went to put the second book on hold at the library, if that's any proof of just how much of a grip this book had on my psyche.

Also dragons? Did I mention dragons? God, I love dragons.

Please read this book.

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straw_hat_kd's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Rage of Dragons is incredible. From the first page to the last I found myself wanting to come back to this world and find out what's going to happen next. The world building is incredible. You understand the stakes of what's going on in this world and regardless of what's going on in the story, the looming threat is always a factor. The battles...the way Evan puts words together to describe the battles is surreal. There's one passage where he describes the sound of a weapon hitting a helmet and I could imagine it allas if I was right there. The main character, Tau, a beast. Every battle he gets in is as engaging as the next. Around Chapter 6 and 7, the book hits another gear and I was unable to stop reading. I finished the second half of the book in a few short hours. The chapters are broken down into smaller digestible chunks which made it easier to get through the longer chapters, especially in the beginning. There 's twists, betrayals, demons, dragons and so much more all set in a South African inspired fantasy world.

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zanderbrown's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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hkuhlman7's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Death-begets-death again. I'm just burnt out on it. Neither the story nor characters were compelling to me. And I'm not a fan of action. This book just wasn't for me.

A particularly annoying thing with the author. He advertised his book on GoodReads as having action akin to Pierce Brown, a broad, expansive world similar to Wheel of Time, and a magic system in the vein of Sanderson. Maybe the action part is fair, but the world-building and magic here are nothing close to WoT or Sanderson for me. Maybe he's referring to later books? Whatever the case is, I think the readers should be left to make those kinds of comparisons.

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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

This book was not easy to get into and made me question why I even like fantasy or plot-driven books — bc goddamn is this book action-driven, we don't get actual plot until 80% in 😭. Anyway, I came so close to dnfing so many times bc I was not caring about the invasive Omehi or Tau and his journey but I kept reading positive reviews and I didn't want to start another book so I committed and hell yeah it paid off. After 84 years I finished this but what a chaotic treat it eventually was! Tau's journey is frenetic as hell and you really start rooting for him. Narrative-wise the book is one huge fight/training sequence after another with a few tidbits of world building info scattered throughout which can be very off putting and frustrating if you're a more character- and plot-driven reader who wants extensive and intensive world building writing and dialogue, which I've realized I now am, to some extent. Like teenage, early 20s me would've loved every single action-packed packed sequence with little plot and inner monologue and unpolished character development but now I need all that in equal measure and this book doesn't fully deliver in that front. Or maybe I still dig this type of writing as is but in shorter doses, this book would've been great if it were 200 pages fewer. Anyway, this book begs to be adapted to the screen, especially as an anime bc the visuals of the Ingonyama and the Enragers, the Gifted, and the nonstop training and fighting sequences would really shine in that medium. In the end the book is an enthralling fantasy ride and I'm glad to have stuck to it. This book does suffer from the "read the sequel if you MUST know more" style of writing and I'm not sure if I'm rushing to read the follow-up. I have to sit with my feelings for a few days but Tau is so badass (there's a point he channels Ip Man, bruh lmao) that maybe I wanna stick around and see where he goes.

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kitausu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

OH MY GOSH. THIS BOOK GAVE ME ABSOLUTE BRAIN ROT OBSESSION. THIS IS EVERYTHING TO ME.

Read it read it read it!!!!

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murphysmate's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Lots and lots of fight scenes, but otherwise very good, with a great magic system, and a different universe to most fantasy books.

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