Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Gore, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
adventurous
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Violence
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun story to read overall, but the plot was fairly predictable and the main character was inconsistent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Death, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I finally decided to break down and read this book because everyone is talking about it and the fear of missing out is a real thing. Overall I can see why people enjoy this book. The vibes are like if The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Harry Potter had a baby with a Dragon and they threw in a bit of The Grapes of Wrath in for flavour. I enjoyed the story and wanted to see how the story played out. I however was not overly emotionally invested in the characters in the book. I think that the most emotional was at the end of the book when someone died. I wasn't overly distraught but I did say out loud, "Oh No! Why?!".
I think that the real weakness of this book is the part that I would describe as the dash of The Grapes of Wrath. I felt like certain parts of the book were a bit like the chapters where Steinbeck describes the Dust Bowl and the devastation of the Great Depression. Does it help to paint a vivid picture of the landscape? Yes. Was that an award-winning novel? Yes. Did those particular sections bore me to tears? Absolutely. I understand that Yaros had to build the world that the series takes place in from the ground up, but it felt like it took way too long and I'm not entirely sure why there was so much time spent on the world-building. At certain points, it was a bit like please just stop with the history and the fight scenes and get to the dragons and whatever is going to happen.
I do appreciate that Violet has a chronic illness that is represented throughout the book and the different ways that she must adapt to her world are highlighted. However, Violet as a character overall was rather annoying. I'm also unclear on how old she is supposed to be (20, I think), but she seems so naive about the world for being out of her teen years. Also, the subplot between her and Jack (Jake?) was messed up. If Yarros was hoping to highlight the ablest, patriarchal, group-think, that happens with incels given a modicum of power I guess she succeeded, but it did not endear me to anyone in the story. Overall no one does anything about this behaviour and he is repeatedly emboldened by not being disciplined and is often rewarded. Good people were standing up for Violet and they got killed, but we let this idiot live to further our war games? Cool, we've demonstrated the moral degradation of conflict I guess.
It was also incredibly annoying that Dian continued to be given the benefit of the doubt by Violet when he repeatedly demonstrated he was a two-faced, brown noser. He felt like a great description of the Milgram Experiment. Can't possibly break a rule to help you, will spy because told to do so. Become angered when rejected and then you show affection for someone else.
There were also so many unanswered questions in this book. This review would be three pages long if I went into detail about each thing that I was confused about, which given the length of the book is a bit wild that there would still be so many loose strings floating around even with more books in the series.
Overall I'd describe this book like a Hallmark Christmas Movie. The Christmas Prince with dragons if you will (I know that is a Netflix movie). Did I watch the movie and both of its sequels, sure did. Did I enjoy them while I watched them, absolutely. Were they the greatest movies ever written, no, but art is meant to bring joy as much as it is designed to make you think. This book is for the thrill of reading.
I think that the real weakness of this book is the part that I would describe as the dash of The Grapes of Wrath. I felt like certain parts of the book were a bit like the chapters where Steinbeck describes the Dust Bowl and the devastation of the Great Depression. Does it help to paint a vivid picture of the landscape? Yes. Was that an award-winning novel? Yes. Did those particular sections bore me to tears? Absolutely. I understand that Yaros had to build the world that the series takes place in from the ground up, but it felt like it took way too long and I'm not entirely sure why there was so much time spent on the world-building. At certain points, it was a bit like please just stop with the history and the fight scenes and get to the dragons and whatever is going to happen.
I do appreciate that Violet has a chronic illness that is represented throughout the book and the different ways that she must adapt to her world are highlighted. However, Violet as a character overall was rather annoying. I'm also unclear on how old she is supposed to be (20, I think), but she seems so naive about the world for being out of her teen years. Also, the subplot between her and Jack (Jake?) was messed up. If Yarros was hoping to highlight the ablest, patriarchal, group-think, that happens with incels given a modicum of power I guess she succeeded, but it did not endear me to anyone in the story. Overall no one does anything about this behaviour and he is repeatedly emboldened by not being disciplined and is often rewarded. Good people were standing up for Violet and they got killed, but we let this idiot live to further our war games? Cool, we've demonstrated the moral degradation of conflict I guess.
It was also incredibly annoying that Dian continued to be given the benefit of the doubt by Violet when he repeatedly demonstrated he was a two-faced, brown noser. He felt like a great description of the Milgram Experiment. Can't possibly break a rule to help you, will spy because told to do so. Become angered when rejected and then you show affection for someone else.
There were also so many unanswered questions in this book. This review would be three pages long if I went into detail about each thing that I was confused about, which given the length of the book is a bit wild that there would still be so many loose strings floating around even with more books in the series.
Overall I'd describe this book like a Hallmark Christmas Movie. The Christmas Prince with dragons if you will (I know that is a Netflix movie). Did I watch the movie and both of its sequels, sure did. Did I enjoy them while I watched them, absolutely. Were they the greatest movies ever written, no, but art is meant to bring joy as much as it is designed to make you think. This book is for the thrill of reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- 3.75 ⭐️
Alrighty, this was my first Romantasy read, and I did not hate my experience, would ya look at that. Had a great time buddy reading this with my love and it was fun guessing things or complaining about things or when we read this to the soundtrack of How To Train Your Dragon (because it gave those vibes sometimes) so yeah, that was fun :)
Anyways, on to the book. Almost a 4 star is pretty darn good. This book was pretty fast paced, had some action, some spice (LISAN AL-GAAIIIIIBBB.. no? Not the same spice? Darn ☹️) and had a pretty cool magic system. I gotta say, I genuinely looked forward to my times reading this as well which really says something.
Now on to probably my favorite part. DRAGONS. Oh man, any interaction or scene with them were my favorites. Their personalities are awesome, and Violet talking with Tairn or Andarna had me laughing or literally wanting a dragon for myself. More of that please
Also, I loved the events/challenges they had to go through during the course of the year in college, like the gauntlet, War Games, and Threshing. These were so cool and would have my heart pumping in anticipation and excitement because they really determined the outcome of the story and had some serious implications. Well done. Me gusta
Quick comment here, that ENDING. Man that teases the second book so well and it was sick. One of my favorite parts of the book. The entire action sequence was intense, emotional, and had me glued to the pages, just to drop a Tairn sized BOMB on us, holy that was cool
The characters were pretty cool. Violet is very resilient and badass. However, what lessened my score were parts of her that never really got fleshed out in my opinion. Granted yes, this is the first book of 5, so still room to grow, but I feel like basic facts like why she physically is the way she is or more of her relationship with her mother or her father would make things make more sense ya know? Instead of just throwing it out there and saying, this is the way things are, and that’s that, deal with it. She kind of reminded me of Fitz from the Farseer Trilogy, with having to live in the face of adversity, but in Assassin’s Apprentice, things follow through and get resolved in some way, even if it’s not the way you expect, if that makes sense. Not hatin. Nevertheless, still a good character. Loved Xaden. He’s even more badass. He’s sinister, sarcastic, but also has some complex emotions. Also, wielding shadows is very, very cool. I feel like relationships with other characters could’ve been fleshed out a little more like with Rhiannon, Dain, Ridoc, like, they seemed essential, and then just, weren’t in a way. I hope they come back though.
Lastly. This story moved SO. FAST. Months would pass by in a chapter and I’m like hol up, you could’ve told a lot in those times, or things could’ve happened that could’ve added to the story strategically. You’re expecting me to believe things would either remain exactly the same, or maybe change SO drastically in that time? Idk man, seems sus
All in all, I had a good time and it was a good story. It had me invested and I really enjoyed the powers and the dragons and the academia vibe like a Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. It really did feel like a YA just with some… length (ifykyk) and more death
Probably will continue on I must say for more dragon content
Completion emoji: 😯👍🐉⚡️
Alrighty, this was my first Romantasy read, and I did not hate my experience, would ya look at that. Had a great time buddy reading this with my love and it was fun guessing things or complaining about things or when we read this to the soundtrack of How To Train Your Dragon (because it gave those vibes sometimes) so yeah, that was fun :)
Anyways, on to the book. Almost a 4 star is pretty darn good. This book was pretty fast paced, had some action, some spice (LISAN AL-GAAIIIIIBBB.. no? Not the same spice? Darn ☹️) and had a pretty cool magic system. I gotta say, I genuinely looked forward to my times reading this as well which really says something.
Now on to probably my favorite part. DRAGONS. Oh man, any interaction or scene with them were my favorites. Their personalities are awesome, and Violet talking with Tairn or Andarna had me laughing or literally wanting a dragon for myself. More of that please
Also, I loved the events/challenges they had to go through during the course of the year in college, like the gauntlet, War Games, and Threshing. These were so cool and would have my heart pumping in anticipation and excitement because they really determined the outcome of the story and had some serious implications. Well done. Me gusta
Quick comment here, that ENDING. Man that teases the second book so well and it was sick. One of my favorite parts of the book. The entire action sequence was intense, emotional, and had me glued to the pages, just to drop a Tairn sized BOMB on us, holy that was cool
The characters were pretty cool. Violet is very resilient and badass. However, what lessened my score were parts of her that never really got fleshed out in my opinion. Granted yes, this is the first book of 5, so still room to grow, but I feel like basic facts like why she physically is the way she is or more of her relationship with her mother or her father would make things make more sense ya know? Instead of just throwing it out there and saying, this is the way things are, and that’s that, deal with it. She kind of reminded me of Fitz from the Farseer Trilogy, with having to live in the face of adversity, but in Assassin’s Apprentice, things follow through and get resolved in some way, even if it’s not the way you expect, if that makes sense. Not hatin. Nevertheless, still a good character. Loved Xaden. He’s even more badass. He’s sinister, sarcastic, but also has some complex emotions. Also, wielding shadows is very, very cool. I feel like relationships with other characters could’ve been fleshed out a little more like with Rhiannon, Dain, Ridoc, like, they seemed essential, and then just, weren’t in a way. I hope they come back though.
Lastly. This story moved SO. FAST. Months would pass by in a chapter and I’m like hol up, you could’ve told a lot in those times, or things could’ve happened that could’ve added to the story strategically. You’re expecting me to believe things would either remain exactly the same, or maybe change SO drastically in that time? Idk man, seems sus
All in all, I had a good time and it was a good story. It had me invested and I really enjoyed the powers and the dragons and the academia vibe like a Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. It really did feel like a YA just with some… length (ifykyk) and more death
Probably will continue on I must say for more dragon content
Completion emoji: 😯👍🐉⚡️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Five golden, action-filled stars! One of my favorite books ever!
Full review to come.
_____
I recommend this book to EVERYONE. Every fan of romantasy, at least.
Read this if you like:
- dragons
- spicy romance
- good worldbuilding
- action-filled books
And now to develop (which will be full of spoilers , so read further at your own risks):
So first, a little bit about why I picked up this book: I saw it so many times on BookTok, and most had very good things to say about it, and so I decided to add it to my TBR and actually picked it up and read it.
And yeah, I don't regret it for a second.
So I'll try to make this review as structured as possible, but considering the EMOTIONS, I'm pretty sure I'll come back to it and say, Huh... This doesn't make any sense.
First, the characters. I loved almost all of them; I loved Violet and how strong she is, and how much she curses, because that felt so real. I loved Xaden and his protectiveness, and also the fact that he still stood by her, and not in front of her, and I think Violet thinks the exact same things. I loved the squad and their friendship, and I loved Liam (yeah, I'm choosing to separate him from the squad because THE TEARS ). And the great thing about Rebecca's writing is that she was capable of making me care about very secondary characters like Soleil, who don't appear a lot before their deaths, and then I was still sad about them dying.
And also, the dragons!! Loved them all. Loved Tairn and his grumpiness/sassiness/protectiveness, loved Andarna and her youthfulness, loved Sgaeyl and her relationship with Xaden, even loved and felt sad for minor dragons like Jack's and Amber's. And Deigh!! Don't get me started about Deigh!! So yeah, loved every single one of them.
And then there were some characters I hated. Like Jack Barlowe and Oren and Tynan and even Luca. But that's fine, because they acted like complete assholes and I hate assholes.
And then there's Dain. Who... I despise, right about now. Because that ending, and that whole thing with Liam was his fault, and he dared to violate Violet in the most terrible way ever - I mean, he did read her mind without her permission!
To talk about the romance... I really liked it, loved some of Xaden's declarations, loved Violet's, and the spice was SPICY. But honestly, and you'll read more about it later on, Violet's attraction to Xaden and her change of mind about him felt a bit... sudden. But I still want myself a Xaden. He's definitely going on my list of top book boyfriends.
I mean, that declaration was everything :
Full review to come.
_____
I recommend this book to EVERYONE. Every fan of romantasy, at least.
Read this if you like:
- dragons
- spicy romance
- good worldbuilding
- action-filled books
And now to develop (which will be full of spoilers , so read further at your own risks):
So first, a little bit about why I picked up this book: I saw it so many times on BookTok, and most had very good things to say about it, and so I decided to add it to my TBR and actually picked it up and read it.
And yeah, I don't regret it for a second.
So I'll try to make this review as structured as possible, but considering the EMOTIONS, I'm pretty sure I'll come back to it and say, Huh... This doesn't make any sense.
First, the characters. I loved almost all of them; I loved Violet and how strong she is, and how much she curses, because that felt so real. I loved Xaden and his protectiveness, and also the fact that he still stood by her, and not in front of her, and I think Violet thinks the exact same things. I loved the squad and their friendship, and I loved Liam (yeah, I'm choosing to separate him from the squad because THE TEARS ). And the great thing about Rebecca's writing is that she was capable of making me care about very secondary characters like Soleil, who don't appear a lot before their deaths, and then I was still sad about them dying.
And also, the dragons!! Loved them all. Loved Tairn and his grumpiness/sassiness/protectiveness, loved Andarna and her youthfulness, loved Sgaeyl and her relationship with Xaden, even loved and felt sad for minor dragons like Jack's and Amber's. And Deigh!! Don't get me started about Deigh!! So yeah, loved every single one of them.
And then there were some characters I hated. Like Jack Barlowe and Oren and Tynan and even Luca. But that's fine, because they acted like complete assholes and I hate assholes.
And then there's Dain. Who... I despise, right about now. Because that ending, and that whole thing with Liam was his fault, and he dared to violate Violet in the most terrible way ever - I mean, he did read her mind without her permission!
To talk about the romance... I really liked it, loved some of Xaden's declarations, loved Violet's, and the spice was SPICY. But honestly, and you'll read more about it later on, Violet's attraction to Xaden and her change of mind about him felt a bit... sudden. But I still want myself a Xaden. He's definitely going on my list of top book boyfriends.
I mean, that declaration was everything :
I would rather lose this entire war than live without you, and if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I'll do it. You gave me your heart, and I'm keeping it.
(Also, didn't know I needed a Xaden POV until I got one, so here's to hoping there will be more in the following books!)
Now, the plot. Loved everything about it, and the worldbuilding, and the fact that some of the plot twists almost had me dropping the book (like, Xaden, what the hell, and Brennan!!!). And the best thing is, you're instantly put in right in the story. In the very first chapter, there're already some character deaths (yeah, Dylan, thinking about you... you were sweet, I guess?), and it's already action-filled, and it doesn't let up. I don't think I got bored in a single chapter. (Those chapters, the book in general, gave me ANXIETY though.)
And that ending!! Cliffhanger much???! Actually, so many of the chapters ended in cliffhangers, part of why this book gave me anxiety. And when a book does that, it's a perfectly good thing for me.
And I'm gonne include the "villains" in the plot part (not sure that's the right word, but going with it still). I loved how they were supposed to be legend, and then it all went to hell at the end and then they were real, and freaking terrifying. Even for me.
Also, something that this book did that no fiction book has ever done before: it made me cry. Big, fat tears falling on the pages, so much so that I just had to stop reading. Proof, for me, that Rebecca Yarros is a good writer. For a few minutes anyway. Yeah, chapter 36, I'm looking at you right now. Liam Liam Liam Liam...
I think the moment I started crying was this one (and yeah, I'm shedding a few tears again writing this):
"At Parapet-" His face twists in pain. "You have to take care of my sister."
"Liam, no. I choke on the words as tears clog my throat. "You'll be there." I stroke his hair. He's fine. He's physically, perfectly fine, and yet I'm watching him slip away. "You have to be there." He has to smile at the sister he's missed for years and flash that dimple of his. He has to give her the stack of letters he's written. He deserves it after all he's been through.
He can't die for me.
So yeah, I mentioned something about the writing above, and my only complaint about the book is tied to it. It felt repetitive at times, since we're in Violet's mind and she's always, "Oh, how hot Xaden is," (which... is understandable, but still) or "Oh, how could I trust him?" or something like that. And while that felt real, in a way, it also felt like too much. Like, I get it, Violet, now move on!
Pretty sure there are other things I wanted to say about the book, but right now this is all I can think of. Might come back and do some edits.
And yeah, pretty sure I failed at the structure thing xD
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Ableism, Vomit