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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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:
No
Holy. Balls.
This book is AMAZING. Like. So. Fucking. Amazing.
Queue disjointed review that is likely going to make no sense.
But first, a recap:
A Destiny of Dragons by TJ Klune is the second book in the Tales of Verania series and picks up a little more than a year after The Lightning-Struck Heart. The gang we’ve come to know and love so much in the Lightning-Struck Heart is still together, getting up to their usual hi jinks. Everything is going good… until it’s not.
One day, the castle has an unexpected arrival; Sam’s grandmother, the leader of the g*psy clan, Vadoma. She has arrived with a dire prophecy, written in the stars; a shadow man is rising and will consume the world. That is, unless Sam embraces a density written in the stars and gathers the five dragons of Verania at his side.
Vadoma also brings a man named Ruv, a man she says is Sam’s true cornerstone.
When I say that I loved EVERYTHING about this book, I mean everything. EVERYTHING.
One of my biggest gripes about The Lightning-Struck Heart was the near oppressive amount of pining. It’s just not a trope I’m interested in, and the first book in this series had it in spades. Then the pining turned to LONGING, and I had a really tough time powering through the end of the book.
A Destiny of Dragon’s features one of my favourite bookish tropes of all time — established relationship. And oh my god, I am in LOVE with Sam and Ryan’s love. Klune writes a couple so well. SO. WELL. These two dumb boys fit together like they were made for each other (lol), and I have adored every single moment the two of them have shared throughout this novel.
Seriously. It was one of my favourite parts about the whole book.
Sam and Ryan love each other so much. They love each other the way I want to be loved one day, and it was endlessly endearing to read. The way they’re both so protective of one another made my heart melt. I also adored HOW in love they are. Because A Destiny of Dragon’s takes place a year after the first book, we get to see them as an established couple that have already worked out a lot of the kinks that new relationships have. By the time we reconnect with them, they’re a solid unit who attack the problems together — for the most part.
Did I mention how ridiculously protective they are of one another? Ugh, it’s SO good!!!
I was also overjoyed to see that, despite the opportunity to introduce a “love triangle”, Klune does no such thing. Ruv is introduced as a potential love interest (being another potential cornerstone for Sam), but it’s immediately shut down and the expectation is firmly set that Ruv and Sam will never have anything more than a platonic bond.
I loved that. I don’t know if I was expecting any different, but I’m really glad this didn’t go down the typical fantasy route and that HaveHeart prevailed.
While Sam and Ryan’s relationship regularly set my heart aflutter, it wasn’t the only relationship that I loved. Throughout the novel, we got to follow our band of misfits on a new quest, following Sam, Ryan, Gary, Tiggy and Kevin (and, later, Ruv), as they journeyed through the desert.
I will forever love this gang, even as it continues to grow. They’ve burrowed into a very special part of my heart, and I know they’re going to stay there for a long time. Like the children of Marsyas Island Orphanage, this rag-tag group of characters means the world to me in a way I can’t even put into words.
I didn’t grow up with very many friends, and I think seeing this close-knit group of people who would literally die and kill for one another is just… it’s very very sweet.
Speaking of things that are UNBEARABLY SWEET, can we take a second to talk about a teenage emo dragon??? LIKE WHAT??? I am regularly amazed by Klune’s brain, but Zero was one of my favourite things I have EVER read in a book.
I LOVE Zero. This baby dragon has taken ownership of my heart and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. I want to give him a hug that never ends. I want to bundle him and make sure the world name hurts him again! I just want him to have the best time ever forever because I love him so much!!!
Another reason that I rated this book five stars.when The Lighting-Struck Heart only got three is that, even though this book is still hilarious, it’s slightly more serious. There’s the subtlest shift in tone between the first and second books in this series, and I was a MUCH bigger fan of this one. While Sam is still absolutely ridiculous at all times, I didn’t find it as off-putting as I did with the previous novel.
I was super thankful for the more serious tone (and again, it’s the very slightest shift), because the first book had me a little worried.
Along with the more serious tone, A Destiny of Dragons also went on to further expand on the magical world of Verania. We got to see Morgan and Randal in a MUCH different light than we ever have before, which was a treat. Not only that, however, but we saw more of the particular flavour of magic that colours this world.
Now, while I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I do want to mention that the word “g*psy” is used A LOT. This is not a word I use in my personal vernacular, so it was pretty jarring to see it used SO often throughout this novel. I have heard that it’s addressed later in the series, so I’m really happy to hear that!
Before I wrap this review up, I do want to make another honourable mention to Michael Lesley who continues to do an AMAZING job narrating these novels. He brings these books to life in the most magical and mystical of ways, and his talent is ENDLESSLY apparent with this series.
A Destiny of Dragons was an easy five-star read. I enjoyed listening to it from start to finish, and not only because the narrator is amazing. This novel had an exciting storyline that kept me on the edge of my toes, constantly wanting to know more, more, more.
If you’re looking for a fantastical read that will keep you moving as you fall in love with each and every character, then A Destiny of Dragons is for you. If you’re reading The Lightning-Struck Heart and maybe not enjoying it (like I wasn’t), then I urge you to push through for this novel. It is an AMAZING continuation of this series, and it made me even more excited for what might come next!
This book is AMAZING. Like. So. Fucking. Amazing.
Queue disjointed review that is likely going to make no sense.
But first, a recap:
A Destiny of Dragons by TJ Klune is the second book in the Tales of Verania series and picks up a little more than a year after The Lightning-Struck Heart. The gang we’ve come to know and love so much in the Lightning-Struck Heart is still together, getting up to their usual hi jinks. Everything is going good… until it’s not.
One day, the castle has an unexpected arrival; Sam’s grandmother, the leader of the g*psy clan, Vadoma. She has arrived with a dire prophecy, written in the stars; a shadow man is rising and will consume the world. That is, unless Sam embraces a density written in the stars and gathers the five dragons of Verania at his side.
Vadoma also brings a man named Ruv, a man she says is Sam’s true cornerstone.
When I say that I loved EVERYTHING about this book, I mean everything. EVERYTHING.
One of my biggest gripes about The Lightning-Struck Heart was the near oppressive amount of pining. It’s just not a trope I’m interested in, and the first book in this series had it in spades. Then the pining turned to LONGING, and I had a really tough time powering through the end of the book.
A Destiny of Dragon’s features one of my favourite bookish tropes of all time — established relationship. And oh my god, I am in LOVE with Sam and Ryan’s love. Klune writes a couple so well. SO. WELL. These two dumb boys fit together like they were made for each other (lol), and I have adored every single moment the two of them have shared throughout this novel.
Seriously. It was one of my favourite parts about the whole book.
Sam and Ryan love each other so much. They love each other the way I want to be loved one day, and it was endlessly endearing to read. The way they’re both so protective of one another made my heart melt. I also adored HOW in love they are. Because A Destiny of Dragon’s takes place a year after the first book, we get to see them as an established couple that have already worked out a lot of the kinks that new relationships have. By the time we reconnect with them, they’re a solid unit who attack the problems together — for the most part.
Did I mention how ridiculously protective they are of one another? Ugh, it’s SO good!!!
I was also overjoyed to see that, despite the opportunity to introduce a “love triangle”, Klune does no such thing. Ruv is introduced as a potential love interest (being another potential cornerstone for Sam), but it’s immediately shut down and the expectation is firmly set that Ruv and Sam will never have anything more than a platonic bond.
I loved that. I don’t know if I was expecting any different, but I’m really glad this didn’t go down the typical fantasy route and that HaveHeart prevailed.
While Sam and Ryan’s relationship regularly set my heart aflutter, it wasn’t the only relationship that I loved. Throughout the novel, we got to follow our band of misfits on a new quest, following Sam, Ryan, Gary, Tiggy and Kevin (and, later, Ruv), as they journeyed through the desert.
I will forever love this gang, even as it continues to grow. They’ve burrowed into a very special part of my heart, and I know they’re going to stay there for a long time. Like the children of Marsyas Island Orphanage, this rag-tag group of characters means the world to me in a way I can’t even put into words.
I didn’t grow up with very many friends, and I think seeing this close-knit group of people who would literally die and kill for one another is just… it’s very very sweet.
Speaking of things that are UNBEARABLY SWEET, can we take a second to talk about a teenage emo dragon??? LIKE WHAT??? I am regularly amazed by Klune’s brain, but Zero was one of my favourite things I have EVER read in a book.
I LOVE Zero. This baby dragon has taken ownership of my heart and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. I want to give him a hug that never ends. I want to bundle him and make sure the world name hurts him again! I just want him to have the best time ever forever because I love him so much!!!
Another reason that I rated this book five stars.when The Lighting-Struck Heart only got three is that, even though this book is still hilarious, it’s slightly more serious. There’s the subtlest shift in tone between the first and second books in this series, and I was a MUCH bigger fan of this one. While Sam is still absolutely ridiculous at all times, I didn’t find it as off-putting as I did with the previous novel.
I was super thankful for the more serious tone (and again, it’s the very slightest shift), because the first book had me a little worried.
Along with the more serious tone, A Destiny of Dragons also went on to further expand on the magical world of Verania. We got to see Morgan and Randal in a MUCH different light than we ever have before, which was a treat. Not only that, however, but we saw more of the particular flavour of magic that colours this world.
Now, while I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I do want to mention that the word “g*psy” is used A LOT. This is not a word I use in my personal vernacular, so it was pretty jarring to see it used SO often throughout this novel. I have heard that it’s addressed later in the series, so I’m really happy to hear that!
Before I wrap this review up, I do want to make another honourable mention to Michael Lesley who continues to do an AMAZING job narrating these novels. He brings these books to life in the most magical and mystical of ways, and his talent is ENDLESSLY apparent with this series.
A Destiny of Dragons was an easy five-star read. I enjoyed listening to it from start to finish, and not only because the narrator is amazing. This novel had an exciting storyline that kept me on the edge of my toes, constantly wanting to know more, more, more.
If you’re looking for a fantastical read that will keep you moving as you fall in love with each and every character, then A Destiny of Dragons is for you. If you’re reading The Lightning-Struck Heart and maybe not enjoying it (like I wasn’t), then I urge you to push through for this novel. It is an AMAZING continuation of this series, and it made me even more excited for what might come next!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Sexual harassment
Minor: Xenophobia
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Love. Bad-touching grandmas, destinies that include dragons, true love, and then there's Gary and Tiggy. Nothing Could Be Better (it's capitalized so you know it's true).
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun read. I loved getting back into this world and all of its wackadoodle shenanigans. And while I loved it, I also struggled to get through it. I think I might still be in a high fantasy slump.
I did love getting to see Sam and the gang again! They are just as funny and fast talking and dirty minded as always. I loved the story for the most part, but I felt like the middle section was really slow. It didn’t quite match the same urgency that we had at both the beginning and the ending of the story. Overall A Destiny of Dragons was a good story and I think I’m ready for the next book (maybe?). This is getting somewhere between 3.75 and 4 stars.