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amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Books like this are the reason I adore fantasy at its core. It gave me everything I want, from dragons to adventure to a hint of romance, all backed by a cast of eccentric and loveable characters. I absolutely loved it and am so excited to see where it goes after that final stinger at the end.
The story starts of simple, with the tournament to become emperor or empress. But things quickly spiral out of control and after shocking discoveries are made, the plan unravels. Cluess masterfully added at least one twist to every chapter, sometimes even more!
The blurb focuses on the characters, as it should, because they all steal the show in one way or another. I can’t narrow down who I enjoyed reading more! Emilia is a great hero, though quite dangerous, Lucian is the sweetest of soldiers, Vespir is perfection, Ajax is surprisingly vulnerable at times, and Hyperia is absolutely terrifying. All of them together made for an amazing reading experience.
The book had amazing dragon chases and danger, especially near the end. I could not stop reading and want the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it! This is a return to classic fantasy where dragons dominate the page, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone looking for an adventure with memorable characters and their majestic creature companions.
The story starts of simple, with the tournament to become emperor or empress. But things quickly spiral out of control and after shocking discoveries are made, the plan unravels. Cluess masterfully added at least one twist to every chapter, sometimes even more!
The blurb focuses on the characters, as it should, because they all steal the show in one way or another. I can’t narrow down who I enjoyed reading more! Emilia is a great hero, though quite dangerous, Lucian is the sweetest of soldiers, Vespir is perfection, Ajax is surprisingly vulnerable at times, and Hyperia is absolutely terrifying. All of them together made for an amazing reading experience.
The book had amazing dragon chases and danger, especially near the end. I could not stop reading and want the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it! This is a return to classic fantasy where dragons dominate the page, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone looking for an adventure with memorable characters and their majestic creature companions.
books4susie's review against another edition
5.0
In the beginning, I thought that I would struggle to remember everything about the five main characters of the story but, I was quickly proven wrong. Four are thrust into the challenge to the death to become the next emperor and the fifth competitor takes matters into their own hands. And Dragons! All five have their own dragon and are characters in themselves in the story. I was pleasantly surprised and shocked by all the twists and turns that take place leading up to the ending. Now to patiently wait for the continuation of the story
priyagill's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
5 compete in a trial to become the new emperor, one who vowed never to pick up a sword again, one hiding chaotic magic, one a servant, one a bastard, and one who killed her sister to ensure her place.
I feel like this book had a lot of potential, but right from the start we get the perspective of all 5 characters and there’s a lot of information about each character in their initial chapters. It’s a bit too jumpy, and too much of an info dump. We’re told a lot of the plot instead of seeing it in action, and because of the constant shift in perspective it’s really hard to root for one of the characters, or feel their struggle.
The trials themselves were okay, but felt like a lot of the action or piecing together the information happened very quickly. At the top of a page we’re reading what a character thinks and by the end we have all the details.
The Game was the most interesting because we saw the ways the others were able to get political advantage. The Race was for nothing, as well as the Truth. Having the Priests be evil was a twist, but one that felt not very surprising. They didn’t seem like good people to begin with, which took away from the shock.
Hyperia’s decent into the mad queen archetype was great to see, it really did remind me a lot of Game of Thrones and the burning of Kings landing … but at the same time felt too similar. Vespir forgiving Antonia at the end seemed unjust, she should have believed in the person she loves. I wish Ajax had more importance or brought more value to the throne other than just being crafty. Lucian and Emilia’s romance budding towards the end was nice, but they both doubt each other to an extent.
Hyperia somehow getting to the chaotic island without a dragon, without anything, and being able to raise them just for her to want destruction was a nice touch at the end.
Overall, it was a good book, interesting characters but not something I would continue.
I feel like this book had a lot of potential, but right from the start we get the perspective of all 5 characters and there’s a lot of information about each character in their initial chapters. It’s a bit too jumpy, and too much of an info dump. We’re told a lot of the plot instead of seeing it in action, and because of the constant shift in perspective it’s really hard to root for one of the characters, or feel their struggle.
The trials themselves were okay, but felt like a lot of the action or piecing together the information happened very quickly. At the top of a page we’re reading what a character thinks and by the end we have all the details.
The Game was the most interesting because we saw the ways the others were able to get political advantage. The Race was for nothing, as well as the Truth. Having the Priests be evil was a twist, but one that felt not very surprising. They didn’t seem like good people to begin with, which took away from the shock.
Hyperia’s decent into the mad queen archetype was great to see, it really did remind me a lot of Game of Thrones and the burning of Kings landing … but at the same time felt too similar. Vespir forgiving Antonia at the end seemed unjust, she should have believed in the person she loves. I wish Ajax had more importance or brought more value to the throne other than just being crafty. Lucian and Emilia’s romance budding towards the end was nice, but they both doubt each other to an extent.
Hyperia somehow getting to the chaotic island without a dragon, without anything, and being able to raise them just for her to want destruction was a nice touch at the end.
Overall, it was a good book, interesting characters but not something I would continue.
charlottexx1234123's review against another edition
4.0
Insanely likable characters, an interesting plot, amazing world building and cannon gays all lead to 4 stars for me. My only dislikes were the ending of the book which didn't feel as great as the first 3/4 of the book.
ermakay's review against another edition
4.0
This was a little difficult to get into, but once it caught my attention, I tore through it. I loved the world building and the relationships between the dragon & rider. I found the characters interesting, albeit they seem to fit into stereotypes. Overall, enjoyed the story and am looking forward to more from the series.
invisible_universes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
4.75
indigo_holmes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this book! There were some interesting themes explored, and the dragons really felt like part of the world.
I'm not sure if this is Y/A or not. There's very little romance, and no spice. It reads like an adult fiction novel (it doesn't hold your hand, the characters, while feeling accurate to their age aren't ott, the plot doesn't hold back) while having a young cast of characters. I laughed a lot while reading this book!
I really liked the relationships the characters had with their dragons, their families, and each other. They felt well-developed! The end was a little bit anti-climatic, but I still enjoyed it.
If you like dragons and in-depth worldbuilding, you'll probably really enjoy this!
I'm not sure if this is Y/A or not. There's very little romance, and no spice. It reads like an adult fiction novel (it doesn't hold your hand, the characters, while feeling accurate to their age aren't ott, the plot doesn't hold back) while having a young cast of characters. I laughed a lot while reading this book!
I really liked the relationships the characters had with their dragons, their families, and each other. They felt well-developed! The end was a little bit anti-climatic, but I still enjoyed it.
If you like dragons and in-depth worldbuilding, you'll probably really enjoy this!
steinmetzdan's review against another edition
3.0
I really, really wanted to like this book. I LOVED Kingdom on Fire, but in comparison this felt sort of... empty. A Shadow Bright and Burning had this frenetic energy to it that kept me guessing to the very end and was an absolute joy to read, and as I read this I kept trying not to compare them because I knew I’d be disappointed. The plot is pretty drum-tight, especially the second half, which I read most of in one sitting, but nothing ever surprised me and there were a handful of... choices that I disliked, let’s say. I’m not sure I’ll read the sequel when it’s released.
kazzified29's review against another edition
DNF at pg. 110.
This was such a disappointment. I was looking forward to this when I heard about it. I hated the characters. I was bored and it was poorly written. I will never forget this sentence: ‘she was more righter than she knew.’ How did that pass by an editor?
This was such a disappointment. I was looking forward to this when I heard about it. I hated the characters. I was bored and it was poorly written. I will never forget this sentence: ‘she was more righter than she knew.’ How did that pass by an editor?