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bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
I wish that this book had been better. I really do.
It wasn't bad. It just felt very rough around the edges and could have done with a lot more work in a lot of areas.
Shatter the Sky was hardly the best book I've ever read, but I enjoyed it so much. It played with familiar tropes in ways that I enjoyed. It was deliciously queer. I got attached to the characters.
Storm the Earth is similarly tropey. I like Maren and Sev, and they both get good arcs here. The dragon lore is great. But the whole story plays it safe in ways that frustrated me. I wanted Wells to take more risks here. I wanted the story to have room to breathe, not just in the romance aspect but in the revolution stuff as well.
A lot of basic writing stuff falls down a bit in this one. Characters who were never previously mentioned appear to help at the eleventh hour, which feels deeply unsatisfying and also hints at a whole chunk of plot that we never got. A longer book with more point of view characters actually might have been a smart move here, but that's something that Wells probably would have had to set up in book one since this was just a duology rather than a longer series.
And I'm not mad at how the romance stuff played out, but it did feel very safe. I think that if we'd gotten Kaia's perspective in this book (and maybe in the first one as well), things might have felt more satisfying. Or ifthings had just ended in polyamory , but that would have required large-scale changes to the whole book. Oh well.
Overall, I still mostly enjoyed this and would recommend the duology to fellow queer dragon book fans or just anyone looking for a YA fantasy novel with a bisexual lead. I just wish that book two had taken more risks and gotten some better editing and maybe been paced a bit better.
I would absolutely love to revisit this world if the author is interested in doing that cause I think there's a lot of potential to tell interesting stories in it.
It wasn't bad. It just felt very rough around the edges and could have done with a lot more work in a lot of areas.
Shatter the Sky was hardly the best book I've ever read, but I enjoyed it so much. It played with familiar tropes in ways that I enjoyed. It was deliciously queer. I got attached to the characters.
Storm the Earth is similarly tropey. I like Maren and Sev, and they both get good arcs here. The dragon lore is great. But the whole story plays it safe in ways that frustrated me. I wanted Wells to take more risks here. I wanted the story to have room to breathe, not just in the romance aspect but in the revolution stuff as well.
A lot of basic writing stuff falls down a bit in this one. Characters who were never previously mentioned appear to help at the eleventh hour, which feels deeply unsatisfying and also hints at a whole chunk of plot that we never got. A longer book with more point of view characters actually might have been a smart move here, but that's something that Wells probably would have had to set up in book one since this was just a duology rather than a longer series.
And I'm not mad at how the romance stuff played out, but it did feel very safe. I think that if we'd gotten Kaia's perspective in this book (and maybe in the first one as well), things might have felt more satisfying. Or if
Overall, I still mostly enjoyed this and would recommend the duology to fellow queer dragon book fans or just anyone looking for a YA fantasy novel with a bisexual lead. I just wish that book two had taken more risks and gotten some better editing and maybe been paced a bit better.
I would absolutely love to revisit this world if the author is interested in doing that cause I think there's a lot of potential to tell interesting stories in it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Animal death, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship
plumpaperbacks's review
adventurous
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
4.5
Shatter the Sky was one of my favorite reads of 2020 and is still one of my favorite books, so I was looking very forward to Storm the Earth. Although a reading slump did hit when I started this book, said slump had more to do with life in general than the book itself, which I loved.
The story did drag ever so slightly in the middle, and there was something in the first book that was missing in this one I can’t quite pinpoint. Despite that, and the fact that reading this took me about two weeks, I enjoyed this sequel. Wells’ second novel is as fierce and fun as its predecessor, and not only does it showcase Maren’s phenomenal character development, it also has more dragons.
One other thing I liked that I haven’t seen in many other YA novels was the exploration of whether or not Maren and Kaia were still romantically compatible. Nine times out of ten, the protagonist falls in love with someone and the two stay together through it all, so it was refreshing to see a protagonist unsure of whether her first love or new crush was better for the person she had become. Does that make sense? I’m trying to explain myself without spoiling anything.
All in all, I found this sequel to be very enjoyable, and a satisfying conclusion to the duology. These books are undoubtedly hidden gems in YA fantasy. I plan to recommend them to as many people as possible, and I eagerly await Wells’ next book.
Representation
The story did drag ever so slightly in the middle, and there was something in the first book that was missing in this one I can’t quite pinpoint. Despite that, and the fact that reading this took me about two weeks, I enjoyed this sequel. Wells’ second novel is as fierce and fun as its predecessor, and not only does it showcase Maren’s phenomenal character development, it also has more dragons.
One other thing I liked that I haven’t seen in many other YA novels was the exploration of whether or not Maren and Kaia were still romantically compatible. Nine times out of ten, the protagonist falls in love with someone and the two stay together through it all, so it was refreshing to see a protagonist unsure of whether her first love or new crush was better for the person she had become. Does that make sense? I’m trying to explain myself without spoiling anything.
All in all, I found this sequel to be very enjoyable, and a satisfying conclusion to the duology. These books are undoubtedly hidden gems in YA fantasy. I plan to recommend them to as many people as possible, and I eagerly await Wells’ next book.
Representation
- bisexual protagonist of color
- sapphic love interest of color
- established sapphic romance (f/f)
- side characters of color
- side character that uses they/them pronouns
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Torture, and Death
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