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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Returner's Wealth' by Paul Steward and Chris Riddell is the first book in the Wyrmeweald series. Even though we spend most of our time n the wilds of the wyrmeweald, it's some pretty decent worldbuilding of a strange and hostile land.
Young Micah wants to woo the heart of a girl who really has no interest in him. He's poor, so he does the desperate thing of taking off for the wyrmeweald to find his fortune. When he is almost killed by things he doesn't understand, he finds himself under the reluctant tutelage of Eli, a survivor of the wyrmeweald. Their adventures take them into strange landscapes and caverns where dangerous creatures dwell. It may turn out that the humans are the most dangerous species in the wyrmeweald. He meets the treasure seeking kith who are out to kill dragons for the prophet, and the kin, who bond with dragons and have strange ways of their own.
The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger because it's part of a sequel. I liked the world that Paul Stewart has created with its savage harshness. I liked the art by Chris Riddell, from chapter embellishments to full page dragon art. All in all an interesting book, and I wouldn't mind reading more in this world.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Open Road Integraed Media and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Young Micah wants to woo the heart of a girl who really has no interest in him. He's poor, so he does the desperate thing of taking off for the wyrmeweald to find his fortune. When he is almost killed by things he doesn't understand, he finds himself under the reluctant tutelage of Eli, a survivor of the wyrmeweald. Their adventures take them into strange landscapes and caverns where dangerous creatures dwell. It may turn out that the humans are the most dangerous species in the wyrmeweald. He meets the treasure seeking kith who are out to kill dragons for the prophet, and the kin, who bond with dragons and have strange ways of their own.
The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger because it's part of a sequel. I liked the world that Paul Stewart has created with its savage harshness. I liked the art by Chris Riddell, from chapter embellishments to full page dragon art. All in all an interesting book, and I wouldn't mind reading more in this world.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Open Road Integraed Media and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
shelvesofsecrets's review against another edition
2.0
Returner's Wealth was a bit of a mess for me. With poor pacing, a weak plot, a weirdly inconsistent structure and generally boring characters, even the presence of dragons couldn't save this one.
my biggest issue with this one was that I found it boring. It honestly took me almost a month to read this one because I kept getting bored and starting other books. One problem was that I felt like I was thrust into the middle of the story without any background knowledge. Then there were the alternating chapters of past and present for a while until they abruptly stopped.
I also felt like very little actually happened in this one. There was a lot of wandering around with bits of action mixed in. I was expecting a big climax, but that also felt small and undeveloped.
I also had issues with most of the characters. Micah was stupid. That's really all there is to that. Thrace was weird and unlikeable and I really didn't understand what happened with her and Aseel at the end. And the romance was instant and creepy. Micah was checking her out when she is freaking dying from falling off a cliff! But her can't stop thinking about how hot she is. I did like Eli, although his personality was pretty mild.
My favourite part of this one was the world. You could tell how much work and thought the authors had put into creating this harsh world full of a variety of different wyrme species. However, as a mentioned above, I think the world could have been introduced to the readers more clearly.
Overall, I was disappointed with Returner's Wealth. I love dragons, but this one had too many flaws for me to enjoy it.
my biggest issue with this one was that I found it boring. It honestly took me almost a month to read this one because I kept getting bored and starting other books. One problem was that I felt like I was thrust into the middle of the story without any background knowledge. Then there were the alternating chapters of past and present for a while until they abruptly stopped.
I also felt like very little actually happened in this one. There was a lot of wandering around with bits of action mixed in. I was expecting a big climax, but that also felt small and undeveloped.
I also had issues with most of the characters. Micah was stupid. That's really all there is to that. Thrace was weird and unlikeable and I really didn't understand what happened with her and Aseel at the end. And the romance was instant and creepy. Micah was checking her out when she is freaking dying from falling off a cliff! But her can't stop thinking about how hot she is. I did like Eli, although his personality was pretty mild.
My favourite part of this one was the world. You could tell how much work and thought the authors had put into creating this harsh world full of a variety of different wyrme species. However, as a mentioned above, I think the world could have been introduced to the readers more clearly.
Overall, I was disappointed with Returner's Wealth. I love dragons, but this one had too many flaws for me to enjoy it.
ettegoom's review against another edition
4.0
The beginning of another brilliant series by a very talented pair!
bookshelfmonkey's review against another edition
4.0
The fantasy novel that I was craving. I really enjoyed the world this set in and the plot in genera. I did have some issues with the romance though.
dcommet's review against another edition
4.25
Perfectly fine and engaging story and characters that feel somehow lacking despite not having any core issues with how theyre handled. Maybe I'm just yearning for more of the Chris Riddell art that is used so sparingly here.
cherokeewinslow's review against another edition
2.0
I love the Stewart and Riddell combination dearly, but this first book was a meandering adventure that is unfortunately forgettable. In Wyrmeweald you find lackluster world-building, average characters, and a hollow plot. I felt the potential and was hoping for some sort of payoff but it never comes.
Maybe the series gets better? We will see if I find it in me to give it a try.
Maybe the series gets better? We will see if I find it in me to give it a try.
miketheboy89's review against another edition
2.75
The second book in this series has been on my to-read forever, but honestly not that keen to read the second one anytime soon. I did not know what a male gaze was when I was 13. World building is a far cry from edge chronicles quality, anyway.
alexvb's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
This was an enjoyable quick read with a fun adventure and interesting characters! I am very satisfied with how the details started and the eventually got explained towards the end.
It feels like a cross between Stardust - our main character young man is going to an unknown land to seek riches for a girl he thinks he loves - and Eragon - a boy is picked up by old stubborn man who drags him along and there's dragons. There is enough story to feel like a completed standalone in this book, but there is definitely room for the next installment if you wanted to stay in this world!
My only complaint is there is the super typical YA instalove trope from the 2010s so I did NOT appreciate chapters Thirty-Two (this is a whole chapter of the Male Gaze sexualising a young girl while she's practically dying from being attacked and injured in a fight.) and Forty-Four(?) (instalove with an implied sex scene).
Related to the plot and my feelings: I'm sad about what happened between Thrace and Aseel to be honest, I want to believe they'll get back together eventually. Side note: it's kind of hypocritical and a double-standard that Aseel could do what Thrace also did but only Thrace had to pay the price? Bit shitty.
But besides that, I had a great time with this book!
It feels like a cross between Stardust - our main character young man is going to an unknown land to seek riches for a girl he thinks he loves - and Eragon - a boy is picked up by old stubborn man who drags him along and there's dragons. There is enough story to feel like a completed standalone in this book, but there is definitely room for the next installment if you wanted to stay in this world!
My only complaint is there is the super typical YA instalove trope from the 2010s so I did NOT appreciate chapters Thirty-Two (this is a whole chapter of the Male Gaze sexualising a young girl while she's practically dying from being attacked and injured in a fight.) and Forty-Four(?) (instalove with an implied sex scene).
Related to the plot and my feelings: I'm sad about what happened between Thrace and Aseel to be honest, I want to believe they'll get back together eventually. Side note: it's kind of hypocritical and a double-standard that Aseel could do what Thrace also did but only Thrace had to pay the price? Bit shitty.
But besides that, I had a great time with this book!
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
2.0
I feel somewhat incomplete because I didn't read the second book extract, but I have it to read next, so whatever I guess.
I'll start off with how beautiful the cover art and the panel illustrations throughout the book are, as well as the end art. I think this really allowed me to imagine all the different type of wyrmes of the world.
However, I wish I could have actually enjoyed the story line more, but for me it just sounded too complicated. Whilst I had little to no trouble actually imagining the wyrmes, I greatly struggled imaging the landscape and it's surroundings. I got very confused with the amount of charterers P.O.V and I slightly struggled working out how the characters exactly fit with the main story line.
I will go on to reading the rest in this trilogy though because 1) I have the rest so I might as well 2) I find it difficult to leave a series incomplete and 3) the cover art will look marvelous lined up on my bookshelf and will be a gorgeous addition. :P
So pick it up, give it a go and enjoy!^.^
Gén
I'll start off with how beautiful the cover art and the panel illustrations throughout the book are, as well as the end art. I think this really allowed me to imagine all the different type of wyrmes of the world.
However, I wish I could have actually enjoyed the story line more, but for me it just sounded too complicated. Whilst I had little to no trouble actually imagining the wyrmes, I greatly struggled imaging the landscape and it's surroundings. I got very confused with the amount of charterers P.O.V and I slightly struggled working out how the characters exactly fit with the main story line.
I will go on to reading the rest in this trilogy though because 1) I have the rest so I might as well 2) I find it difficult to leave a series incomplete and 3) the cover art will look marvelous lined up on my bookshelf and will be a gorgeous addition. :P
So pick it up, give it a go and enjoy!^.^
Gén
etoiline's review
3.0
RETURNER'S WEALTH offers a unique take on dragons. These aren't your cartoon dragons that can be cuddly while they train; they (and their riders) will take down the humans that hunt them. This book is full of glorious, sometimes overwritten detail; clearly the author spent some time world-building. There are several points of view, including those of dragons, which can be confusing. This could be a good thing, though, because it presents the alien thoughts of the wyrmes.
The wyrmeweald is a harsh, unforgiving place, and the characters ignore this to their peril. No one emerges unscathed, and there is plenty of violence. The pace of the book is sometimes slow, but the ending ramps up the tension, and I wasn't sure what was going to happen. There is some romance (which has consequences), but nothing too overt. However, the romance scenes and the violence make this book more appropriate for older YA readers.
One thing I wasn't so keen on was the author's practice of combining words (like "hackdagger"), even if they are usually done in a poetic fashion. They weren't hard to figure out, but they dropped me out of the story a little bit because they aren't common. The illustrations were a welcome addition, though, even in the ebook version. The pictures helped flesh out the world of the characters, which were sometimes lacking in much more than greed as motivation.
Overall I liked the story, though I feel like I would have been more interested had the beginning moved a little faster. There is much more to this world and many questions left to answer, so hopefully future books in this series will get to the action sooner.
Received as a free digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.
The wyrmeweald is a harsh, unforgiving place, and the characters ignore this to their peril. No one emerges unscathed, and there is plenty of violence. The pace of the book is sometimes slow, but the ending ramps up the tension, and I wasn't sure what was going to happen. There is some romance (which has consequences), but nothing too overt. However, the romance scenes and the violence make this book more appropriate for older YA readers.
One thing I wasn't so keen on was the author's practice of combining words (like "hackdagger"), even if they are usually done in a poetic fashion. They weren't hard to figure out, but they dropped me out of the story a little bit because they aren't common. The illustrations were a welcome addition, though, even in the ebook version. The pictures helped flesh out the world of the characters, which were sometimes lacking in much more than greed as motivation.
Overall I liked the story, though I feel like I would have been more interested had the beginning moved a little faster. There is much more to this world and many questions left to answer, so hopefully future books in this series will get to the action sooner.
Received as a free digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.