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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very exciting, like an action movie. A lot of great fight scenes and battles. The main character has a believable will and is well complimented by the other characters. I’m unsure if I’ll read the prequel since the story feels concluded.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m struggling with reviewing this one because I loved the story, I loved the magic system, the action was so well written, but I hated the main character and I thought it was all so bogged down in jargon and side characters and repetition that it sort of got in its own way. I appreciate that there was a glossary in the back, but I had to refer to it so many times that it took me out of the story. The main character’s quest for revenge was so single-focused that he didn’t have anything else to offer in terms of character development or nuance. All that being said, if HBO or whatever wants to make this a tv series, I would watch the hell out of it. I think a tv show could eliminate a lot of the noise and really develop the main story and characters.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
Found this via a top fantasy of all time list, but personally found it simplistic, traditional and not novel on its story, and SO slow and boring. At absolutely no point was there anything approaching suspense. The amount of time given to describing fights that don’t need to be described was excruciating. Not for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
This book was such a pleasant surprise. African inspired military fantasy structured as a revenge plot?? Yes please! The concept piqued my interest when I first heard about it, but it was even better than I figured it would be.
Unless there’s something serious at stake, or it comes during a narrative moment when something terrible could actually happen, I’ll typically skim through action scenes because they can be a bit tedious to read.
This book is full of action, and I didn’t skip a word of it. Evan Winter is so skilled at making you feel part of every fight that happens, and he writes action in such a way that made me want to be patient with it. That’s hard to do well, and I would call him a master.
I also found Tau to be an extremely compelling protagonist. I’ve seen the trope before where a character is motivated by revenge and will do whatever it takes to get it, but this book really took that trope to its absolute edge. Just when I thought Tau couldn’t sink any lower, do anything more, he found a way to drive himself harder and into darker places and it was so interesting. Several jaw dropping moments here.
African inspired world building is not something I’ve seen very much of, and it was so compelling in this story that I’m dying for more of it. Very refreshing compared to the myriad of European inspired fantasy worlds. I’m really glad to see the trend of pulling from different cultures and more diverse mythologies.
Deep and interesting characters, break neck pace, fascinating world building elements, and a plot that did an amazing job at telling a focused story while laying bricks for the future books to come. I’m so excited to see where this goes. Book 2 in November!!!
adventurous
dark
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
I absolutely don't see the hype of this book.
First, why does the title even have the word dragon in it if this isn't even about dragons. Dragons are MENTIONED for about a page in the very beginning. The rest of the book, zero dragons. It's about some guy with a vengeance and he battles demons...I think? It was kind of unclear. All I know is it's NOT about dragons! Ugh
The first maybe 50-100 pages were promising. The entire rest of the book is the same thing happening over and over again. He trains/battles, gets severely hurt, heals, trains/battles again. Repeat. The whole book. So bored. I completely lost interest.
I got excited for an African inspired epic fantasy and it is not that at all. Not even epic in the slightest. And, aside from the characters having African names, there is no African folklore or anything. Disappointed.
I'm sad because the title and cover look right up my alley. And the blurb sounded awesome too. Feel wayyyy short for me.
Definitely remove the word 'dragons' from the title. It's quite deceiving since this story isn't even about dragons and they aren't even in it except for maybe a page or two?
First, why does the title even have the word dragon in it if this isn't even about dragons. Dragons are MENTIONED for about a page in the very beginning. The rest of the book, zero dragons. It's about some guy with a vengeance and he battles demons...I think? It was kind of unclear. All I know is it's NOT about dragons! Ugh
The first maybe 50-100 pages were promising. The entire rest of the book is the same thing happening over and over again. He trains/battles, gets severely hurt, heals, trains/battles again. Repeat. The whole book. So bored. I completely lost interest.
I got excited for an African inspired epic fantasy and it is not that at all. Not even epic in the slightest. And, aside from the characters having African names, there is no African folklore or anything. Disappointed.
I'm sad because the title and cover look right up my alley. And the blurb sounded awesome too. Feel wayyyy short for me.
Definitely remove the word 'dragons' from the title. It's quite deceiving since this story isn't even about dragons and they aren't even in it except for maybe a page or two?
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced