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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Have you ever watched an underdog American football movie and been like damn imagine if this took place in a fantasy world? Yeah me neither.
I did not like this book. 200 pages in I felt literally no connection to the characters, there wasn't enough exposition for me to feel like I understood what was happening, and I'm going to be totally honest it was pretty cringe. Half the dialogue and most of our main characters thoughts feel like they were ripped right from self-help books and gym bro talk. Also literally all they do is fight. That's it. It's 100 pages of fighting and him kissing a girl.
I truly do not understand the hype surrounding this book and am disappointed that I powered through the overly confusing (throwing tons of made-up words at you) beginning in hopes it would get better because honestly it just got worse.
Noy trying to yuck anybody's yum, I'm so glad so many people like this book but I found it infuriating and confusing and just overall not an enjoyable or engaging read.
I did not like this book. 200 pages in I felt literally no connection to the characters, there wasn't enough exposition for me to feel like I understood what was happening, and I'm going to be totally honest it was pretty cringe. Half the dialogue and most of our main characters thoughts feel like they were ripped right from self-help books and gym bro talk. Also literally all they do is fight. That's it. It's 100 pages of fighting and him kissing a girl.
I truly do not understand the hype surrounding this book and am disappointed that I powered through the overly confusing (throwing tons of made-up words at you) beginning in hopes it would get better because honestly it just got worse.
Noy trying to yuck anybody's yum, I'm so glad so many people like this book but I found it infuriating and confusing and just overall not an enjoyable or engaging read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Slow start but I was invested by the end.
adventurous
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
I wanted to like this because it has a lot of interesting elements (African setting/society, caste system, cool magic), but it is like 90% fighting which just bores me to death. I didn’t enjoy or see much development of the characters or their relationships. I also thought this book was way too long. Sometimes I’d skim over a page or two of dialogue for fighting and didn’t miss a single thing.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter is an African inspired fantasy that follows a young man named Tau who seeks revenge following a great personal tragedy. Tau is a lower common, one of the lowest rankings of society, who is training to become a military man in the ihashe, the common’s military. After his father is killed by a Nobel, Tau will stop at nothing to have his revenge, even if that means braving isihogo, the demon realm.
The world is pretty cool, African inspired and a bronze age setting with a unique magic system and a brutal society with rigid class systems. Isihogo is the demon world, where power is drawn from, but only the gifted can draw this power. Entering isihogo unprotected is very dangerous, as demons will attack a persons soul. I liked the world building and magic system and how it all plays into each other. Tau is an interesting character whose development and motivations are clear. Many of the side characters stand out as well and the action is solid.
I did find Tau to be a frustrating protagonist. I sighed at his choices more than a few times but he clearly has agency. The dialogue was at times distant and almost disconnecting. Maybe it’s just me. At times I wondered if the characters were even responding to each other. The prose was solid and at times shined but at others pretty straightforward. The story is action packed but maybe a little too frequent. It is a story about a warrior training after all. I thought there would be more dragons. I haven’t read too many stories with them and I liked this take on them.
“The savages, the ones not dead or dying, ran for the safety of the trees, but Taifa pushed her dragon to follow. It rose into the air, chasing those who fled, burning down the tangled foliage that hid her enemies from her. The heat of its fires melted white sand to black glass and where the flames fell left nothing but ash.”
The Rage of Dragons was a fun first installment and I will eventually check out the second. 3.75/5⭐️
The world is pretty cool, African inspired and a bronze age setting with a unique magic system and a brutal society with rigid class systems. Isihogo is the demon world, where power is drawn from, but only the gifted can draw this power. Entering isihogo unprotected is very dangerous, as demons will attack a persons soul. I liked the world building and magic system and how it all plays into each other. Tau is an interesting character whose development and motivations are clear. Many of the side characters stand out as well and the action is solid.
I did find Tau to be a frustrating protagonist. I sighed at his choices more than a few times but he clearly has agency. The dialogue was at times distant and almost disconnecting. Maybe it’s just me. At times I wondered if the characters were even responding to each other. The prose was solid and at times shined but at others pretty straightforward. The story is action packed but maybe a little too frequent. It is a story about a warrior training after all. I thought there would be more dragons. I haven’t read too many stories with them and I liked this take on them.
“The savages, the ones not dead or dying, ran for the safety of the trees, but Taifa pushed her dragon to follow. It rose into the air, chasing those who fled, burning down the tangled foliage that hid her enemies from her. The heat of its fires melted white sand to black glass and where the flames fell left nothing but ash.”
The Rage of Dragons was a fun first installment and I will eventually check out the second. 3.75/5⭐️
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
This is my second reread of this book, and it is just as enjoyable and heartbreaking as the first time around. The world is immersive, and while it can be a bit difficult in the beginning as you are inundated by new terms and slang, the writing is fantastic enough to keep you engaged even through those moments.
The main draw of this story has to be its main character, Tau. He is both strong and weak in many ways, and he is inspiring despite making so many decisions that lead to great harm, both for himself and those around him. I think the short interview with the author at the end is very insightful because Winter discusses why Tau acts so impulsively in these tense moments. I find Tau an inspiring character myself. I really admire his ability to push himself to the limit, even though it's not exactly framed as an ideal to aspire to in the novel. An early scene of him injured marching to his new Isashe training ground, telling himself all he needs to do is take one more step, and he can always take the next step, is forever burned into my mind as a way to keep going even when things seem impossible. His revenge story is well-paced and structured, and the moments when he has to choose between saving someone versus fulfilling that revenge are always tense. The end of the book hits hard and sets up a good connection to the sequel while also leaving this story on a final note.
The main draw of this story has to be its main character, Tau. He is both strong and weak in many ways, and he is inspiring despite making so many decisions that lead to great harm, both for himself and those around him. I think the short interview with the author at the end is very insightful because Winter discusses why Tau acts so impulsively in these tense moments. I find Tau an inspiring character myself. I really admire his ability to push himself to the limit, even though it's not exactly framed as an ideal to aspire to in the novel. An early scene of him injured marching to his new Isashe training ground, telling himself all he needs to do is take one more step, and he can always take the next step, is forever burned into my mind as a way to keep going even when things seem impossible. His revenge story is well-paced and structured, and the moments when he has to choose between saving someone versus fulfilling that revenge are always tense. The end of the book hits hard and sets up a good connection to the sequel while also leaving this story on a final note.
adventurous
dark
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