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4.44 AVERAGE
4.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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:
Complicated
DNF at 300 pages. Listen, this has been sitting on my bookshelf for months. I’ve been hesitant to read it, afraid it was just another contribution to the great Sarah J Maassacre of good fiction. Turns out I was right.
I have many beefs, but I’ll keep them briefish. First, you can’t have story without character, and there is zero character depth or development in this book. All we know about our MC, Violet, can be reduced to a coffee mug quip: She may be small, but she is fierce. That’s it. She has no hopes, no dreams, no past to contend with or goal to achieve (other than staying alive for the next 5 pages). The other characters are just floating names who add pointless banter to fill the pages. Then there’s Dain, who is the most cringey character I’ve endured maybe ever. Every interaction he has with Violet consists of steering her, pulling her by the arm, grabbing her by the shoulders, or lifting her chin to make her look at him. Basically he thinks she’s a puppet, even though they’re allegedly besties. Mmokay... Xaden is no better, but of course he’s the bad boy so Violet goes all drooly over him. Barf.
Then there’s worldbuilding, which is the cornerstone that makes or breaks fantasy. There is some general structure here, sure, but there is little description of setting, no sensory details, no cultural richness or unique qualities to the world. I can’t even tell what the vibe is… something medieval-adjacent? But then there’s a gauntlet that is an exact knockoff of Ninja Warrior (minus 100 points for creativity there). Then there’s a library with history written on scrolls, but also a damn cafeteria where students go down the line and get food put on trays. WHERE ARE WE???
Also, this is a book about dragons, but there is ZERO description of them other than their colors. I can’t picture anything here. I can’t get absorbed in a cardboard diorama world populated with popsicle stick characters. I can’t care about budding romances with assholes. Salt, pepper, and onion powder??? These are the flavors??? I asked for hot sauce and all you got me was ketchup. Seriously, stop the films. I’m done.
I have many beefs, but I’ll keep them briefish. First, you can’t have story without character, and there is zero character depth or development in this book. All we know about our MC, Violet, can be reduced to a coffee mug quip: She may be small, but she is fierce. That’s it. She has no hopes, no dreams, no past to contend with or goal to achieve (other than staying alive for the next 5 pages). The other characters are just floating names who add pointless banter to fill the pages. Then there’s Dain, who is the most cringey character I’ve endured maybe ever. Every interaction he has with Violet consists of steering her, pulling her by the arm, grabbing her by the shoulders, or lifting her chin to make her look at him. Basically he thinks she’s a puppet, even though they’re allegedly besties. Mmokay... Xaden is no better, but of course he’s the bad boy so Violet goes all drooly over him. Barf.
Then there’s worldbuilding, which is the cornerstone that makes or breaks fantasy. There is some general structure here, sure, but there is little description of setting, no sensory details, no cultural richness or unique qualities to the world. I can’t even tell what the vibe is… something medieval-adjacent? But then there’s a gauntlet that is an exact knockoff of Ninja Warrior (minus 100 points for creativity there). Then there’s a library with history written on scrolls, but also a damn cafeteria where students go down the line and get food put on trays. WHERE ARE WE???
Also, this is a book about dragons, but there is ZERO description of them other than their colors. I can’t picture anything here. I can’t get absorbed in a cardboard diorama world populated with popsicle stick characters. I can’t care about budding romances with assholes. Salt, pepper, and onion powder??? These are the flavors??? I asked for hot sauce and all you got me was ketchup. Seriously, stop the films. I’m done.
Minu arvamuse raamatust leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud.wordpress.com/2024/07/25/rebecca-yarros-neljas-tiib-helios-2024/
One of my favorite reads this year. If you’re new to fantasy or even a long time reader, this is a must. I held out quite awhile to read this book, because let’s be honest sometimes the hype doesn’t match. I was WRONG. This had everything I love in a fantasy. War, romance, family, and loss. I am glad I waited to read close to Iron Flame. That ending had me wanting more! I could add so much more, but I’d hate to spoil anything, it’s just that good.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
Worth the hype?
One word, YES!
I went into this with an open mind, but I'm not going to lie, I kinda thought it might be overhyped. I'm happy to say that those doubts have been squashed! The world building, lore, and character development is all well done and keeps you engaged.
Violet is introduced as a weak bookworm, but of course, she pushes herself past the expectations of others and even those she has for herself. I'm sure it will be more story to it in the coming books, but I'm intrigued as to why her muscles and bones are so fragile.
Xaden is a tough traitor that is strictly off limits, so naturally, that does not happen.
The tail end of the story truly cranks up, and bombshells happen one after the other down to the last sentence.
This ends with a very good setup for the next book, which I'm eagerly ready to devour.
One word, YES!
I went into this with an open mind, but I'm not going to lie, I kinda thought it might be overhyped. I'm happy to say that those doubts have been squashed! The world building, lore, and character development is all well done and keeps you engaged.
Violet is introduced as a weak bookworm, but of course, she pushes herself past the expectations of others and even those she has for herself. I'm sure it will be more story to it in the coming books, but I'm intrigued as to why her muscles and bones are so fragile.
Xaden is a tough traitor that is strictly off limits, so naturally, that does not happen.
The tail end of the story truly cranks up, and bombshells happen one after the other down to the last sentence.
This ends with a very good setup for the next book, which I'm eagerly ready to devour.
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
it hurts me that there are so many other better fantasy books but everyone seems to love this one. I did not go into this with high expectations, but I was still surprised by how much I disliked this. the world building sucks, the characters are annoying, and the plot is basically nonexistent. it is also way too long considering almost nothing important happens
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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