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A review by vj1990
Havesskadi by Ava Kelly
3.0
2.5 Stars rounded up
This reading experience was a bit unusual for me in that it started out really strong. I really liked the setup with Orsie and Nevmis and I was on the lookout for an awesome dragon fight as the resolution. Perhaps because I had built up some expectation of what I wanted to happen, the actual ending of the book seemed a little tepid in comparison. I also really struggled to connect with Orsie and Ark; both seemed like very flat, one-dimensional characters. I didn't know what made them tick or who they really were. Towards the middle, I honestly just started skimming. It was too repetitive and nothing really happened for so many pages. In the end, I kind of felt this disappointment because there were so many loose ends. Even if this book is a part of a series, the details I am talking about didn't seem like they were purposefully not explained; they came off more as something the author forgot to fully resolve.
Even with all of these flaws, I think the author did a few things really well. I loved the world-building. The author seemed to put a lot of thought into the lore of the series, but I just wish it was contextualized a little better. It was like I knew all the names of places but not the stories behind them, so it was hard to connect with the world of the book. It felt like it was constantly just out of reach. Also, I liked the touches about dragon intimacy. I fully support the idea that dragons would not be the same as humans in many ways, and the author did a pretty decent job getting that message across. Overall, I feel like the book had a lot of potential, but I couldn't quite connect with the world or the characters.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This reading experience was a bit unusual for me in that it started out really strong. I really liked the setup with Orsie and Nevmis and I was on the lookout for an awesome dragon fight as the resolution. Perhaps because I had built up some expectation of what I wanted to happen, the actual ending of the book seemed a little tepid in comparison. I also really struggled to connect with Orsie and Ark; both seemed like very flat, one-dimensional characters. I didn't know what made them tick or who they really were. Towards the middle,
Spoiler
when Orsie was trying to find his anaskettSpoiler
What happens to Geren and the rest of the soldiers? The forgetting spell thing seems like such a boring and easy solution, if that was what it was. Same thing with the greedy villagers; it's like they were a tool to show how horrible people are, but then they just disappeared without explanation.Even with all of these flaws, I think the author did a few things really well. I loved the world-building. The author seemed to put a lot of thought into the lore of the series, but I just wish it was contextualized a little better. It was like I knew all the names of places but not the stories behind them, so it was hard to connect with the world of the book. It felt like it was constantly just out of reach. Also, I liked the touches about dragon intimacy. I fully support the idea that dragons would not be the same as humans in many ways, and the author did a pretty decent job getting that message across. Overall, I feel like the book had a lot of potential, but I couldn't quite connect with the world or the characters.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.