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A review by ccpprrjj
Dragon Fire by Lisa McMann
adventurous
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
4.75
This was probably my favorite Quests book so far. It was intense, the ideas were new, and it didn't drag. Probably because most of the time was spent in Artime, which is always the most enjoyable location for me to read about.
Stowe sibling/Artime Storyline
I loved how much focus on Artime we got in this book. That's something that's been missing in the previous four books. It just felt nostalgic to be back there. Even with everything going on. I felt like Mcmann handled the civil war in Artime very well. It was hard to see this place that our characters love and that has been a safe haven for people for many years fall to pieces like that. The fact that this was the first impression the black-eyed children had of Artime and how Thisbe kept telling them that Artime isn't like this was really sad. But it's true. Artime isn't supposed to be a place where Unwanteds fight each other. They're supposed to fight together; them against the world. It just goes to show how one bad person with a vendetta can destroy a peace that people have worked for for years. It was also interesting to see how a person who is pretty weak magically can take out the series' strongest fighters with enough allies. The main thing that bothered me with this storyline was the conflict between Fifer and Thisbe. It felt so childish and wasn't compelling. I'm not sure why it was less compelling than the Alex/Aaron conflict in the first series, but it just made me frustrated. Especially with Fifer. Although I will say that I've come to appreciate Fifer more as a character, especially towards the end of this book. I still don't like her as much as other new characters, like Dev, Thisbe, and Rohan- or anywhere near as much as characters from the first series like Alex and Aaron-but I actually felt something other than annoyance towards her in this book. Finally! While I do wish her storyline had been handled differently, I was surprised to find myself liking her as head mage. The internal conflict she felt over killing Frieda added some uncertainty that was missing from her character. It allowed me to sympathize with her and root for her, which I hadn't been able to do previously. She'll be a good head mage.
Dev/Grimere Storyline
We finally got to spend more time with Dev in this book! He's a character I've been dying to see more of for the last couple books, and we finally got to really understand where he's been coming from. His story is just so sad. He's a child who breaks down at the smallest bit of kindness from someone else because he's received so little of it throughout his life, even from the main characters. He's so lonely and tired of just trying to survive. Poor guy. I also appreciated that his POV kept us tied into Grimere. While everything was going down in Artime, his POV kept the plot of the series going on in a subtle way. We got to see a new part of Grimere, as well as a new ghost dragon, both of which were needed to flesh out that world. And the foreshadowing for the end of the book. I really should have seen that coming. All of these characters just can't catch a break.
Stowe sibling/Artime Storyline
I loved how much focus on Artime we got in this book. That's something that's been missing in the previous four books. It just felt nostalgic to be back there. Even with everything going on. I felt like Mcmann handled the
Dev/Grimere Storyline
We finally got to spend more time with Dev in this book! He's a character I've been dying to see more of for the last couple books, and we finally got to really understand where he's been coming from. His story is just so sad. He's a child who breaks down at the smallest bit of kindness from someone else because he's received so little of it throughout his life, even from the main characters. He's so lonely and tired of just trying to survive. Poor guy. I also appreciated that his POV kept us tied into Grimere. While everything was going down in Artime, his POV kept the plot of the series going on in a subtle way. We got to see a new part of Grimere, as well as a new ghost dragon, both of which were needed to flesh out that world. And the foreshadowing for the end of the book. I really should have seen that coming. All of these characters just can't catch a break.