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elisanataf's review against another edition
2.0
okay so i stopped this book. however i still thought it was really good. it was a really cool idea, greta character, i mean its fantasy and its gay… what more could you ask for?! the only reason why i stopped this book was because i was too exited about my next read and i couldn’t focus on it. however i 100% see myself reading it some other time in the near future!
pepperocinni95's review against another edition
2.0
I DNF’d this one at 300 pages. The plot and world building were too slow. There were so many characters that I didn’t know which ones were important enough to remember outside the main 5 and even the 5 did not feel fleshed out as well as they could have been. There were also several chapters/scenes that could have been expanded to better develop the plot/characters. There were several parts in the first 300 pages that were just skimmed over that definitely could have been fleshed out more (Kit and Loth starting their journey for the Donmata for one). The Eastern storyline gets dropped a lot to the point I forgot about those characters and what we last explored with them, and as someone who loves dragons their world is the most interesting but we see so little of it. The most interesting part of the story for me was when we met the dragon Fyredel and his initial confrontation with Queen Sabran and learn of Ead’s magic, but even that felt cut short. And I still know absolutely nothing about the Priory at this point! Overall I think this book has some good ideas and if they ever make it a TV Show/Movie I’ll definitely watch, but there was way too much going on for this to be one book. A duology or trilogy would have worked better here.
badgertank's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
4.25
beenz93's review against another edition
1.0
This book is definitely for someone but it was too much without excitement for me. Outbl of 800 pages, I got to 400 and still couldn't not find myself excited to read.
millie_who_loves_books's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
mchyrklund's review against another edition
5.0
Actual rating 4.5⭐
When I read this book it was the biggest beefiest fantasy I had ever read and it did not disappoint! The world building was immense but amazing, Samantha Shannon did a wonderful job bringing this world, these characters and the magic system to life. I was really invested in so many characters by the end, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't mainly here for the sapphic ship. I loved Ead and Sabran together, and did feel that their relationship was worth the wait.
The only reason this one was a little shy of 5 stars was because the ending felt quite rushed. There was much more build up than climax. That being said, absolutely worth the read. It was beautifully written.
When I read this book it was the biggest beefiest fantasy I had ever read and it did not disappoint! The world building was immense but amazing, Samantha Shannon did a wonderful job bringing this world, these characters and the magic system to life. I was really invested in so many characters by the end, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't mainly here for the sapphic ship. I loved Ead and Sabran together, and did feel that their relationship was worth the wait.
The only reason this one was a little shy of 5 stars was because the ending felt quite rushed. There was much more build up than climax. That being said, absolutely worth the read. It was beautifully written.
raindye's review against another edition
3.0
This was disappointing. It was such a slog to get through, either too slow or too rushed depending on the page. There was clearly a rich world built, but I don’t feel like I was ever given a reason to care about it.
bedee's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great and the world building was perfect. I loved how women were the stars/leaders, you don’t see that all the time in these types of books. If I had any complaints, it’s only that the buildup was super slow while the ending seemed rushed. But that’s relatively minor, I was hooked!
moonpiereads56's review against another edition
4.0
This took me a while to get through bc I listened to it on audible, and keeping track of all the characters was a task. Overall the plot itself was nothing ground breaking BUT I value the perspectives and the way it was told and I truly do like the writing style. High fantasy isn’t my thing usually but the relationships, the connectivity of all the people is proof this is a well planned world. I recommend it to anyone who wants a more full dynamic story. Audible narrator is amazing and the queer representation is great. There is NO spice but it doesn’t need it, It has heart.
kkretzinger12's review against another edition
5.0
Holy shit. This book was absolutely incredible and I devoured it. I’m normally not the biggest fantasy fan but this was realistic enough that I was vibing with it and I somehow never got bored?? I always get bored with monarchy nonsense but this constantly had stuff going on and things to think about and connect and it was so much fun to read. I will 100% be rereading this sometime in the future and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!