mattyb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Death, Gore, War, Chronic illness, Violence, Ableism, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Body shaming
Minor: Drug use and Vomit
kimveach's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
I'd seen the hype for this book and finally got around to reading it. I loved it and can't wait to read the second book, which is already out. If you liked the Harry Potter Series, Hunger Games, etc., this is an adult version of the genre. The sex scenes are graphic - no innuendo here!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Dysphoria, Vomit, War, Sexual content, Death, Murder, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
jakesdv99's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: War and Genocide
Minor: Drug use and Terminal illness
eatingbrains's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
While I understand why people would enjoy this book, I am unfortunately one of the ones that couldn't turn off the feeling that I was reading a YA that was aged up to include sex.
I could not read the word badass without cringing. The world building was positively wild. It's in a more historical fantasy setting where they write with quills, use weapons, crossbows were a big deal, people who wield magic have access to smaller abilities like locking/unlocking doors, making mage light, etc. There lots of wooden shit, but that also translated to having wooden exercise equipment to essential get swole in a modern fashion, rather than bodyweight exercises. There's a brief mention right at the beginning about shoe sizes which means they have standardized them? And the whole riders quadrant can get married before everyone else when the graduate.... At age 23? That's early for this society? And the focus of sexual relations was just pervasive. The talk of raging hormones... The convenience of fertility suppressants getting a brief mention before boning down. Oh and gods are worshipped, but not by dragons.
There was some disability rep that I think was decent considering that it was a fantastical setting with healers, and the character didn't want to "look weak" and would refuse treatment to speed the healing process. There was some LGBT+ rep as well, but mostly on a surface level for side characters.
Honestly, it was fine but the romance had me putting the book down regularly and made finishing this book difficult.
I could not read the word badass without cringing. The world building was positively wild. It's in a more historical fantasy setting where they write with quills, use weapons, crossbows were a big deal, people who wield magic have access to smaller abilities like locking/unlocking doors, making mage light, etc. There lots of wooden shit, but that also translated to having wooden exercise equipment to essential get swole in a modern fashion, rather than bodyweight exercises. There's a brief mention right at the beginning about shoe sizes which means they have standardized them? And the whole riders quadrant can get married before everyone else when the graduate.... At age 23? That's early for this society? And the focus of sexual relations was just pervasive. The talk of raging hormones... The convenience of fertility suppressants getting a brief mention before boning down. Oh and gods are worshipped, but not by dragons.
There was some disability rep that I think was decent considering that it was a fantastical setting with healers, and the character didn't want to "look weak" and would refuse treatment to speed the healing process. There was some LGBT+ rep as well, but mostly on a surface level for side characters.
Honestly, it was fine but the romance had me putting the book down regularly and made finishing this book difficult.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Stalking, Classism, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, War, Violence, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Body shaming, Death, Grief, Torture, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Genocide, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Physical abuse
ellen_is_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Drug use
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book sorely needed an editor. And maybe a cowriter. Someone to shape the overall ideas of the story into something coherent. But at the very, very least, a strong editing pass.
The writing was clunky and repetitive, the author used words whose meanings she clearly didn't understand, and the logistics of what was supposed to be physically happening (especially during battle scenes) were often difficult to follow. The smut wasn't bad, but was outweighed by the endless stream of horny thoughts every single time the two main characters interacted with each other, even when they're supposed to be in dire circumstances or experiencing emotional devastation. The worldbuilding was weak as fuck and seemed to be made up on the spot throughout the book. The way the "war college" works doesn't stand up to even the slightest amount of scrutiny - why would they want to relentlessly kill off all their able-bodied young soldiers when they're at war? Luckily, given the death toll, other than maybe 3 of the main characters, no one has a personality at all; best friends, squad mates, teachers, and family members are basically cardboard cutouts with little to no identity. And while Violet herself is the best-developed of the bunch, it has to be said that her motivations simply aren't there. Other than ~proving people wrong~ once she's there, there is no explanation for why she would commit herself to fighting herself into a violent and early death, when she's given multiple opportunities to go back to the life she always wanted and planned for. She never thinks about the future at all.
All that being said, it was a quick read, and I do wonder where the story is going next. Future books could be good pulp romantasy fun if given the kind of editing they need. My one bit of praise is that I appreciate the hEDS representation, and that she receives accommodations for it. I have literally never seen this aspect of myself reflected in a book before (although I know of another one coming out soon!) and that element was genuinely well done.
The writing was clunky and repetitive, the author used words whose meanings she clearly didn't understand, and the logistics of what was supposed to be physically happening (especially during battle scenes) were often difficult to follow. The smut wasn't bad, but was outweighed by the endless stream of horny thoughts every single time the two main characters interacted with each other, even when they're supposed to be in dire circumstances or experiencing emotional devastation. The worldbuilding was weak as fuck and seemed to be made up on the spot throughout the book. The way the "war college" works doesn't stand up to even the slightest amount of scrutiny - why would they want to relentlessly kill off all their able-bodied young soldiers when they're at war? Luckily, given the death toll, other than maybe 3 of the main characters, no one has a personality at all; best friends, squad mates, teachers, and family members are basically cardboard cutouts with little to no identity. And while Violet herself is the best-developed of the bunch, it has to be said that her motivations simply aren't there. Other than ~proving people wrong~ once she's there, there is no explanation for why she would commit herself to fighting herself into a violent and early death, when she's given multiple opportunities to go back to the life she always wanted and planned for. She never thinks about the future at all.
All that being said, it was a quick read, and I do wonder where the story is going next. Future books could be good pulp romantasy fun if given the kind of editing they need. My one bit of praise is that I appreciate the hEDS representation, and that she receives accommodations for it. I have literally never seen this aspect of myself reflected in a book before (although I know of another one coming out soon!) and that element was genuinely well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Medical content, Murder, Chronic illness, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, War, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Terminal illness
_rowantree_'s review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Violence, Ableism, Cursing, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
eberzy's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Well that was an absolute vibe.
Unique world and storyline complete with all of those addictive tropes. Was the mind to mind communication, segregated career school, shadow-wielding powers, and tattooed bodies among other things unoriginal? Absolutely, but they all make sense to the world in a way that is acceptable to me. The dragon abilities and banter are unexpectedly awesome. Love the chronic illness representation. There were and are a lot of kept secrets and hidden clues that made this so fun to read and set up a lot of excitement for the rest of this series. This will be a fun one to theorize about. Pre-ordered the next book even before finishing.
Unique world and storyline complete with all of those addictive tropes. Was the mind to mind communication, segregated career school, shadow-wielding powers, and tattooed bodies among other things unoriginal? Absolutely, but they all make sense to the world in a way that is acceptable to me. The dragon abilities and banter are unexpectedly awesome. Love the chronic illness representation. There were and are a lot of kept secrets and hidden clues that made this so fun to read and set up a lot of excitement for the rest of this series. This will be a fun one to theorize about. Pre-ordered the next book even before finishing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Bullying, Death of parent, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
Minor: War, Body shaming, Drug use, and Grief
athenian_frog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
*I listened to the audiobook for most of this story before reading the rest online*
+ Besides voicing the bigger male dragon, the audiobook was solid. The feminine narrator did a great job communicating emotion in action and during tense scenes.
+ The action scenes were fun to read, usually.
+ the actual concept with dragons, dragon bonding, was actually pretty interesting!
Other than that, I had a hard time finishing the book :(
- The characters just don’t do that much growing, if ANY. The main character’s motivation to change her study trajectory is purely out of being forced to go training by her mother. I saw very little organic self motivation to become a dragon rider until the latter half of the book. The side characters were also not fleshed out at ALL.
- we never find out why the mother wanted to send the main character, who suffers from chronic pain, to try and ride a dragon. I don’t know why she spent so long letting her daughter train as a scribe before suddenly making another decision.
- we don’t get to know the main character at all outside of the war college, which ends up setting no precedent to what she was like before entering a life changing, dangerous experience (a good set up for character development that was NOT taken)
- There were several opportunities to add depth to the story and characters and Yarros took none of them.
- LGBTQIA+ people and people of color are included but they have very little substance to them.
- In fact, the guy who wants Violet (protagonist) dead the most doesn’t even seem to have a proper reason to want to kill her; he is just evil like that, I guess?
- Conceptualizing the world was very difficult, because we as the reader have 0 help except through awkward information dumping. It feels very tedious to read, and it still leaves a lot to be desired. I can’t even tell you what kind of technological period they’re in. Religion is also very underdeveloped.
- the other quadrants (healing, scribing, infantry) were very underutilized, and were not very detailed
- the protagonist seems stupendously lucky. Will not spoil here but expect major chosen one/main character privileges. She is constantly complimented for being the smartest, but we see very little evidence of this.
- while at a killing school, in a culture that is weirdly very permissive of killing, Violet is extremely sensitive about killing people! Not even innocents, people who are ACTIVELY trying to end her life.
- Violet is disabled but this disability is rarely mentioned, and its applications are barely referenced. There is a consensus of “pushing through” your disability to prevail instead of working with it, which feels a bit insensitive.
- there are enough cliche’s and contrivances in the book where it starts to hurt the “turn off your brain to have fun” experience, even. Many elements are foreshadowed in a poor/hamfisted way, and conflict often feels artificially incited/blown up.
- we know very little about supporting cast and how they each became close to Violet is not very well developed.
- the romance between Violet and her love interest is plainly just lust. I found very little emotional connection between them before the story was trying to pass it off as a deep, swoon worthy romance. On top of all of my issues with Violet, this made the sex scenes impossible to care for. This is part of a multi book series, so some time to stretch out the romance emotionally would have done wonders.
- romance and romantic scenes involve a lot of emphasis on skinny, pale, fragile main woman and the big, tan, intimidating male love interest. The reminders that he could hurt her were overused and not appealing. Personally I have grown tired of this dynamic. I would have liked to see them working together more/Violet making smart moves ahead of him/them actually BONDING in not a strictly sexual sense.
- calling this enemies to lovers is generous. The main pairing certainly had the potential to be enemies but it’s more like “bad first impression to lovers”
All in all, I desperately wanted to enjoy this book. It looks beautiful and I was very excited to read something involving dragons for the first time in a looooong time. The issues kept mounting and eventually it made flaws that were less noticeable glaringly evident.
If you loved this book I’m overjoyed for you! It’s a really cool concept, and I’ve heard others who are able to overlook most of this to just sit in the vibes.
I just think that this FANTASY ROMANCE really could have used more work in all aspects of FANTASY and ROMANCE. Both were so undeveloped here that it was almost disrespectful. On top of that, it is geared towards a “New Adult,” older than YA audience, so I was expecting at least a LITTLE more nuance here.
Thank you for reading my two cents!
Please consider the warnings listed below!
+ Besides voicing the bigger male dragon, the audiobook was solid. The feminine narrator did a great job communicating emotion in action and during tense scenes.
+ The action scenes were fun to read, usually.
+ the actual concept with dragons, dragon bonding, was actually pretty interesting!
Other than that, I had a hard time finishing the book :(
- The characters just don’t do that much growing, if ANY. The main character’s motivation to change her study trajectory is purely out of being forced to go training by her mother. I saw very little organic self motivation to become a dragon rider until the latter half of the book. The side characters were also not fleshed out at ALL.
- we never find out why the mother wanted to send the main character, who suffers from chronic pain, to try and ride a dragon. I don’t know why she spent so long letting her daughter train as a scribe before suddenly making another decision.
- we don’t get to know the main character at all outside of the war college, which ends up setting no precedent to what she was like before entering a life changing, dangerous experience (a good set up for character development that was NOT taken)
- There were several opportunities to add depth to the story and characters and Yarros took none of them.
- LGBTQIA+ people and people of color are included but they have very little substance to them.
- In fact, the guy who wants Violet (protagonist) dead the most doesn’t even seem to have a proper reason to want to kill her; he is just evil like that, I guess?
- Conceptualizing the world was very difficult, because we as the reader have 0 help except through awkward information dumping. It feels very tedious to read, and it still leaves a lot to be desired. I can’t even tell you what kind of technological period they’re in. Religion is also very underdeveloped.
- the other quadrants (healing, scribing, infantry) were very underutilized, and were not very detailed
- the protagonist seems stupendously lucky. Will not spoil here but expect major chosen one/main character privileges. She is constantly complimented for being the smartest, but we see very little evidence of this.
- while at a killing school, in a culture that is weirdly very permissive of killing, Violet is extremely sensitive about killing people! Not even innocents, people who are ACTIVELY trying to end her life.
- Violet is disabled but this disability is rarely mentioned, and its applications are barely referenced. There is a consensus of “pushing through” your disability to prevail instead of working with it, which feels a bit insensitive.
- there are enough cliche’s and contrivances in the book where it starts to hurt the “turn off your brain to have fun” experience, even. Many elements are foreshadowed in a poor/hamfisted way, and conflict often feels artificially incited/blown up.
- we know very little about supporting cast and how they each became close to Violet is not very well developed.
- the romance between Violet and her love interest is plainly just lust. I found very little emotional connection between them before the story was trying to pass it off as a deep, swoon worthy romance. On top of all of my issues with Violet, this made the sex scenes impossible to care for. This is part of a multi book series, so some time to stretch out the romance emotionally would have done wonders.
- romance and romantic scenes involve a lot of emphasis on skinny, pale, fragile main woman and the big, tan, intimidating male love interest. The reminders that he could hurt her were overused and not appealing. Personally I have grown tired of this dynamic. I would have liked to see them working together more/Violet making smart moves ahead of him/them actually BONDING in not a strictly sexual sense.
- calling this enemies to lovers is generous. The main pairing certainly had the potential to be enemies but it’s more like “bad first impression to lovers”
All in all, I desperately wanted to enjoy this book. It looks beautiful and I was very excited to read something involving dragons for the first time in a looooong time. The issues kept mounting and eventually it made flaws that were less noticeable glaringly evident.
If you loved this book I’m overjoyed for you! It’s a really cool concept, and I’ve heard others who are able to overlook most of this to just sit in the vibes.
I just think that this FANTASY ROMANCE really could have used more work in all aspects of FANTASY and ROMANCE. Both were so undeveloped here that it was almost disrespectful. On top of that, it is geared towards a “New Adult,” older than YA audience, so I was expecting at least a LITTLE more nuance here.
Thank you for reading my two cents!
Please consider the warnings listed below!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and War
Minor: Medical content, Drug use, and Vomit
-Death of several background characters, in varying ways (neck snapping, falling off bridge, incineration by dragon fire, close combat). -there is a kissing scene with dubious consent as both parties are under a kind of magical influence. - explicit sex happens twice in the latter half of the book between main characters. There are several mentions of how the male lead can physically hurt/overwhelm Violet, and this can be potentially distressing for someone to read. All other sex among the side characters is only implicit. - several background characters are poisoned, not to kill, resulting in sickness and vomiting. - Violet has a chronic connective tissue disease. This results in some tearing and bruising that is painful. -one character has to have their shoulder magically mended by a healer. It is descriptively painful. - there are bully type characters who try to hurt/kill Violet several times. One is particular is very aggressive. - Children of individuals who started a rebellion in the past are made orphans. This is an accepted part of the country’s history. - brief use of a weed equivalent drugselestre's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Murder, and Vomit