ronimac74's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing rendition of Swan Lake. Larson is able to weave this story plot with magic and characters that are full of life. I am loving this fantasy telling and am looking forward to reading how the story ends.
americangirlemmie's review against another edition
3.0
Dark Breaks the Dawn was a mixed experience for me – due mainly to one fact. I read it almost entirely because I believed that it was a ballet retelling. Although I could see inspiration, it was not until the very last pages that there was any real reference to the original. So, if that’s why your interested, be warned. HOWEVER – it does appear that the sequel is going to be a bit more like the ballet. Although I went in for the ballet element, I was not at all disappointed with the plot I did get. Just keep an open mind!
On the other hand, the writing was definitely for a younger YA audience overall. Not in a bad way, but the plot and the characters were very simple and relatable that would make the story easily read by a young teen. This, paired with the fact that the romance is young in a very pure way, I would definitely put this on the lower end of the YA age range. Not at all in a bad way – but be warned if you have pretentious taste. ;p I prefer books written like this, as they have a nice wholesome feel to them, with all of the plot one wants, without having the adult-feel to it.
Overall, I really did enjoy this little book. It had a very nice plot, and enjoyable world. There was some very nice world building done in so few pages, which I was very impressed by.
If you enjoy fantasy, I would definitely check it out. It is safe for many age ranges, and a nice, short read. It held my attention, and I enjoyed it immensely, overall. 😀 I will anxiously await the next installment.
Dark Breaks the Dawn 3.5 out of 5.
On the other hand, the writing was definitely for a younger YA audience overall. Not in a bad way, but the plot and the characters were very simple and relatable that would make the story easily read by a young teen. This, paired with the fact that the romance is young in a very pure way, I would definitely put this on the lower end of the YA age range. Not at all in a bad way – but be warned if you have pretentious taste. ;p I prefer books written like this, as they have a nice wholesome feel to them, with all of the plot one wants, without having the adult-feel to it.
Overall, I really did enjoy this little book. It had a very nice plot, and enjoyable world. There was some very nice world building done in so few pages, which I was very impressed by.
If you enjoy fantasy, I would definitely check it out. It is safe for many age ranges, and a nice, short read. It held my attention, and I enjoyed it immensely, overall. 😀 I will anxiously await the next installment.
Dark Breaks the Dawn 3.5 out of 5.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (death, violence, gore, sexual references)
Pages: 320
Author Website
Amazon Link
Disclaimer: None, I got the audiobook with my own audible credits!
Synopsis: On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.
But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn onto the throne much sooner than she expected.
In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.
Let’s start this off with this: this was one of the cheesiest YA books I’ve ever read and it had oodles and oodles of YA tropes… but it was actually surprisingly okay. The plot was pretty good and the writing was pretty well done and it did well making the language stick to the time period.
However, as you can see above, I didn’t talk about a lot of the usual things I do. The book was actually a struggle to get through the first 41 chapters. The world building wasn’t there, the characters weren’t developed outside of two of the main characters, and the book was really confusing to follow at times. Things happened or the characters did things that I didn’t understand what for. I was for sure I was going to give the book a 2 star rating until the last chapter. The last chapter surprised me so much with its misdirection and its terror that I had to bump up the score significantly. I’m going to read the sequel based solely on the last chapter. Honestly, that chapter should have come sooner in the novel as the rest of it feels so awful in comparison. I feel that the book is one big prologue to an amazing novel… aka the sequel.
Verdict: Plie your way to the last chapter and then to the sequel.
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (death, violence, gore, sexual references)
Pages: 320
Author Website
Amazon Link
Disclaimer: None, I got the audiobook with my own audible credits!
Synopsis: On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.
But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn onto the throne much sooner than she expected.
In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.
Let’s start this off with this: this was one of the cheesiest YA books I’ve ever read and it had oodles and oodles of YA tropes… but it was actually surprisingly okay. The plot was pretty good and the writing was pretty well done and it did well making the language stick to the time period.
However, as you can see above, I didn’t talk about a lot of the usual things I do. The book was actually a struggle to get through the first 41 chapters. The world building wasn’t there, the characters weren’t developed outside of two of the main characters, and the book was really confusing to follow at times. Things happened or the characters did things that I didn’t understand what for. I was for sure I was going to give the book a 2 star rating until the last chapter. The last chapter surprised me so much with its misdirection and its terror that I had to bump up the score significantly. I’m going to read the sequel based solely on the last chapter. Honestly, that chapter should have come sooner in the novel as the rest of it feels so awful in comparison. I feel that the book is one big prologue to an amazing novel… aka the sequel.
Verdict: Plie your way to the last chapter and then to the sequel.
helenamt's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.5
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
Princess Evelayn is turning 18, which means she will be able to fully access her power. Her kingdom has been in a long battle with the dark kingdom, with many fatalities on both sides. After both parents are lost to the war, Evelayn is forced into power long before she ever expected to be. Evelayn wants to end the bloodshed and with her advisors, a cute guy, and priestesses, she just may develop plan to either save her kingdom or leave them in the worst place ever.
This novel is marketed as a swan lake retell, but I must not be as familiar with this myth because I was having trouble making the connection. I found myself more interested in the villain, than the actual love interest.
This novel is marketed as a swan lake retell, but I must not be as familiar with this myth because I was having trouble making the connection. I found myself more interested in the villain, than the actual love interest.
dlewis85's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
I picked up this book solely because of the beautiful cover. I was beyond thrilled with what I found inside though.
rachelgart0n's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kaitykat's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my gosh, this was so good!!! I haven’t read a fantasy like this maybe all year? It was so fun getting back into this genre. I loved the world-building in the book and the shifting magic and summoning of light and darkness was so cool. The entire book was exciting, never a dull moment! The ending had me completely shocked!!
atullio's review against another edition
3.0
This book was recommended to me (multiple) times by a friend, so of course I had to pick it up!
Overall, I found it to be a solid idea for a story, but the execution could have been better. The background of their magic and races weren't very descriptive for being the first book in a series... The reader is told how the children of the king and queen are so SPECIAL, but it is never described why they have stones and the power to shapeshift when the rest of their population does not. This is touched on SLIGHTLY near the end of the book, but Evelayn doesn't give it more than a passing thought before moving along.
Although it can be assumed that "Draíolon" is like saying someone is an "American" or an"European," it is NEVER explained, although I swear it was used at least three times on every page. And let's not get started on the fact that the "good" Draíolon's are WHITE while the "bad" are BLACK. That has a whole level of subconscious (or conscious?) racism in it and I'm not even up for that debate right now, so moving on.
The one thing that really bothered me was the switching of points of view. I may be wrong here, as I don't have the book in front of me, but there is no header to indicate a switch of POV between chapters. One page I'm reading in Evelayn's voice, the next Tanvir, then the next Lorken. Talk about whiplash while reading.
Sigh. Evelayn's relationship with Tanvir. So. Unrealistic. She has been brushing off EVERY. SINGLE. GUY. that's shown interest in her until this GORGEOUS MAN shows up out of nowhere. Suddenly they're in love. And I mean SUDDENLY. No, thanks. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to read a book where the relationship blossoms on the very last page, but give me SOME build up here.
Overall, I found it to be a solid idea for a story, but the execution could have been better. The background of their magic and races weren't very descriptive for being the first book in a series... The reader is told how the children of the king and queen are so SPECIAL, but it is never described why they have stones and the power to shapeshift when the rest of their population does not. This is touched on SLIGHTLY near the end of the book, but Evelayn doesn't give it more than a passing thought before moving along.
Although it can be assumed that "Draíolon" is like saying someone is an "American" or an"European," it is NEVER explained, although I swear it was used at least three times on every page. And let's not get started on the fact that the "good" Draíolon's are WHITE while the "bad" are BLACK. That has a whole level of subconscious (or conscious?) racism in it and I'm not even up for that debate right now, so moving on.
The one thing that really bothered me was the switching of points of view. I may be wrong here, as I don't have the book in front of me, but there is no header to indicate a switch of POV between chapters. One page I'm reading in Evelayn's voice, the next Tanvir, then the next Lorken. Talk about whiplash while reading.
Sigh. Evelayn's relationship with Tanvir. So. Unrealistic. She has been brushing off EVERY. SINGLE. GUY. that's shown interest in her until this GORGEOUS MAN shows up out of nowhere. Suddenly they're in love. And I mean SUDDENLY. No, thanks. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to read a book where the relationship blossoms on the very last page, but give me SOME build up here.