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sunless's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Amazing book, first half was kind of slow but enjoyable nevertheless. Though it is the second half of the book where things become more interesting and the pace speeds up. Though the thing that annoyed me the most in the book is that sometimes Fletcher feels a little to childish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Blood
Moderate: Hate crime
Minor: Animal cruelty and Abandonment
meganholman0911's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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? No
4.5
I loved this book so much! Felt like a mixture of my favourite series: Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings with a bit of Pokémon in there too!
The world building was perfect, I could follow it so easily. The politics of Hominum was so interesting and I loved how it was the basis of most of the events in the books. The relationships between each of the races in the world was so fascinating and I loved how it shone a light on racism and oppression between different races. It felt like it mimicked the real world and history but in a way that was so beautifully well done.
The characters are built perfectly with the main 3 giving off Harry, Ron and Hermione vibes. All of the side characters also fit so perfectly. The ‘villains’ definitely had me feeling very mad and shouting out loud that I definitely did not like them!
I loved how there were secrets throughout and each reveal helped everything make so much more sense. Even though it is written in 3rd person finding out each secret as Fletcher does helped to relate to him and feel how he does on his journey.
The demons!!! Such an amazing concept. I love how each one is so different and the idea of how they are captured and used is unique. Ignatius is my favourite so cute but deadly! I just want to cuddle him, eventhough might not be the best idea 😂😂 The demonology in the back of the book was great with descriptions and images of each demon and I would flick back to it each time a new demon was introduced however the descriptions in the book were perfect for each one.
My only downfall of this book which is why it isn’t 5 stars is the writing in some places. It is a YA book so is expected but the writing style in some places just wasn’t what I’m used to and felt very young. The write loves short sentences ending in ! When he is revealing something.
But I would 100% recommend this book! I’m onto the second one now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Blood and Abandonment
tallnecked_pancakeface's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, and War
nessiekw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, and Classism
Minor: War
ailsaod's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My sister has been recommending I read this series for at least a year and I finally gave in and I must admit she had a point!
The main character is Fletcher, an orphan from a small village who through a series of mishaps ends up on the run with a salamander demon and ends up attending Voccans, the school that trains battlemages for the army. Fletcher is rather hot-headed but ultimately his heart is in the right place. His demon, Ignatius is adorable (I love amphibians and dragons and this funky little guy contains all the best parts of both!). There are also plenty of great side characters (Othello in particular is really the MVP and I found this book's take on dwarven culture interesting).
The setting is an interesting merging of the traditional elves, dwarves, orcs and men setup with demon summoning added in. Generally only nobles have the ability to summon demons, with some exceptions, so there is a perpetual shortage of summoners. The setting ties into the central theme of discrimination in so many different ways that feel much more realistic than the clumsy handling the topic often receives in fantasy. There is of course the racism arising from the tensions between races but there is also a lot of classism and elitism and they are written in a manner that is horrifyingly real in both how it has become entrenched in the systems and policies in place as well as the way some individuals take advantage of such things. This book is a pretty quick read but I had to take several breaks because the injustices to some of the main characters made me too angry.
With regards to the plot we are only introduced to the stakes of the story in the last hundred pages. A lot happens up until then but it is to establish the characters and the setting but once the main plot kicks off it rockets along for the remainder of the book! I would like to talk about the ending more as it is why this book went from four to five stars for me but that would be majorly spoilery so I shan't but know that this book contains a couple twists and I am yelling. I need to read book 2 now!!
The main character is Fletcher, an orphan from a small village who through a series of mishaps ends up on the run with a salamander demon and ends up attending Voccans, the school that trains battlemages for the army. Fletcher is rather hot-headed but ultimately his heart is in the right place. His demon, Ignatius is adorable (I love amphibians and dragons and this funky little guy contains all the best parts of both!). There are also plenty of great side characters (Othello in particular is really the MVP and I found this book's take on dwarven culture interesting).
The setting is an interesting merging of the traditional elves, dwarves, orcs and men setup with demon summoning added in. Generally only nobles have the ability to summon demons, with some exceptions, so there is a perpetual shortage of summoners. The setting ties into the central theme of discrimination in so many different ways that feel much more realistic than the clumsy handling the topic often receives in fantasy. There is of course the racism arising from the tensions between races but there is also a lot of classism and elitism and they are written in a manner that is horrifyingly real in both how it has become entrenched in the systems and policies in place as well as the way some individuals take advantage of such things. This book is a pretty quick read but I had to take several breaks because the injustices to some of the main characters made me too angry.
With regards to the plot we are only introduced to the stakes of the story in the last hundred pages. A lot happens up until then but it is to establish the characters and the setting but once the main plot kicks off it rockets along for the remainder of the book! I would like to talk about the ending more as it is why this book went from four to five stars for me but that would be majorly spoilery so I shan't but know that this book contains a couple twists and I am yelling. I need to read book 2 now!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime and Racism
The racism is aimed at fantasy races but it is still very there!
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