Reviews

Dragon Slayers by Lisa McMann

Only show reviews with written explanations

ccpprrjj's review

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

5.0

Finally! Finally Unwanteds Quests is reaching the quality of the original series. This book was so good! I absolutely adored it and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The plot was more interesting in this book, and the characters were put in situations that really pushed them. And it did all of this while almost entirely being set in Grimere, which I've found to be a generally less compelling setting than Artime. Like with the other books in this series, I'll divide this review up by the storylines that were explored (although they were less clear cut in this book than the previous ones-probably another reason why this book was so much better than the others).

Fifer/Thisbe Storyline
Thisbe's conflict in this book was fantastic.

Spoiler

The set up of having her pretend to join the Reviner and keep it secret from everyone else

put her in a situation where we could explore aspects of her character that had been hinted at but not fully realized, such as her complicated feelings over being more evil than good. It was interesting to see her embracing her darker side a bit more. The situation she was in also upped the stakes.

Spoiler

She's a child who's facing the greatest threat her world has ever known, on her own, when most of her friends and family think she betrayed them.

I also appreciated the nuance that this book added to the Reviner. It explored who she is beyond a 'big bad villain' and that was needed. And done very well. Fifer didn't really do much in this book, other than come up with the plan, but I'm alright with that. Fifer got to be focused on last book. This time, it was Thisbe's turn to shine. As a side note, I really feel like they should have told someone

Spoiler

that Thisbe hadn't really betrayed them.

Maybe one of the statues who I doubt can be affected by the dragon bone broth.

Spoiler

Then when the plan fell apart, they wouldn't be in the situation they are now.

But I also appreciate the writing choice not to have them tell anyone. It seems like a mistake they would make. They are still kids, after all.

Rescue Team Storyline
I loved getting to spend more time in Rohan's POV this book. His POV is very distinct from many of the others we've gotten, with him thinking in elegant sentences just like he speaks in. He's just so sweet and wholesome. The letters at the beginning of the book were so heartfelt. He and Thisbe just make such a good pair.

Spoiler

And the part where he thought she had betrayed him was so sad. But then he figures out what's really going on and gives Thisbe the support that she needed. I also love that he's such a good actor that even Thisbe couldn't see through it when he was pretending to be on the dragon bone broth.

I also loved the little segment we got about Asha and Clementi, and not just because I love seeing LGBTQ+ representation. It was a nice break from the heaviness of the plot to remind us what the characters are fighting for. They're fighting so that the people of the seven islands and Grimere can have many moments like these, without the threat of war hanging over them. And then Aaron. The poor guy just can't catch a break in this series.

Spoiler

Ishibashi's death was so sad. And it came right after such a sweet conversation with Aaron. Aaaah. It was such a well-written and devastating scene. I just. . .McMann does not shy away from character death, that's for sure.

readersareleaders's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging hopeful

3.5

emperor_e's review

Go to review page

4.0

I need the next one now! This was really good. And Fifer is my favorite! I just hate Rohan, I mean come on dude please just shut up about Thisbe already. But overall I felt like this was a great installment in the series.

michaelshadowsword's review

Go to review page

5.0

Wow. The character growth of the main characters was amazing, especially for us old-timers in this world. I badly want book #14 but am also terrified for it. Remember "Don't Die"