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sparksbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a refreshing and interesting addition to the epic fantasy genre. Like most epic fantasy stories it took a little bit to fully understand the world, especially the titles used that signify a person’s rank and/or caste. Once I started understanding who everyone was, I fell head first into the world and the danger within.
Tau is a character with one large motivator: anger. He’s an ordinary man in a world with extraordinary magic and people born stronger and with more power than him. Tragedy strikes when people close to him are murdered and his desire for revenge fuels him through the story to become stronger and a better fighter. While this is his main motivator, he also is motivated by his love for some he thought he would live a pretty ordinary life with before all of this started.
I loved the world-building for this Zulu-inspired fantasy world and the ways the magic system is explained. The world is very complicated and leaves you wondering who the true aggressor is in the never-ending war that the Omehi people find themselves in for two hundred years. Tau has a bit of the hero’s journey experience, growing from a low commoner to a fearsome swordsman of the Ihashe. Winter makes sure that this growth is believable and not just a magically sudden growth by going through Tau’s gruesome training and the lengths to which Tau will go to become stronger and a better fighter.
I could not put this book down and finished it quicker than I thought I would! I cannot wait to pick up the next book and keep reading!
Favorite Quotes:
“Let them think me a monster,” the Dragon Queen thought. “I will be a monster, if it means we survive.”
She slipped out of reach and walked away. Tau watched her go, the most perfect being who had ever existed.
Tau tried to be her mountain and found that she helped him more than he could her. She was everything he hadn’t known was missing. She was his first thought in the morning and his last at night. He had trouble considering anything but her smile, her eyes, her voice…her.
“I am your curse,” the Lesser said. “I am your end.”
“If I can be better than them, then any of us can be. The Nobles? They are great because we are on our knees. No more. I choose to stand.”
“Our challenge is significant,” she said. “Thus, we command those loyal to the queen to be particularly clever and amazingly lucky.”
And just like that, there was no going back. A dragon had been called, and someone would have to die.
Tau is a character with one large motivator: anger. He’s an ordinary man in a world with extraordinary magic and people born stronger and with more power than him. Tragedy strikes when people close to him are murdered and his desire for revenge fuels him through the story to become stronger and a better fighter. While this is his main motivator, he also is motivated by his love for some he thought he would live a pretty ordinary life with before all of this started.
I loved the world-building for this Zulu-inspired fantasy world and the ways the magic system is explained. The world is very complicated and leaves you wondering who the true aggressor is in the never-ending war that the Omehi people find themselves in for two hundred years. Tau has a bit of the hero’s journey experience, growing from a low commoner to a fearsome swordsman of the Ihashe. Winter makes sure that this growth is believable and not just a magically sudden growth by going through Tau’s gruesome training and the lengths to which Tau will go to become stronger and a better fighter.
I could not put this book down and finished it quicker than I thought I would! I cannot wait to pick up the next book and keep reading!
Favorite Quotes:
“Let them think me a monster,” the Dragon Queen thought. “I will be a monster, if it means we survive.”
She slipped out of reach and walked away. Tau watched her go, the most perfect being who had ever existed.
Tau tried to be her mountain and found that she helped him more than he could her. She was everything he hadn’t known was missing. She was his first thought in the morning and his last at night. He had trouble considering anything but her smile, her eyes, her voice…her.
“I am your curse,” the Lesser said. “I am your end.”
“If I can be better than them, then any of us can be. The Nobles? They are great because we are on our knees. No more. I choose to stand.”
“Our challenge is significant,” she said. “Thus, we command those loyal to the queen to be particularly clever and amazingly lucky.”
And just like that, there was no going back. A dragon had been called, and someone would have to die.
amy14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
tubazen's review against another edition
5.0
If Children of Blood and Bone is LOTR
Then this is The Blade Itself. Intense, action-packed, and with a badass protagonist whose badassness is actually earned in narrative. Highly recommended if you like revenge stories, or just beautifully described swordplay. Also, the world is beautifully imagined and I have so many questions I need answered in the sequal. Highly recommended.
Then this is The Blade Itself. Intense, action-packed, and with a badass protagonist whose badassness is actually earned in narrative. Highly recommended if you like revenge stories, or just beautifully described swordplay. Also, the world is beautifully imagined and I have so many questions I need answered in the sequal. Highly recommended.
lostcadence's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the first two books in this compelling epic fantasy-lite series. Its greatest strength is that it's a page turner - fast-paced and hard to put down once it gets going. Focusing on themes of colonialism, caste systems, and vengeance, the world and its characters become more complex as the series evolves. The Xhosa-inspired mythology (entirely fictional, but with elements from African rather than Western myths) makes it rather unique. It also takes inspiration from some small parts of progression fantasy, though the magic isn't the core of that progression. However, it suffers from a few potential flaws, including some frustrating YA tropes (at least early on) around romance and poor decision-making.
rubyfaye00's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Easiest 5 stars this year
nixter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I want to preface this review with the fact that I’m currently in a slump, which made it very hard for me finish this book. That has nothing to do with the abilities of the author, but my review might be affected by the difficulties I faced pushing through this. I just felt like if I tried to wait until I was ready for it again, then I wouldn’t have picked it up for another year or something crazy like that. With that being said, let’s get into it.
I’m going to start with the positives. The lore, world building, and descriptions were gorgeous. It felt very fleshed out to me and immersive. I can tell the author spent time crafting this setting and its rules. Plus, I love being able to read about character that look like me. I understood the motivations of the characters, and the book left off on a note that does make me very curious about what’s to come. I also enjoyed the political aspects of this story and want to see how all that is maneuvered in the following project(s).
The things I felt needed some work: the main character, Tau, was hard for me to like. I understood everything he felt, but his decisions were just so impulsive and selfish at times that I wanted to scream. The book was also very heavy on the fighting and war aspect, and I would’ve liked to see more of the politics. There were just a lot of fighting scenes that I found myself rushing through. I’m personally more of a fan of a battle of minds than swords, so it’s just a preference I guess. Additionally, I could tell very early on this was a lead up to another book in a series because it felt like one long prologue. It sets the stage for the next project very well, but I’m never a huge fan of having to read a whole book before it “gets good”. Lastly, and this is likely a product of my own brain and lack of concentration at the moment, I found myself struggling to remember all the names and positions. We are introduced to a lot of characters and a ton of positions within the established caste system. It would’ve been nice to get a few reminders of how they all worked.
Overall, I liked this book, and think that it could’ve been a 4 star if I was in the right headspace, but considering it took me a month to get through it, I just can’t give it that. I want to see what happens next and hope the following book gives us more politics than combat. Considering the fact that this was a self published debut novel, I think the author did a phenomenal job, and I will be looking into any other works he has in the future.
writer6's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to love The Rage of Dragons, but unfortunately, I ultimately thought that it was rather mediocre compared to the other fantasy books that I've read in the past several years. I'm currently really on the fence about whether or not I want to continue on with the series.
My rating/score: 2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads / 4 out of 10 on my own scoring system.
My rating/score: 2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads / 4 out of 10 on my own scoring system.
sarahetc's review against another edition
5.0
Dudes. Dudes, we start with a note from the author himself:
And then, we move back a bit. I added this to the queue because it comes up in every list of "If you love X, then you'll love Rage of Dragons!" Plus also being on several other lists of "New Great Voices in Fantasy." Always looking for something to fill the Lightbringer void and totally burned by the overwhelming recommendation of Powder Mage (Meh, y'all. Meh!) I went for it. Burned an Audible credit and thought what the heck. Then started listening and was like, "Is it supposed to incredibly derivative? Like, is this the west African retelling of Eye of the World? I mean, The Broken Eye? I mean, Harry Potter? Wait, did we just prologue it with Storm of Swords and fast forward to Harry Potter? Did someone write some Kingkiller fanfic and do a find/replace with Kvothe/Tau?"
And then I went and looked at other reviews, saw that quote from Winter, the author, and truly leaned into it. And y'all, I am so glad I did. He set out a write a book he'd love, because he loves books like I love books and he wrote a book I LOVE. I love Tau. I love Zuri. I love Jayed. At the end, I even loved Kellan. I really, really want more from Temba*, because dude is hilarious and it took me a while to catch the subtleties of the humor Winter was writing through him. I can't say I'm not dismayed by some of the twists at the end (no spoilers!), but as a long-time fantasy-lover, I chose to ignore the clues in order to love the characters.
I won't write much more about the plot because, as stated, it's crazy derivative. You could probably piece it together just from Winter's own references. But oh, his characterization! And the relationships between those characters. Plus, it's the kind of book where you're really starting to take sides and Winter does the literary equivalent of "J/K LOL" and suddenly you doubt everything you know, have concluded and predicated, and wish to happen. And it. Is. Glorious!
Get on this as fast as you can. And I highly recommend the audio. Prentice Onayemi does an incredible job. Was singing his praises to a friend and said friend goes, "That dude also reads the KJV Bible." And I immediately thought, "Well, OF COURSE he does!"
Five stars! More stars! Making myself wait on the sequel because oh, this is just delicious!
* Temba, y'all. Derivative! IN THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WAYS!!!
I think it's great, but then I wrote it, and my mother always said I should be proud of myself and the things I accomplish. I'm very proud of this. Maybe too proud. You be the judge. Though, you're most likely to have a good time if you enjoy Robert Jordan's expansive worlds, Brandon Sanderson's detailed magic systems, Joe Abercrombie's gritty combat, and Pierce Brown's page-burning pace of action.
My goal was to write something that I would, as a reader, love.
And then, we move back a bit. I added this to the queue because it comes up in every list of "If you love X, then you'll love Rage of Dragons!" Plus also being on several other lists of "New Great Voices in Fantasy." Always looking for something to fill the Lightbringer void and totally burned by the overwhelming recommendation of Powder Mage (Meh, y'all. Meh!) I went for it. Burned an Audible credit and thought what the heck. Then started listening and was like, "Is it supposed to incredibly derivative? Like, is this the west African retelling of Eye of the World? I mean, The Broken Eye? I mean, Harry Potter? Wait, did we just prologue it with Storm of Swords and fast forward to Harry Potter? Did someone write some Kingkiller fanfic and do a find/replace with Kvothe/Tau?"
And then I went and looked at other reviews, saw that quote from Winter, the author, and truly leaned into it. And y'all, I am so glad I did. He set out a write a book he'd love, because he loves books like I love books and he wrote a book I LOVE. I love Tau. I love Zuri. I love Jayed. At the end, I even loved Kellan. I really, really want more from Temba*, because dude is hilarious and it took me a while to catch the subtleties of the humor Winter was writing through him. I can't say I'm not dismayed by some of the twists at the end (no spoilers!), but as a long-time fantasy-lover, I chose to ignore the clues in order to love the characters.
I won't write much more about the plot because, as stated, it's crazy derivative. You could probably piece it together just from Winter's own references. But oh, his characterization! And the relationships between those characters. Plus, it's the kind of book where you're really starting to take sides and Winter does the literary equivalent of "J/K LOL" and suddenly you doubt everything you know, have concluded and predicated, and wish to happen. And it. Is. Glorious!
Get on this as fast as you can. And I highly recommend the audio. Prentice Onayemi does an incredible job. Was singing his praises to a friend and said friend goes, "That dude also reads the KJV Bible." And I immediately thought, "Well, OF COURSE he does!"
Five stars! More stars! Making myself wait on the sequel because oh, this is just delicious!
* Temba, y'all. Derivative! IN THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WAYS!!!
lapislazuli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Once the story had its hooks in me, I could not put it down. The twists didn't hit me as hard as they were probably meant to, but I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.