The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Animal death, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Huge disclaimer that I came into this book not realising it was the second book in a duology (or should it be a trilogy considering one of the deceased characters in this book is getting a prequel apparently?) so unlike a lot of the other reviewers who viewed this as a sequel, my review is based on the book as a standalone.
This book... was a mess quite frankly. It felt more like a mishmash of ideas strung together than a coherently though out plot, causing some truly atrocious pacing. Sometimes it felt like the plot was geared to go in one direction but then it would gently shy away and go in another. As a result certain parts lingered on for much longer than they should have - causing me to skim a lot - and action scenes felt too fast paced.
And the title? The title only applies to about 10% of the actual book. A better title would be The Forgotten Realms, seeing how it was more about the spaces different inhabitants resided in outside of Kiata. As someone who picked it up expecting dragons to be a huge focus I am sorely disappointed. I'm sure Seiryu featured a lot more in the previous book so I'm willing to give some benefit of the doubt, but he feels like a wasted character in this book.
As does Gen. Gen feels like his role was almost cut entirely from the plot save for him and Shiori escaping the dragon palace, and that cutting him out completely meant Shiori wouldn't be able to escape.
Speaking of Shiori, I have mixed feelings on her. On a subjective note, I'm not a fan of her personality. Subjectively, I think her personality could have worked IF there were more consequences to her actions. So many times she gets off with the narrative equivalent of a slap on the wrist and things go her way far too easily. Not entirely - especially towards the end - but there's no tension when you just know everything is going to go her way and the only other consequences happen to other characters. Who are just kind of there. Even her fiancé doesn't give a damn that shehad some very mild romantic tension with a dragon and called off and ran away from their wedding AGAIN.
This is especially true in the ending where Shiori manages to cheat her way out of death thanks to her having the Moon Goddess' favour. Arguably I might be missing some context from the first book, but I physically scowled and rolled my eyes at this literal deus ex machina. Doubly so that we don't get to see what happens in the Moon Kingdom/Realm/Whatever. Because goddess forbid our heroine have any consequences to her actions.
This book... was a mess quite frankly. It felt more like a mishmash of ideas strung together than a coherently though out plot, causing some truly atrocious pacing. Sometimes it felt like the plot was geared to go in one direction but then it would gently shy away and go in another. As a result certain parts lingered on for much longer than they should have - causing me to skim a lot - and action scenes felt too fast paced.
And the title? The title only applies to about 10% of the actual book. A better title would be The Forgotten Realms, seeing how it was more about the spaces different inhabitants resided in outside of Kiata. As someone who picked it up expecting dragons to be a huge focus I am sorely disappointed. I'm sure Seiryu featured a lot more in the previous book so I'm willing to give some benefit of the doubt, but he feels like a wasted character in this book.
As does Gen. Gen feels like his role was almost cut entirely from the plot save for him and Shiori escaping the dragon palace, and that cutting him out completely meant Shiori wouldn't be able to escape.
Speaking of Shiori, I have mixed feelings on her. On a subjective note, I'm not a fan of her personality. Subjectively, I think her personality could have worked IF there were more consequences to her actions. So many times she gets off with the narrative equivalent of a slap on the wrist and things go her way far too easily. Not entirely - especially towards the end - but there's no tension when you just know everything is going to go her way and the only other consequences happen to other characters. Who are just kind of there. Even her fiancé doesn't give a damn that she
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Confinement
Minor: Pregnancy and Death of parent
notapenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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: Blood, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Death
chaptersofamylea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
"Your heart is my own, and where you are is my home.
4.5 ⭐️
This duology is everything. The Dragon’s Promise to me was as good as this first book. Once again I loved the magic, the world, the family bonds and Shiori’s personality. This book was so enchanting that it felt real, Shiori has grown so much and I adore reading from her point of view so much. I just love everything about this story. And it had me crying over a paper bird.
I’m both happy with the Seryu content we had as it felt like that part of the story had closure but I would love to read more about him and his antics.
But yeah, such a romantic, enchanting and spectacular book.
TWs: death of a parent, depictions and gore and violence
4.5 ⭐️
This duology is everything. The Dragon’s Promise to me was as good as this first book. Once again I loved the magic, the world, the family bonds and Shiori’s personality. This book was so enchanting that it felt real, Shiori has grown so much and I adore reading from her point of view so much. I just love everything about this story. And it had me crying over a paper bird.
I’m both happy with the Seryu content we had as it felt like that part of the story had closure but I would love to read more about him and his antics.
But yeah, such a romantic, enchanting and spectacular book.
TWs: death of a parent, depictions and gore and violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
broccoli_j's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A good ending for this duology.
The character development was intentional and well paced, the worldbuilding was consistent and the relationships emotional and well planed.
I absolutely loved this book!
The character development was intentional and well paced, the worldbuilding was consistent and the relationships emotional and well planed.
I absolutely loved this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: War
Minor: Pregnancy
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Liked the first book much more than this one. Really wish dragons were more involved especially Seryu and his cousin since the book is called the dragon's promise. I loved reading about Raikama's past and I will be reading the book about her that will be releasing because I need to know more about her. Honestly, Raikama was still the most interesting character and the one I really wanted to learn more about. There were def parts that felt unnecessary and I skimmed certain sections because of it. The big fight with Bandur also felt quite rushed compared to everything leading up to it that felt dragged out so I agree with some other reviews that the pacing was off throughout.
I didn't care for how throwaway the half dragons felt. They were some of the more interesting characters but weren't developed.
And spicy opinion, I didn't care for takkan. I don't remember how I felt about him in the 1st book but in this one, I didn't care for him at all. I loved why he was chosen as the betrothed but his character was boring for me in this one. I don't think I cared about the romance much at all in this. I would've preferred more focus on the "action" parts of the book-would've preferred more time in the dragon realm, would've preferred more expansion on Shiori's magic, would've preferred more Raikama backstory, etc.
Not a bad sequel, still enjoyed a lot of elements of it, but I would've been satisfied with the first book and a book solely about Raikama. Maybe even a novella solely about the dragon realm.
I didn't care for how throwaway the half dragons felt. They were some of the more interesting characters but weren't developed.
And spicy opinion, I didn't care for takkan. I don't remember how I felt about him in the 1st book but in this one, I didn't care for him at all. I loved why he was chosen as the betrothed but his character was boring for me in this one. I don't think I cared about the romance much at all in this. I would've preferred more focus on the "action" parts of the book-would've preferred more time in the dragon realm, would've preferred more expansion on Shiori's magic, would've preferred more Raikama backstory, etc.
Not a bad sequel, still enjoyed a lot of elements of it, but I would've been satisfied with the first book and a book solely about Raikama. Maybe even a novella solely about the dragon realm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
pixellatxd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Torture, and Violence
niatella's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this book more so than the first, probably because the plot has already been established, making easier to understand some of the complex explanations.
I understand that the MC's character-development is part of the plot, though I would like to say I don't really enjoy it. She can be a bit too stubborn and overbearing to read.
The romance is fine, simply, WHERE CAN I GET MYSELF A TAKKAN?!?!?!?!
I understand that the MC's character-development is part of the plot, though I would like to say I don't really enjoy it. She can be a bit too stubborn and overbearing to read.
The romance is fine, simply, WHERE CAN I GET MYSELF A TAKKAN?!?!?!?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Torture and Death
Minor: Death of parent
the_books_music_life's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
Now I have some spoiler questions I need answers to at the very bottom of my review.
I really enjoyed this book though, not as much as the first. I love all the characters, places, and don't get me started on the food description 🤤.
If I wasn't so in love with Shirori and Takkan's relationship I wouldn't have minded if the relationship between Shirori and Seryu happened. I adore Seryu, he is one of my favorite characters and I wish we got to see more of him in the latter half of the book
While I enjoyed Shiori’s reunion with her brothers I thought it felt a little lack luster, though a lot has obviously happened in the months she’s been gone and she showed up with not so great timing. Shirori's reunion with her father however angered me. I have very mixed feelings for her father's character. You would think he'd be happy to see his ONLY daughter after so long and after her being lost with her brothers but instead he berates her....Wth?
I adore Shirori and Takkan's relationship. It is equal parts sweet and romantic while also being passionate and shows how much they deeply care for each other. Also How many times can two people be almost married?!
I adored Qinnia. Even though we don't see her very much or learn much about her, what we do see and what we got made me love her. It didn't feel like she was added just to be added, she had a place in the book and it wasn't forced.
Now onto my dislikes.
I didn't enjoy how long and dragged out the trip to the Dragon's kingdom was. While I enjoy Seryu I thought the whole thing could have been shorter and it would have gotten the same point across about her misadventures and adventures there.
(This is going to be so hard to explain my feelings without spoilers)
While I enjoyed the ending I was worried about certain things happening and my fears were partially true. I didn't really care for the solution that ended up taking place, but I rather that than the worse thing I thought was going to happen. I do like how the author incorporates Seryu into the ending and the solution that is figured out for Shirori.
I felt like the ended was a little rushed and I wanted to see more from the epilogue.
For some reason I cried like a little baby at the end of this book and I have no clue why. Yes some things that happened were sad but jeez I didn't think it was all that sad.
My spoilerly questions
Who tricked the guardian demon/dragon (I can't remember his name) into killing Vanna?
And why does Hasho still have a bird arm and can talk to birds. Is it because he was cursed by Bandur? But if that's so wouldn't it heave been fixed when the demon/dragon changed her brothers back into humans?
I really enjoyed this book though, not as much as the first. I love all the characters, places, and don't get me started on the food description 🤤.
If I wasn't so in love with Shirori and Takkan's relationship I wouldn't have minded if the relationship between Shirori and Seryu happened. I adore Seryu, he is one of my favorite characters and I wish we got to see more of him in the latter half of the book
While I enjoyed Shiori’s reunion with her brothers I thought it felt a little lack luster, though a lot has obviously happened in the months she’s been gone and she showed up with not so great timing. Shirori's reunion with her father however angered me. I have very mixed feelings for her father's character. You would think he'd be happy to see his ONLY daughter after so long and after her being lost with her brothers but instead he berates her....Wth?
I adore Shirori and Takkan's relationship. It is equal parts sweet and romantic while also being passionate and shows how much they deeply care for each other. Also How many times can two people be almost married?!
I adored Qinnia. Even though we don't see her very much or learn much about her, what we do see and what we got made me love her. It didn't feel like she was added just to be added, she had a place in the book and it wasn't forced.
Now onto my dislikes.
I didn't enjoy how long and dragged out the trip to the Dragon's kingdom was. While I enjoy Seryu I thought the whole thing could have been shorter and it would have gotten the same point across about her misadventures and adventures there.
(This is going to be so hard to explain my feelings without spoilers)
While I enjoyed the ending I was worried about certain things happening and my fears were partially true. I didn't really care for the solution that ended up taking place, but I rather that than the worse thing I thought was going to happen. I do like how the author incorporates Seryu into the ending and the solution that is figured out for Shirori.
I felt like the ended was a little rushed and I wanted to see more from the epilogue.
For some reason I cried like a little baby at the end of this book and I have no clue why. Yes some things that happened were sad but jeez I didn't think it was all that sad.
My spoilerly questions
And why does Hasho still have a bird arm and can talk to birds. Is it because he was cursed by Bandur? But if that's so wouldn't it heave been fixed when the demon/dragon changed her brothers back into humans?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Body horror
Minor: Death of parent