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messica's review
3.5
These things are paced like each book is an entire tv drama series. McCaffrey loves a little action. I love Ruth and I wish we would get more of her in future books but something tells me we don’t. This scene where menolly and the Harper confess they love each other??? Pointless. Completely pointless. Useless addition, Anne. Unnecessary daddy issues, Anne. No thank you. And the way Jaxom treats his first love interest is also unreasonable. Interesting character building choices to say the least.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence and Terminal illness
Minor: Homophobia
mal_eficent's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
I really shouldn't have put off reading this for over a decade.
Of the original trilogy I think this might be the best written. The pacing, characterisation, and even the intricacy of the politics are all an improvement - especially from Dragonquest. I'll always love Dragonflight the most, but I can't deny McCaffrey's writing ability improved dramatically over the ten years she wrote these stories.
There is a strong plot, but the focus on Jaxom as the perspective character makes the story feel almost like a slice of life story instead - you get everything from world changing reveals and exploration, to him figuring out girls are attractive, and those smaller moments make this a much more interesting narrative to me than just the main story beats. I put off reading this as a kid because I was under the impression this was the book the sci fi elements really came to the forefront. I'm still not the biggest fan of sci-fantasy elements blending together too much (she writes, when the series is about genetically engineered dragons on an alien planet) but McCaffrey did a great job of easing in and describing these new discoveries and I didn't mind at all.
If you've read Dragonflight and didn't enjoy it, but want to know if the rest of the series is worth it, I really do recommend reading on to at least here!
Of the original trilogy I think this might be the best written. The pacing, characterisation, and even the intricacy of the politics are all an improvement - especially from Dragonquest. I'll always love Dragonflight the most, but I can't deny McCaffrey's writing ability improved dramatically over the ten years she wrote these stories.
There is a strong plot, but the focus on Jaxom as the perspective character makes the story feel almost like a slice of life story instead - you get everything from world changing reveals and exploration, to him figuring out girls are attractive, and those smaller moments make this a much more interesting narrative to me than just the main story beats. I put off reading this as a kid because I was under the impression this was the book the sci fi elements really came to the forefront. I'm still not the biggest fan of sci-fantasy elements blending together too much (she writes, when the series is about genetically engineered dragons on an alien planet) but McCaffrey did a great job of easing in and describing these new discoveries and I didn't mind at all.
If you've read Dragonflight and didn't enjoy it, but want to know if the rest of the series is worth it, I really do recommend reading on to at least here!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual violence and Death of parent
uranaishi's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Deportation
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