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betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
Overall, I think I enjoyed this book. It felt quite slow at the beginning, and some of the world building did feel a little choppy to me. But once Arcady and Everen finally meet, the plot picks up and I was more engaged. Their relationship is what holds together the book for me, especially as they start to grow closer towards the end.
As a dragon book, this did feel unique, with all of the dragons essentially being trapped in another world. I would be interested in seeing more of this world in the next book, though!
As a dragon book, this did feel unique, with all of the dragons essentially being trapped in another world. I would be interested in seeing more of this world in the next book, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, and War
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
okay so despite a really boring 2/3, the last 1/3 of this book was quite interesting. somehow, sort of against my will, I am looking forward to the next book!
the world building is quite robust, to somewhat of a fault. there was soooo much exposition. so much.
everen & arcady managed to actually make me like enemies to lovers, go figure! the characters are where this book really shines. sorin was so :( free my good sis in the next book pls
I kinda just want to see everything come crashing down, and see the dragon man fuck. i am a simple woman with simple needs
the world building is quite robust, to somewhat of a fault. there was soooo much exposition. so much.
everen & arcady managed to actually make me like enemies to lovers, go figure! the characters are where this book really shines. sorin was so :( free my good sis in the next book pls
I kinda just want to see everything come crashing down, and see the dragon man fuck. i am a simple woman with simple needs
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A fun and easy read, with relatively short chapters. An interesting concept for sure, writing both first, second and third perspectives, following a dragon chasing a prophecy, a thief trying to protect their family name, and a young acolyte torn between right and wrong. Good discussions on gender identity too. Fun fantasy heist with friendships, trust, betrayal, and morality.
Definitely could have done with more worldbuilding and plot written into the text. The characters were very "woe is me" at times where it wasn't needed. I appreciated how Everen's POV included the humans teaching him how their society worked in terms of how gender identity and pronouns worked. Also, was not a fan of the romance subplot. It would have worked much better if the characters just learned each other's surnames as an act of trust.
Definitely could have done with more worldbuilding and plot written into the text. The characters were very "woe is me" at times where it wasn't needed. I appreciated how Everen's POV included the humans teaching him how their society worked in terms of how gender identity and pronouns worked. Also, was not a fan of the romance subplot. It would have worked much better if the characters just learned each other's surnames as an act of trust.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Sexual content
cookiecat73's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I enjoyed this, but I didn't love it. We have two main points of view, and one or two more which come up more rarely. The main two are Arcady and Everen. I liked Arcady a lot, their backstory was pretty dark but I enjoyed their personality and their motivations were cool and intresting, and it means a lot to me to have a main character who is canonically and openely genderqueer. Everen on the other hand was a superior brat. I know that's on purpose and he does improve and I did like him more by the end, but for the most part I didn't like him or enjoy his povs very much. The world building and plot were mostly just fine, I didn't have any major critisisms, gripes, or things I hated, but I didn't love it either. I guess it's just not completely my kinda book, and that's fine, I still liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Grief, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
marleywrites's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
The first 12% of this book, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. But then, it picked up tremendously and I became obsessed. I read about 60% in one sitting.
The first 12% of this book, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. But then, it picked up tremendously and I became obsessed. I read about 60% in one sitting.
This book has queer enemies to lovers to ??? and it’s the perfect slow burn. I also enjoyed the queer normative world where everyone is referred to with they/them pronouns until told otherwise. It worked well and I enjoyed that twist on reality.
I really love Everen as a character. He is so complex and I can’t wait to learn more about him throughout this trilogy. I actually really enjoyed the second person POV which makes sense at the end of the novel. Arcady was also fascinating, I loved how they are always dressed in cool outfits and how they have taken on the most challenging magical tasks.
The bond building between these two is dynamic and I loved the way it was described.
The last 15%— phew! You’re gonna wanna read that in one sitting. My kindle died at 92% and I was devastated!! I had to wait for it to wake back up to be able to read more.
Overall, I loved this story and these characters and I plan to read the rest of the trilogy. I’m mad I have to wait so long for the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Animal death
gummifrog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I am obsessed with this book! The writing is gorgeous and immersive, the narrators of the story are relatable and lovable, and the story is complex and winding. It hit all my tickboxes in such a satisfying way - a unique magic system, dragons, enemies to lovers, underdog narratives, secrets on secrets on secrets. Whenever I wasn't reading this book, I wanted to be reading it. I can't wait for the sequel and I can't wait to share this experience with others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, and War
lastblossom's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
Solid in-depth world building, a cast of morally gray characters, and so much queerness to be had. Can take a few chapters to get into.
Thoughts
Dragonfall is not shy about its world building - which is both its greatest strength, and a bit of a speed bump. The first few chapters had me floundering in terms I didn't fully understand, but the path smoothed out considerably once Everen entered, as he provides a great insert for other characters to explain the world to, and I found myself very impressed by the scope of it. There's a LOT of world to get through here: magic, government, history, classes, dragons, religions, and so much gender. Every added detail paints a vivid picture of multiple societies with real weight to them, and the world feels comfortably lived in. The cast is full of complex, morally gray characters, with church-ordained assassin Sorin taking the lead as my favorite, and I hope for only good things for her. The slow burn romance gets steamy in places, with just a hint of spice (so far). Plot moves at an even pace, taking its time with each of the POV characters. Most characters are written in third person while the two leads are in first person, with an interesting conceit for Everen that can feel stilted, but has a strong payoff at the end. And speaking of the end, lots of big reveals that open up possibilities for the next two books in the series. I genuinely have no idea what's going to happen next, but I'm glad to be along for the ride.
Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the advance copy. All thoughts in here are my own.
Solid in-depth world building, a cast of morally gray characters, and so much queerness to be had. Can take a few chapters to get into.
Thoughts
Dragonfall is not shy about its world building - which is both its greatest strength, and a bit of a speed bump. The first few chapters had me floundering in terms I didn't fully understand, but the path smoothed out considerably once Everen entered, as he provides a great insert for other characters to explain the world to, and I found myself very impressed by the scope of it. There's a LOT of world to get through here: magic, government, history, classes, dragons, religions, and so much gender. Every added detail paints a vivid picture of multiple societies with real weight to them, and the world feels comfortably lived in. The cast is full of complex, morally gray characters, with church-ordained assassin Sorin taking the lead as my favorite, and I hope for only good things for her. The slow burn romance gets steamy in places, with just a hint of spice (so far). Plot moves at an even pace, taking its time with each of the POV characters. Most characters are written in third person while the two leads are in first person, with an interesting conceit for Everen that can feel stilted, but has a strong payoff at the end. And speaking of the end, lots of big reveals that open up possibilities for the next two books in the series. I genuinely have no idea what's going to happen next, but I'm glad to be along for the ride.
Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the advance copy. All thoughts in here are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Sexism, and Xenophobia