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aspoonfuloflanguage's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Can I just start off by saying that the premise of this is so intriguing! Like, shapeshifter dragons? A war between good and evil? Dismantling complacency and a corrupt status quo and inciting change for a better world? Enemies to lovers? Sign me up!!
Let's start with what I loved - enemies to lovers. I loved how Kaida and Tarrin's relationship was an ~actual~ enemies to lovers situation where they both ended up growing for the better, breaking free of their own prejudices, finding strength within themselves to fight for good, and falling for each other in a way that develops into a healthy relationship because of it. I find that a lot of times enemies to "lovers" can actually fall into a toxic relationship, which is probably one of my biggest pet peeves and genuinely breaks my heart whenever I see it happen. I'm so glad this wasn't the case here! There's a lot of anger and hate, but there's also a HUGE character growth arc for the both of them that's really fun to read.
I also loved how even though there was so much rage, hatred, and darkness that consumed a lot of the characters and fuelled their actions, Emily used that as an opportunity to portray the strength it takes to break free from that and to do better. Vengeance, while tempting, often leads to death. Fighting out of love to protect is (in my opinion) always stronger than fighting out of wrath, and it was really cool seeing how she grew a few of the characters in that way, while also allowing that to be some other characters downfall. There was a super interesting balance going on there.
Emily's not afraid to get gritty with this story. Like, it gets surprisingly heavy. There's some pretty low lows for these characters and there were definite moments where I was like "oh my gosh NO NOT MY FAVE WHYY?!" However, it wasn't dark for the sake of being dark. She used those moments for incredible character growth, healing through trauma, and the pull towards hope. Even in the darkness when all felt lost and I don't know what would happen I felt like I could trust her to navigate me through that, which is really cool as a reader. It's something I've never experienced before and it's incredibly refreshing. It definitely adds a layer of humanity, raw emotion, and nuance to her story.
That being said, I do want to mention some of the main trigger warnings: slavery, graphic descriptions of torture/violence, starvation, death of a parent, and kidnapping. While book 2 is still heavy (this is a war after all), it's not nearly as dark. If you feel you can handle those themes I would definitely recommend this series, but please be mindful of yourself and your mental health. That always comes first <3
Lastly, what I didn't like as much. There were moments in the writing, a few descriptions or certain word choices for example, that I felt were slightly cliche and it momentarily broke me out of the flow of reading. This didn't happen often, but it was enough to be noticed and made the experience slightly less enjoyable. There's also a way one moment was handled that I didn't really enjoy, but it's probably just from a personal experience I've had and won't impact your opinion on the book.
Overall I loved this book and I'm so excited for the second one! Emily really is a great author and it's crazy to think that this is her debut novel!
Let's start with what I loved - enemies to lovers. I loved how Kaida and Tarrin's relationship was an ~actual~ enemies to lovers situation where they both ended up growing for the better, breaking free of their own prejudices, finding strength within themselves to fight for good, and falling for each other in a way that develops into a healthy relationship because of it. I find that a lot of times enemies to "lovers" can actually fall into a toxic relationship, which is probably one of my biggest pet peeves and genuinely breaks my heart whenever I see it happen. I'm so glad this wasn't the case here! There's a lot of anger and hate, but there's also a HUGE character growth arc for the both of them that's really fun to read.
I also loved how even though there was so much rage, hatred, and darkness that consumed a lot of the characters and fuelled their actions, Emily used that as an opportunity to portray the strength it takes to break free from that and to do better. Vengeance, while tempting, often leads to death. Fighting out of love to protect is (in my opinion) always stronger than fighting out of wrath, and it was really cool seeing how she grew a few of the characters in that way, while also allowing that to be some other characters downfall. There was a super interesting balance going on there.
Emily's not afraid to get gritty with this story. Like, it gets surprisingly heavy. There's some pretty low lows for these characters and there were definite moments where I was like "oh my gosh NO NOT MY FAVE WHYY?!" However, it wasn't dark for the sake of being dark. She used those moments for incredible character growth, healing through trauma, and the pull towards hope. Even in the darkness when all felt lost and I don't know what would happen I felt like I could trust her to navigate me through that, which is really cool as a reader. It's something I've never experienced before and it's incredibly refreshing. It definitely adds a layer of humanity, raw emotion, and nuance to her story.
That being said, I do want to mention some of the main trigger warnings: slavery, graphic descriptions of torture/violence, starvation, death of a parent, and kidnapping. While book 2 is still heavy (this is a war after all), it's not nearly as dark. If you feel you can handle those themes I would definitely recommend this series, but please be mindful of yourself and your mental health. That always comes first <3
Lastly, what I didn't like as much. There were moments in the writing, a few descriptions or certain word choices for example, that I felt were slightly cliche and it momentarily broke me out of the flow of reading. This didn't happen often, but it was enough to be noticed and made the experience slightly less enjoyable. There's also a way one moment was handled that I didn't really enjoy, but it's probably just from a personal experience I've had and won't impact your opinion on the book.
Overall I loved this book and I'm so excited for the second one! Emily really is a great author and it's crazy to think that this is her debut novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit