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abookwormspov's review against another edition
adventurous
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: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
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
dezzella's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
2.5
I went in wanting to love this book, and there are certainly aspects I liked, but over all I felt the execution could have been done differently/better.
I did like the two worlds concept between the dragons and humans, and some of the magic pieces. I wish there was more clarity on some of the worldbuilding, it made sense for the characters to already know things about the magic and world. As a reader it felt like I was missing out on details, though the magic system was interesting and unique.
I also found myself a bit bored/losing interest while reading and had considered DNF'ing but ended up pushing through. I will admit that the last 10 chapters or so were better than the rest of the book. The training scenes started to feel repetitive and stretched out over many chapters. And the changes of perspective were unique but they were a bit jarring and felt strange when reading; it felt like the flow of the narrative was interrupted when the type of POV would change.
Also how pronouns were tackled for this world was very cool and I hope that more people will do something like it.
Overall this story wasn't really my cup of tea, and I probably won't continue the series as of right now, but I'm glad there are others who enjoy it and perhaps the author will improve the style in future books. :)
I did like the two worlds concept between the dragons and humans, and some of the magic pieces. I wish there was more clarity on some of the worldbuilding, it made sense for the characters to already know things about the magic and world. As a reader it felt like I was missing out on details, though the magic system was interesting and unique.
I also found myself a bit bored/losing interest while reading and had considered DNF'ing but ended up pushing through. I will admit that the last 10 chapters or so were better than the rest of the book. The training scenes started to feel repetitive and stretched out over many chapters. And the changes of perspective were unique but they were a bit jarring and felt strange when reading; it felt like the flow of the narrative was interrupted when the type of POV would change.
Also how pronouns were tackled for this world was very cool and I hope that more people will do something like it.
Overall this story wasn't really my cup of tea, and I probably won't continue the series as of right now, but I'm glad there are others who enjoy it and perhaps the author will improve the style in future books. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Death of parent
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
bookstarbri's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.75
Admittedly, I have a small obsession with dragons.
When it comes to books with dragons, I go weak in the knees because dragons are SO cool. And this book truly didn't disappoint me. I think it was very close to perfection. I had a few nit-picky gripes, which I'll get into in a bit, but first I want to talk about how much I loved this book as a whole. I know a lot of people will not like the way it is written, and I can understand why. There are 5 POVs total, with it mostly going back and forth between 2 (and a third a few times as well, though not as frequently). This back and forth may be a little jarring especially since the POVs are not just different characters but also different styles of POV as well. We have one that is standard first person, one that is first but is also sort of told like a letter so it dips into second. The remaining ones are all third. I thought this was really cool and a very interesting way to write a story like this, and I appreciated the experimental storytelling a lot and really enjoyed it. It made me especially love Everen's chapters!
Onto the characters, I thought they were (mostly) great! I LOVED Arcady and Everen. The side characters were interesting as well. One thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars was that I was bored with Sorin's chapters in the middle? There were definitely times when I just wanted to skip her POV and go back to the main story. Her story fits into this one and it all ties together, and I actually loved her POVs in the beginning, but those middle ones dragged on just a bit. Otherwise, I was really captivated in this story pretty much from start to finish. I thought the pacing was great and the events leading up to the finale were amazing!
This book had some great twists as well. There were three times when my mouth dropped because I hadn't expected something. Truly, it was awesome how easily L.R. Lam was able to bring something up and take it somewhere I hadn't expected at all without it feeling like a cheap surprise.
This is the start of a series and I am so excited that it is! I can't WAIT to read book 2. I loved this ending it made me feel so many things. This book is a new favorite and I have high hopes for book 2!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
When it comes to books with dragons, I go weak in the knees because dragons are SO cool. And this book truly didn't disappoint me. I think it was very close to perfection. I had a few nit-picky gripes, which I'll get into in a bit, but first I want to talk about how much I loved this book as a whole. I know a lot of people will not like the way it is written, and I can understand why. There are 5 POVs total, with it mostly going back and forth between 2 (and a third a few times as well, though not as frequently). This back and forth may be a little jarring especially since the POVs are not just different characters but also different styles of POV as well. We have one that is standard first person, one that is first but is also sort of told like a letter so it dips into second. The remaining ones are all third. I thought this was really cool and a very interesting way to write a story like this, and I appreciated the experimental storytelling a lot and really enjoyed it. It made me especially love Everen's chapters!
Onto the characters, I thought they were (mostly) great! I LOVED Arcady and Everen. The side characters were interesting as well. One thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars was that I was bored with Sorin's chapters in the middle? There were definitely times when I just wanted to skip her POV and go back to the main story. Her story fits into this one and it all ties together, and I actually loved her POVs in the beginning, but those middle ones dragged on just a bit. Otherwise, I was really captivated in this story pretty much from start to finish. I thought the pacing was great and the events leading up to the finale were amazing!
This book had some great twists as well. There were three times when my mouth dropped because I hadn't expected something. Truly, it was awesome how easily L.R. Lam was able to bring something up and take it somewhere I hadn't expected at all without it feeling like a cheap surprise.
This is the start of a series and I am so excited that it is! I can't WAIT to read book 2. I loved this ending it made me feel so many things. This book is a new favorite and I have high hopes for book 2!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Confinement
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
4.0
I received an e-ARC of this book through Netgalley.
In Dragonfall a dragon, stuck in a humanoid form after falling from his homeworld in another dimension, has to work together with human thief Arcady — to strengthen their bond, and then kill them. The story is told through multiple perspectives, with the framing device of being compiled by an unkown archivist. This is one of the things I loved, but that put off a lot of readers in the more negative reviews I’ve seen.
Another complaint I noticed is the amount of ‘infodumping’ at the start, which surprised me because I thought the worldbuilding was set up in a very organic way for a high fantasy… So I’m guessing those last words are key. If you’re used to reading books from writers like Robin Hobb, or worse (/teasing) Tolkien, this kind of worldbuilding set up is probably second nature to you. If you’re me it’s one of your favourite parts of the genre.
I could tell you about the painfully slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance (they can’t touch! because it hurts because of magic!), but I wanted to centre my review on the stuff I liked that some other people didn’t. Not to hate on those people, because tastes differ and that’s fine! Just to show that one person’s turn-off can be another person’s favourite thing.
I loved the setting, the characters, the magic system, everything and especially the ‘weird’ stuff. More please! Where is the fanart of dragons and dragon people! Send it to me! I will be over here, patiently waiting for the sequel.
Review originally posted on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu1a8Lmrh_9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Another complaint I noticed is the amount of ‘infodumping’ at the start, which surprised me because I thought the worldbuilding was set up in a very organic way for a high fantasy… So I’m guessing those last words are key. If you’re used to reading books from writers like Robin Hobb, or worse (/teasing) Tolkien, this kind of worldbuilding set up is probably second nature to you. If you’re me it’s one of your favourite parts of the genre.
I could tell you about the painfully slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance (they can’t touch! because it hurts because of magic!), but I wanted to centre my review on the stuff I liked that some other people didn’t. Not to hate on those people, because tastes differ and that’s fine! Just to show that one person’s turn-off can be another person’s favourite thing.
I loved the setting, the characters, the magic system, everything and especially the ‘weird’ stuff. More please! Where is the fanart of dragons and dragon people! Send it to me! I will be over here, patiently waiting for the sequel.
Review originally posted on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu1a8Lmrh_9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Gore, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
abiofpellinor's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Classism
marleywrites's review against another edition
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
kellysbookverse's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit
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