A fantasy tale bursting with excitement, fascinating characters, and emotional impact.
A deposed ruler undertakes a fateful journey to regain his stolen kingdom in Barrett’s fantasy novel, one in a series.
The realm of Imbria, divided into the three main factions of Veruca, Kymir, and Samirra, seems headed toward war as leaders jostle for power. Blaise, the Fire Keeper, burns things with his magical powers when angry, and in this book his frustration is high. He ruled Veruca, but it was stolen by his cousin Logaire when Blaise was away fighting against the blood-drinking Fomori. Adding to Blaise’s woes, his love Orabelle, the Water Keeper, perished in battle while still angry at him. Joining Blaise on his mission are Orabelle’s brother Thyrr and Guardian Damian. The group tries to enlist help and heal divides, but Blaise has many enemies: Khymir’s leader, Maialen (Orabelle’s sister), hates Blaise for personal reasons; Logaire, tasting power, doesn’t want give up Veruca; and Samirra’s half-Fomori ruler, Chaote, seeks revenge for his imprisonment in a cave. Blaise’s staunchest ally is Kaeleb, an orphan he rescued, but Kaeleb’s just a kid. On the journey Blaise encounters another child, Eolande—the most powerful person in the kingdom. Eolande is the “Solvrei,” the chosen one foretold through prophecy. Blaise tries to help Eolande control her magical ability. She wants no part of it, but others hope to harness her power for their own gain. Barrett tells a vivid story never lacking in surprises or plot twists. Creative imagery overflows—there are giant eagles transporting people, Sirens “singing out a tender lullaby” in the water, and an ancient dog god seeking Eolande’s help to die. There are also abundant compelling characters. Blaise starts out arrogant, impatiently incinerating people, but he grows by caring for Kaeleb and Eolande. The queens of the rival territories, though seeking war, have understandable motivations. Even the minor characters are intriguing, like the ambitious fake seer Sybylla. Perhaps because it’s the third book in a series, the beginning chapter overwhelms readers with a tangle of names and relationships. But the exciting flow of the narrative takes over, gaining more clarity as it hurtles forward.
A fantasy tale bursting with excitement, fascinating characters, and emotional impact.Pub Date: Dec. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9798988889151
Page Count: 339
Publisher: Anthem in Art
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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