Animated characters fuel this commendable start to a fantasy saga.
In Havoc’s series-launching debut, a woman’s fate places her in the company of the Devil’s workforce.
Ellie O’Neill, a police station clerk, hopes to one day become an officer. The 30-year-old certainly has the heroic nature for it, as she barely hesitates to run into a burning building to save a stranger. Not long after, a voice—God’s, perhaps—informs Ellie that she’s worthy of “the Divine.” She’ll have three tests of faith, two of which she’s already passed: her courageous act and her prudence in not squandering her large inheritance. For the third test, she “must refuse the Devil.” Meanwhile, the Devil’s soul-scout and debt collector, Johnny Knight, becomes fascinated by Ellie: Not only is she able to step inside the Soulfull Tavern, an otherworldly establishment which humans can’t see or enter, but, as far as Johnny can tell, she also doesn’t have a soul. This opening series installment introduces a likable, multilayered hero in Ellie, who has low self-esteem and avoids attention while remaining consistently plucky and selfless. The fantastical narrative showcases various monsters (such as clingers, disfigured humans that move like “inverted crabs”) and such delightful inventions as Johnny’s magic coat, which is seemingly able to hold anything. The cast shines brightly, from Ellie’s human best friend, Kaley, to the colorful, sometimes scary beings she runs into (“Her face was pale—so pale, her eyebrows had no pigmentation. Her lips were swollen and cracked, and Ellie was sure there was a maggot on the lower lip. Deep cuts marred her features…”). Much of the story is murky, raising unanswered questions, but the final act elevates the tension and delivers an ending that makes reading the next installment in the series a virtual necessity.
Animated characters fuel this commendable start to a fantasy saga.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798987393406
Page Count: -
Publisher: Raptpress
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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