Adults yearning for the enchantment of their childhood favorites will be spellbound by this modern magical adventure.
Two rival classmates set off on a dangerous mission to undo a curse that has magically bound them in the opening book of the Wildersongs Trilogy.
Leovander Loveage and Sebastian Grimm are students at the Fount—a training school for sorcerers—who have nothing in common beyond a knack for getting on each other’s nerves. Leo is a scriver, one who imbues the words of a spell with magic. But while he’s a master of frivolous charms like turning someone’s hair pink, he’s so far been unable to write any powerful Grandmagic spells without them going horribly wrong. Grimm, on the other hand, is a brilliant caster, serious, studious, and driven. Early in the semester, Leo accidentally collides with a student who's on his way to file spells in the school’s library, and while helping him pick up the scattered pages, unknowingly adds one of these incantations to his own folder. Later, Leo and Grimm are forced together as partners in their Duality class, where Grimm casts the errant spell, thinking it one of Leo’s ineffective charms. It’s not until Grimm tells Leo to “go jump in a lake” during an argument—and Leo does it—that they realize Leo is under a dangerous, and forbidden, control spell. Though Grimm is careful not to give Leo any commands afterward, the effects of the spell soon worsen: The magic compels Leo to stay near Grimm, and he can’t stray from his side without experiencing life-threatening symptoms. Desperate, Leo asks Grimm to travel with him into the Unquiet Wood in search of a mythical sorceress who is known for her unrivaled ability to reverse spells gone wrong. As the journey slowly unravels the truth behind the curse, the depths of their magic—and their feelings for one another—will be tested. The author doesn’t waste any time jumping into the action, creating a propulsive atmosphere that leans on page-turning plot. With vibrant characters, delicious slow-burn tension, and a fascinating magic system, this is a compelling start to the trilogy.
Adults yearning for the enchantment of their childhood favorites will be spellbound by this modern magical adventure.Pub Date: today
ISBN: 9780316576758
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Orbit
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
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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