A fun adventure that will keep readers engaged.
Unlikely heroes abound in Voss’ fantasy novel of magic and royalty.
Dactyli are elemental magicians who can access the “memories” of the Earth; as one character explains, “The earth is alive. It lives and breathes and hears and sees, just like you and me.” The group harnesses nature’s power and preserves its narrative as keepers of the sgeulachds, a compilation of objective truths. These mages have encoded and guarded living history for thousands of years, but time has eroded their strength, reducing them to relics of the very past they seek to protect. A deadly threat emerges that could seal their fate: Alev, a rogue fire mage with a thirst for power, is supporting a torturer king. Driven by the belief that a boy possessing the white flare—the ability to wield all elements—could end his reign of terror, Alev orders the murders of all male children believed to be nascent dactyli. However, a mysterious forest woman, searching for her missing father, emerges with the white flare and a calling to restore justice. United with two dactyli allies—Lovelace and Gunnar—and their brave allies, Pif and Ailwin, she’ll embark on a journey to restore peace and foster respect for the land. Readers will be swept into an unusual landscape that’s engagingly similar to our own in some ways; in this world, nature has been stripped of its resources and corruption has silenced dissent, though it’s not too late for compassion to prevail. As the story, which features vivid descriptions and intricate history, weaves in elements of mystery, readers will wonder whom the heroes can trust; along the way, they’ll enjoy scenes of fast-paced action and dangerous magic. The action is seldom graphically violent, but it’s worth noting that the villain is responsible for the slaying of children, and the discovery of one victim is described in detail that some may find disturbing. That said, the work also contains great beauty and a sense of hope, and readers will likely be excited for a sequel.
A fun adventure that will keep readers engaged.Pub Date: July 26, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 342
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2023
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
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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