A fun, rousing quest tale with a compelling hero.
In this fantasy series opener, a student who seeks a scholarly life gets chosen for a dangerous mission.
Orion, 17, has studied at the Academy since he was a child and lost his parents. His best friend, Trey, is training to be a Kunsa, a guardian; his oldest pal, Arianna, is planning to be a priest; and Orion is preparing to be a “Chronicler,” someone who studies everything in the world. At the end of their time at the Academy, all of the students must try to pull a sword from an obelisk. A victorious student must leave on a quest for the False One. The False One tried to usurp the True God many centuries ago in an epic war and now it is up to the “Chosen One” to vanquish him. All of those selected have failed, and each time, the blade reappears in the stone, waiting for the next warrior. Everyone is surprised when Orion pulls the sword out and he is doubtful of the quest’s purpose as well as scared of dying. As he continues down the path the sword shows him, he enters a forest like the one his parents were killed in. While facing peril, he is rescued by a spirited young woman named Cassi. She’s lived in the forest her whole life but dreams of something more thrilling to fill her days. Now, she wants to join Orion, and he is happy to have the company, but his concerns about the False One make him worry for her safety. Sereda is a masterful storyteller who has crafted an exciting world with depth and complexity. The milieus of the Academy and the farms, forests, and cities beyond are captivating and create wonderful settings for Orion’s intriguing journey. Orion is a striking hero who is relatable in his self-doubt and fear of looming dangers (“He certainly did not feel honored to be chosen. He wondered if anyone else had felt like he did about being ‘the Chosen One.’ Had any of the previous Questers wished they could just put the sword back and pretend this never happened?”). This is a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy adventure with a gut-punch of an ending that will satisfy genre fans.
A fun, rousing quest tale with a compelling hero.Pub Date: June 8, 2023
ISBN: 9781039177895
Page Count: 282
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 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
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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