Tag: dragon riders

REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Violet has been preparing her whole life to attend Basgiath War College as a scribe, just like her father. But following his death, her mother, General Sorrengail, decides she must join the Riders Quadrant instead – the most ruthless and deadly path at Basgiath.

The cadets who survive the initiation and early training have the chance to bond with a dragon which means developing a magical gift and riding that dragon into battle. But there are fewer and fewer dragons willing to bond with humans. So the competition is fierce. Violet has never been physically strong or healthy, so she’s already at a significant disadvantage. And on top of that, there are others at Basgiath who want to kill her.

Review

Yes, I know. This book pubbed almost 2 years ago, and was almost immediately a huge hit. But my copy sat on my TBR bookcase for ages. I don’t always love books with a lot of hype, so I was reluctant to take my chances with it. Then book 3 released to great fanfare, and it felt like time.

This absolutely lived up to the hype! I was sold from the start, and never wanted to put the book down.

This felt comfortable and familiar from the start – I’ve read this sort of book before. The heroine who isn’t supposed to be special, who has to overcome all sorts of trials to prove herself – both to others and herself. The bad boy love interest. All familiar. And all ABSOLUTELY my jam. By the time I got to the dragon portion of the story, I had already ordered the next two books so I could get completely caught up with the series. It’s so fun to finally understand all the memes!

If you love these sorts of stories as much as I do, be sure to give this one a try if you haven’t already! (Language, violence, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

BONUS REVIEW: Novice Dragoneer by E. E. Knight

BONUS REVIEW: Novice Dragoneer by E. E. Knight

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Ace in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Ileth was seven, she met a dragon named Agrath and a dragoneer named Annis. Ileth was at the well to gather water for the “orphan lodge” where she lived. She was immediately drawn to Agrath. Annis even invited Ileth to sit on him. And most amazing of all, Annis told her when she was 14 and old enough to apprentice, she should come to the Serpentine and ask for her so she, too, could become a dragoneer.

And that’s exactly what Ileth does. Only, she arrives at the Serpentine after the gate has been closed and all the apprentices have been accepted. Annis and Agrath were both killed in the war, so Ileth has no sponsor to get her inside. She has no invitation or “name” that would grant her access. But her determination eventually attracts the attention of the Master of Novices who agrees to let her in the door. But she’ll have to work very hard if she hopes to stay at the Serpentine and eventually become a dragoneer.

Review

This is Ileth’s story of her early days at the Serpentine – her friends, her enemies, her adventures, her failures, and her triumphs. There’s a full story arc, but there’s not really a clear problem to solve or one trial to overcome. This is her journey during her novice season. I struggle with books like this because I just don’t know what goal I am reading towards. This made a long book feel that much longer to me.

Thankfully, there was Ileth. I loved her. And that redeemed some of the factors that might have caused me to leave this one unfinished. I was attached to this determined, kind, bright girl, and I wanted to see what happened to her. (There’s a LOT.)

There’s one big twist in the end that shook things up a bit. And the fall out of that will likely be a big plot factor for the next book. I enjoyed the surprise and the race to the end of the book. But this is really just the start of Ileth’s journey to become a dragoneer.

Fantasy fans who enjoy a story with good character development as the focus should check this one out. I enjoyed the dragon pieces, especially Ileth’s relationship with one particular dragon in the story, but the focus here is really on Ileth. (Trigger Warning: assault)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥