A romance with an intriguing premise that’s hampered by an unfortunate lack of substance.
Boyles delivers a steamy fantasy romance series-starter that features an initially fake relationship and plenty of magic.
As the only witch in her family without any powers, Addie Thornrose of Nashville, Tennessee, is used to magic-wielding guys breaking up with her over it. It’s why, after her most recent boyfriend dumps her, she decides to swear off men. The only problem is that her grandmother’s sudden death has endangered her family’s magic, and to keep it from disappearing, Addie and her six sisters must marry—and soon. As Addie is the oldest, her family decides to throw a ball to help her meet potential suitors. While attempting to sneak out of the event, she runs into Feylin, a handsome man whom she previously met under unpleasant circumstances (which involved her accidentally throwing up on his shoes). Addie can’t stand him, but when she runs into her ex at the ball, she’s glad when Feylin rescues her by pretending to be her new fiancé. Then she learns Feylin is a fae king, and his declaration of their engagement has accidentally induced a powerful spell that prevents them from moving too far apart from each other. The only way to break the spell is to see the marriage through, which means that until the wedding, the pair will have to pretend to be head over heels. Boyles offers an easygoing storytelling approach that makes for a fast read: “It’s easier to pretend to love Feylin than I ever imagined,” Addie narrates at one point. “Which is annoying, I might add.” However, this casual manner also has its downsides, as the worldbuilding and character development ultimately lack depth. For example, Addie and her family are said to be from the South, but it’s easy to forget this, as there are few signs of it, other than the occasional use of the term y’all. Also, the instant sexual attraction that the main characters feel early on makes their continuing dislike of each other come across as rather forced.
A romance with an intriguing premise that’s hampered by an unfortunate lack of substance.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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