Approached with patience, this epic fantasy will satisfy any fan of the genre.
An ode to storytelling, complete with a rich mythology, turbulent adventures, and a flawed hero you'll root for.
Ari has been given many names. There is some truth to the legends about him, but as stories are told, little by little, they can become transformed over time. In his travels to Etaynia, a place far west of his home in the Mutri Empire, in search of an old and nearly forgotten tale, he is recognized as the most famous storyteller along the Golden Road. His arrival at a quiet and humble tavern was intended to be an opportunity to perform and earn his keep while on his journey, but as often happens to Ari, his plans are quickly interrupted. He meets a mysterious songstress with plans of her own. Since she's reluctant to share details about her life, he gives her the name Eloine, but they each soon realize that the other is much more than who and what they seem. Together, Ari and Eloine find that parts of their pasts have not been left behind, and neither have their enemies. To understand their present circumstances, Ari delves into his history, recalling the many lives he's lived and the origins of his many names beyond "Storyteller." In an ambitious and passionate narrative, through the past and present, truth and fictions of Ari’s life, Virdi captures readers in a lyrical web, grounded in the landscapes and cultures of South Asia. Readers journey with Ari through the challenges he faces as a young boy of the lowest caste in the streets of the Mutri Empire to his dedication to uncovering the hidden wonders of binding magic. Throughout, Ari grows ever more steadfast in his pursuit of knowledge and in the kindness he provides again and again to friends, strangers, and an animal companion. And in some deeply profound moments, the storyteller's words burn just as true in the world off the page.
Approached with patience, this epic fantasy will satisfy any fan of the genre.Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-79617-2
Page Count: 832
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
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
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
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