A dystopian tale that’s absorbing, topical, and gleefully rife with turmoil.
In Mitchell’s dark fantasy, individuals of divergent social classes struggle to find common ground as their world falls into chaos.
Long ago, the mysterious Emperor saved humankind from an “ancient enemy” by bringing the people to a new world. Lately, however, this world has turned seemingly hostile as clouds block the sun and floods and mudslides devastate the land. Denke, an Imperial Magus (scholar), wakes up to rack and ruin and, initially, only one other living soul: Awral, a “Pahlavan” (Imperial Soldier) recruit. They quickly discover a pressing threat when they’re nearly killed by a horde of venomous, lizard-like “kigyan.” Elsewhere, Iolu Peneggu, a Courier injured during a delivery, reluctantly accepts help from a “Falban,” a member of a pale-skinned people (like Denke) with ties to an ancient enemy who are treated as pariahs by most of the Empire. (“Punitive Expedition against Falban unregulated separatists ordered. Falban merchants expelled from Capital for two years,” reads a decree.) Iolu’s and Denke’s paths ultimately cross, along with that of Beleq, a farmer’s wife who loses her family in the first wave of floods. They and a handful of fellow survivors endure the disintegrating landscape, ample kigyan, an appalling fungus, and a most formidable menace. Mitchell’s epic apocalyptic novel intermingles characters of clashing social statuses; Iolu, for example, who’s a noblewoman, perpetually debases several Falban, who loathe her just as much. Denke likewise faces animosity from Pahlavan. As such, much of the cast comes across as fairly heartless, though a few reveal cracks in their stringent beliefs, and the bond between Denke and Awral is a refreshing breather. Alternating character-centric chapters (primarily featuring Denke, Iolu, and Beleq) aptly illustrate the fears of living in upheaval (like the frightening possibility that the ever-reliant, godlike Emperor is dead) with inexplicable sights such as rain with no visible clouds. The shifting narrative perspectives ramp up momentum in the dialogue-laden story. While the final act doesn’t explain away all the weirdness herein, it clarifies more than enough for a gratifying ending.
A dystopian tale that’s absorbing, topical, and gleefully rife with turmoil.Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798871143445
Page Count: 462
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 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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