Beth
I figured this novel would be similar to the ACOTAR series, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that close at all. It reminded me more of Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games plus dragons. It reads quick and definitely keeps you entertained. There are a few small shocks here and there, but I feel like it was pretty easy to guess what was going to happen. I wish Rebecca Yarros was a bit more descriptive when it comes to the characters because I couldn't really tell you what anyone looked like, besides Xaden being handsome with dark hair and a scar (not exactly unique when it comes to romantasy) and Violet having silver hair and being frail. It also felt like some of the characters were thrown in haphazardly, like Professor Carr (who has almost no real involvement minus a couple paragraphs at best) and basically all of the staff. As entertaining as it was, a lot of it felt redundant--Dain trying to get Violet to quit for safety, the descriptions for the rebel branding, how everyone is trying to kill the same person the entire novel, how hot Violet thinks Xaden is, how Violet's mom is a cold/heartless mother, etc.
Bonus points for having more inclusive characters (using sign language, being non-binary, LGBTQ friendly).
Ultimately I am excited to start book two, Iron Flame.
I figured this novel would be similar to the ACOTAR series, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that close at all. It reminded me more of Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games plus dragons. It reads quick and definitely keeps you entertained. There are a few small shocks here and there, but I feel like it was pretty easy to guess what was going to happen. I wish Rebecca Yarros was a bit more descriptive when it comes to the characters because I couldn't really tell you what anyone looked like, besides Xaden being handsome with dark hair and a scar (not exactly unique when it comes to romantasy) and Violet having silver hair and being frail. It also felt like some of the characters were thrown in haphazardly, like Professor Carr (who has almost no real involvement minus a couple paragraphs at best) and basically all of the staff. As entertaining as it was, a lot of it felt redundant--Dain trying to get Violet to quit for safety, the descriptions for the rebel branding, how everyone is trying to kill the same person the entire novel, how hot Violet thinks Xaden is, how Violet's mom is a cold/heartless mother, etc.
Bonus points for having more inclusive characters (using sign language, being non-binary, LGBTQ friendly).
Ultimately I am excited to start book two, Iron Flame.