The Rage of Dragons

I've had this book on my shelf for a long time. I bought both the ebook and audiobook knowing I will like it but sometimes, I just don't feel like reading hyped books and it's been languishing since. But now that I've decided I want to get through atleast some of the series I own in 2022, this was one of the first ones I decided to pick up. It helps that I have nothing else to do and can just immerse myself in it while recovering from Covid. And what an experience this turned out to be.

Except for a couple breaks, I listened to this at a single stretch. I just didn't wanna stop. But that's understandable because the book is relentless in every way possible. I'm so used to reading more character focused books that even when there are amazing action sequences, the ones I read aren't always that gritty (a major exception being the Poppy War trilogy which is all kinds of bloody). However, this book is about conflict and war and revenge. The fighting starts in the prologue and it goes on and on in some form or the other throughout. We have elaborate battles, competitive melees, personal duels, rage filled skirmishes - you think of it, and this book has that kind of an action sequence.

That's not to say it's all the book is about. Because it's the underlying causes for these fights that make us care enough to keep reading. The world building is not very expansive but we get to know enough about the history, the reasons for the never ending war between the Omehi and Hedeni, and the oppressive caste system within the Omehi which leaves the non-gifted commoners to get slaughtered first while protecting the powerful nobles. This is a story about one person's vengeance yes, but it's also about what that path can lead to, and what happens when people who have always been told they are lesser finally see signs that they may have been lied to. The audiobook narration is also very good and the narrator keeps the tension up and our adrenaline pumping with his very expressive style.

We mostly get only our main character Tau's POV and while it's not easy to like him, it's very easy to root for him. From someone who just wanted to get married to his childhood sweetheart and have a peaceful life, he is forced to become a warrior hell bent on revenge, but that transformation comes at a cost. He is one of the most determined characters I've probably ever read - he knows who he needs to kill, knows he isn't strong enough to do so, and he will forego every other aspect of his life to home his body and mind into a trained and capable fighter. The alternate subplots of his training montages and the fighting competitions really drove that point home about how much he is working towards his goal and how he is improving. It also means that he can be impulsive and reckless, and make decisions in the heat of the moment that affect not just his life, but of his comrades too. He puts himself through all kinds of horrors to be able to withstand his enemies but he never gains respite, and it was heartbreaking to see him encounter only more pain in his path.

There are many side characters but everyone's presence is muted because of how Tau towers above all. I could never get a handle on Zuri initially about what she wanted - I knew there was love between them but I also felt she wasn't able to truly understand his anguish. However, she is the only somewhat significant female character in the story and I hope we have more in the sequel because it was weird to not meet a lot of women in a world where they rule and they are the ones who are gifted with powers. Tau's friends in Scale Jayyed were all awesome characters too and I admired them for trying to keep him grounded and offering friendship even when he wasn't ready for it. Jayyed was another character I was fascinated by but wanted more of. And finally we get only a little glimpse of the queen but I can see she is formidable and hopefully we'll get to know her better in the next.

Overall, this was thrilling, fast paced, full of tension African inspired epic fantasy that will wow you with its truly epic battle scenes, and then make you feel all the pain that the characters are feeling. It's such an impressive debut and very unputdownable and I can totally see now why everyone loved it so much. I have only heard even better things about the sequel, so I'm sure I will love that too. The only question is whether I'll pick it up right away or put it off for later like I always do.