Everyone was talking about it, so I couldn't NOT read it. Perfect timing because my library hold from months ago popped up this week.
Honest stars: 4.5
What I loved: Ohhhh, there is so much to love about this story. It's been a while since I read something that was well-rounded. World-building was adequate, maybe not the best, but scattered through the story so you got more over time (which is my preferred way to approach world-building). The Characters were fantastic. Even with the story told in first person, the secondary characters were full people. The Plot was unbelievable. The pacing was perfection: quicky and choppy through the battles, slow and enjoyable through the personal interactions. Honestly, there is so little I'd change here.
What I hated: Nothing. I mean, really nothing. I know people hated this book. But I think it's because it is fantasy, boarding on high-fantasy with lots of characters, lots of detailed battle, lots of places to keep track of. It's also New Adult, which means it isn't as easy to read as Young Adult. I think if the readers who hated it had more practice with fantasy, they might not hate it so much (or that's what I'm telling myself because I LOVED it).
What I thought of the main characters:
Violet: I loved how real Violet was. She has lots of faults, makes mistakes, owns those mistakes, and moves forward. She has the stereotypical "greatness thrust upon her" but I liked it.
Xaden: probably my new favorite book boyfriend. I love how he didn't try to keep her safe all the time. Because that's something I'm very over.
Dain: the guy who tries to keep her safe all the time.
Rhiannon: this is literally everything I want in a best friend character.
Liam: if Xaden didn't exist, Liam obviously would have been the best pick for leading man.
This book is for anyone who loves an exciting read, dragons, or fans of Maas' books.
This is definitely a plot-driven story.
My review system is as follows:
5 stars - unbelievable, I am still talking about it, a book I'll recommend to everyone and refuse to hear any critiques of it (these are very rare)
4 stars - better than a typical read, I'll keep reading the series, really enjoyed but there were some minor issues
3 stars - average read (my most common rating)
2 stars - I didn't enjoy it, but I finished it
1 star - DNF or finished but it was awful
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