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seadeepy's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Picked this up in the library's used bookstore, using the same metric that served me as a kid: it had a cool-looking dragon on the cover. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to also be heavily queer!
The premise reminded me quite a bit of the Temeraire books -- dragons and their riders forming an elite Corps that nobody else really understands -- which is a compliment to be sure. It had some adorable pining/romance and some very entertaining characters. Obviously I was a fan of the two biggest nerds (Royston and Thom) but Hal's also a sweetheart. Couldn't stand Rook, but I suppose that was the point.
The one downside is that for a book about dragons and magic there wasn't much of either. But I'm very fond of character-driven fiction in any genre.
The premise reminded me quite a bit of the Temeraire books -- dragons and their riders forming an elite Corps that nobody else really understands -- which is a compliment to be sure. It had some adorable pining/romance and some very entertaining characters. Obviously I was a fan of the two biggest nerds (Royston and Thom) but Hal's also a sweetheart. Couldn't stand Rook, but I suppose that was the point.
The one downside is that for a book about dragons and magic there wasn't much of either. But I'm very fond of character-driven fiction in any genre.
manic_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Despite many setbacks with the world building in this book, it was nevertheless a very entertaining read. The writing was droll in a way that never lost my interest, and the characters were wonderfully fleshed out. I might come back to add a more cohesive review later, but at the moment I have little else to say other than it was entertaining and certainly worth the read.
smitha_r's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
2.75
An okay read but mostly disappointing due to the lack of women + wishy-washy toeing of the incest line.
serru's review against another edition
2.0
This was a rather disappointing read. The synopsis on the inner flap of the book suggested a gripping adventure; instead the authors chose to focus on developing the relationships between the characters. I don't mind character-driven books, when the characters are interesting. Unfortunately, out of the four main characters, only Rook really stood out. Thom grew on me a little, by way of his interactions with Rook. They had a really interesting dynamic and lots of electric tension between them; they, along with the Dragon Corps, were my favourite part of the book.
Meanwhile, Royston and Hal had no real chemistry and yet the authors spent so long detailing their nauseatingly sweet, and ultimately tedious, romance. It also didn't help that the character of Royston seemed only to be there to provide exposition. I basically skimmed most of their parts so I could get to Rook and Thom. There were some interesting minor characters that I thought the authors could have dedicated more time to rather than to the boring Royston/Hal scenes, like the other members of the Dragon Corps who had some very funny scenes and proved that at least the authors could write some witty banter.
The plot itself, the bit in the synopsis about four different men coming together to save their country in one final battle, doesn't really come in until the last 80 pages or so. And when it did happen, it didn't have any real sense of urgency. The book takes place in a setting where two great empires are at war, yet there was never a sense of real danger in the book so the climax (the final and only real battle scene) fell a little flat.
Also, some things were just really farfetched, like a university student being sent to teach what is basically manners to a group of elite soldiers or Hal's ridiculously simple and obvious solution to the magicians' crisis. I got the impression that the authors had a lot of ideas for this book (giant metal dragons! young student vs. dangerous soldiers! gay magicians! war and intrigue!) but didn't know how to put them all together in a way that made sense. The result is a very uneven book that has a lot of wasted potential.
Meanwhile, Royston and Hal had no real chemistry and yet the authors spent so long detailing their nauseatingly sweet, and ultimately tedious, romance. It also didn't help that the character of Royston seemed only to be there to provide exposition. I basically skimmed most of their parts so I could get to Rook and Thom. There were some interesting minor characters that I thought the authors could have dedicated more time to rather than to the boring Royston/Hal scenes, like the other members of the Dragon Corps who had some very funny scenes and proved that at least the authors could write some witty banter.
The plot itself, the bit in the synopsis about four different men coming together to save their country in one final battle, doesn't really come in until the last 80 pages or so. And when it did happen, it didn't have any real sense of urgency. The book takes place in a setting where two great empires are at war, yet there was never a sense of real danger in the book so the climax (the final and only real battle scene) fell a little flat.
Also, some things were just really farfetched, like a university student being sent to teach what is basically manners to a group of elite soldiers or Hal's ridiculously simple and obvious solution to the magicians' crisis. I got the impression that the authors had a lot of ideas for this book (giant metal dragons! young student vs. dangerous soldiers! gay magicians! war and intrigue!) but didn't know how to put them all together in a way that made sense. The result is a very uneven book that has a lot of wasted potential.
brightly's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was well-written, the world-building was interesting and characters were fully fleshed-out. The plot was interesting enough. However I had no interest in where the storyline or the characters' relationships seemed to be going and decided not to continue the series. Considering this series has dragons, it must have been pretty meh for me not to read at least the sequel.
annkniggendorf's review against another edition
5.0
[a:Jaida Jones|1036925|Jaida Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277324319p2/1036925.jpg] & [a:Danielle Bennett|1036924|Danielle Bennett|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277324375p2/1036924.jpg]'s [b:Havemercy|2305862|Havemercy|Jaida Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320400450s/2305862.jpg|2312276] is an entirely unique take on dragons in fantastic literature with "fantasy, dragons, war, magicians, political intrigue, steampunk, alternate history, Russia, China/Japan, and shonen ai" being my list of tags for it.
[b:Havemercy|2305862|Havemercy|Jaida Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320400450s/2305862.jpg|2312276] is a fast paced direct narrative told from four distinctly different voices based on an in-depth, complex world building full of unique elements. The book is highly complex, with even small details from the beginning playing a vital role in the outcome that make even an attentive reader like me flip occasionally back just to make sure it was really there (it is!).
I can't say more about if without giving utter spoilers - hence, just be warned that the backtext just doesn't give it credit.
[b:Havemercy|2305862|Havemercy|Jaida Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320400450s/2305862.jpg|2312276] is a fast paced direct narrative told from four distinctly different voices based on an in-depth, complex world building full of unique elements. The book is highly complex, with even small details from the beginning playing a vital role in the outcome that make even an attentive reader like me flip occasionally back just to make sure it was really there (it is!).
I can't say more about if without giving utter spoilers - hence, just be warned that the backtext just doesn't give it credit.
mattressy's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
bergamotandbooks's review against another edition
2.0
So I was really hoping to enjoy this book more than I did. I think the thing that bothered me the most was how close it was to Sarah Monette's writing. These two authors apparently site her as a large influence on their work, which I can see all to clearly now.
Regardless, I did enjoy the read. I was just disappointed in the end.
Regardless, I did enjoy the read. I was just disappointed in the end.
hematitesoul's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0