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nicolehoyme's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, War, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
ayoung720's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of the best, most-refreshingly unique fantasy stories that I've read in a long time. The Rage of Dragons is a fast-paced story that still manages to build out a well-developed world, really cool magic/power system, and characters who grip your attention with every move they make. While I am a huge fan of slow-burn fantasy world building a la Brandon Sanderson, the pacing of this story kept me hooked from beginning to end, reminding me a lot of another favorite author, John Gwynne. Can't wait to start book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Genocide, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Torture and Slavery
Minor: Vomit, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury
crybabybea's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Hmmm. I'm on the fence. It wasn't a terrible book by any means, but for me the pacing felt a bit choppy and off.
First of all, the prologue was amazing and gripped me more than any other prologue I've read, holy.
If you like action scenes, you will really love this book. It's pretty much entirely training/fighting scenes. I will say the fighting scenes are well-written and choreographed, being easy to follow while still being tense and exciting. The middle of the book dragged a bit as we went through training after training and they kind of all muddled together after a while. I love action scenes but I think this had a bit too many for my tastes. They do well to progress the plot, but I would have liked to see more time dedicated to characterization, especially fleshing out the side characters. I did love the action but wanted a bit more time with the characters to really connect to the story.
That being said, The Rage of Dragons is an incredibly immersive read and I was thoroughly impressed by the author's world-building. The writing itself isn't anything flashy, but Evan Winter does a great job at setting each scene and revealing lore bit by bit. There were a couple info-dumpy moments but I can forgive them because the overall experience was quite cinematic and exciting. The magic system is incredibly unique and has extreme drawbacks which makes the magic feel meaningful and awe-inspiring. Even the dragons are unique in the way they are connected to the world and magic system. Speaking of, dragons are an important part of this world but they are not a main character by any means, so don't go into this expecting to read about dragon riders or anything.
I loved the themes of vengeance and breaking the chains of oppression. Our main character, Tau, is a member of the Lesser caste of the Omehi tribe. Because of this, he is biologically destined to be less important, less powerful, and to die as fodder in the war against the native Xiddeen population. But after the death of his father, he uses his unhinged rage to break all the rules and force the old ways to acknowledge the power of a man scorned. I found it really interesting for the main character to be of a lower social caste of an imperial invading army. It was a nice change compared to other books with similar themes and added a complexity to the story that I enjoyed.
Here's the thing though, I'm a character loving girlie. I don't mind plot-based books but to really fall in love with a book I have to fall in love with its characters, whether they are likeable or not. I liked our main character Tau and his descent into pure madness fueled by rage and vengeance. He is a fine sometimes unlikeable character and I admire the author's dedication to his motives. He literally has one goal in mind and will do anything and sacrifice anyone to get there. He reminded me a lot of Rin from The Poppy War. He also had some Leeroy Jenkins moments which were frustrating and entertaining. Though I will say his progression is honestly pretty unbelievable and he seems almost impossibly invincible at times. I'm just also not a huge fan of the meritocratic messaging that you can overcome any obstacle by just training really hard and working harder than everyone else.
The other characters were lacking a lot as well. I found it hard to follow his quest for vengeance because I had no connection to the person he is seeking to avenge. As well, he gains many comrades in his quest along the way, and they kind of all blend into one person because we don't spend much time with them outside of battle. Even the main love interest I found lacking in characterization, and she often came across as just another goal on Tau's list and a plot device to push him forward. Because of this lack of depth, some of the emotionally heavy-hitting moments in the later half of the book don't hit like they should.
If you can push through the lull in the middle of the book, the ending is explosive and thrilling. It just takes a little bit to get there, and I found the emotional reveals a bit lackluster, but still fun.
I would still recommend this to fantasy lovers as I think it is overall fun and engaging. I'm interested in continuing the series though I'm disappointed I didn't get the mind-blowing experience I was expecting out of book one.
First of all, the prologue was amazing and gripped me more than any other prologue I've read, holy.
If you like action scenes, you will really love this book. It's pretty much entirely training/fighting scenes. I will say the fighting scenes are well-written and choreographed, being easy to follow while still being tense and exciting. The middle of the book dragged a bit as we went through training after training and they kind of all muddled together after a while. I love action scenes but I think this had a bit too many for my tastes. They do well to progress the plot, but I would have liked to see more time dedicated to characterization, especially fleshing out the side characters. I did love the action but wanted a bit more time with the characters to really connect to the story.
That being said, The Rage of Dragons is an incredibly immersive read and I was thoroughly impressed by the author's world-building. The writing itself isn't anything flashy, but Evan Winter does a great job at setting each scene and revealing lore bit by bit. There were a couple info-dumpy moments but I can forgive them because the overall experience was quite cinematic and exciting. The magic system is incredibly unique and has extreme drawbacks which makes the magic feel meaningful and awe-inspiring. Even the dragons are unique in the way they are connected to the world and magic system. Speaking of, dragons are an important part of this world but they are not a main character by any means, so don't go into this expecting to read about dragon riders or anything.
I loved the themes of vengeance and breaking the chains of oppression. Our main character, Tau, is a member of the Lesser caste of the Omehi tribe. Because of this, he is biologically destined to be less important, less powerful, and to die as fodder in the war against the native Xiddeen population. But after the death of his father, he uses his unhinged rage to break all the rules and force the old ways to acknowledge the power of a man scorned. I found it really interesting for the main character to be of a lower social caste of an imperial invading army. It was a nice change compared to other books with similar themes and added a complexity to the story that I enjoyed.
Here's the thing though, I'm a character loving girlie. I don't mind plot-based books but to really fall in love with a book I have to fall in love with its characters, whether they are likeable or not. I liked our main character Tau and his descent into pure madness fueled by rage and vengeance. He is a fine sometimes unlikeable character and I admire the author's dedication to his motives. He literally has one goal in mind and will do anything and sacrifice anyone to get there. He reminded me a lot of Rin from The Poppy War. He also had some Leeroy Jenkins moments which were frustrating and entertaining. Though I will say his progression is honestly pretty unbelievable and he seems almost impossibly invincible at times. I'm just also not a huge fan of the meritocratic messaging that you can overcome any obstacle by just training really hard and working harder than everyone else.
The other characters were lacking a lot as well. I found it hard to follow his quest for vengeance because I had no connection to the person he is seeking to avenge. As well, he gains many comrades in his quest along the way, and they kind of all blend into one person because we don't spend much time with them outside of battle. Even the main love interest I found lacking in characterization, and she often came across as just another goal on Tau's list and a plot device to push him forward. Because of this lack of depth, some of the emotionally heavy-hitting moments in the later half of the book don't hit like they should.
If you can push through the lull in the middle of the book, the ending is explosive and thrilling. It just takes a little bit to get there, and I found the emotional reveals a bit lackluster, but still fun.
I would still recommend this to fantasy lovers as I think it is overall fun and engaging. I'm interested in continuing the series though I'm disappointed I didn't get the mind-blowing experience I was expecting out of book one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Blood, Gore, Murder, War, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Body horror, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, and Alcohol
badbadwolf's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, War, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Genocide, Child death, Gore, Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Rape, and Religious bigotry
missmali's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
litagentsaritza's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was not ready. This is truly a masterful story with an ending I could not have guessed when while knowing how it was likely to end. I am a mess and will need some time to recover.
“Where we fight! The world burns!”
“Where we fight! The world burns!”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, War, and Death
wsteen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and War
Minor: Torture and Rape
tsuharesu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
At first I didn't agree with the writing style, but the pace and the story got me going. By the end of it, I was entranced by the story, by Tau's story, by everything happening in Xiddeea. What a magnificent book! If you like fantasy books and want to read something rooted in Africanisms, go for it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, and War
Minor: Rape
a_littledragon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-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
5.0
It took some pages to get into the word building and understand everything, but once that was through, this book held a good punch! The character development, the relationships, the drama, the angst, the plot! It just kept hitting and hitting as we went along the journey with Tau. I loved seeing him grow throughout this book. I feel you really get attached to everyone as you read along in this book. I can’t wait to see what happens in the second when I pick it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
forget_full's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Rape