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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
precy's review
adventurous
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.75
There is so much to say about this book, but the main thing is if you like epic action adventure books (and high fantasy): READ THIS BOOK! It takes fantasy readers out of Europe based mythology and bring us to African based mythology in a such immersive way! The books present us a complex society with a rigid caste system, a wonderful and so interesting magic system (each time the book explained how the magic of this world works, I was 100% there, and fascinated), there are a lot of character development, and what I loved is that the magic is there, but it’s only used when needed, what grounds the story in a more relatable world.
The things that for me were an “issue” was the action part. I got why it says is a mix of GOT and Gladiator. As I’m not much for battles, some time I was like “I don’t wanna read about fights anymore” but then something interesting happens!
Let’s talk about the main character: be prepared for a love and hate relationship! The character has its reasons, but many times I was like “stop being stupid!” But I couldn’t stop cheering for him!
The writing: FAST PASSED! Sometimes I had to remember to breathe while I was reading! Well constructed dialogues, necessary descriptions, but not too much to get bored, I got lost sometimes in the action parts, but nothing that was terrible for my reading experience.
I’ll for sure read book 2, I need to know what will happen …
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Rape
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
steph_sosa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
There are books that hit, and then there are books that HITTTT. This book in particular smacked me in my face when I wasn’t looking, and I totally wasn’t prepared for it.
I just finished it and I’m honestly having a hard time organizing my thoughts, so forgive me for the mess this is about to be.
Most important thing to note: if you aren’t into a lot, and I mean a lot, of fight scenes, then you might struggle to read this book. It is very action heavy, and though some might love it, others might not.
Tau, a commoner, experiences massive trials and tribulations from start to finish as both a political battle and a war rage on. This story is about violence and revenge, and it easily perfects those two ideas within the plot. I feel like I’m ready to go to war after listening to the audiobook. I feel like I could battle a whole army and win (I would die within the first ten seconds let’s be for real).
The magic system, which I won’t go into detail over, was very well done. Evan Winter did not want to skip anything, and though I had questions about what the hell was going on, he came in with the answers at one point or another. The most important thing was that it felt original, which is always a sight for sore eyes when reading new books nowadays.
Tau’s character felt real, and through my listening to the audiobook I felt as if his emotions were mine own. Writing wise I found the book never sounded over-convulsed, yet kept that higher fantasy style of setting and story. There were a lot of topics brought up in conversation that leaned into oppression and high arch’s, etc etc, but revenge was the main plot of the story. I found this fine personally because the story was focused on Tau and his life, and though these topics were important and had effect on Tau, he was overall focused on revenge for his father. Hopefully in the second book these topics are discussed more in detail, and I would love to see other characters delve into these as well, but for now I thought it was okay.
Tau’s approach to his training and his wild efforts to overcome every trial and tribulation in his path adds to the story, building Tau up from a commoner to a blood thirsty wacko in a satisfying way. The revenge story line was done more than well, and I enjoyed going through Tau’s rise to his end of book peak-self.
I will say that at times Zuri, the female love interest, felt more like a insert as an excuse to further Tau’s story and provide information about the magic system more then be a love interest and actual person. BUT, I still enjoyed her character and thought she was more then well written, and had depth to her own story when given the chance to show it.
The abundance of side characters also added a sense of realism to the world-building, and it kept the events from feeling too centered on Tau and his own story. Though we never get background info into the other characters besides tidbits here and there, their personalities felt splayed out in a nice way that kept them feeling real.
I am interested to see where the second book leads!!
I just finished it and I’m honestly having a hard time organizing my thoughts, so forgive me for the mess this is about to be.
Most important thing to note: if you aren’t into a lot, and I mean a lot, of fight scenes, then you might struggle to read this book. It is very action heavy, and though some might love it, others might not.
Tau, a commoner, experiences massive trials and tribulations from start to finish as both a political battle and a war rage on. This story is about violence and revenge, and it easily perfects those two ideas within the plot. I feel like I’m ready to go to war after listening to the audiobook. I feel like I could battle a whole army and win (I would die within the first ten seconds let’s be for real).
The magic system, which I won’t go into detail over, was very well done. Evan Winter did not want to skip anything, and though I had questions about what the hell was going on, he came in with the answers at one point or another. The most important thing was that it felt original, which is always a sight for sore eyes when reading new books nowadays.
Tau’s character felt real, and through my listening to the audiobook I felt as if his emotions were mine own. Writing wise I found the book never sounded over-convulsed, yet kept that higher fantasy style of setting and story. There were a lot of topics brought up in conversation that leaned into oppression and high arch’s, etc etc, but revenge was the main plot of the story. I found this fine personally because the story was focused on Tau and his life, and though these topics were important and had effect on Tau, he was overall focused on revenge for his father. Hopefully in the second book these topics are discussed more in detail, and I would love to see other characters delve into these as well, but for now I thought it was okay.
Tau’s approach to his training and his wild efforts to overcome every trial and tribulation in his path adds to the story, building Tau up from a commoner to a blood thirsty wacko in a satisfying way. The revenge story line was done more than well, and I enjoyed going through Tau’s rise to his end of book peak-self.
I will say that at times Zuri, the female love interest, felt more like a insert as an excuse to further Tau’s story and provide information about the magic system more then be a love interest and actual person. BUT, I still enjoyed her character and thought she was more then well written, and had depth to her own story when given the chance to show it.
The abundance of side characters also added a sense of realism to the world-building, and it kept the events from feeling too centered on Tau and his own story. Though we never get background info into the other characters besides tidbits here and there, their personalities felt splayed out in a nice way that kept them feeling real.
I am interested to see where the second book leads!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, and War
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
sierrah_2101's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
I have no words for how stunningly good this book was. Where do I begin?
Evan Winter's writing is gripping and real, the characters were all so pristinely human despite this being in a fantasy world. In a refreshing setting - based on Brozen Age Africa - and with a rare (at least nowadays) focus on pure revenge, The Rage of Dragons is an absolute epic. Not only is Winter's characterization haunting and gorgeous, but the social and political commentary and intrigue are just as frustrating in all the right ways. At first, most of the views Winter presents about war, power, class, and peace may seem simple, but they were stuck incredibly deep in my skin and Winter's writing allows these ideas to seep into every word of his work. My perspective has been totally changed and humbled and opened within 523 pages.
I want to say more, but frankly, I'm at a loss. Winter is simply a paramount writer, and after reading this I immediately went to put the second book on hold at the library, if that's any proof of just how much of a grip this book had on my psyche.
Also dragons? Did I mention dragons? God, I love dragons.
Please read this book.
Evan Winter's writing is gripping and real, the characters were all so pristinely human despite this being in a fantasy world. In a refreshing setting - based on Brozen Age Africa - and with a rare (at least nowadays) focus on pure revenge, The Rage of Dragons is an absolute epic. Not only is Winter's characterization haunting and gorgeous, but the social and political commentary and intrigue are just as frustrating in all the right ways. At first, most of the views Winter presents about war, power, class, and peace may seem simple, but they were stuck incredibly deep in my skin and Winter's writing allows these ideas to seep into every word of his work. My perspective has been totally changed and humbled and opened within 523 pages.
I want to say more, but frankly, I'm at a loss. Winter is simply a paramount writer, and after reading this I immediately went to put the second book on hold at the library, if that's any proof of just how much of a grip this book had on my psyche.
Also dragons? Did I mention dragons? God, I love dragons.
Please read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Classism, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
zanderbrown's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, War, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Slavery, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
rob's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Epic quotes from this book:
Life is nothing more than moments in time. To achieve greatness, you have to give up those moments. You have to give your life to your goal.
The wars you'll wage, aren't decided when you fight them. They're decided before that, by the extent of your efforts, and the substance of your sacrifices.
Evan Winter might be my new favorite author! The Rage of Dragons has set a new bar, it redefines what a 5 star rating is for me. I might just go back and lower the score on my other 5 star reads.
This book is a surprising source of inspiration.It was shockingly emotional for me when Tao realized that no amount of training would bring him to his goal. That his trainer lied when he said anything was possible. Tao's response, both in words and in action, showed a level of determination I'd never before seen. When working on a challenging task, pushing myself on a hard run, or lifting heavy weights in the gym, I find myself thinking, "Would Tao quit?"
Evan Winter might be my new favorite author! The Rage of Dragons has set a new bar, it redefines what a 5 star rating is for me. I might just go back and lower the score on my other 5 star reads.
This book is a surprising source of inspiration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Gore, Blood, and Death of parent
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
This book was not easy to get into and made me question why I even like fantasy or plot-driven books — bc goddamn is this book action-driven, we don't get actual plot until 80% in 😭. Anyway, I came so close to dnfing so many times bc I was not caring about the invasive Omehi or Tau and his journey but I kept reading positive reviews and I didn't want to start another book so I committed and hell yeah it paid off. After 84 years I finished this but what a chaotic treat it eventually was! Tau's journey is frenetic as hell and you really start rooting for him. Narrative-wise the book is one huge fight/training sequence after another with a few tidbits of world building info scattered throughout which can be very off putting and frustrating if you're a more character- and plot-driven reader who wants extensive and intensive world building writing and dialogue, which I've realized I now am, to some extent. Like teenage, early 20s me would've loved every single action-packed packed sequence with little plot and inner monologue and unpolished character development but now I need all that in equal measure and this book doesn't fully deliver in that front. Or maybe I still dig this type of writing as is but in shorter doses, this book would've been great if it were 200 pages fewer. Anyway, this book begs to be adapted to the screen, especially as an anime bc the visuals of the Ingonyama and the Enragers, the Gifted, and the nonstop training and fighting sequences would really shine in that medium. In the end the book is an enthralling fantasy ride and I'm glad to have stuck to it. This book does suffer from the "read the sequel if you MUST know more" style of writing and I'm not sure if I'm rushing to read the follow-up. I have to sit with my feelings for a few days but Tau is so badass (there's a point he channels Ip Man, bruh lmao) that maybe I wanna stick around and see where he goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Classism, and Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Fatphobia