Blurb:
Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College, where everyone has an agenda, and every night could be your last…
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general – also known as her tough-as-talons mother – has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away… because dragons don’t bond to ‘fragile’ humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter – like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies… or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
My thoughts:
When I hear about a hyped book, I usually retreat because nothing is ever as good as people say. But this book definitely is. I adored everything about it. I think even if you’re not a fan of fantasy, it’s been written in such an engrossing way that it will keep anyone gripped.
The book is set at a war college and follows Violet who planned to be a scribe her entire life until she’s forced to join the riders quadrant and learn to fight. Violet is a powerful, no-nonsense protagonist who is impossible to dislike. I loved her feistiness but also her loyalty to those she cares deeply for.
It has dragons, magic, fight scenes, death, strong friendships and romance – everything that makes a great fantasy. I loved it so much I consumed it in two days and still can’t stop thinking about the characters and what might happen in the sequel (which is out in November).
Violet has a chronic illness which makes it harder for her to do a lot of the things the other students can do because her joints are weaker. But that doesn’t stop her determination to be as good, if not better than the others. It was great to see chronic illnesses represented in a way that didn’t make the character seem frail, but also didn’t brush over the fact that living with such conditions is a lot tougher than many people understand them or believe them to be.
One of the things I liked about this book was the found family she creates with her new friends in the quadrant. It’s interesting to see her weed out the bad but still remain true to herself. I liked that she’s someone who sticks up for others, even if it meant putting herself in harm’s way.
The dragons were my favourite part of the book. The magic that comes from them and the bonds they build with their riders make for such an interesting and fun read. I found some of the things the dragons did quite funny too, which I wasn’t expecting in a book of this nature.
I’m so glad the author decided not to force a relationship just to add more conflict to the story. It avoided what I find to be an annoying trope in some books where the protagonist can’t make her mind up on who she wants to be in a relationship. The main character was headstrong and I found that fun to read. One of my favourite tropes is enemies to lovers and it was executed really well in this book.
Another thing that I found interesting about this book is the world building. Or I should say lack of. I think some people will be frustrated by this but there is world building. It’s just done in a slightly different way compared to other fantasy novels. The author dives straight into the action, making the book impossible to put down. Even though it’s 500 pages long, it didn’t feel like the pace slowed at all. What made this was the way the author decided to teach the reader about the world, which was through Violet’s knowledge as a scribe prodigy. Whenever she’s nervous or wanting to distract herself from the horrors of the quadrant, she recites facts that she knows about Navarre and its history. I found it to be a compelling and unique way of introducing the reader to the world without it being too overwhelming to understand. This is also why I think it’s a great starting point for people who would like to get into fantasy novels.
There were some parts of the book that did shock me but others that I found to be predictable. This didn’t deter my enjoyment of the book in the slightest. But if you don’t guess what’s happening, you probably will like it even more.
If you enjoyed reading books like Divergent as a teenager, then I think you will also enjoy this adult fantasy. I can’t wait for the next instalment in what I believe is a five part series.
Rating: 4.5/5
bookworm girl 