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The Dragonian #1
Firebolt
Dragons. Right. Teenage girls don’t believe in fairy tales, and sixteen-year old Elena Watkins was no different.
Until the night a fairy tale killed her father.
Now Elena’s in a new world, and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a Prince wants Elena’s heart, and a long dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh. And the only way Elena’s going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.
Teenage girls don’t believe in fairy tales. Now it’s time for Elena to believe – in herself.
Until the night a fairy tale killed her father.
Now Elena’s in a new world, and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a Prince wants Elena’s heart, and a long dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh. And the only way Elena’s going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.
Teenage girls don’t believe in fairy tales. Now it’s time for Elena to believe – in herself.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2013
2247 people are currently reading
20049 people want to read
About the author
Adrienne Woods
54 books1,638 followersAdrienne Woods is a USA Today Bestselling author, living in South Africa.
She’s been in love with books all her life and knew at the age of 13 that she is going to be a writer one day.
That dream happened in 2009 and she started to pen her stories down on paper. Firebolt, her debut novel, were released 4 years after that, and she hasn’t stop since.
She has written more than 20 novels and she is still busy writing more.
To get your hands on exclusive content and stay in the loop of what's to come, subscribe to her newsletter at https://adriennewoodsbooks.com/sign-up/
She’s been in love with books all her life and knew at the age of 13 that she is going to be a writer one day.
That dream happened in 2009 and she started to pen her stories down on paper. Firebolt, her debut novel, were released 4 years after that, and she hasn’t stop since.
She has written more than 20 novels and she is still busy writing more.
To get your hands on exclusive content and stay in the loop of what's to come, subscribe to her newsletter at https://adriennewoodsbooks.com/sign-up/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,074 reviews
December 1, 2014
1.5
This was really just a bad case of Good Premise, Poor Execution.
Firebolt started out pretty decent. It got me hooked from the get-go. For the first couple of chapters it was going to be, at least, a 4 star book for me but then the second Elena got to Dragonia Academy it crashed and burned.
The setting...
I feel we don't get an idea about what Paegeia-part of the world were dragons roam free- really is or why it even exists.
Then there was the writing...
I don't usually nitpick about the grammatical errors because I feel I could just overlook those but oh Dear Lord there were moments where I just had to reread something several times because I just wasn't able to grasp what the author wanted to get across. I would have to go back a couple of pages just to make sure the pages weren't messed up or something.
There was also the kissing scenes where they're just explained as "it was a long kiss", "it was a passionate kiss", or "I kissed him for a long time"
Then there was that info dumping...
Pages and pages of it where you're left off worse than when you began.
Then there was that romance...
Which I still don't know where the heck that came from. I mean, we see Lucian a couple of times during breakfast where he'll just ask Elena how she is and then out of nowhere the're making out and in love and I'm just like
Then there was that "mean girls" drama...
Basically all the girls were glaring at Elena. Everyone was jealous of Elena. Everyone wanted to be Elena. Elena Elena...Elena
...
...
...
Then there was the plot...
I can't say anything that went on in the book really added to the plot. That would be a flat out lie. This felt like a second book in a series where nothing really happens just so you can be prepared for the third book where everything is wrapped up and solved. None of our questions are answered and we're just left in a mess of "what is happening?"
Then there were the characters...
Cardboard cutouts. One dimensional bunch of cliches.
Then there was the crying...
Oh Dear God Elena was ready to cry at the drop of a hat.
Someone glared at her...she cried
She didn't understand Latin...she cried
She saw a dragon...she cried
Someone was mean...she cried
Lucian was a prince...she cried
Lucian loved her...she cried
The dragons were ugly...she cried
The dragons were pretty ...she cried
The sky is blue...she cried lol, ok, maybe I'm exaggerating on that one but really she cried like her life depended on it.
Then there was "For the love of blueberries"...
35 times!!
Then there was the SHRIEKING...
Yes, even this was a problem in the story. I'm not even kidding.
"Tires screeched at the same time I shrieked."
"I shrieked and everyone outside fell into an utter silence."
"Sammy shrieked"
"I nodded and let out a tiny shriek as the carriage lifted from the ground"
"She shrieked and jumped from her pillow"
"I shrieked when he emerged right in front of me, sending water flying everywhere"
"Becky shrieked and fell onto her arms"
"I shrieked"
"Becky shrieked"
"I jumped and shrieked every time"
"I shrieked, alarmed"
"I shrieked, disgusted"
"Arriana shrieked"
And the list GOES ON!
Seriously, this could have been a great book-it has dragons! Dragons are the shit-but it just focused on such trivial matters with overused cliches and unnecessary drama. Such a bummer.
This was really just a bad case of Good Premise, Poor Execution.
Firebolt started out pretty decent. It got me hooked from the get-go. For the first couple of chapters it was going to be, at least, a 4 star book for me but then the second Elena got to Dragonia Academy it crashed and burned.
The setting...
I feel we don't get an idea about what Paegeia-part of the world were dragons roam free- really is or why it even exists.
Then there was the writing...
I don't usually nitpick about the grammatical errors because I feel I could just overlook those but oh Dear Lord there were moments where I just had to reread something several times because I just wasn't able to grasp what the author wanted to get across. I would have to go back a couple of pages just to make sure the pages weren't messed up or something.
There was also the kissing scenes where they're just explained as "it was a long kiss", "it was a passionate kiss", or "I kissed him for a long time"
Then there was that info dumping...
Pages and pages of it where you're left off worse than when you began.
Then there was that romance...
Which I still don't know where the heck that came from. I mean, we see Lucian a couple of times during breakfast where he'll just ask Elena how she is and then out of nowhere the're making out and in love and I'm just like
Then there was that "mean girls" drama...
Basically all the girls were glaring at Elena. Everyone was jealous of Elena. Everyone wanted to be Elena. Elena Elena...Elena
...
...
...
Then there was the plot...
I can't say anything that went on in the book really added to the plot. That would be a flat out lie. This felt like a second book in a series where nothing really happens just so you can be prepared for the third book where everything is wrapped up and solved. None of our questions are answered and we're just left in a mess of "what is happening?"
Then there were the characters...
Cardboard cutouts. One dimensional bunch of cliches.
Then there was the crying...
Oh Dear God Elena was ready to cry at the drop of a hat.
Someone glared at her...she cried
She didn't understand Latin...she cried
She saw a dragon...she cried
Someone was mean...she cried
Lucian was a prince...she cried
Lucian loved her...she cried
The dragons were ugly...she cried
The dragons were pretty ...she cried
The sky is blue...she cried lol, ok, maybe I'm exaggerating on that one but really she cried like her life depended on it.
Then there was "For the love of blueberries"...
35 times!!
Then there was the SHRIEKING...
Yes, even this was a problem in the story. I'm not even kidding.
"Tires screeched at the same time I shrieked."
"I shrieked and everyone outside fell into an utter silence."
"Sammy shrieked"
"I nodded and let out a tiny shriek as the carriage lifted from the ground"
"She shrieked and jumped from her pillow"
"I shrieked when he emerged right in front of me, sending water flying everywhere"
"Becky shrieked and fell onto her arms"
"I shrieked"
"Becky shrieked"
"I jumped and shrieked every time"
"I shrieked, alarmed"
"I shrieked, disgusted"
"Arriana shrieked"
And the list GOES ON!
Seriously, this could have been a great book-it has dragons! Dragons are the shit-but it just focused on such trivial matters with overused cliches and unnecessary drama. Such a bummer.
May 6, 2020
Where is the next book?! I want more... Can you tell I enjoyed this? This was an interesting blend of medieval fantasy mixed with some more modern urban fantasy. Lots of Harry Potter-like qualities to this book. And a book any fan of the aforementioned series should check out!
I had so much fun reading this book. It wastes no time getting right into the story. Elena is constantly moving around with her dad. Always running from bold text: something. One particular night on the run they are suddenly attacked by dragons. Next thing Elena knows she is in another world and her father is dead. Great things are expected from her and she is thrust into the school of Dragonia. There she learns of magic, dragons, Dragonians, and more.
Elena is your average, run-of-the-mill teenager. Clumsy, speaks her mind, average skills, etc. The one thing she excels at is riddles, which is amusing as she apparently doesn't like them. She is easy to relate to being she is not your over-the-top heroine. The book is first person as her. Her mind is an easy-going, comfortable place to sit back and enjoy the ride.
The world she has entered is very similar to our own. They have cars, museums, shopping centers, "cell" phones, etc. Yet theirs is better even than what we have. Plus they have Dragons. In fact, about half of Elena's new classmates are dragons in human form. She has a lot to learn in this school and she struggles through it all. Elena also uses an adorable phrase: "For the love of blueberries." This made me smile every time I read it.
The school really reminds me of Harry Potter. Not in the magic sense but the classes, friendships, mix of the regular word and the magical, etc. Subtle things. Aspects of Eragon, Lord of the Rings, and other stories are also evident.
I love the characters. Over flirtatious Brian, Prince Lucian, sweet Sammy, courageous Becky, and the enigma...Blake. I so wanted more about him. Alas, I must wait for the next book.
This book was originally read almost entirely in one sitting. I forced myself to slow down the second time to take in more details. Very entertaining and well-paced. A great balance of story and action. A bit predictable so far though. Not necessarily a bad thing though, while how it is written. But I did want to jump in and shake a character with the truth of certain matters. Although some of these "truths" are yet to be told in this book so there is a chance I am wrong. This book is rich in its telling. Not just the current story but the very world it is in. Adrienne Woods really did create a whole new world, including a wonderful back-story.
Overall, a joy to read. If you want Dragons, romance, action, and friendship this is assuredly a must-read for you!
The audiobook: Decent narration I feel she almost nailed Sammy's voice. Becky had such a unique voice in my head though my expectations were high.
Things of note upon re-reading that I previously missed- Where was her grief over her father? How could she take so well to the loss of her only family member? And she has no one she knows to support her or be there. No one who knew their lives. And to be tossed into a new world entirely? I question how realistic her behavior sometimes was given those thoughts.
I had so much fun reading this book. It wastes no time getting right into the story. Elena is constantly moving around with her dad. Always running from bold text: something. One particular night on the run they are suddenly attacked by dragons. Next thing Elena knows she is in another world and her father is dead. Great things are expected from her and she is thrust into the school of Dragonia. There she learns of magic, dragons, Dragonians, and more.
Elena is your average, run-of-the-mill teenager. Clumsy, speaks her mind, average skills, etc. The one thing she excels at is riddles, which is amusing as she apparently doesn't like them. She is easy to relate to being she is not your over-the-top heroine. The book is first person as her. Her mind is an easy-going, comfortable place to sit back and enjoy the ride.
The world she has entered is very similar to our own. They have cars, museums, shopping centers, "cell" phones, etc. Yet theirs is better even than what we have. Plus they have Dragons. In fact, about half of Elena's new classmates are dragons in human form. She has a lot to learn in this school and she struggles through it all. Elena also uses an adorable phrase: "For the love of blueberries." This made me smile every time I read it.
The school really reminds me of Harry Potter. Not in the magic sense but the classes, friendships, mix of the regular word and the magical, etc. Subtle things. Aspects of Eragon, Lord of the Rings, and other stories are also evident.
I love the characters. Over flirtatious Brian, Prince Lucian, sweet Sammy, courageous Becky, and the enigma...Blake. I so wanted more about him. Alas, I must wait for the next book.
This book was originally read almost entirely in one sitting. I forced myself to slow down the second time to take in more details. Very entertaining and well-paced. A great balance of story and action. A bit predictable so far though. Not necessarily a bad thing though, while how it is written. But I did want to jump in and shake a character with the truth of certain matters. Although some of these "truths" are yet to be told in this book so there is a chance I am wrong. This book is rich in its telling. Not just the current story but the very world it is in. Adrienne Woods really did create a whole new world, including a wonderful back-story.
Overall, a joy to read. If you want Dragons, romance, action, and friendship this is assuredly a must-read for you!
The audiobook: Decent narration I feel she almost nailed Sammy's voice. Becky had such a unique voice in my head though my expectations were high.
Things of note upon re-reading that I previously missed- Where was her grief over her father? How could she take so well to the loss of her only family member? And she has no one she knows to support her or be there. No one who knew their lives. And to be tossed into a new world entirely? I question how realistic her behavior sometimes was given those thoughts.
June 11, 2017
Arc provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
Even as I read this, disliked it, giggled at it etc, I was always very aware that regardless of how utterly silly I found it, Adrienne Woods has still written books and I absolutely have not. So no matter what I say, she is the real winner here.
The story follows 16 year old Elena. Her dad moves them from place to place every 3 months due to a danger unknown. During one of these escapes, their car is attacked by a dragon, and Elena watches with horror as her father transforms into a dragon, fights them, and is killed for the trouble. Elena is rescued by her father's allies and begins a new life in Pageia, where dragons roam about in human form and attend a fancy school.
There are many Harry Potter / Hogwarts parallels here but in the grand scheme of things these are not issues. There are plenty of other problems here to gorge yourself on.
1) Elena.
Oh my Lord. Elena must be one of the worst heroines I have ever read, in any book. Her dad turns into a dragon and is killed for unknown reasons. Elena's response? Cry about it, get a boyfriend. Not once does she question WHY he was killed, or whom by. Why did her father make sure they moved every 3 months? Who is Matt, the ally he was trying to get her too? All these questions, in Elena's head, are not important. Hell, she probably didn't even think to ask.
All Elena does is whine and complain. I can allow that she is sad. I cannot allow her whining. When she starts Dragonia Academy she is helped out by two girls - Becky and Sammy. These poor girls don't know who they've been saddled with. Elena complains because she is behind in class and doesn't understand anything - she just wants to go home. She complains because she can't stop thinking about some hot guy. She complains because some girls glare at her. She complains because others try to help her catch up in class, but it's too hard. She complains because she might have to leave the school since she can't catch up. Also, she stares wide eyed and silent. She is confused all the time. She has not an ounce of agency, until towards the end of the book when, utterly out of the blue, she decides to take herself on a suicide mission. (Let it be noted, she still sucks at everything at school). Her friends find out:
Elena. Your friends are expressing concern. Do not yell at them. Also, they just told you what they're afraid of. Open your fucking ears, girl.
Anyway, Sammy relents and agrees to join her because of reasons and sensible Becky responds as a normal person should - i.e. disbelief and objection, pointing out that Elena is almost completely untrained and they're all going to die. Elena is furious!
Why should Becky be backing you up, Elena? She's afraid of going on a suicide mission! Also, let it be known that Elena doesn't actually have a plan. She's winging it. Obviously.
When everyone has been bullied or guilt tripped into going with her on the suicide mission with no plan, Elena is scared to fly on a dragon but then proceeds to enter a magical cave alone and pass some tests that only 5 people have managed to do previously. Christ knows how only 5 people managed, since Elena mostly falls over and luckily misses getting her head chopped off as a result, stumbling out at the end dazed, stupid and wondering why her friends are shocked she managed it.
Later, when shit has hit the fan, one of her friends dies. Back at the school, she's ALLOWED TO PASS ALL OF HER TESTS because of his death. In her words, it's "a miracle". Someone praises her for inspiring her friends to go with her:
Elena accepts this praise, conveniently forgetting that she threw a sulky fit at her friends when they asked what the plan was and she didn't know. In short, Elena can suck my dick.
2) Insta-romance.
Lucian is a hot prince at school. Elena is whiny and stupid. He falls in love with her in about 12 and a half minutes. I'm not really sure why they are attracted to each other - possibly because they're both so bland and boring that they saw each other and thought: Phew! Someone as depressingly flat as myself! They won't know how tedious I am because they're so tedious too!!
Perhaps I am being unfair, since Elena seems to like Lucian for his "lean muscle and ripped abs shining in the moonlight". That's at least a reason. Fuck knows what Lucian sees in Elena. He mentions once or twice that she's funny:
What? What was the joke? What?!
Also, I must share their first kiss, because it made me laugh so much:
Excuse me?? Where did your noses and chins go?? Are you Voldemort??
3) The writing
The language in this novel was just downright odd. I had to reread sentences over and over to understand what was happening sometimes, as it was all worded so awkwardly. There are random skips from scene to scene without explanation. There are almost no descriptions - I have no idea what Elena or Becky look like, or what Dragonia looks like. Even when describing an exciting fight scene, the writing is brief and vague, such as when Elena is navigating a difficult obstacle course:
Nope, I didn't miss anything out, I swear. One minute she's decided to jump, and then she's done it. No descriptions of how, her feelings, her fears, no tension. This is mirrored later, when Elena gets stabbed. Woods actually describes the stabbing but all Elena thinks is "my whole body felt as if it was on fire." That's all. Ow.
The dialogue, too, sounds awkward and robotic and nothing like real teenagers. They say things like 'for the love of blueberries', and 'biatch'. Plus, everyone says things in an tone.
"Idiot," Becky said in a singsong tone.
...I said in a sarcastic tone.
"Elena," he said in a surprised tone.
"No," I said in a nervous tone.
However, I was tempted to push my rating up to two stars because it truly did bring me joy sometimes. It's very much like watching a terrible horror movie and howling at it with friends and wine. My absolute favourite line in this entire book was regarding a young man who wants a cigarette:
WHERE is he keeping those smokes?? IN THE CREASE WHERE THIGH MEETS BUTT CHEEK??
Another of my favourites was:
Tree stumps are very different from tree trunks. Thus, I imagined a great huge dragon with fat stumpy legs and had to do a double take. Never mind, I thought. Maybe it was a typo. But low and behold another description of a dragon later, whose tail resembled a big tree stump.
These dragons are very stumpy and cute.
The quality of writing is just poor. I understand that these books are designed for a younger audience, but there are heaps of books for kids and teens that are written well, if simplistically, with far better characters. I couldn't even add this to my 'student-friendly' shelf in good conscience.
TL;DR
I realise this is the longest review I've ever written, but it was so easy to just let the rant flow wild and free once I'd started. Despite everything I've said, however, it did make me laugh, even if it was unintentional, but I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily. Plus, I don't think the premise is bad. I love dragons and I love boarding school set fantasies, and there were some nice ideas here. They were just all executed so poorly.
Even as I read this, disliked it, giggled at it etc, I was always very aware that regardless of how utterly silly I found it, Adrienne Woods has still written books and I absolutely have not. So no matter what I say, she is the real winner here.
The story follows 16 year old Elena. Her dad moves them from place to place every 3 months due to a danger unknown. During one of these escapes, their car is attacked by a dragon, and Elena watches with horror as her father transforms into a dragon, fights them, and is killed for the trouble. Elena is rescued by her father's allies and begins a new life in Pageia, where dragons roam about in human form and attend a fancy school.
There are many Harry Potter / Hogwarts parallels here but in the grand scheme of things these are not issues. There are plenty of other problems here to gorge yourself on.
1) Elena.
Oh my Lord. Elena must be one of the worst heroines I have ever read, in any book. Her dad turns into a dragon and is killed for unknown reasons. Elena's response? Cry about it, get a boyfriend. Not once does she question WHY he was killed, or whom by. Why did her father make sure they moved every 3 months? Who is Matt, the ally he was trying to get her too? All these questions, in Elena's head, are not important. Hell, she probably didn't even think to ask.
All Elena does is whine and complain. I can allow that she is sad. I cannot allow her whining. When she starts Dragonia Academy she is helped out by two girls - Becky and Sammy. These poor girls don't know who they've been saddled with. Elena complains because she is behind in class and doesn't understand anything - she just wants to go home. She complains because she can't stop thinking about some hot guy. She complains because some girls glare at her. She complains because others try to help her catch up in class, but it's too hard. She complains because she might have to leave the school since she can't catch up. Also, she stares wide eyed and silent. She is confused all the time. She has not an ounce of agency, until towards the end of the book when, utterly out of the blue, she decides to take herself on a suicide mission. (Let it be noted, she still sucks at everything at school). Her friends find out:
"What's wrong with you, Elena? Have you really lost your marbles? What are we supposed to do if you don't come back?" Sammy chirped, her eyes sparkling with tears.
"What are you afraid of?" I yelled at both of them, shaking my head in disbelief.
Elena. Your friends are expressing concern. Do not yell at them. Also, they just told you what they're afraid of. Open your fucking ears, girl.
Anyway, Sammy relents and agrees to join her because of reasons and sensible Becky responds as a normal person should - i.e. disbelief and objection, pointing out that Elena is almost completely untrained and they're all going to die. Elena is furious!
"What're you so afraid of? You of all people should be backing me up, Becky." I could feel my nostrils flare. I was furious that she wouldn't even consider my plan.
Why should Becky be backing you up, Elena? She's afraid of going on a suicide mission! Also, let it be known that Elena doesn't actually have a plan. She's winging it. Obviously.
When everyone has been bullied or guilt tripped into going with her on the suicide mission with no plan, Elena is scared to fly on a dragon but then proceeds to enter a magical cave alone and pass some tests that only 5 people have managed to do previously. Christ knows how only 5 people managed, since Elena mostly falls over and luckily misses getting her head chopped off as a result, stumbling out at the end dazed, stupid and wondering why her friends are shocked she managed it.
Later, when shit has hit the fan, one of her friends dies. Back at the school, she's ALLOWED TO PASS ALL OF HER TESTS because of his death. In her words, it's "a miracle". Someone praises her for inspiring her friends to go with her:
"But for your friends to follow you all the way on this mission that seemed crazy, that's what makes kings and queens."
Elena accepts this praise, conveniently forgetting that she threw a sulky fit at her friends when they asked what the plan was and she didn't know. In short, Elena can suck my dick.
2) Insta-romance.
Lucian is a hot prince at school. Elena is whiny and stupid. He falls in love with her in about 12 and a half minutes. I'm not really sure why they are attracted to each other - possibly because they're both so bland and boring that they saw each other and thought: Phew! Someone as depressingly flat as myself! They won't know how tedious I am because they're so tedious too!!
Perhaps I am being unfair, since Elena seems to like Lucian for his "lean muscle and ripped abs shining in the moonlight". That's at least a reason. Fuck knows what Lucian sees in Elena. He mentions once or twice that she's funny:
"What was your favourite subject back home?"
"Art, the drawing type."
"You're really funny. I love that part of you."
What? What was the joke? What?!
Also, I must share their first kiss, because it made me laugh so much:
"His mouth felt as if it were made to fit mine. There wasn't a nose or chin in the way, and our tongues danced in perfect rhythm."
Excuse me?? Where did your noses and chins go?? Are you Voldemort??
3) The writing
The language in this novel was just downright odd. I had to reread sentences over and over to understand what was happening sometimes, as it was all worded so awkwardly. There are random skips from scene to scene without explanation. There are almost no descriptions - I have no idea what Elena or Becky look like, or what Dragonia looks like. Even when describing an exciting fight scene, the writing is brief and vague, such as when Elena is navigating a difficult obstacle course:
The crasher came next. I decided to dive for it. If I lost a leg, I could somehow still manage to finish and get the reward.
As I dusted myself off, I couldn't believe it."
Nope, I didn't miss anything out, I swear. One minute she's decided to jump, and then she's done it. No descriptions of how, her feelings, her fears, no tension. This is mirrored later, when Elena gets stabbed. Woods actually describes the stabbing but all Elena thinks is "my whole body felt as if it was on fire." That's all. Ow.
The dialogue, too, sounds awkward and robotic and nothing like real teenagers. They say things like 'for the love of blueberries', and 'biatch'. Plus, everyone says things in an tone.
"Idiot," Becky said in a singsong tone.
...I said in a sarcastic tone.
"Elena," he said in a surprised tone.
"No," I said in a nervous tone.
However, I was tempted to push my rating up to two stars because it truly did bring me joy sometimes. It's very much like watching a terrible horror movie and howling at it with friends and wine. My absolute favourite line in this entire book was regarding a young man who wants a cigarette:
He lifted up the left side of his butt and took out his packet of smokes.
WHERE is he keeping those smokes?? IN THE CREASE WHERE THIGH MEETS BUTT CHEEK??
Another of my favourites was:
The belly of a huge, blue beast on four legs the size of tree stumps stood in front of the pickup.
Tree stumps are very different from tree trunks. Thus, I imagined a great huge dragon with fat stumpy legs and had to do a double take. Never mind, I thought. Maybe it was a typo. But low and behold another description of a dragon later, whose tail resembled a big tree stump.
These dragons are very stumpy and cute.
The quality of writing is just poor. I understand that these books are designed for a younger audience, but there are heaps of books for kids and teens that are written well, if simplistically, with far better characters. I couldn't even add this to my 'student-friendly' shelf in good conscience.
TL;DR
I realise this is the longest review I've ever written, but it was so easy to just let the rant flow wild and free once I'd started. Despite everything I've said, however, it did make me laugh, even if it was unintentional, but I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily. Plus, I don't think the premise is bad. I love dragons and I love boarding school set fantasies, and there were some nice ideas here. They were just all executed so poorly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2018
I liked it.
The story is entertaining. It has some elements that reminisce of Harry Potter (although in no way this book is close to that level) and the 1986 movie Labyrinth (which incidentally, I loved as a child). The story did get my attention, so I intent to keep reading this series.
There is a lack of character development, as well as relationship developments. The way the friendships go here is not satisfactory or complete enough. Things just seem to be with no built up. I believe more time should have been dedicated to making these relationships really work and I hope that the second book expands more on that.
The romance is a joke. The relationship between Lucien and Elena is instant-love. I don't know how that happened or why her feelings turned so deep all of a sudden when we haven't seen any depth between the two of them whatsoever. Romance is an important part on books for me, so much so that I don't usually read YA or UF Fantasy books if they don't have romance in them. This book might as well have no romance at all based on its utter lack of fulfillment and elaboration. To me it seemed forced and artificial, not to say completely unbelievable. Besides, I have to say that I much more would have rather have the romance be between Elena and the brooding but more mysterious Blake, than between Elena and the loyal, predictable and boring Lucien. We´ll see how this goes in the second installment.
Wrapping up, the story is entertaining but lacking in personal and interpersonal unfolding.
Starlight (The Dragonian #5)
The story is entertaining. It has some elements that reminisce of Harry Potter (although in no way this book is close to that level) and the 1986 movie Labyrinth (which incidentally, I loved as a child). The story did get my attention, so I intent to keep reading this series.
There is a lack of character development, as well as relationship developments. The way the friendships go here is not satisfactory or complete enough. Things just seem to be with no built up. I believe more time should have been dedicated to making these relationships really work and I hope that the second book expands more on that.
The romance is a joke. The relationship between Lucien and Elena is instant-love. I don't know how that happened or why her feelings turned so deep all of a sudden when we haven't seen any depth between the two of them whatsoever. Romance is an important part on books for me, so much so that I don't usually read YA or UF Fantasy books if they don't have romance in them. This book might as well have no romance at all based on its utter lack of fulfillment and elaboration. To me it seemed forced and artificial, not to say completely unbelievable. Besides, I have to say that I much more would have rather have the romance be between Elena and the brooding but more mysterious Blake, than between Elena and the loyal, predictable and boring Lucien. We´ll see how this goes in the second installment.
Wrapping up, the story is entertaining but lacking in personal and interpersonal unfolding.
Starlight (The Dragonian #5)
February 8, 2015
Adrienne Woods has a wonderful imagination and a great story.
Unfortunately, the storytelling is very weak.
She is very big on using adverbs, and rather weak on showing us the story.
Here are some examples,
- I said, irritation filling my voice
- Becky said excitedly
- Sammy said, concerned
- I knocked timidly
- he said in a sarcastic tone
- I laughed excitedly
- I asked, disgusted
- I was stunned by his words and huffed
The author should show us what she sees when she writes the words.
If you are excited, it shows in your body language, in your face, in what your hands are doing.
Is she leaning forward? Bouncing on the balls of her feet?
Is she smiling? Are her words run together as she rushes to say them?
Irritation, disgust, timidity and sarcasm all show themselves differently in body language, hand gestures, facial gestures, vocal tonality.
And what is she doing when she is huffing? Expelling a breath? Stomping her feet? Crossing her arms?
SHOW ME WHAT YOU MEAN!!!!
SHOW ME WHAT YOU SEE IN YOUR MIND WHEN YOU WRITE THESE WORDS!!!
I was also distracted when her characters twittered or chirped.
People don't twitter or chirp, they speak.
Saying "she chirped" rather than "she said" distracts from the story.
Readers tend to gloss over the "he said, she said," as you want them to.
You want your readers engrossed in the narrative itself.
So adding "she chirped" or "they twittered" as part of the sentence pulls the reader out of the narrative and leaves us to try to figure out what the character is doing.
What does chirping look like?
Once again, SHOW ME, DON'T TELL ME.
I also do not believe that her characters were fully developed, particularly our heroine, Elena.
Elena's father has moved her from place to place every 3 months.
On the last move, he and Elena are attacked by dragons, he is murdered and Elena is wounded.
Elena doesn't ask the questions that anyone would want to know:
- Where is his body?
- Is there a funeral?
- Who tried to murder them and why?
- Who was his dragonian?
- Why did he leave Paegeia?
- Who is Matt and what does he know about this?
And then there are the logical conclusions from the events that Elena seems to overlook:
- Maybe her father wasn't paranoid after all, maybe someone WAS after them?
- Maybe her mother hadn't abandoned them, maybe she was taken captive? Or murdered?
She mourns her father as almost an after-thought.
She also goes back and forth about her feelings.
For example:
- She cries out loud in the cafeteria that this is too much, she doesn't want to do it anymore.
- Master Longwei calls her to his office and says she doesn't have to do it anymore. Now, she is suddenly adamant that she can. So Master Longwei assigns her tutors.
- One of her tutors is difficult, so Elena says, "I'm out of here."
- The next scene, she says she must continue.
As a reader, I do not understand why she behaves this way.
Why is she so motivated to try?
Why does she want to succeed?
It's almost as if you say no, she will say yes.
If you say it's black, she will say it's white.
I don't understand her reasons for wanting to continue so badly.
There are no compelling circumstances that motivate her to succeed, that show the readers why she is so determined.
There are two other scenes that are confusing about her personality.
In one, she rides a horse with her boyfriend to the top of a mountain and admires the view.
In another, she rides a horse with a friend to the top of a mountain, then turns her back on the view because she's afraid of heights.
Huh???
It feels like the fear of heights was added as a character trait later in the book, and the author forgot to fix the earlier scene.
The writer has a very good story, but she really needs to work on her story-telling abilities.
Unfortunately, the storytelling is very weak.
She is very big on using adverbs, and rather weak on showing us the story.
Here are some examples,
- I said, irritation filling my voice
- Becky said excitedly
- Sammy said, concerned
- I knocked timidly
- he said in a sarcastic tone
- I laughed excitedly
- I asked, disgusted
- I was stunned by his words and huffed
The author should show us what she sees when she writes the words.
If you are excited, it shows in your body language, in your face, in what your hands are doing.
Is she leaning forward? Bouncing on the balls of her feet?
Is she smiling? Are her words run together as she rushes to say them?
Irritation, disgust, timidity and sarcasm all show themselves differently in body language, hand gestures, facial gestures, vocal tonality.
And what is she doing when she is huffing? Expelling a breath? Stomping her feet? Crossing her arms?
SHOW ME WHAT YOU MEAN!!!!
SHOW ME WHAT YOU SEE IN YOUR MIND WHEN YOU WRITE THESE WORDS!!!
I was also distracted when her characters twittered or chirped.
People don't twitter or chirp, they speak.
Saying "she chirped" rather than "she said" distracts from the story.
Readers tend to gloss over the "he said, she said," as you want them to.
You want your readers engrossed in the narrative itself.
So adding "she chirped" or "they twittered" as part of the sentence pulls the reader out of the narrative and leaves us to try to figure out what the character is doing.
What does chirping look like?
Once again, SHOW ME, DON'T TELL ME.
I also do not believe that her characters were fully developed, particularly our heroine, Elena.
Elena's father has moved her from place to place every 3 months.
On the last move, he and Elena are attacked by dragons, he is murdered and Elena is wounded.
Elena doesn't ask the questions that anyone would want to know:
- Where is his body?
- Is there a funeral?
- Who tried to murder them and why?
- Who was his dragonian?
- Why did he leave Paegeia?
- Who is Matt and what does he know about this?
And then there are the logical conclusions from the events that Elena seems to overlook:
- Maybe her father wasn't paranoid after all, maybe someone WAS after them?
- Maybe her mother hadn't abandoned them, maybe she was taken captive? Or murdered?
She mourns her father as almost an after-thought.
She also goes back and forth about her feelings.
For example:
- She cries out loud in the cafeteria that this is too much, she doesn't want to do it anymore.
- Master Longwei calls her to his office and says she doesn't have to do it anymore. Now, she is suddenly adamant that she can. So Master Longwei assigns her tutors.
- One of her tutors is difficult, so Elena says, "I'm out of here."
- The next scene, she says she must continue.
As a reader, I do not understand why she behaves this way.
Why is she so motivated to try?
Why does she want to succeed?
It's almost as if you say no, she will say yes.
If you say it's black, she will say it's white.
I don't understand her reasons for wanting to continue so badly.
There are no compelling circumstances that motivate her to succeed, that show the readers why she is so determined.
There are two other scenes that are confusing about her personality.
In one, she rides a horse with her boyfriend to the top of a mountain and admires the view.
In another, she rides a horse with a friend to the top of a mountain, then turns her back on the view because she's afraid of heights.
Huh???
It feels like the fear of heights was added as a character trait later in the book, and the author forgot to fix the earlier scene.
The writer has a very good story, but she really needs to work on her story-telling abilities.
February 20, 2023
Edit: I find it so sad that to this day iv found no one in comments claiming to know said bands *sigh*
First read : 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
Latest read and Overall series rating : 2.5 ⭐⭐ stars , it was Ok?
Listen I first read this book from the depths of the stone ages back when I was just introduced to fantasy/romantasy . And back then I had THE LOWEST standards and a non critical mind . I liked it . Fast forward to now . I was tortured /plagued by scenes from this book playing over and over and over in my head until I finally just gave in and re-read it . so here are my thoughts from book 1 to book 5 :
Cons :
1. Ppl have said it before and ill say it again , this book suffers from Good Premise, Poor Execution . The dragons bit really attracted me to this book bcz DRAGONS ARE COOL! and they were , they were but points 2-7 rlly overshadow that
2. One of my bigger problems being THE WRITING . It off-putting and really breaks the flow of words , you'll find the author opting to use full forms in sentences such as 'Here's your bed Elena , I will help you with the linen , I know they are huge but ..' when she could have merely said :'I'll and they're' and its WEIRD coz who talks like that? I dont hear adults speak in that manner let alone teenagers . Furthermore sometimes it sounded like things were being listed in bullet points so it made dialogues sound super cringeee e.g 'No, you shut up . What is wrong with you ? Seriously. Just get over yourself . I know you are trying to make me feel unwelcome here , but I dont give a shit about what it is you're trying to do .That time is long past . I dont care about you , the same way ....'
Trying to read that gave me an aneurysm . almost as if this was a draft for an actual book
3.Now MY MAIN problem : Elena . Are all FMC's named Elena annoying ? coz im seeing a bit of a pattern here .I can understand her being scared of dragons , being thrust into a world of creatures she never believed in is tough buuuttt it doesn't excuse her taking it out on the few ppl who actually bother to try and help her through it .'I gave a sadistic laugh . One I didnt even know I was capable of "No offence , but you are no way close to what lucian was . Hurt filled her eyes and it didn't even bother me that I was the cause of it She had so much anger when it came to them and I just cant take it when ppl mistreat their friends . She was so whinnyyy and acted like she was always in the right , always knew everything abt ppl and their personalities ,which is weird coz she also knew nothing ? like her calling tabitha a coward ,how can one even say that when she's only heard it being said once ? uhmmmm pretentious bitch much ? Dont even get me started on the way she LITERALLY and i qoute said "Im not any other girl ", I snapped
DISBELIEF .
4.While I liked lucian I have to acknowledge that the relationship is very insta-lovey .Lucien went form seeing her like 3 times at the dinner table to kissing here and bam theyr telling each other I love you ? no thanks
5. Phrases and words kept being repeated over and over and over again as if we were being forced to believe it rather than showing us or letting us interpret it for ourselves . some scenes felt like they had happened before too "I love you , Elena Watkins". The other students in the reception made fun of his last line , but he waved it away
6. It read like a stupid teenage drama . There was alot of cliche and unnecessary drama. Istg it was like the romance was the main focus the whole time , with so much confrontation , yelling and declarations of love constantly happening and then suddenly book 5 switches to the fantasy war aspect of it and its like youre just dumped into freezing water . My hand struck his face. "NO! I WILL NOT KILL YOU. I LOVE YOU
*GAG*
7. Feels like scenes were just skipped to sometimes , it was very hard figuring out how long its been since a certain event .
Pros :
1. Its a great story ! The imagination is applaudable rlly . It made for an entertaining read , so that even while I was annoyed I just kept on reading , some great twists too! So much wasted potential :(
2. Some of the characters . Brian , Cheng and Cara among them .I loved Cara ! I tell you , if this story was all abt Cara I would have probably loved it ! From the way she was so supportive and encouraging to the way she took no shit from anyone <3 here are a few out of context Cara moments : 'annoying the hell out of me. Without another thought , I took my talon and flicked him off the mountain . Good riddance . I closed my eyes again for a few seconds and looked at the view'. "The mutt left you , didnt he ?You can do this ! You're not a little helpless damsel in distress . Follow my instructions and ill get us back to safety "."You've got to let me go . I've done what i had to do and you gave me one last amazing flight"
3. Im a sucker for enemies to lovers . The angst and passion between them was done rlly well , they were more 'enemies' for a rlly long time and I actually liked that .Relationship was done well , developed , they had their bumps along the way , and at the end of the day it was cute ! I also liked how realistic it was of Elena to not trust the whole 'denting' process .
4. THE MUUUUUSIIICCCCCCC . idk maybe im a bit odd but I love listening to old 70s music , rock amongst them . u dont understand how obssessed I am with the legendary 'queens' ( the band) so the AC/DC inclusion was amazyyyzing . gasp out loud moment for me honestly coz Im surrounded by ignorant ppl who dont know of em . It suited the whole claiming vibe.
Overall : I wouldnt recommend this ,but I think beginners to romantasy genre might still enjoy this
Spoiler : Blake snapping his heart like a cracker
First read : 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
Latest read and Overall series rating : 2.5 ⭐⭐ stars , it was Ok?
Listen I first read this book from the depths of the stone ages back when I was just introduced to fantasy/romantasy . And back then I had THE LOWEST standards and a non critical mind . I liked it . Fast forward to now . I was tortured /plagued by scenes from this book playing over and over and over in my head until I finally just gave in and re-read it . so here are my thoughts from book 1 to book 5 :
Cons :
1. Ppl have said it before and ill say it again , this book suffers from Good Premise, Poor Execution . The dragons bit really attracted me to this book bcz DRAGONS ARE COOL! and they were , they were but points 2-7 rlly overshadow that
2. One of my bigger problems being THE WRITING . It off-putting and really breaks the flow of words , you'll find the author opting to use full forms in sentences such as 'Here's your bed Elena , I will help you with the linen , I know they are huge but ..' when she could have merely said :'I'll and they're' and its WEIRD coz who talks like that? I dont hear adults speak in that manner let alone teenagers . Furthermore sometimes it sounded like things were being listed in bullet points so it made dialogues sound super cringeee e.g 'No, you shut up . What is wrong with you ? Seriously. Just get over yourself . I know you are trying to make me feel unwelcome here , but I dont give a shit about what it is you're trying to do .That time is long past . I dont care about you , the same way ....'
Trying to read that gave me an aneurysm . almost as if this was a draft for an actual book
3.Now MY MAIN problem : Elena . Are all FMC's named Elena annoying ? coz im seeing a bit of a pattern here .I can understand her being scared of dragons , being thrust into a world of creatures she never believed in is tough buuuttt it doesn't excuse her taking it out on the few ppl who actually bother to try and help her through it .'I gave a sadistic laugh . One I didnt even know I was capable of "No offence , but you are no way close to what lucian was . Hurt filled her eyes and it didn't even bother me that I was the cause of it She had so much anger when it came to them and I just cant take it when ppl mistreat their friends . She was so whinnyyy and acted like she was always in the right , always knew everything abt ppl and their personalities ,which is weird coz she also knew nothing ? like her calling tabitha a coward ,how can one even say that when she's only heard it being said once ? uhmmmm pretentious bitch much ? Dont even get me started on the way she LITERALLY and i qoute said "Im not any other girl ", I snapped
DISBELIEF .
4.While I liked lucian I have to acknowledge that the relationship is very insta-lovey .Lucien went form seeing her like 3 times at the dinner table to kissing here and bam theyr telling each other I love you ? no thanks
5. Phrases and words kept being repeated over and over and over again as if we were being forced to believe it rather than showing us or letting us interpret it for ourselves . some scenes felt like they had happened before too "I love you , Elena Watkins". The other students in the reception made fun of his last line , but he waved it away
6. It read like a stupid teenage drama . There was alot of cliche and unnecessary drama. Istg it was like the romance was the main focus the whole time , with so much confrontation , yelling and declarations of love constantly happening and then suddenly book 5 switches to the fantasy war aspect of it and its like youre just dumped into freezing water . My hand struck his face. "NO! I WILL NOT KILL YOU. I LOVE YOU
*GAG*
7. Feels like scenes were just skipped to sometimes , it was very hard figuring out how long its been since a certain event .
Pros :
1. Its a great story ! The imagination is applaudable rlly . It made for an entertaining read , so that even while I was annoyed I just kept on reading , some great twists too! So much wasted potential :(
2. Some of the characters . Brian , Cheng and Cara among them .I loved Cara ! I tell you , if this story was all abt Cara I would have probably loved it ! From the way she was so supportive and encouraging to the way she took no shit from anyone <3 here are a few out of context Cara moments : 'annoying the hell out of me. Without another thought , I took my talon and flicked him off the mountain . Good riddance . I closed my eyes again for a few seconds and looked at the view'. "The mutt left you , didnt he ?You can do this ! You're not a little helpless damsel in distress . Follow my instructions and ill get us back to safety "."You've got to let me go . I've done what i had to do and you gave me one last amazing flight"
3. Im a sucker for enemies to lovers . The angst and passion between them was done rlly well , they were more 'enemies' for a rlly long time and I actually liked that .Relationship was done well , developed , they had their bumps along the way , and at the end of the day it was cute ! I also liked how realistic it was of Elena to not trust the whole 'denting' process .
4. THE MUUUUUSIIICCCCCCC . idk maybe im a bit odd but I love listening to old 70s music , rock amongst them . u dont understand how obssessed I am with the legendary 'queens' ( the band) so the AC/DC inclusion was amazyyyzing . gasp out loud moment for me honestly coz Im surrounded by ignorant ppl who dont know of em . It suited the whole claiming vibe.
Overall : I wouldnt recommend this ,but I think beginners to romantasy genre might still enjoy this
Spoiler : Blake snapping his heart like a cracker
December 21, 2018
4.5 lovely stars
This book really got my attention & made me focus on it though I don't have much time these days due to exams &all.
A very detailed story, makes you feel as if you're living every incident in the heroine's day, getting to know her well & the people she intetacts with. The writing is not that great at first ,you get used to it though as the story flows.
Things started out with Elena as a bit childish girl , she would tear up at anything & doubts herself constantly, but as you go deeper into the story you could see her grow up infront of your mind's eye. Her character really matures , she starts to be more confident of her self & her intellect.
I really liked the world building, at first I thought it messy but as things start to unravel, I realised the author has really given alot of time to build her world right & to process the history & the people of Paegeia in such a detailed manner & then she wrote them to us in such a natural way that gives you more information with each chapter & slowly builds the story world in your mind.
I really like Elena, Lucien, Becky, Sam & Blake & I'm for sure going to pursue this series as long as it's this interesting.
This book really got my attention & made me focus on it though I don't have much time these days due to exams &all.
A very detailed story, makes you feel as if you're living every incident in the heroine's day, getting to know her well & the people she intetacts with. The writing is not that great at first ,you get used to it though as the story flows.
Things started out with Elena as a bit childish girl , she would tear up at anything & doubts herself constantly, but as you go deeper into the story you could see her grow up infront of your mind's eye. Her character really matures , she starts to be more confident of her self & her intellect.
I really liked the world building, at first I thought it messy but as things start to unravel, I realised the author has really given alot of time to build her world right & to process the history & the people of Paegeia in such a detailed manner & then she wrote them to us in such a natural way that gives you more information with each chapter & slowly builds the story world in your mind.
I really like Elena, Lucien, Becky, Sam & Blake & I'm for sure going to pursue this series as long as it's this interesting.
December 12, 2013
*I received this book from author on behalf of Reading Addiction Blog Tours for an honest review.*
Firebolt was a fantastic read that kept enraptured me from start to finish!!
Elena grows up thinking that dragons and magic only exist in fairy tales... And boy, is she so in for a wake up call!
After being attacked by dragons, Elena learns four things:
1) Dragons are real and murdered her father
2) Her father, himself, was a dragon shifter (a Copper variety to be exact)
3) She is now an orphan (her mother left her and her father when she was young)
4) And that everything she once knew is about to change....
She is then whisked away to a world where there is a school for people of her kind and "normal" people are not permitted. "What?" is her kind you may ask? Well, she is NOT a dragon. She is a Dragonian, a rider of Dragons.
At this school, promptly named Dragonia Academy, she meets a colorful array of individuals ranging from other Dragonians like herself and other students who can actually change into dragons. The students who have the ability to transform can range from different kinds of dragon breeds and powers. Whereas, Dragonians harness themselves in learning their roots, harnessing their abilities, and taking up self-defense classes.
What made this story work for me was the support of Becky and Sammy , Elena's now besties, and Lucian , her swoonworthy and now steady boyfriend; and lastly, campus bad boy Blake!
In my eyes, Becky and Sammy are the kind of friends you want. They are loyal and will stick with you through thick and thin.
As for Lucian, the Prince, well nuff said. He was literally Prince Charming in the flesh!! So perfect and understanding!!
Last but not least, Blake: the moody,tempermental,and always PMSing playboy of the bunch. Gosh, he was so darn hot!!
I'm not so secretly hoping that Elena is his Dragonian as it is supposed that his was killed many years before. That will be quite the tryst as same sex dragon and Dragonian bonds tend to be like a buddy or brother/sister situations (a.k.a. Brother/Sister Hood) whereas opposite sex matchups are partners for life (a.k.a lovers). Would be quite the scandal don't you think?! lol
Anyways, a lovely lovely read!! So vivid and imaginative!! I already can't wait for book 2 but I can already forsee some love triangles and heartbreak for the future!! It's gonna be good!! I just don't want poor Lucian too get hurt; he's such a sweetheart. But, I really really crave for Elena and Blake for the finish!! Hmmm...we'll just have to see!!...
P.S: Why couldn't Tabitha die and not Brian? Just a thought. ;) She's such an annoying slore (slut/wh*re)!
Firebolt was a fantastic read that kept enraptured me from start to finish!!
Elena grows up thinking that dragons and magic only exist in fairy tales... And boy, is she so in for a wake up call!
After being attacked by dragons, Elena learns four things:
1) Dragons are real and murdered her father
2) Her father, himself, was a dragon shifter (a Copper variety to be exact)
3) She is now an orphan (her mother left her and her father when she was young)
4) And that everything she once knew is about to change....
She is then whisked away to a world where there is a school for people of her kind and "normal" people are not permitted. "What?" is her kind you may ask? Well, she is NOT a dragon. She is a Dragonian, a rider of Dragons.
At this school, promptly named Dragonia Academy, she meets a colorful array of individuals ranging from other Dragonians like herself and other students who can actually change into dragons. The students who have the ability to transform can range from different kinds of dragon breeds and powers. Whereas, Dragonians harness themselves in learning their roots, harnessing their abilities, and taking up self-defense classes.
What made this story work for me was the support of Becky and Sammy , Elena's now besties, and Lucian , her swoonworthy and now steady boyfriend; and lastly, campus bad boy Blake!
In my eyes, Becky and Sammy are the kind of friends you want. They are loyal and will stick with you through thick and thin.
As for Lucian, the Prince, well nuff said. He was literally Prince Charming in the flesh!! So perfect and understanding!!
Last but not least, Blake: the moody,tempermental,and always PMSing playboy of the bunch. Gosh, he was so darn hot!!
I'm not so secretly hoping that Elena is his Dragonian as it is supposed that his was killed many years before. That will be quite the tryst as same sex dragon and Dragonian bonds tend to be like a buddy or brother/sister situations (a.k.a. Brother/Sister Hood) whereas opposite sex matchups are partners for life (a.k.a lovers). Would be quite the scandal don't you think?! lol
Anyways, a lovely lovely read!! So vivid and imaginative!! I already can't wait for book 2 but I can already forsee some love triangles and heartbreak for the future!! It's gonna be good!! I just don't want poor Lucian too get hurt; he's such a sweetheart. But, I really really crave for Elena and Blake for the finish!! Hmmm...we'll just have to see!!...
P.S: Why couldn't Tabitha die and not Brian? Just a thought. ;) She's such an annoying slore (slut/wh*re)!
December 19, 2016
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by a fellow book reviewer, Laura at LaLaBookReviews, with permission from the publisher, Fire Quill Publishing, for an honest review.
Opinion: I am honestly wondering if I was reading the same book as everyone else was who has reviewed this on Amazon and Goodreads. I have seen a TON of really great reviews for this book with multiple readers praising everything about the story, from the plot to the characters. I can agree that the idea for this story is fantastic, but not much of anything else is.
Elena Watkins has grown up having an almost normal life, apart from her father moving her every 3 months in the hopes that they won’t be found…but only if Elena knew what they were running from. One night as her father rushes her out of yet another house, Elena soon discovers what her father has been so fearful about her entire life: dragons. Suddenly the fantastical bedtime stories that her father told her as a child becomes real, and they are attacked by threatening dragons that kill her father. Taken into Paegeia to keep her safe, Elena now finds herself in a world she thought was make-believe. Elena soon discovers that her new home and school are filled with dragons, and that they aren’t all as threatening as the ones she first encountered. Elena must now acclimate to her new life that is full of magic, as well as helping her new peers fight off an evil that is threatening their existence.
I have not written a fairly bad review in a long time, and it’s hurting me to have to do this right now. I try to keep all of my reviews positive with constructive criticism in them, and backing up every negative I have with a few positives. I’m really not sure if I can do that with this review, because I truthfully hated this book. In all fairness, my distaste for this book has NOTHING to do with the idea behind the book and the overall plot. I loved the world of dragons that the author created and the direction the author was going with the story. I enjoyed the turmoil that many of the characters were trapped in towards the end, and that this fantasy story turned into an adventure tale. Apart from the overall idea, I just felt that the execution was severely lacking.
My main issue with this story is the writing. I think we can all agree that if the writing in a story is just NOT working, it makes for a very difficult and cringeworthy read. When it came to dialogue, characters interacting, and the scene moving through the day as we followed Elena; the writing was driving me crazy. The author writes in short paragraphs that feel like bullet points, and these short paragraphs will literally jump into different times of the day without any warning or give the reader a vague explanation of a character feeling. I was constantly coming across sentences like “the pop quiz after was hard” or “I went straight to my room”. When I see sentences written like this and given in a way that feels like notes, I get the feeling that the author has trouble with dialogue and filling up the empty spaces of a story. When the author has characters go into detail about past events in Paegeia or explain facts, the author does a great job in being creative and descriptive. I know that if I were to write a book, I would have the same problem. Creative writing comes easy to me, but filling a story up with that unnecessary “fluff” is tedious and sometimes strays away from the nostalgia of the book. So I get that, I really do.
The characters…oy vey. I couldn’t connect with any of them, and they felt underdeveloped and boring. Elena is extremely irritating and immature. Her character whines and complains about everything! I just wanted her to get it together and stop being such a baby about everything, and suddenly she just does. It literally goes from her acting like a child, to having no fear and being a pro. How did that happen?!?! The relationship between Elena and Lucian didn’t exist and wasn’t building into anything, but then in one page they all of sudden are together and are all googly-eyed for each other. I have never witnessed such a rushed romance in my life, and I just found it completely strange. The author has also overused the use of exclamation points in dialogue between characters. I cannot express to you how many times you see “Becky!” or “Sammy!” or “Elena!” being said by one of the characters.
All I can really say is that I feel like this story was poorly executed and written. It makes me sad because I really liked the plot for this series and it has great potential to be SO much BETTER. This is of course just my own opinion, it seems that plenty of other readers are absolutely in love with The Dragonian Series and really enjoyed the writing. It just wasn’t for me, and with that, I will not be continuing this series.
Opinion: I am honestly wondering if I was reading the same book as everyone else was who has reviewed this on Amazon and Goodreads. I have seen a TON of really great reviews for this book with multiple readers praising everything about the story, from the plot to the characters. I can agree that the idea for this story is fantastic, but not much of anything else is.
Elena Watkins has grown up having an almost normal life, apart from her father moving her every 3 months in the hopes that they won’t be found…but only if Elena knew what they were running from. One night as her father rushes her out of yet another house, Elena soon discovers what her father has been so fearful about her entire life: dragons. Suddenly the fantastical bedtime stories that her father told her as a child becomes real, and they are attacked by threatening dragons that kill her father. Taken into Paegeia to keep her safe, Elena now finds herself in a world she thought was make-believe. Elena soon discovers that her new home and school are filled with dragons, and that they aren’t all as threatening as the ones she first encountered. Elena must now acclimate to her new life that is full of magic, as well as helping her new peers fight off an evil that is threatening their existence.
I have not written a fairly bad review in a long time, and it’s hurting me to have to do this right now. I try to keep all of my reviews positive with constructive criticism in them, and backing up every negative I have with a few positives. I’m really not sure if I can do that with this review, because I truthfully hated this book. In all fairness, my distaste for this book has NOTHING to do with the idea behind the book and the overall plot. I loved the world of dragons that the author created and the direction the author was going with the story. I enjoyed the turmoil that many of the characters were trapped in towards the end, and that this fantasy story turned into an adventure tale. Apart from the overall idea, I just felt that the execution was severely lacking.
My main issue with this story is the writing. I think we can all agree that if the writing in a story is just NOT working, it makes for a very difficult and cringeworthy read. When it came to dialogue, characters interacting, and the scene moving through the day as we followed Elena; the writing was driving me crazy. The author writes in short paragraphs that feel like bullet points, and these short paragraphs will literally jump into different times of the day without any warning or give the reader a vague explanation of a character feeling. I was constantly coming across sentences like “the pop quiz after was hard” or “I went straight to my room”. When I see sentences written like this and given in a way that feels like notes, I get the feeling that the author has trouble with dialogue and filling up the empty spaces of a story. When the author has characters go into detail about past events in Paegeia or explain facts, the author does a great job in being creative and descriptive. I know that if I were to write a book, I would have the same problem. Creative writing comes easy to me, but filling a story up with that unnecessary “fluff” is tedious and sometimes strays away from the nostalgia of the book. So I get that, I really do.
The characters…oy vey. I couldn’t connect with any of them, and they felt underdeveloped and boring. Elena is extremely irritating and immature. Her character whines and complains about everything! I just wanted her to get it together and stop being such a baby about everything, and suddenly she just does. It literally goes from her acting like a child, to having no fear and being a pro. How did that happen?!?! The relationship between Elena and Lucian didn’t exist and wasn’t building into anything, but then in one page they all of sudden are together and are all googly-eyed for each other. I have never witnessed such a rushed romance in my life, and I just found it completely strange. The author has also overused the use of exclamation points in dialogue between characters. I cannot express to you how many times you see “Becky!” or “Sammy!” or “Elena!” being said by one of the characters.
All I can really say is that I feel like this story was poorly executed and written. It makes me sad because I really liked the plot for this series and it has great potential to be SO much BETTER. This is of course just my own opinion, it seems that plenty of other readers are absolutely in love with The Dragonian Series and really enjoyed the writing. It just wasn’t for me, and with that, I will not be continuing this series.
December 19, 2013
What would you do if your father pack up everything and moved....every three months? Why? You don't know. Then on one night your questions get answered.
Dragons are the reason and wait for it... your father is one too.
I would be like this?
That is how Firebolt starts, a new series written by Adrienne Woods.
I was hooked from page one.
Its got dragons, magic, an academy stuck in the air and humans with abilities called Dragonians, who are also able to bond with dragons.
Elena is a dragonian, or in plain English a dragon rider, or destined to be one.
With her two besties Becky and Sammy
AND....Prince Lucian.
Not to forget the sizzling Blake Leaf
How can a girl not fit it.
It's a novel pump with fore-tellings(riddle like prophecies), mean girls, awesome gifts and really bad villains, what more do you want.
When I finished with this one, I was like
Because it's not available!!!!
For the love of blue berries I loved this one and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book.
Dragons are the reason and wait for it... your father is one too.
I would be like this?
That is how Firebolt starts, a new series written by Adrienne Woods.
I was hooked from page one.
Its got dragons, magic, an academy stuck in the air and humans with abilities called Dragonians, who are also able to bond with dragons.
Elena is a dragonian, or in plain English a dragon rider, or destined to be one.
With her two besties Becky and Sammy
AND....Prince Lucian.
Not to forget the sizzling Blake Leaf
How can a girl not fit it.
It's a novel pump with fore-tellings(riddle like prophecies), mean girls, awesome gifts and really bad villains, what more do you want.
When I finished with this one, I was like
Because it's not available!!!!
For the love of blue berries I loved this one and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book.
October 21, 2017
This book deserves so much more hype! I really wish that I knew about it sooner because I am in love with this series already. Just imagine Harry Potter, but with Dragons!
Elena is sick and tired of moving evert 3 months. Her dad's paranoia can be sometimes too much to handle, especially when they have to run away from imaginary problems. But this time, Elena finally learns what her father was running away from, Dragons! And to her surprise, her father is one too. After the death of her father, Elena finds herself in a school for Dragons and their riders. She must start all new classes, make new friends and come to terms with almost half of the people in the school being Dragons in their human forms, which includes one of her roommates.
I really found myself enjoying this book more than I thought I would. The speed is perfect, there were enough surprises to keep me guessing and the characters are all fantastic!
Elena is definitely a strong and determined character. Even though she's been through a lot with her father's death and she's been thrown into a new world in which she doesn't know anything, she was really able to handle herself and overcome her differences. While it was really hard for her in the beginning, later on in the book when she feels more comfortable with her friends and school, we see her do some amazing things. This part made me really love her as a main character.
The other characters in this book are also fantastic! Sammy, Becky, Lucian and even Blake are all so unique and interesting. They all have such strong personalities, it was really easy to get to know them and enjoy them as secondary characters. My favourites being Lucian and Sammy.
The pace of the story was good. It was a tiny bit too slow in the beginning, but later on it really picked up and it went at a good pace. The plot was definitely interesting enough for me to enjoy it and not get bored.
The author's writing was wonderful as well, she easily made her characters feel realistic and the setting feel like you could walk right into it. The only problem I have with her writing is that she uses the phrase "she said in a sing-song voice" this didn't really bother me at first, but she uses it so much in the book that it eventually started to bother me, and made me cringe every time I read it.
Overall, I still gave this book 5 stars because it gave me the Harry Potter feels while being its own unique book with unique characters. I loved the plot, the characters and the writing. I definitely recommend this book to all dragon, and YA fantasy fans..
Happy Reading,
Aneta
Elena is sick and tired of moving evert 3 months. Her dad's paranoia can be sometimes too much to handle, especially when they have to run away from imaginary problems. But this time, Elena finally learns what her father was running away from, Dragons! And to her surprise, her father is one too. After the death of her father, Elena finds herself in a school for Dragons and their riders. She must start all new classes, make new friends and come to terms with almost half of the people in the school being Dragons in their human forms, which includes one of her roommates.
I really found myself enjoying this book more than I thought I would. The speed is perfect, there were enough surprises to keep me guessing and the characters are all fantastic!
Elena is definitely a strong and determined character. Even though she's been through a lot with her father's death and she's been thrown into a new world in which she doesn't know anything, she was really able to handle herself and overcome her differences. While it was really hard for her in the beginning, later on in the book when she feels more comfortable with her friends and school, we see her do some amazing things. This part made me really love her as a main character.
The other characters in this book are also fantastic! Sammy, Becky, Lucian and even Blake are all so unique and interesting. They all have such strong personalities, it was really easy to get to know them and enjoy them as secondary characters. My favourites being Lucian and Sammy.
The pace of the story was good. It was a tiny bit too slow in the beginning, but later on it really picked up and it went at a good pace. The plot was definitely interesting enough for me to enjoy it and not get bored.
The author's writing was wonderful as well, she easily made her characters feel realistic and the setting feel like you could walk right into it. The only problem I have with her writing is that she uses the phrase "she said in a sing-song voice" this didn't really bother me at first, but she uses it so much in the book that it eventually started to bother me, and made me cringe every time I read it.
Overall, I still gave this book 5 stars because it gave me the Harry Potter feels while being its own unique book with unique characters. I loved the plot, the characters and the writing. I definitely recommend this book to all dragon, and YA fantasy fans..
Happy Reading,
Aneta
August 14, 2017
2.5 ⭐️
Thank you so much to Fire Quill publishing via netgalley for sending me a copy of Fire Bolt by Adrienne Woods .
From the very first page i was pulled into the world. Whats going on? Whats happening? Why are they leaving? You could feel the tension and urgency and the dragons.
Im a huge fan of dragon books if done right. I thought maybe i was a bit too old for this book. If i were a preteen or young teenager i think i would have loved it but since i have read so many fantasies its hard not to compare.
I was not thrilled with the writing style, after a while i got annoyed trying to figure out what was going on. I did however enjoy the details about the world and the characters and the dragons but then i got confused. All the characters and magic element was a good concept but it wasnt presented clearly. We follow someone that is clueless to all things magic and dragons so therefore we are clueless and i like to know what im reading more in depth then absolutely nothing until it is learned piece by piece.
Thank you so much to Fire Quill publishing via netgalley for sending me a copy of Fire Bolt by Adrienne Woods .
From the very first page i was pulled into the world. Whats going on? Whats happening? Why are they leaving? You could feel the tension and urgency and the dragons.
Im a huge fan of dragon books if done right. I thought maybe i was a bit too old for this book. If i were a preteen or young teenager i think i would have loved it but since i have read so many fantasies its hard not to compare.
I was not thrilled with the writing style, after a while i got annoyed trying to figure out what was going on. I did however enjoy the details about the world and the characters and the dragons but then i got confused. All the characters and magic element was a good concept but it wasnt presented clearly. We follow someone that is clueless to all things magic and dragons so therefore we are clueless and i like to know what im reading more in depth then absolutely nothing until it is learned piece by piece.
November 15, 2015
Fafa's Book Corner (Wordpress)
Fafa's Book Corner (Blogger)
DNF
When I first heard of this book I was excited to read this. I immediately tried looking in my library for it but was disappointed to see that it wasn't there. I then proceeded to read the sample from iBooks to see if I would like it. Unfortunately I did not.
I don't remember that much about it hence why I am not using a spoiler tag. The book begins with Elena's father is trying to rush her into packing as they are leaving. Readers are told that they move frequently. Choosing that moment Elena try's to throw a fit but gets ushered into packing.
While they are driving away they get attacked by a dragon. Elena discovers that all those stories her father told her about dragons are true. Her father and her separate. She wakes up in Paegia and is told that her father was murdered. This doesn't count as spoilers because it happens early in the book and also the synopsis mentions that her father was killed.
I really did not like the writing style in this book. And because of that I couldn't stand it when Elena started throwing a fit about leaving yet again and not understanding why they had to move. I have read about similar fits before and it has never bothered me. The writing style irked me so much that I couldn't bring myself to read it.
Overall I didn't enjoy this. But I don't regret it. If you really want to read this then I would suggest trying to read a sample to see if you are alright with the writing style. I would also recommend it to fans of dragon books.
Fafa's Book Corner (Blogger)
DNF
When I first heard of this book I was excited to read this. I immediately tried looking in my library for it but was disappointed to see that it wasn't there. I then proceeded to read the sample from iBooks to see if I would like it. Unfortunately I did not.
I don't remember that much about it hence why I am not using a spoiler tag. The book begins with Elena's father is trying to rush her into packing as they are leaving. Readers are told that they move frequently. Choosing that moment Elena try's to throw a fit but gets ushered into packing.
While they are driving away they get attacked by a dragon. Elena discovers that all those stories her father told her about dragons are true. Her father and her separate. She wakes up in Paegia and is told that her father was murdered. This doesn't count as spoilers because it happens early in the book and also the synopsis mentions that her father was killed.
I really did not like the writing style in this book. And because of that I couldn't stand it when Elena started throwing a fit about leaving yet again and not understanding why they had to move. I have read about similar fits before and it has never bothered me. The writing style irked me so much that I couldn't bring myself to read it.
Overall I didn't enjoy this. But I don't regret it. If you really want to read this then I would suggest trying to read a sample to see if you are alright with the writing style. I would also recommend it to fans of dragon books.
October 15, 2016
I enjoyed this book but no as much as I expected!
It is a real struggle for me when a book starts off slowly cause I want to just stop reading. But I am happy with not doing this because the book does pick up.
The main character was interesting and after her dad dies she discovers that she is so much more that she thought!
And it had dragons, for me that is always a plus...
I had some problems with this book but overall I didn't regret reading it at all!
My thanks to Netgalley for proving me this arc
It is a real struggle for me when a book starts off slowly cause I want to just stop reading. But I am happy with not doing this because the book does pick up.
The main character was interesting and after her dad dies she discovers that she is so much more that she thought!
And it had dragons, for me that is always a plus...
I had some problems with this book but overall I didn't regret reading it at all!
My thanks to Netgalley for proving me this arc
November 22, 2020
This is a good story. It kept me reading and left me curious for more when the last page turned. The writing, however, is basic and very much surface only. There were also a lot of small holes left with no understanding that really needed to be filled in order to actually grasp and connect with the characters and storyline.
I am interested to see if what I think will happen actually does, however.
My predictions are that Elena is Blake’s Dragonrider (this is probably the biggest reason I want to continue because that would be awesome!) She is also the King’s daughter but was somehow snuck into the “normal” world to keep her safe.
SO...not sure whether I will continue or not. I am curious and would love to see where the storyline goes but I’m not sure if that curiosity is enough to actually overcome this first book’s shortcomings enough to pay full price for future books.
I am interested to see if what I think will happen actually does, however.
My predictions are that Elena is Blake’s Dragonrider (this is probably the biggest reason I want to continue because that would be awesome!) She is also the King’s daughter but was somehow snuck into the “normal” world to keep her safe.
SO...not sure whether I will continue or not. I am curious and would love to see where the storyline goes but I’m not sure if that curiosity is enough to actually overcome this first book’s shortcomings enough to pay full price for future books.
December 15, 2017
1.5 stars
**I received a free eBook in exchange for an honest review**
I was very excited to read this book. Dragons? Yes please! School setting? Awesome! YA? I'm sold. Basically, I couldn't wait to get started. Unfortunately, this book suffered from the "great premise/bad execution" syndrome and greatly disappointed me.
The basic plot summary: Sixteen year old Elena finds out that her dad is not actually human...he is a dragon. Sadly, the same day she finds out this intriguing bit of information is the same day he is killed by a group of evil rogue dragons. Elena is taken to a medical ward of sorts, except this medical ward is not in the world you and I live in, but rather in the land of Paegia...the land of dragons and their riders, known as Dragonians. Elena is enrolled into Dragonia (basically Hogwarts for dragons and Dragonians). From here, she's thrust into a new world and a new social order in which she has to integrate and prove herself.
If this book had been marketed as a middle grade book, I believe it would have done much better than as YA. The dialogue was incredibly stilted and juvenile. The only time I knew that something was funny or humorous was because the characters laughed. There was a lot of random bits of imagery that made no sense to the story, and at times were just plain inappropriate.
For example, one of the characters gets roughed up by a dragon, and the author's description?
"It looked as if she had been beaten by a jealous boyfriend"
Um, what?? Why was this put in? What did it accomplish? It made me mad that the author thought this was appropriate, that's what it did.
Another scene described the characters going to the lake for a late night swim. The MC didn't have a swimsuit, so she borrowed her friend's bikini.
"I picked up a plain black one and tried it on. It fit perfectly. I just didn't like my flat ass. I wanted it to be plumper."
There were random phrases like those mentioned above sprinkled throughout the book. They didn't add anything to the book, and seemed to be put there just to fill space. They also made Elena out to be a whiny, childish character who had no sense of the greater world out there.
Speaking of which, I swear she was either yelling or crying on every single page. And for the first half of the book she was constantly in danger of losing her sanity because....reasons? The author never really went into that and I would have liked to know why. I assume it's because for a normal person, to find out that dragons actually existed would be a huge thing to mentally process...but I don't feel like it would cause insanity *shrugs*. I mean, if I found out that dragons actually existed my jaw would drop to the floor and then I would be jumping for joy because HELLO FREAKING DRAGONS EXISTED. But maybe that's just me.
There was barely any mention of her father dying either. You would think that would be incredibly traumatic and would be worth mentioning how it affected the MC, but it was hardly mentioned at all. Elena had moments of missing her dad, but overall it was almost like he never existed.
Another issue I had was the insta-love. I absolutely ABHOR insta-love. I ABHOR IT I TELL YOU. I love seeing a friendship blossom before anything else. It allows me to be more invested in the characters and their relationship and to cheer them on to a happy ending. Sadly, this was not the case. The only reason Elena and her Boyfriend ended up getting together was because he was hot. Seriously. She even has moments of self-doubt when she hears that he has no qualms about beating dragons to get them to submit, but then he gives her his million-watt smile and all is right with the world. I also see a love triangle looming on the horizon, which I also cannot stand. While being tutored by the other point of the predicted love triangle, Elena was "lost in his eyes" and "want[ed] to grab and kiss his mouth".
This is about 50% of the book so far. All of the above happened before the halfway point.
There was a part where they talked about how their stone dragons would awaken when there was trouble....
The 0.5 stars this book is getting is due to the fact that there are dragons. Dragons are my kryptonite and I will read anything and everything about them.
I will not be continuing on in this series. I have read some reviews on the next several books, and it doesn't seem to get much better in terms of character development. I'm saddened, because the premise of this series is awesome. I wish the execution was just as great.
**I received a free eBook in exchange for an honest review**
I was very excited to read this book. Dragons? Yes please! School setting? Awesome! YA? I'm sold. Basically, I couldn't wait to get started. Unfortunately, this book suffered from the "great premise/bad execution" syndrome and greatly disappointed me.
The basic plot summary: Sixteen year old Elena finds out that her dad is not actually human...he is a dragon. Sadly, the same day she finds out this intriguing bit of information is the same day he is killed by a group of evil rogue dragons. Elena is taken to a medical ward of sorts, except this medical ward is not in the world you and I live in, but rather in the land of Paegia...the land of dragons and their riders, known as Dragonians. Elena is enrolled into Dragonia (basically Hogwarts for dragons and Dragonians). From here, she's thrust into a new world and a new social order in which she has to integrate and prove herself.
If this book had been marketed as a middle grade book, I believe it would have done much better than as YA. The dialogue was incredibly stilted and juvenile. The only time I knew that something was funny or humorous was because the characters laughed. There was a lot of random bits of imagery that made no sense to the story, and at times were just plain inappropriate.
For example, one of the characters gets roughed up by a dragon, and the author's description?
"It looked as if she had been beaten by a jealous boyfriend"
Um, what?? Why was this put in? What did it accomplish? It made me mad that the author thought this was appropriate, that's what it did.
Another scene described the characters going to the lake for a late night swim. The MC didn't have a swimsuit, so she borrowed her friend's bikini.
"I picked up a plain black one and tried it on. It fit perfectly. I just didn't like my flat ass. I wanted it to be plumper."
There were random phrases like those mentioned above sprinkled throughout the book. They didn't add anything to the book, and seemed to be put there just to fill space. They also made Elena out to be a whiny, childish character who had no sense of the greater world out there.
Speaking of which, I swear she was either yelling or crying on every single page. And for the first half of the book she was constantly in danger of losing her sanity because....reasons? The author never really went into that and I would have liked to know why. I assume it's because for a normal person, to find out that dragons actually existed would be a huge thing to mentally process...but I don't feel like it would cause insanity *shrugs*. I mean, if I found out that dragons actually existed my jaw would drop to the floor and then I would be jumping for joy because HELLO FREAKING DRAGONS EXISTED. But maybe that's just me.
There was barely any mention of her father dying either. You would think that would be incredibly traumatic and would be worth mentioning how it affected the MC, but it was hardly mentioned at all. Elena had moments of missing her dad, but overall it was almost like he never existed.
Another issue I had was the insta-love. I absolutely ABHOR insta-love. I ABHOR IT I TELL YOU. I love seeing a friendship blossom before anything else. It allows me to be more invested in the characters and their relationship and to cheer them on to a happy ending. Sadly, this was not the case. The only reason Elena and her Boyfriend ended up getting together was because he was hot. Seriously. She even has moments of self-doubt when she hears that he has no qualms about beating dragons to get them to submit, but then he gives her his million-watt smile and all is right with the world. I also see a love triangle looming on the horizon, which I also cannot stand. While being tutored by the other point of the predicted love triangle, Elena was "lost in his eyes" and "want[ed] to grab and kiss his mouth".
This is about 50% of the book so far. All of the above happened before the halfway point.
There was a part where they talked about how their stone dragons would awaken when there was trouble....
The 0.5 stars this book is getting is due to the fact that there are dragons. Dragons are my kryptonite and I will read anything and everything about them.
I will not be continuing on in this series. I have read some reviews on the next several books, and it doesn't seem to get much better in terms of character development. I'm saddened, because the premise of this series is awesome. I wish the execution was just as great.
November 9, 2015
Great book! :D
I really enjoy all the things about the dragons and the history was amazing <3
Elena was really tough and smart but she was tooo focus on what people were thinking about her :/
I want to read more about Blake and I could see a lot of things that can happen in the next book, I really want to read the next one :P
My favorite character was Brian, he didn't appear that much but everytime he said or did something I always smiled :D
Thank you so much to https://lalasbookreviews.wordpress.com/ for giving me the e-book to review! <3
Full review: https://makingdaysbetter.wordpress.co... :D
I really enjoy all the things about the dragons and the history was amazing <3
Elena was really tough and smart but she was tooo focus on what people were thinking about her :/
I want to read more about Blake and I could see a lot of things that can happen in the next book, I really want to read the next one :P
My favorite character was Brian, he didn't appear that much but everytime he said or did something I always smiled :D
Thank you so much to https://lalasbookreviews.wordpress.com/ for giving me the e-book to review! <3
Full review: https://makingdaysbetter.wordpress.co... :D
October 3, 2014
4.5 STARS
***I received the eBook free as a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review***
I knew straight away from the synopsis that this would be a fun book, and I was not wrong! It combined a Harry-Potter-like-boarding-school with dragons and epicness.
Chucked into the action straight away you meet Elena who has to quickly change her beliefs when she’s faced with a new world and it was great going on that journey with her. She took her time I’ll admit as anyone would if they just got attacked by dragons, but she was never going to be the sitting in a corner crying about how life isn’t fair type (I’ve had too many of those). She wasn’t over the top either and had times when she was vulnerable making her very easy to relate to. I loved her phrase “for the love of blueberries”.
She meets lots of new “people” including one swoonworthy boy called Lucian; who just so happens to be a prince. I fell in love with him immediately, the relationship he has with Elena always put a smile on my face but also fit well with the story. Then there’s Blake… he’s very much an mystery and for someone who plays such a vital role in the plot we don’t know much about him; while I have my hunches on his future I can’t wait for the sequel to find out.
More characters included the lovable Sammy and her best friend soon to also be Elena’s friend, Becky. There are plenty more worth mentioning but I could probably go on about the individuals for ages so I’ll move onto plot.
It was very well paced; I actually read it in one sitting because I got so invested in the character’s stories so quickly. They do have to face a lot in a plot that has plenty more to come. The history of Paegeia was vital in emerging myself in this book like it is for any fantasy series, but it was delivered effortlessly as we learnt alongside Elena who of course was also new to it all.
Overall it was an amazing start to a very promising new series, but for the love of blueberries where is the sequel?!
Posted on: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/
***I received the eBook free as a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review***
I knew straight away from the synopsis that this would be a fun book, and I was not wrong! It combined a Harry-Potter-like-boarding-school with dragons and epicness.
Chucked into the action straight away you meet Elena who has to quickly change her beliefs when she’s faced with a new world and it was great going on that journey with her. She took her time I’ll admit as anyone would if they just got attacked by dragons, but she was never going to be the sitting in a corner crying about how life isn’t fair type (I’ve had too many of those). She wasn’t over the top either and had times when she was vulnerable making her very easy to relate to. I loved her phrase “for the love of blueberries”.
She meets lots of new “people” including one swoonworthy boy called Lucian; who just so happens to be a prince. I fell in love with him immediately, the relationship he has with Elena always put a smile on my face but also fit well with the story. Then there’s Blake… he’s very much an mystery and for someone who plays such a vital role in the plot we don’t know much about him; while I have my hunches on his future I can’t wait for the sequel to find out.
More characters included the lovable Sammy and her best friend soon to also be Elena’s friend, Becky. There are plenty more worth mentioning but I could probably go on about the individuals for ages so I’ll move onto plot.
It was very well paced; I actually read it in one sitting because I got so invested in the character’s stories so quickly. They do have to face a lot in a plot that has plenty more to come. The history of Paegeia was vital in emerging myself in this book like it is for any fantasy series, but it was delivered effortlessly as we learnt alongside Elena who of course was also new to it all.
Overall it was an amazing start to a very promising new series, but for the love of blueberries where is the sequel?!
Posted on: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/
November 6, 2017
I actually wanted to give this book 1 star but 2 are just because it really had the potential for a good story. There are many things frustrating with this book.
First of all Elena grows on to be irritating as the book gets pace.She is so weak,she says she will work hard but I don't think she has potential for it implying that she has nothing special about her except that big dark mark.
For every boy who talks to her other girls are staring and are so jealous. Because of course every hot boy out there will ultimately fall for her.
There is bad romance. I mean seriously bad out of nowhere suddenly Elena and Lucian are in love and are making out. At the same time when Blake appears she can't stop lusting and ogling at him. That's disgusting. Also the things are not described in proper way there are so brusque.
We came to know about blake's claiming which can only be done by offspring of king Albert and queen Catherine. Lucian is hellbent on doing that with his dedication but Elena is there to discourage him just for some silly prophecy by viden.And there are lots of them.
I know obviously Elena is going to be the one to claim him ,being the most special one, to end all the problems in there land to fulfill all the prophecies with no credit or talent of her own. Duh.
Obviously that's going to happen in further books.
okay! I don't have problem with one special one but atleast they must have some qualities to have it. Not only on the basis of silly prophecies.
Plus the writing is also bad.
Only thing which fascinated me was premise and starting with all that dragon's and magic. But it's not worth it.
First of all Elena grows on to be irritating as the book gets pace.She is so weak,she says she will work hard but I don't think she has potential for it implying that she has nothing special about her except that big dark mark.
For every boy who talks to her other girls are staring and are so jealous. Because of course every hot boy out there will ultimately fall for her.
There is bad romance. I mean seriously bad out of nowhere suddenly Elena and Lucian are in love and are making out. At the same time when Blake appears she can't stop lusting and ogling at him. That's disgusting. Also the things are not described in proper way there are so brusque.
We came to know about blake's claiming which can only be done by offspring of king Albert and queen Catherine. Lucian is hellbent on doing that with his dedication but Elena is there to discourage him just for some silly prophecy by viden.And there are lots of them.
I know obviously Elena is going to be the one to claim him ,being the most special one, to end all the problems in there land to fulfill all the prophecies with no credit or talent of her own. Duh.
Obviously that's going to happen in further books.
okay! I don't have problem with one special one but atleast they must have some qualities to have it. Not only on the basis of silly prophecies.
Plus the writing is also bad.
Only thing which fascinated me was premise and starting with all that dragon's and magic. But it's not worth it.
zzz-books-not-for-me
June 15, 2017Read from January 06 to 12, 2016
Not bad, I quite enjoyed this one, but I read the reviews for the sequels and it looks like the series is going downhill so I'm happy with just reading the first book.
Not bad, I quite enjoyed this one, but I read the reviews for the sequels and it looks like the series is going downhill so I'm happy with just reading the first book.
September 15, 2014
What to say. It's my first time reading a YA novel about dragons and I didn't expect to love it so much! It's freaking epic! Seriously..
The theme,the characters, the settings and the plot, It has all what I'm asking for! And our heroine must be a little weakling in this book but I know she'll redeem herself and become one of the most kick-ass heroine ever! *cough*Blake's*cough*Dragonian*cough* I can feel it under my goose pimples! XD
Well, she's the main character so at least she need that kind of importance.
And the ROMANCE!!!!!!
I love Lucian,I really do but he's too good to be true! I know there's no hint yet or whatsoever (or is there?) about Blake and Elena but I also want them to be together! Who doesn't want the tortured hero to get the girl right? But if that happens, how about Lucian?!? Arggg I can feel the pain of their love triangle even if it's not happening yet. And they were best friends!
I can't wait till November!!! Please release it naooooooooo!
The theme,the characters, the settings and the plot, It has all what I'm asking for! And our heroine must be a little weakling in this book but I know she'll redeem herself and become one of the most kick-ass heroine ever! *cough*Blake's*cough*Dragonian*cough* I can feel it under my goose pimples! XD
Well, she's the main character so at least she need that kind of importance.
And the ROMANCE!!!!!!
I love Lucian,I really do but he's too good to be true! I know there's no hint yet or whatsoever (or is there?) about Blake and Elena but I also want them to be together! Who doesn't want the tortured hero to get the girl right? But if that happens, how about Lucian?!? Arggg I can feel the pain of their love triangle even if it's not happening yet. And they were best friends!
I can't wait till November!!! Please release it naooooooooo!
June 5, 2017
Full review at the end of the series! :D
3.5 I wants more stars!
NEXT BOOK!!!
February 13, 2018
3.5 Stars
This was more along the lines of a stereotypical cheesy YA Fantasy. The characters all have good and bad moments but are overwhelmingly pretty predictable. The plot was done well and has promise but suffers from only telling part of a story, not uncommon for books in a series. I don't think the world was very well established but it kept me interested.
This wasn't necessarily an amazing book but it was everything I wanted it to be and put me back in a good reading mood. So for me it's a win.And I kinda want to know what's going to happen next.
I received a copy of the book from via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was more along the lines of a stereotypical cheesy YA Fantasy. The characters all have good and bad moments but are overwhelmingly pretty predictable. The plot was done well and has promise but suffers from only telling part of a story, not uncommon for books in a series. I don't think the world was very well established but it kept me interested.
This wasn't necessarily an amazing book but it was everything I wanted it to be and put me back in a good reading mood. So for me it's a win.
I received a copy of the book from via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2021
The biggest issue with this book is that it really did not age well. Maybe if I'd read this book when I was younger I could've focused only on the good, as the bad would've been less jarring, but unfortunately that doesn't change my opinions of this book today.
This book is very much a high-school style book of its time (2013). There's your cliques, mean girls, the brooding bad boy, etc. There's cringy cursing (with 'beeyotch' being the most commonly used), the narrator uses an odd valley girl accent for certain female characters, and it all just feels very tropey. There wasn't, thankfully, too much girl on girl hate and slut-shaming, something another book I read from this era had an issue with, so this aspect of the story was more annoying than harmful.
My biggest issue with this book was its outdated terminology regarding marginalized characters, ideas regarding virginity, and its odd avoidance of the existence of queer people (which is also indicative of it's time, but it's still very noticeable now). First, this book is laden with terminology that is actually quite offensive. Luckily, these words are generally used once or twice, but it still was jarring to read. Second, there is an odd emphasis on the main character's virginity, from the very beginning of the story. The MC is warned that being a virgin might not be a good thing, or to at least not let this one guy/dragon in school know, because that dragon race is notorious for being very into virgins and wanting to defile them (also odd side note, but this race name changed from sunblast, to fireblast, to sunblast again throughout this book?). But then, at the end, the MC is the only one who can complete a special quest because she's the only virgin, or 'true maiden' of the group. It just feels so odd (and slut-shamey) that the MC is considered special for this reason, and that it makes her a 'true maiden'. They could've just... not. Lastly, there was just something very off-putting in this book that made me realize that this book is only straight characters. There's a special bond in the book that happens between a dragon rider and dragon very rarely, and when it's between two people of opposite genders, it means love/marriage etc. However, when it's between two people of the same gender, it's only considered as a brothers/sisters relationship. The strength of the bond is shown as intense and intimate, and the fact that romance can only occur, or is only seen as an option, when the two are of a different gender just straight up erases queer relationships. Like, this book is from 2013. Gay people existed in 2013?
The book itself wasn't much stronger, even when the impact of these above issues is ignored (if you even can ignore it, as a reader). I honestly feel as if I predicted all of the upcoming plot twists for this trilogy within the first 50%, and the only way I'd continue this is to see if I was actually right. Nothing really happens for most of this book besides annoying high school drama, and the characters themselves don't add much instead as they all feel super tropey. The only reason that this book isn't 1 star is because I was mildly invested in where it would go by the end, and I am still mildly tempted to continue to see what happens next. However, I don't think I will, because the above issues would bother me too much.
Overall, I feel like this book very much fit in the YA Fantasy of 2013 (not that it excuses the problematic issues it has now), and it just doesn't feel like a book that belongs in 2021 due to the issues outlined above. Even just an update to fix some of the outdated terminology would help a lot, but would still only elevate this to a 3 star for me at best. I was intrigued, but in the end, this wasn't for me.
This book is very much a high-school style book of its time (2013). There's your cliques, mean girls, the brooding bad boy, etc. There's cringy cursing (with 'beeyotch' being the most commonly used), the narrator uses an odd valley girl accent for certain female characters, and it all just feels very tropey. There wasn't, thankfully, too much girl on girl hate and slut-shaming, something another book I read from this era had an issue with, so this aspect of the story was more annoying than harmful.
My biggest issue with this book was its outdated terminology regarding marginalized characters, ideas regarding virginity, and its odd avoidance of the existence of queer people (which is also indicative of it's time, but it's still very noticeable now). First, this book is laden with terminology that is actually quite offensive. Luckily, these words are generally used once or twice, but it still was jarring to read. Second, there is an odd emphasis on the main character's virginity, from the very beginning of the story. The MC is warned that being a virgin might not be a good thing, or to at least not let this one guy/dragon in school know, because that dragon race is notorious for being very into virgins and wanting to defile them (also odd side note, but this race name changed from sunblast, to fireblast, to sunblast again throughout this book?). But then, at the end, the MC is the only one who can complete a special quest because she's the only virgin, or 'true maiden' of the group. It just feels so odd (and slut-shamey) that the MC is considered special for this reason, and that it makes her a 'true maiden'. They could've just... not. Lastly, there was just something very off-putting in this book that made me realize that this book is only straight characters. There's a special bond in the book that happens between a dragon rider and dragon very rarely, and when it's between two people of opposite genders, it means love/marriage etc. However, when it's between two people of the same gender, it's only considered as a brothers/sisters relationship. The strength of the bond is shown as intense and intimate, and the fact that romance can only occur, or is only seen as an option, when the two are of a different gender just straight up erases queer relationships. Like, this book is from 2013. Gay people existed in 2013?
The book itself wasn't much stronger, even when the impact of these above issues is ignored (if you even can ignore it, as a reader). I honestly feel as if I predicted all of the upcoming plot twists for this trilogy within the first 50%, and the only way I'd continue this is to see if I was actually right. Nothing really happens for most of this book besides annoying high school drama, and the characters themselves don't add much instead as they all feel super tropey. The only reason that this book isn't 1 star is because I was mildly invested in where it would go by the end, and I am still mildly tempted to continue to see what happens next. However, I don't think I will, because the above issues would bother me too much.
Overall, I feel like this book very much fit in the YA Fantasy of 2013 (not that it excuses the problematic issues it has now), and it just doesn't feel like a book that belongs in 2021 due to the issues outlined above. Even just an update to fix some of the outdated terminology would help a lot, but would still only elevate this to a 3 star for me at best. I was intrigued, but in the end, this wasn't for me.
April 12, 2016
Elena has been on the run all of her life with her father, even though she has no idea why, that is until a dragon kills her father. She wakes up in a mystical land called Paegeia, and is soon enrolled in a new school where she meets lots of new people, including those who are able to change into dragons. Elena is struggling to learn everything she needs to be able to understand this new world she finds herself in, and with a long thought dead sorcerer back and Elena has to find a way to save her new home.
Firebolt was an OK book which in some points I found entertaining but mostly I found it to be predictable, forgettable and the story didn’t pick up until near the end. It felt too teenage for me and had too much school drama and the relationships, both romantic and non-romantic developed way too quickly.
I felt Elena was very immature for a 16 year old, for example blushing whenever anyone mentioned sex, and gets over the death of her father and arriving in this new world too quickly and I just generally was not a fan of her. However, I did like some of the secondary characters, like her two friends Becky and Sammy. On the other hand the boys irritated me as Lucian was too perfect and his relationship with Elena seems very superficial. Blake was mysterious and a jerk and I do not get why so many people like his character.
I have heard that the following books go downhill and I am not sure I want to carry one with The Dragonian series.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
Firebolt was an OK book which in some points I found entertaining but mostly I found it to be predictable, forgettable and the story didn’t pick up until near the end. It felt too teenage for me and had too much school drama and the relationships, both romantic and non-romantic developed way too quickly.
I felt Elena was very immature for a 16 year old, for example blushing whenever anyone mentioned sex, and gets over the death of her father and arriving in this new world too quickly and I just generally was not a fan of her. However, I did like some of the secondary characters, like her two friends Becky and Sammy. On the other hand the boys irritated me as Lucian was too perfect and his relationship with Elena seems very superficial. Blake was mysterious and a jerk and I do not get why so many people like his character.
I have heard that the following books go downhill and I am not sure I want to carry one with The Dragonian series.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
July 5, 2019
For review purposes, i will give a short review before i head into my rant.
I expected a cliche, typical, love-triangle, girl-is-actually-amazing-but-doesn't-know-it story. And that's kinda what I wanted! I wanted fluff and cliche stories! However, that isn't what I got. And I'm disappointed in that.
*RANT TIME*
anyway, thanks to the author and amazon kindle for the free book :)
I expected a cliche, typical, love-triangle, girl-is-actually-amazing-but-doesn't-know-it story. And that's kinda what I wanted! I wanted fluff and cliche stories! However, that isn't what I got. And I'm disappointed in that.
*RANT TIME*
anyway, thanks to the author and amazon kindle for the free book :)
June 16, 2016
*This book was provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was an amazing book with intriguing characters and a great plot. I liked the story although the only criticism I have is that at times the plot was a little slow moving as the author gave detailed descriptions of scenes. While this works for some people, for me I just felt like a few of these scenes could be cut back a bit to get more action in. This, however, was only a minor issue and didn't impede on my enjoyment of this great book. This is a must-read for fantasy and dragon-lovers!
This was an amazing book with intriguing characters and a great plot. I liked the story although the only criticism I have is that at times the plot was a little slow moving as the author gave detailed descriptions of scenes. While this works for some people, for me I just felt like a few of these scenes could be cut back a bit to get more action in. This, however, was only a minor issue and didn't impede on my enjoyment of this great book. This is a must-read for fantasy and dragon-lovers!
December 8, 2023
Teenage fantasy story on steroids.
It’s an easy to read and easy to follow story. Really compelling from one point, it really catches you and you want to know what’s next. But I tried to go through this story from a teenager perspective, because otherwise as an adult it makes you cringe a lot. So I don’t think it’s fair to say that it was predictable or complain how the characters reacted. It’s really well done for teenagers.
The characters and their actions are spot on for the 16-17 kids they portrayed. I did appreciate that - the author wrote for teenagers, about teenagers and it was well done.
It’s an easy to read and easy to follow story. Really compelling from one point, it really catches you and you want to know what’s next. But I tried to go through this story from a teenager perspective, because otherwise as an adult it makes you cringe a lot. So I don’t think it’s fair to say that it was predictable or complain how the characters reacted. It’s really well done for teenagers.
The characters and their actions are spot on for the 16-17 kids they portrayed. I did appreciate that - the author wrote for teenagers, about teenagers and it was well done.
January 9, 2018
4.5/5
I really enjoyed this! The world of dragons in this was so rich and fascinating. My only problem was that I was super confused in the beginning, but slowly things seemed to make sense. I wish there was a guide for this series about all the different types of dragons. I thought the writing was amazing and the narrator only enhanced the experience for me. The mystery in this story is on so many different levels and I can wait to see how they will all play out.
I really enjoyed this! The world of dragons in this was so rich and fascinating. My only problem was that I was super confused in the beginning, but slowly things seemed to make sense. I wish there was a guide for this series about all the different types of dragons. I thought the writing was amazing and the narrator only enhanced the experience for me. The mystery in this story is on so many different levels and I can wait to see how they will all play out.
October 12, 2015
Finished reading: October 10th 2015
"If your mind and heart are in the same place, you can do whatever you want."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here. .
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