Ignore the blurb, it’s really a spoiler. Just know that the story begins when the great race Hlad antA more philosophical take on the first encounter
Ignore the blurb, it’s really a spoiler. Just know that the story begins when the great race Hlad anticipates the arrival of a spaceship that ends tragically. Not surprising for a race who perceived themselves as superior and the one great race derived from the Fire King. And the alien that arrives……. You can guess seems superior with their ability to travel through the galaxy is human. Loved this fresh take.
Written using minor characters from the more popular science fiction book and told in narrative and journal entries, we explore a desert planet whose inhabitants appear reptilian but yet intelligent and able to adapt to change quickly. The survivor from the first encounter and Raq, a warrior are forced together as the powers that be harvest information from the disastrous start. The narrative is slow and is more character driven. The political intrigue is a minor secondary plot. It is the slow development of an unlikely friendship that lies at the heart of this book.
Would recommend if you like slow paced thoughtful character driven stories that place value on identity, friendship rather than action directed towards demonstrating your might and right.
This has been recommended everywhere and seems to be universally loved. And I’m amazed that this is so loved.
The premise of this book is that 6 extreThis has been recommended everywhere and seems to be universally loved. And I’m amazed that this is so loved.
The premise of this book is that 6 extremely talented individuals are chosen to join the Alexandria Society. For one year, there will be classes and at the end of that year, only 5 will be initiated. One thing becomes clear that this is a fantasy with heavy dark academia themes. And it fits that mold with school setting, mysterious organization and unlikeable characters.
Alas, this book was just not for me. The characters though initially were intriguing in how the author portrayed their flaws and their secrets. But eventually their potential was never fully realized. Characters like Reina, were often sidelined for major 4 characters. The more nuanced characters got less attention in this installment whilst those given the spotlight seemed to hit the same notes, even in their angst. The story felt unnecessarily convoluted given its ending. There are clues that lead to the grand finale, which can be easily overlooked.
Additionally, the world building and magic system was explained in a very academic manner. It was long expositions that my brain refused to delve deeply into. The nerdy part of me was happy that the author used science to explain the way the magic worked or could be manipulated. But the metaphysical aspects didn’t work for me and it became a chore to read. And there is quite an extensive portion dedicated to this aspect.
This dark academia novel had potential but there seem to be debut errors in the storytelling. Normally I don’t complain about editing errors in the writing. But often sentences had missing words or extraneous words. This novel has been slated for release as a traditional publication, so I expect this will be fixed. I won’t be continuing this series and now I’m wondering if dark academia is not for me....more
Dragon Mage is an indie book that has been getting all the love. It is a coming of age fantasy novel with a great friendship, dragons and the fight agDragon Mage is an indie book that has been getting all the love. It is a coming of age fantasy novel with a great friendship, dragons and the fight against evil. It is a door-stopper at over 800 pages but it never is a dull moment. But the best parts are the first 400 pages where we meet and learn more about our hero, Aram who is on the autistic spectrum. And with a nuanced hero, the plot is also not quite what you always get from the usual epic fantasy novel. This book was brave to delve into issues which other authors tend to shy away but are obvious on reading this book. The solution of the issues like abuse, PTSD is not always perfectly executed but the addition of community in healing was a fantastic touch. The action scenes and the training montages and the usual epic tropes are well executed. And the use of the dragons was so well done.
There is no perfect book and I think that the ending was a tad underwhelming. There was a skill that Aram has that I thought would be more vital to the big confrontation. Everything seemed set up for that skill to be used, but it wasn't used. I felt confused and disappointed. And I am unsure the direction of the sequel as this book felt complete.
This is good book for those who like character driven books with slow burn of a plot and want a book where friendship is key. There is a romance but it doesn't overtake the plot. Quite a decent book with no cliffhangers....more
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