An absolute must-read—to paraphrase a line from the novel, fantasy fans will find themselves in literary heaven.
The debut novel from Hugo and Nebula Awards–winner Mills is a nonlinear science-fantasy following one woman’s redemptive journey after a devastating loss of faith.
Growing up in the blessed city of Radezhda—a towering metropolis that was built to reach the heavens and the portals leading to the five sleeping gods—young Zenya dreams of one day becoming a Winged warrior. But Zenya’s parents are scholars, and in a strictly stratified society whose populace is divided into five sectors—fighters, farmers, engineers, scholars, and workers, with each sect worshipping a different god—her future is all but predestined. With tensions between sect leaders a virtual powder keg and a civil war looming, Zenya follows her dream and eventually makes it through torturous training to become Winged—a warrior with mechanical wings that connect to ports surgically opened in her back. With a fanatical and demanding leader named Vodaya pushing her to her limits, Zenya (now named Zemolai) begins to see the world from a different perspective. Where she once saw honor and freedom among the Winged warriors, she now sees treachery, lies, and the underpinnings of a fascist state. When an error in judgment gets her exiled, a now wingless Zemolai begins a perilous journey to uncover the truth—revelations that will literally shake the towers of Radezhda and the very heavens themselves. Mills more than compensates for slightly two-dimensional supporting characters with masterful worldbuilding, brisk pacing, and stand-up-and-applaud action sequences, but the real power here is in her exploration of finding one’s true path, the dangers of blind faith, and weaponized zealotry. All these elements combine in a narrative that is virtually impossible to put down.
An absolute must-read—to paraphrase a line from the novel, fantasy fans will find themselves in literary heaven.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781616964146
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Tachyon
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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SEEN & HEARD
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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SEEN & HEARD
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