Justice for Jamee: https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/justice-for-jamee-johnson
Trigger warnings: Violence, Domestic abuse, Enslavement, Child death
Synopsis: When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year, these five outcasts will answer the call....
THE LIAR: Emilia must hide her dark magic or be put to death.
THE SOLDIER: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn to never lift a sword again.
THE SERVANT: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game.
THE THIEF: Ajax knows that nothing is free--he must take what he wants.
THE MURDERER: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.
Review: House of Dragons is a multi-perspective fantasy story where 5 kids compete to become the next Emperor. House of Dragons is a very quick and engaging read, but the characters and overall story felt very one-note. The synopsis above is straight from Goodreads, but it sums up the characters perfectly. Hyperia is just a bloodthirsty woman out for glory. Emilia is just a royal keeping a magical secret. The characters don't seem to have any other layers than what is described above. I also never really worried that the characters were in much danger. This is meant to be a competition where one contestant wins and the others die. I never felt that in the story.
Like I said, the story was very fast. The nice thing about a competition storyline is that there is normally a time limit for everything to occur. While the competition element is formulaic, this works a bit to the book's benefit. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to someone who reads a lot of fantasy, I would give this to a kid who wants to be introduced to fantasy but find it intimidating. The first trial is very combat heavy. The second trial introduces a political element found in many fantasies. The third trial focuses on the characters and how they work with their dragons. The biggest downside to the story is we get so little interaction between the characters and their dragons. We are first introduced to them based on their relationships to the dragons. Then we don't really get a feel for their connections until the third trial.
Underwhelming plot and characters, but a solid introduction to fantasy for someone who is unfamiliar with the genre.
3 howls
If you enjoyed House of Dragons, consider checking out the following titles:
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (YA fantasy featuring a competition where a boy enters in an attempt to kill the ruler of the land. Little does he know, the current ruler is waiting for someone to win her competition so she can kill them)
Given by Nandi Taylor (YA fantasy about a girl trying to understand the right political moves for her kingdom when she meets a dragon-shifter who changes everything)
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (YA fantasy set in the world of Cinderella where girls are expected to attend a ball so men of the kingdom can take wives)
Trigger warnings: Violence, Domestic abuse, Enslavement, Child death
Synopsis: When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year, these five outcasts will answer the call....
THE LIAR: Emilia must hide her dark magic or be put to death.
THE SOLDIER: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn to never lift a sword again.
THE SERVANT: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game.
THE THIEF: Ajax knows that nothing is free--he must take what he wants.
THE MURDERER: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.
Review: House of Dragons is a multi-perspective fantasy story where 5 kids compete to become the next Emperor. House of Dragons is a very quick and engaging read, but the characters and overall story felt very one-note. The synopsis above is straight from Goodreads, but it sums up the characters perfectly. Hyperia is just a bloodthirsty woman out for glory. Emilia is just a royal keeping a magical secret. The characters don't seem to have any other layers than what is described above. I also never really worried that the characters were in much danger. This is meant to be a competition where one contestant wins and the others die. I never felt that in the story.
Like I said, the story was very fast. The nice thing about a competition storyline is that there is normally a time limit for everything to occur. While the competition element is formulaic, this works a bit to the book's benefit. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to someone who reads a lot of fantasy, I would give this to a kid who wants to be introduced to fantasy but find it intimidating. The first trial is very combat heavy. The second trial introduces a political element found in many fantasies. The third trial focuses on the characters and how they work with their dragons. The biggest downside to the story is we get so little interaction between the characters and their dragons. We are first introduced to them based on their relationships to the dragons. Then we don't really get a feel for their connections until the third trial.
Underwhelming plot and characters, but a solid introduction to fantasy for someone who is unfamiliar with the genre.
3 howls
If you enjoyed House of Dragons, consider checking out the following titles:
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (YA fantasy featuring a competition where a boy enters in an attempt to kill the ruler of the land. Little does he know, the current ruler is waiting for someone to win her competition so she can kill them)
Given by Nandi Taylor (YA fantasy about a girl trying to understand the right political moves for her kingdom when she meets a dragon-shifter who changes everything)
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (YA fantasy set in the world of Cinderella where girls are expected to attend a ball so men of the kingdom can take wives)
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