"Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general―also known as her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter―like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret."-- Provided by Amazon
Violet survives on preparation, not strength, and her bond with a set of sarcastic, very distinct dragons gives the book its memorable center. Kirkus recommended it for the relentless action but found the characters, romance and worldbuilding uneven; Publishers Weekly's pre-publication review was warmer, seeing a balanced blend of epic fantasy, dark-academia atmosphere and romance. How it lands depends on what you've read. A newcomer to the genre called it easy to get into, while seasoned readers may spot the familiar academy and enemies-to-lovers patterns a chapter early.
Publishers Weekly’s pre-publication review praised the balance of epic fantasy, dark-academia mood and romance. Kirkus Reviews emphasized the relentless action but criticized uneven characters, an underdeveloped love triangle, thin worldbuilding and a disjointed structure. Common Sense Media’s reviewer found the plot engaging and the chronic-illness representation notable, while calling the romance immature and the characters somewhat flat; Goodreads reviewers likewise praise the heroine, dragons and pace, but many also call the book derivative. Goodreads readers voted it the 2023 Choice Award winner in the Romantasy category.
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The Empyrean
11 books in catalog
Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than fifteen novels, with multiple starred Publishers Weekly reviews and a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. A second-generation army brat, Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for more than twenty years. She’s the mother of six children, and she and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a cat named Artemis, who rules them all. Having fostered, then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October, which she cofounded with her husband in 2019. To learn more about their mission, visit oneoctober.org. To catch up on Rebecca’s latest releases and upcoming novels, visit RebeccaYarros.com.
