Absolutely wonderful

I first purchased this book, after a while into it and loving it, I found that there is MULTIPLES!!! If you are going to purchase... which I would like to add YOU SHOULD! Also look into the chronicles as there is a before .5 book, and after this one a 1.5 before book 2.

Julia Whelan is an incredible narrator! I could not be happier. Now on to the .5 I missed... happy listening 💕

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A fantastic enlightening read

I loved this book. I found the characters to be full of personality and loveable. The racial/religious divides in the book are at times sad to read, but I loved experiencing how the characters overcome their prejudices and grow. I couldn’t put this book down.
I enjoyed every aspect of the narration. She was fantastic and had a different voice for every character.
I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

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1 person found this helpful

Easily sucks you in

It was so easy to get immersed in this world. Such great character and world building Highly recommend!

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One of my favorite books!

Definitely worth the listen! The narrator was absolutely amazing, she made it very easy to get lost in the story and was great at doing other character voices. As for the story, it turned out to be a lot better than I imagined. I was a little worried based off of some of the reviews I read but it turned out to be an amazing story.
*Warning a bit of a spoiler*
There is a lot of racism that takes place which makes lots of room for character development if written well. Laurie Forest did an amazing job at that, she made the protagonist not a terrible person in the beginning but lacked the knowledge to know better and made her develop so well by the end.
*Spoiler over*

I would 100% recommend!

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An amazing read

Great narrator, wonderful book. I absolutely loved this story. The world is intricate. The politics interesting. And I fell in love with so many characters.

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Absolutely adored this

From pretty much the start of this book, right through the 4th book, I was hooked.
I loved the authors way of telling the story and I didn’t want it to end, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. I was carried along by the story.
The narrator was very skilled with differentiating the characters with just her voice. Very well read

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I Almost Stopped Listening

Julia Whelan's multi-voice performance is what kept me listening. A few personal erks to the writing of this first book that I quickly got over. The characters are relatable and easy to gain an affinity to. I was "incredulous" at my enjoyment of this book. I recommend it if you love Fantasy Fiction, and of course, dragons.

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Engaging Enjoyable Story

Excellent narration.
This is an easy escapism story. Uses typical literary devices. Offers an implicit commentary on prejudice and how religion can be perverted without being too serious. But the main protagonist is likeable. You feel for her, you emotionally invest in her. Left me wanting to listen to the next audiobook in the series right away.

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Loved

Loved this book and the characters. Good change of voices. Only one annoyed me but he was barely in it. It’s crazy how you can hear arrogance in a voice.

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Complex and Engaging

A fantastic addition to the dark academia genre, I went into this book nearly blind and gave it a chance. By the end, I was completely invested, excited, and intrigued to find out what happens next. It's a great blend of drama, understanding, facing uncomfortable truths, and the effect that prejudice can have on various people.

Elloren is a young woman descended from a powerful legacy who is enrolled in a magical university where she is expected to excel, given how much she looks like her legendary grandmother. Yet the more time she spends there and the more hardship she endures, Elloren begins to understand that all she knows may be a lie.

Elloren is a layered and compelling character. She grew up completely isolated and part of a strictly religious society that is very clear about what it thinks of other races. Because of that, and how much she looks like her grandmother, Elloren's narrow view of the world is forced to expand as nearly everyone mistreats her. Things quickly spiral out of control as she wars with what she knows and her morality until she discovers that the truth is never black and white.

That's the important thing about this book: It's increasingly uncomfortable at some points, but Elloren's actions were always understandable when you realize how she was raised. It's never easy to break such deep-rooted beliefs and prejudices when it is quite literally all you know, but that is the message this book is trying to convey: Listen to other opinions. Open your mind. Do not judge. Look deeper than what is seen or, at times, foolishly believed.

Elloren's growth is helped by the side characters. There is a large cast, all of whom are distinct and many of which are likeable. I have a deep fondness for the werewolf siblings and look forward to seeing what sort of trouble they get up to in the future.

The world may not be as complex or original as some of the others out there, with its standard array of magical creatures, yet it's easy to understand and has enough imagination to be fun. I would almost say this reads like an urban fantasy or alternate reality story, if anything.

The plot is heavily focused on the characters and the situations they find themselves in, yet there was enough happening that I felt constantly engaged. When there were action scenes, they were tense and exciting, and have left enough room that the stakes can be amped up in future novels.

There are clear similarities between this book and ones like Harry Potter, but I think it's a good comparison and one that will intrigue a lot of readers. This is a book that ends with a world of possibilities and I am definitely going to be checking out the rest of the series.

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