| Title | : | Thunderlight (The Dragonian, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0994664168 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780994664167 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 467 |
| Publication | : | First published November 20, 2014 |
All this may seem like old news, but for seventeen year-old Elena Watkins the world of Paegeia is not finished revealing all its secrets. During a summer break intended for relaxation, she discovers that her harrowing adventure to retrieve the King of Lion sword wasn’t the destiny foretold by the cryptic Viden, a dragon with the ability to see a person’s true fate. The words inked onto the page of the mysterious Book of Shadows remains black and Elena must return to Dragonia Academy to discover their true meaning.
Upon her return to the magnificent castle she has to face a challenge of a different kind, keeping her boyfriend Lucian McKenzie, the Prince of Tith and love of her life, away from the dangerous new student, Paul Sutton. As a Wyvern, Paul has made it his mission to claim Elena as his rider but he is proving to be more perilous than at first glance.
Everyone knew that Wyverns were bad news, and just as evil as the darkness that lurked inside Blake Leaf, the Rubicon forced to fight against his inner nature every day. But Elena can see a small light lurking in the darkness, a destiny still unfulfilled; to prove that Wyverns can be claimed.
Will Lucian’s dark secret about Wyverns and Elena’s need to prove their true nature cause their love to be torn apart? And which of Elena’s friends will be sacrificed this time if she is wrong?
Thunderlight (The Dragonian, #2) Reviews
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NOVEMBER?! ): Nooo I want it NOW! Oh well, I guess I shall just have to wait!
Also who the heck is this new Paul guy?! I want more of BLAKE AND ELENA!! -_- -
I was given a copy of Thunderlight for an honest review.
I really can't get into the story fully without revealing spoilers, so I'll just give my opinion about Thunderlight.
Cons: Throughout the novel you'll notice the relationship of Lucian and Elena becoming even "stronger". Let me first say that I really came to dislike Lucian quite a bit. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE in the story kept on raving about how he was such a great guy. I found it hard to believe since everyone has faults and he seemed to have none at all. Elena would sometimes mention him being a brat but shrugged it off and never confronted the issue. Their "love" seemed to have no substance or spark whatsoever. Their arguments (if you can even call them that) were in my opinion stupid. As I couldn't stand Lucian he quickly became a distraction and I found myself quickly reading over parts with him. Another thing I had a big issue with is that their relationship developed way too quickly. It was way too intense and fast to have such a "deep" bond. They said they "loved" each other without even getting to know each other. Frankly, if my father just died the last thing I'd be thinking about is romance, which is why I felt this relationship was so fake.
The thing about Elena that I found disappointing (and I loved her!) is that she still to shied away from conflict instead of confronting it. I would have liked to have seen more growth in her character. Also, her backbone was lacking. When everyone judged Paul for who he was she went along with it, especially since her friends didn't like him. I found this weird since she didn't live in their world at the time to witness or make an opinion about his species. I felt because of fact that Elena came from the other side she would have been more open to Paul and not be easily swayed.
Pros: I liked the twist and turns this book gave you. It always keeps you wondering what will happen next and when you think you've figured it out, it turns out you haven't. I extremely enjoyed this magical world that this author created, it was imaginative and fascinating. The different species of dragons were original and inventive and I enjoyed learning about them.
The characters I loved: Sammy and Becky are wonderful friends and I could see myself actually being friends with them as well. Although with Becky I found her pushy and "spoiled brat" attitude to be annoying. Blake I adore for his bravery and courage even with his struggles with accepting who he is. And I hope I'm not the only one who is on the BlakexElena train. Constance I thought was an awesome motherly figure for Elena, especially since Elena didn't have a mother growing up.
The action and adventure left me wanting more. That's why I consider this book to be a pretty good read. Although I found the first to be better, I look forward to reading the next and uncovering the mysteries that I can't wait to be revealed. -
A good sequel, full of twists & turns. It really made me doubt myself a few times :D . Elena continues her growth . The new character introduced, Paul, is really interesting. Lucian is great in this part while Blake is rarely seen. Going to pick up this series again after I finish my exams at the end of May.
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Fucking shit, I don't know how to comprehend anything after that ending! So many things happened and my mind is spinning.
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This book starts with a great recap of the first book. While I say one still needs to read the first book, if it has been awhile between books this is perfect. It seems rare when authors do this but I find it really helps get the reader back into the swing of things, especially in a book with lots of details.
Elena starts to draw closer to her ascending but it will not be an easy path, and just when you think you see how it will play out, this book spins you around. I still have my theories, some panning out, other have been twisted around. I love it. I love being able to theory guess and have some be right but still have some major surprise elements!
Re-read- Audiobook version. Mixed thoughts. I felt detached at some parts from the characters in this one, like she just didn't get into them as well. I struggled to feel the chemistry between Lucian and Elena. But scene descriptions. She brought the places more to life which I find rare in audio. It's also strange going back through this and knowing how things end up for the series. Maybe that was the issue. Still loved it but not as much as the first time. -
while I enjoy this world and the characters...there were quite a few times where I wanted to shake each of them and just say what are you doing? I felt that the characters didn't grow into who I thought they would be in the second book. I am still invested in the story and look forward to seeing where it goes I just hope for more growth within the characters especially Elena. I want her to be the strong brave character I know she is. I also want Blake to set up in a big way, I felt that he was really behind the action in this story so I look forward to more him.
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I think the biggest problem with this book is that when Lucian was killed, I did not even care. I mean it was sad, but I as a reader had zero connection with him and the relationship was so painfully shallow that my first reaction was - FINALLY we can move forward to the actual story and relationship since this flimsy crap so far was clearly never meant to last. Sorry, but while I am interested enough to see what happens, I pretty much feel like I guessed it all in my initial review of the first book and the writing just keeps bogging down a potentially good story into mindless idiocy.
How many readers went hey why not go where the queen is pointing you and find something out since hey it might have helped you. I mean seriously she has a dream that a woman (who by the way helped her in her previous dreams) is screaming and pointing at woods (woods where your supposed true love has gone missing and you can't find him...) and you refuse to do ANYTHING? What a lame main character.
Also please don't call the axes your "girls" - I honestly thought she was referring to her chest at first. I mean she looks down and has one in each hand...come on. -
ARC was received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Thunderlight is book two in The Dragonian Series. I was so excited to get an early copy, and I have to say I love the cover. Now, on to more important things. Does book two answer questions that we were left with from Firebolt? The answer would be some of them were answered along with plenty of surprises and new questions that need to be answered. If you were a fan of the first book then this book will not disappoint.
Summer break is over. Now, Elena Watkins must return with her friends and other students to Dragonia Academy. Elena is still struggling with the death of Brian during the mission to recover the King of Lion sword. She is also plagued with nightmares. What do they mean? Could they possibly foretell Elena's future or a new mission she will have to take? Elena and Lucian's relationship is heating up despite the pressures from his family and Arianna. Paul, a Wyvern, is a new student at school. Wyverns are thought to be all dark and dangerous. Paul claims to be different and wants to start over at the academy. Can he be trusted especially when he says Elena is his rider? Will this be the wedge that comes between Elena and Lucian?
Adrienne Woods does a good job continuing to develop the characters that we know and also introduces us to some new ones. I will say I went through a wide range of emotions reading this one...happiness, bitterness, doubt, anger, betrayal and sadness. I could not believe it ended like that! Why? I hope that by some chance it is a mistake. Book three can't come fast enough for me. I will admit, the story slowed down a little in the middle, which is why it is a four star instead of a five star rating. It ended with a bang! I would definitely recommend this book and this series. -
Also reviewed on my blog
All The Bookish Love
4.5 stars
Well, talk about a wild ride.
Thunderlight is completely action packed and a whirlwind of emotions. From the start of the book right through to the huge surprise at the end, this book had me on the edge of my seat for most of it.
And the twists… Oh my God. I did not see those coming.
I adored this book. It’s descriptive and emotional and jaw dropping. I liked that Elena seemed to find her feet a bit in school, and seemed to stand up for herself and what she believed in. I did not like the way her relationship with Lucian had progressed. It seemed too overwhelming, even for a first love kind of thing, but all things considered, it seems to be what a lot of girls want.
Now I still haven’t received any of the answers I wanted after I read the first book and I find myself with even more questions than I had before. It seems unlikely that I’ll have my answer anytime soon though, since Adrienne simply refuses to indulge the information to me, no matter that I spent days and hours begging her to tell me.
I’m sure you are all burning to know as well, and if you aren’t, well then, either there’s something wrong with you or you simply haven’t read the books. And if you haven’t, why the hell not? -
Wow, that twist. I definitely did not see that coming at all. It took me to such a new level of surprise. And all those twists and turns in this book. Just wow. Definitely cannot wait to read the sequel.
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2.5 stars
SPOILERS AHEAD, THE MAJOR ONES WILL BE MARKED
Ookaay, so this book was way more descriptive than the last thank goodness and the world building became more clearer.
That said I despised the living shit out of Paul and was constantly screaming
*breathes deeply* I mean the signs are all there!!!!!!!
Anyywaay y'all know I didn't like Lucian from the beginning, he was like perfect diego 2.0 how does this brat have no flaws *pukes*
Elena became less of a crybaby and I hope she becomes even less of a crybaby now that y'know I am 150% sure she is a shifter AND Blake's dent, AND king Albert's daughter.
Blake. He had very small roles in this book and now with prince charming gone I hope he will have a major role now.
So yeah, I'll read the next book now..... -
This book. Now this book hurt.
It is also my least favourite of the series and I will tell you why.
In my review at the end of the series :P -
This book was 100x better than Firebolt, and by that I mean HOLY CRAP. This Thunderlight blew me away, and the author just keeps getting better and better. I fell hard for these characters after this one, and connected on a very deep level. Sure, Elena can be annoying at times, but what would you expect?!
My heart broke in certain parts of this book, especially towards the end, but I wouldn't change it for the world. So many twists, like so many, and they just keep coming. When Elena became a dragon towards the end, I just about peed myself, not even going to lie!!! Like holy crap?!?!?!? THIS SERIES IS TEARING ME APART!!
I am excited to see more about Blake, the mysterious guy who is also an asshole. I had my theories, but they were kind of ruined by the end of this.. I really can't even imagine what is going to happen next, because the second you think one thing, the opposite happens! Thats how crazy this series/book is!!
As always, I loved all the characters in this, and the plot becoming more solid. There was a lot of action, adventure, love, and sorrow. It will hit you right in the feels!
And can I just say, I HATE WYVERNS!!!!!!!!
Adrienne Woods has made it to my top authors list, and I'm surprised she isn't more popular. Such a wonderful but underrated author, who I hope gets the recognition she deserves. <3 -
www.bookentral.com
Before I start just a short personal message to Miss Woods,
WHY ADRIENNE??? WHY???? What have we done to make you hate us? Why would you do this to us? And the worst part is I can’t even say what it is cause I don’t want to ruin this huge plot twist that just COMES OUT OF NOWHERE. You played with my feelings cause as soon as you destroy me you, you make me ecstatically happy with a different huge out of nowhere plot twist. It’s like being in a toxic relationship. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to trust you again. You’ll have to come back with one hell of an amazing third book full of Elena and Blake love to make this up to me.
Sincerely, a distraught reader
Back to my review…
I want to live in Woods’ head, because if I lived in her head I’d know what her plan was for The Dragonian series instead of this incessant waiting. Seriously to know I have to wait what? 6 to 12 months for the next book upsets me.
I wasn’t playing up there ^^^ Woods really does take you on a horrible emotional rollercoaster, you’re intrigued, and excited, then you’re worried, then frightened, then happy and in love then upset and worried again and the BAM you’re upside down and you feel like your stomach just feel out your head and you’re going to be sick then BAM while you still feel sick you start to laugh because something amazing just happened even tho you know what happened before that was THE WORST. The rollercoaster then slows to a stop and you’re left just emotionally wrecked.
So a hell of a lot happens in Thunderlight, majority of which I can’t say because I refuse to spoil anything. But what I can say is that it is amazing! It doesn’t suffer from second book syndrome, it out shines the first book outragesly and that’s saying something from me because I really really really liked the first book. As I progressed through Thunderlight I kept getting the feeling that I was reading a sort of Harry Potter book (only better) – which is awesome!!! Like they go to a magical school in a castle, they have the Warbel Games (which is when I started to get the HP vibes), there’s a hippogriff and Elena is sort of like the chosen one because of her prophecy (and other things) only Thunderlight is better than HP [don’t hate me for saying that] I just like that The Dragonian books are about dragons and they have a central theme of romance and just amazingness.
Okay so still no Elena and Blake love. Bummer. But it’s okay because with the shitastic-emotionally-ruining ending I have a pretty good idea of how things may progress in Frostbite. Blake is as broody and insanely attracted as usually. Lucian is his prince charming self only so much better!! I liked him so much more in Thunderlight then in Firebolt. Now Paul. At first I was on the fence about Paul, the new wyvern, I didn’t really know what a wyvern was or if they were good or bad (which you learn about in the book) but in the end I’d decided he was a good guy. I don’t always make good decision. Let’s just leave it at that.
Throughout Thunderlight Elena is getting closer and closer to her ascending and become a much better fighter because of it. The dark in Blake is getting stronger and he starts to do bad things. The same with Blake’s father, Sir Robert, who without a rider anymore since King Alberts death hasn’t been beaten (how you keep the evil parts of being a Chromatic dragon at bay), has started to do bad things as well. You learn a lot about what is happening in Etan.
Overall this book blew me away and I seriously am waiting impatiently for the next one.
May contain spoilers – buts it’s okay though I’ll write in ninja code.
Questions I need answered in Frostbite…
• After Ucianlay happens how is everyone dealing especially Elena and Blake?
• So Lenaeay isay ay underlightay THAT’S SO FLIPPING COOL
• So will Elena and Blake be together yet????
• Did the evil potion work on ingkay lbertay?
• Will ualpay come back try to hurt everyone?
• Are the lementaleay ragonsday okay??? Will Elena get them back because they were the cutest things in the world
• Will Elena meet her othermay?
• Will the yvernways release orangay? -
Benieuwd naar boek 3
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I wish I could rate this book twice. I really enjoyed the story, but I had a problem while reading it. This may be a problem with where I got the book more so than the book itself, though. I don't know. It was purchased from Amazon and has all kinds of grammatical errors. This made it very challenging to read and or take seriously at certain points. Has anyone else had this problem?
As for the story...
I liked it and found myself addicted to reading it. Once I started, I found it challenging to stop. The ending seemed to come up and end really fast. I felt like I would've liked it to be drawn out a little more. Either way, I still found it enjoyable. Even with the small issues I had with it, I still look forward to the next book in the series. -
This book freaking destroyed me! It was literally the epitome of action packed. So exciting and twisty. And heart breaking. I cried until I got a headache. There were three twists in here that I was expecting but was still a bit surprise by. And another one was totally out of the blue and I don't think I will ever get over it.
Adrienne Woods is such a great author! It only takes two books and one novella for her to now be one of my favorite and auto read authors. (Actually I knew I was going to love her after the first book lol) I would really recommend this series to everyone! -
Honestly I am so mad right now. I downloaded a digital copy from Amazon & there was a very large chunk missing from the middle of the book. I don't read reviews on Amazon because I already know if I want to read a book via Goodreads. Well apparently this is a problem, and the last several reviews written on Amazon say the same thing yet nothing has been done to correct it.
What I read of this book was great...amazing even. But I am so lost from the missing chunk & very angry. I don't know if I will continue with this series. -
Thunderlight is an improvement over Firebolt in some regards, but not in others.
It's better in the sense that this book actually has a good amount of plot; where the first book was just magic school lessons and "omg dragons this is so new and different" with a little heroic endeavor in the third act, this one feels more like it has a clear idea of what's going to happen in the overall story. Reading it now after having read the whole series, details that later become relevant are established here, characters that mean something are introduced, events that need building get a foundation in place, we have twists and turns, etc. which is definitely a positive and has made the story a lot more dynamic and interesting.
As I said before, the author's clear passion for her world and characters and story is evident in the amount of building and detail work and weaving of plot threads that she does. It's really the only thing keeping me here.
However, many of the issues from book one do, sadly, carry over. The same awkward grammar, the same lack of content editing, the same tendency to repeat things and contradict itself, etc. The writing is improved, yes, but it's still really clear how rough this story is despite several reedits and editions.
A few examples of some problems:
- “normal people are lucky they made it through the magic wall and went insane. I was lucky to not go insane” <--a contradiction
- Incorrect use of “Your Highness.” Any sort of address used for a monarch/noble is always capitalized. His Highness, Her Majesty, Your Grace, etc.
- Improper use of the world “twirled.” You can’t twirl your legs around someone, you wrap them. Twirl means to spin/rotate, not wrap. Author does this constantly and also overuses the “guy picks up girl and she wraps legs around waist as he holds her” scene. Like, how short is Elena supposed to be that every kiss is her being held up that high on a guy’s hip bones???
- Awkward dialogue that clearly no one took the time to read over again: "Her eyes were as big and the water inside the glass spilled around the edges" and "That boy is awesome just by breathing."
I also found Elena's character both improved and worsened. Like, in this book she's prone to hyperbole (exaggerating things and overreacting), she has bratty tantrums when she's told things she doesn't want to hear (Cheng, for example, is skeptical that Lucian's mission will benefit him claiming Blake and Elena just gets so mad at him for not just blindly believing what she blindly believes), and she often seems to lack two brain cells because she doesn't learn or retain information to use in processing thoughts. For example, she knows that 1) Goran can't cross the creepers 2) he's a powerful wizard that can control people. Yet, what does she do anytime she thinks Goran is up to something? "Omg he's here, he escaped!" She does this like five times as if she doesn't already know that he was probably using magic from a distance.
Also, when she's handed an egg for a baby dragon, she's like "Huh, don't know what this is it's not important even though Paul just handed it to me and probably has a reason for doing so" and fucking just decides to throw it. Like what a dumb ass, brainless bitch. She doesn't think to ask "why did you hand me a rock?" she just fucking, punts it over her shoulder as soon as she registers that she doesn't know what it is. A classic reaction. Anytime I'm handed something unfamiliar by someone I know my reaction is to throw it over my shoulder and dispose of it.
Though seeing as Lucien has a moment of losing the brain cell and is like "I can't tell you about my sister's murder by a wyvern because you'll leave me" (like, wtf? How does that have any bearing on whether she'll want to leave you or not? It has nothing to do with her? What kind of brain dead reasoning is that? The entire conflict is dumb because Lucien didn't think that one out) I can't much say that there's any single character that doesn't say or do something atrociously thoughtless and dumb in this book.
The book starts with an epitome, which, sounds awkward and seems unnecessary since book one has a very simple plot. The thing, however, that really gets me is that this book has a 70 page novella that includes events references randomly in this book and aren't well incorporated because the author all but makes it mandatory to read. Like, the little novella, Venom or whatever, has character moments between Elena and Blake that are references at least 5 or 6 times, yet, because the author chose to put importance on these events and then not include them in the next major series installment, they just sound out of left field. "Yeah, Blake hits on me when he's drunk." Like, we never see this, we're just told. Adding 70 pages to the start to chronicle Elena and Blake's interactions to develop their relationship a little more would have been great and not added that much bulk to the story.
Yet here we are, being told in a catch-up kind of a way about important stuff that we needed to have purchased and read a novella to have really experienced. Novella content should always be optional, in my opinion, and only ever expand on what was already developed. Anything major or relevant should be in a major work and explored upon there, otherwise the book is lacking and will suffer as a result of someone not knowing between book 1 and 2 there's 70 pages missing they gotta hunt down first. It was a bad choice for the author. Bad, bad. Hurts the story.
Now, for some content problems:
- The approach to good and evil in this series is odd. Chromatic dragons are evil yet not, yet wyverns are just evil and that’s that and the way we address it it's like the author's message is "prejudice and bigotry are there because we learn lessons and change is an illusion" or something because she has Paul turn into kind of a stereotypical mustache twirling 180 degree bad guy, making him kind of a bad villain in how quickly and completely he turns on Elena and monologues. Then it’s like Elena is basically punished for wanting to see the good in someone after at first being hesitant and then that person goes so hard out of their way to trick them, but like, yeah no, blame the victim. Like, what’s the moral, trust nothing? Prejudices are ultimately a good thing? I don’t know. It felt weird.
- There's a part where the author shames women who get plastic surgery (though at least she shames them also for creeping on teenage boys).
- She does use the slur "slut"
- We learn that Blake beats Tabitha and everyone just looks the other way because Blake is turning dark and needs to be claimed because Rubicon. Like damn he gets away with a lot of shit because he magically just gets to be dark and evil and it's never his fault but it's also his fault but then it's not? Like we'll get to how wishy-washy we are in regards to Blake in future books but we're starting to see it emerge here that Blake is held to different standards.
- Other stuff probably. I tried real hard to take notes but this book took a lot out of me.
I also want to mention that I really never bought Elena and Lucien's relationship/romance and ultimately didn't care about it. It felt hallow and too much like a rapid-fire fantasy story written by an 11 year old who just thinks like "and then they were in love and then they married and then they kissed and then happily ever after" without the necessary development in between the events to establish things properly. I think she does a much better job with Blake and Elena's relationship (the missing information of that novella not withstanding) and that she can pull emotional beats, but Lucien... woof. The ball was dropped there.
I think that about sums it up. -
This series blew me away. I read all the books within a week, I just couldn't get enough of the story! It's a very detailed story, Adienne Woods makes you feel as if you're living every incident in the heroine's day, getting to know her well & the people she intetacts with. The writing is not that great at first ,you get used to it though as the story flows.
Things started out with Elena as a bit childish girl , she would tear up at anything & doubts herself constantly, but as you go deeper into the story you could see her grow up infront of your mind's eye. Her character really matures , she starts to be more confident of her self & her intellect.
I really liked the world building, at first I thought it messy but as things start to unravel, I realised the author has really given alot of time to build her world right & to process the history & the people of Paegeia in such a detailed manner & then she wrote them to us in such a natural way that gives you more information with each chapter & slowly builds the story world in your mind.
(WARNING: Have a box of tissues ready for the end of this book!) -
Welp, my curiosity got the best of me - as usual. And now I am even more sure my predictions from the first book are true. Again, I’m just not sure how far I’m willing to read just to see if I’m right or not. Judging from other reviews here on GR, it might be a looong time.
I still believe Elana is Blake’s dragonrider, even with the surprising turn of events in this book. That twist actually supports my foretelling (heh, heh) because it will take someone very unique and strong to help Blake... see? I’m also even more sure that Elana is the king’s daughter. I think that in order to save her, he and the queen gave Elana to the queen’s dragon to take to the normal world to hide her. Jaco (the dragon’s husband) pretended to be her dad. Now, I must stress that I have no idea if my predictions are correct so don’t read this as fact. I just want it in writing in case they are.
The downside to this installment is exactly the same as in the first. Lots of holes left infilled. Most of these holes don’t affect plot specifically. But is does affect the enjoyment and depth of the reading experience. It’s as if the author already knows all the little stuff in her head so she doesn’t think to put it on the page. It feels like I’m missing all the small things, like the character’s motivations, that would help me understand them and their actions so much better and it’s annoying! -
Thunderlight. Now I understand the name. When I first started reading the series, I thought it was allmcliche and prdictable. I liked it for the same reason I like fan fiction - I get to experience beloved characters in a new situation though the author has stopped writing the original series. Firebolt and Thinderlight reminded me very much of Harry Potter combined with several other beloved fandoms. And dragons. It was pretty cool, but not very original. One of the events near the end of this book, though, really threw me. That was a nice break in the predictability. It came with a tragedy, unfortunately. I'm not sure where the series is going from here, but you can be sure I will be reading it to see what's next.
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An excellent sequel with loads of different ideas about Dragons. Just when you think you have worked out where this story is going it changes track. Its not a good idea to get too attached to the characters in this series as the author is not afraid of having them killed off. The story still reads like a puzzle with clues being dropped all the time. Looking forward to the next book goodness knows what will happen now.
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Adrienne Woods has delivered yet another hit with this second installment in The Dragonian Series! I simply couldn't wait to devour this sequel to
Firebolt, and when I found out it was 500 pages, I was excited to the say the least. Basically, I looked like this:
Ms. Woods takes us on a nonstop adventure of twists, turns, and surprises that you will never see coming. The writing is fantastic, and while there are some errors, they didn't distract from the story one bit. The pacing is smooth, and never drags. It is clear that Ms. Woods knows how to craft an original, extraordinary story, and the best is yet to come with the series!
The highlight of this novel is the characters. Every single character, whether they have a major or minor role, is treated the same. Each character shines like a bright star in the sky, and none are ever relegated to the background. Elena is a fantastic lead. She is strong, brave, and just plain awesome. I loved being able to watch her growth over the course of the novel, as she was faced with many, many new changes. Elena is hilarious as always, and is extremely relatable. The one thing that I enjoy about her character is how she has handled the entire situation of being a Dragonian and in a world where good battles evil, and you aren't sure who to trust. She handles situations and different events as any person would, but never backs down from the challenge. Lucian is amazing as always, and just makes you swoon whenever he opens his mouth. Blake is his usual asshat self, but as he grows darker and darker, we see that there is much more to him and his situation as the Rubicon. Becky and Sammy are seriously the best friends a girl could ask for, and I just absolutely adore their characters. They make for a great support system for Elena, and Lord knows she needs it in this book. We meet several new characters as well, a Wyvern named Paul and a new teacher. However, there is much more to these characters than first appears.
Another aspect of this novel that I greatly enjoyed was the fact that we found out so much more about the history and world of Paegeia. I was fascinated by all of the information that we were learning, and I can't wait to find out more. You definitely understand the world much better after reading this novel, however there is still much more to find out! The reader learns things along with Elena, and the novel read kind of like a mystery because the reader can try to put the puzzle pieces together (much like Elena and company) to figure how everything will play out. We see there is a much darker side to the world of dragons, and it is extremely saddening. I greatly enjoyed finding out the different intricacies that make up the Paegeian culture.
I will warn you, this book has a quite explosive ending. It starts off with one twist (which you may or may not figure out), and then begins the downward spiral into crazy from there. It is revelation after revelation, and not everyone makes it out alive. Yes, dear readers, a major character dies. And trust me, you will look like this
I won't spoil it, but it will break your heart (I know mine did). This definitely ends on a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to get my hands on the third book in this series,
Frostbite. It is sure to be fantastic!
I highly recommend checking this book out if you are a fan of the Dragonian series, as you won't be disappointed. This is an amazing sequel that is wonderfully original and creative. Ms. Woods is one to watch, and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!
5++++++ stars
Happy reading :) -
:::::HELLO THERE, FELLOW READERS!:::::
Thunderlight is Adrienne Woods' second novel in The Dragonian Series. It will wow you, amaze you, get your heart racing, leave you breathless, and have you in an emotional puddle by the end. Hold onto your socks, because Adrienne's about to knock them off with this powerful-punch of a book.
:::::MY THOUGHTS & REVIEWS:::::
"For the love of blueberries..." When I heard that Thunderlight would be released soon, that was the proverbial your-pants-are-on-fire rush that I needed to get to reading the first book, Firebolt. Boy, did I rush! It was so good that within hours of finishing it, I was already halfway through Thunderlight. I even put aside studying for exams and cleaning the house because I just NEEDED to know what secrets the next chapter would reveal. And, folks, I was not disappointed.
Elena comes to grips with who she is and gets more confident by the chapter. She grows as a character and person in maturity, in her relationships, and in the decisions she makes. As the story progresses, we also get to know the secondary characters on a more personal level, along with some new faces.
I know that Lucien is the prince and knight-in-shining-armor of the story, but I have this wicked and rebellious part of me that just LOVES Blake, so much! I have started to envision scenes that I think will be (or should be) in the third book, and he is definitely in them. He was not in the second book as much as I wanted him to be, but honestly, that almost adds the the allure, secretive life, and mystery that is Blake Leaf.
I know that everyone says that Elena is not who she thinks she is, but it is so true! I don't even know who she is!!? It keeps changing, things come to light and secrets are revealed in this book that will keep you turning the page. Suddenly, the last page is upon you. When you get to the end, you just sit there for a while thinking, 'What in the world just happened? How the heck am I going to survive not knowing what is going on, I can't possibly wait until the next book!' That's when you'll do what I did and start predicting (and hoping) what scenes and plots will be in the next novel.
When I read the ending, it felt like someone sucker-punched me and then stole my lunch money... so many feelings, so many times of asking myself, 'Why?!' There are some surprises at the end, not all the happy kind. Get your tissues ready people! You will definitely be getting a case of the feels in this book. Not just the lows and the feels, but the highs of all the adventure and mystery that surrounds Elena's story. You'll feel as if you're right there in Paegeia with her.
Visit my blog for more reviews! There is a Blog Tour for Thunderlight continuing through December 21st. Visit my blog for sneak peaks, Q&A with the author, and a giveaway for free swag!
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***I received the eBook free as a review copy from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review***
This book brought me out of a killer reading slump just to dump me straight back in once I’d finished. If that doesn’t express the amazingness of this book, I don’t know what to say.
The twists and turns had my emotions going haywire. I found myself laughing, and screaming and crying within the space of pages. Reading before an exam wasn’t perhaps the best idea of mine because I legitimately cried after a brutal scene in the book. The teacher came to me asking if the stress was too much; the words on my paper were smudged! I was constantly on guard as I turned the page but it was so addicting I couldn’t stop even when I feared what was to come.
Characters were developed beautifully, particularly Elena who had and will continue to have such a hard time that my heart goes out to her. There were so many moments when I just wanted to bitch-slap everyone that hurt her, as well as her great friends. The romance in this book… I don’t know what to say. That seems to be the general theme of this review, because I can’t for the life of me put into words how much I loved this book.
Instead I’ll leave you with thedemandrequest to read the first one so you can move onto Thunderlight and understand where I’m coming from. I’d give it more than 5 stars if I could.
Posted on:
http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/
Part of a blog tour, an interview with the author is also on my blog! -
I received this ARC from the gracious Adrienne Woods in return for an honest review.
If you're looking for an epic adventure, with dragons, magic, war and romance then I highly recommend this book-a mix of Percy Jackson meets Eragon is the best way I can describe it. It surpassed all my expectations for this series, and the twist at the end...WOW. The plot, characters, themes, world-building...everything...was just superb. This book was action-packed from the start, it was paced perfectly and the way Adrienne Woods built her characters and the emotions she made me feel...I honestly have no idea where this story is going to lead, there are still some questions which I hope would be answered in the upcoming books, but if they are anything like Thunderlight, then just know it's going to be epic. I can't say much without revealing too many details but trust me when I say, "Stop reading this now and go and pre-order this book!" Definitely cannot wait to continue this series. -
First, major twists in this book that I did not see coming. I won't spoil anything, don't worry.
The story that the author weaves keeps me interested, but if you are easily irritated by misspellings, poor grammar, and misused idioms, then this may not be the book for you. There were several times that my eyes rolled at the repeated misuse of words, and in general the writing needs more development. At times it is written sloppily or the dialogue sounded stilted.
With that said, I do enjoy the storyline. I like the main character Elena and her friends. I was deeply surprised by the outcome of this book. I had an idea of where I believed this storyline to be going and the author has confused me entirely, although I still think that my original guess may be more on track than the author wants us to believe. ;)
