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readwithmesashamarie 's review for:
The Last of the Firedrakes
by Farah Oomerbhoy
You can see the full review on my blog: http://akamissfiercereviews.tumblr.com/post/151530078031/the-last-of-the-firedrakes-review
Initial Thoughts:
I was incredibly excited when I received this novel for the BookTube Tours in exchange for my honest review! It sounded like such a fun, action packed, adventurous, romantic, coming of age story. By the end of the first few chapters I realized that my early assumptions of this novel may have been only partially correct. As it turned out, I was in for a bit of a surprise with this one.
The Good:
Our main character is a teenage girl who has the determination to set things right. She wants to learn as much as she can so that she can fix any wrongs in, what she discovers is, her kingdom. This is the classic good versus evil story, with a little twist. The plot reminded me a lot of King Arthur retellings, Cinderella, Snow White, Maleficent, and Eragon. It was a melting pot of classic literature, and I really enjoyed it!
The world building was incredible. Farah Oomerbhoy is a master detailer! There was never a time while reading that I wondered what something looked like, smelled like, sounded like, or felt like. Everything was explained in such grand and precise details that it felt like I was watching a movie.
The characters are unique and well rounded. Each person has a purpose, personality, (and at times) necessary design flaw, that makes them feel more realistic. We were introduced to a myriad of characters throughout this novel that helped our main character develop and cultivate her world view.
There were mages and faes and demons, oh my! All the different categories of humans, mages, faes, demons, kings, queens, royal families, etc., were so incredibly fun and interesting! Learning how the magic worked in this world was a blast and really well done.
The Not So Good:
The marketed age group for this novel is young adults. While the cover art (absolutely stunning, by the way), descriptions, and even other reviews, continuously led me to believe this was a young adult novel, the writing told a very different story. I personally saw this novel as more of a middle grade reading level. I often had trouble reading for long periods of time because of how juvenile the writing, dialogue, or inner monologues came across. I felt disconnected from our main character because she appeared to be so immature and constantly oblivious. And can I just say, for the record, that I felt horrible about it! While I was trying to finish this book these thoughts kept attacking me, and I felt like I had turned into some snobby, old, out-of-touch book reviewer who outgrew children’s literature. It got to the point where I could not force myself to finish this novel. I didn’t want to become annoyed with the main character, who was only trying her best at her own level. It became apparent that this novel was not for me (at page 358…guys, I really tried) and I made the executive decision to stop reading.
Conclusion:
My biggest problem with his novel was the writing, simply because it left me more aggravated with the main character and less entertained by the story itself. I do think this novel will appeal to many younger readers out there. This novel promotes important values and life lessons that are poignant for readers of any age. Just because I didn’t finish this novel, doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it, and even fall in love with it. If middle grade reading levels are your forte, please give this one a shot!
Initial Thoughts:
I was incredibly excited when I received this novel for the BookTube Tours in exchange for my honest review! It sounded like such a fun, action packed, adventurous, romantic, coming of age story. By the end of the first few chapters I realized that my early assumptions of this novel may have been only partially correct. As it turned out, I was in for a bit of a surprise with this one.
The Good:
Our main character is a teenage girl who has the determination to set things right. She wants to learn as much as she can so that she can fix any wrongs in, what she discovers is, her kingdom. This is the classic good versus evil story, with a little twist. The plot reminded me a lot of King Arthur retellings, Cinderella, Snow White, Maleficent, and Eragon. It was a melting pot of classic literature, and I really enjoyed it!
The world building was incredible. Farah Oomerbhoy is a master detailer! There was never a time while reading that I wondered what something looked like, smelled like, sounded like, or felt like. Everything was explained in such grand and precise details that it felt like I was watching a movie.
The characters are unique and well rounded. Each person has a purpose, personality, (and at times) necessary design flaw, that makes them feel more realistic. We were introduced to a myriad of characters throughout this novel that helped our main character develop and cultivate her world view.
There were mages and faes and demons, oh my! All the different categories of humans, mages, faes, demons, kings, queens, royal families, etc., were so incredibly fun and interesting! Learning how the magic worked in this world was a blast and really well done.
The Not So Good:
The marketed age group for this novel is young adults. While the cover art (absolutely stunning, by the way), descriptions, and even other reviews, continuously led me to believe this was a young adult novel, the writing told a very different story. I personally saw this novel as more of a middle grade reading level. I often had trouble reading for long periods of time because of how juvenile the writing, dialogue, or inner monologues came across. I felt disconnected from our main character because she appeared to be so immature and constantly oblivious. And can I just say, for the record, that I felt horrible about it! While I was trying to finish this book these thoughts kept attacking me, and I felt like I had turned into some snobby, old, out-of-touch book reviewer who outgrew children’s literature. It got to the point where I could not force myself to finish this novel. I didn’t want to become annoyed with the main character, who was only trying her best at her own level. It became apparent that this novel was not for me (at page 358…guys, I really tried) and I made the executive decision to stop reading.
Conclusion:
My biggest problem with his novel was the writing, simply because it left me more aggravated with the main character and less entertained by the story itself. I do think this novel will appeal to many younger readers out there. This novel promotes important values and life lessons that are poignant for readers of any age. Just because I didn’t finish this novel, doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it, and even fall in love with it. If middle grade reading levels are your forte, please give this one a shot!