This book is dumb. I lost brain cells while reading it. I hold every person who overhyped this book personally responsible. I normally do not begin a review this personal and catty, but it astonishes me that an author who is allegedly both prolific and deeply knowledgeable of military matters, could write a story that is void of both literary quality or military strategy. This book is nothing more than a soulless knockoff of predecessors like ACoTaR or Eragon. Spoilers below.

- Why would a military academy force its Freshmen students to walk across a railing-less chasm for their commencement ceremony, ensuring that a huge portion of prospective students die before ever setting foot on campus? Why would a military academy encourage cadets to murder each other, instead of doing team-building exercises? How does this military function if it keeps offing its own soldiers?!

- Why does Violet The Allegedly Bookish and Brilliant fail again and again to notice the obvious?! For example, that Xaden can read her thoughts and feelings, and responds to her private sentiments OUT LOUD?! You don't need a bigger clue that somebody heard your thoughts than them saying, "Yeah, totally, that is embarrassing that I can 100% hear your thoughts." Another example, she knows The Scribes or even The Powers That Be are censoring information, and that the children of the "rebellion" are more sympathetic than her family/teachers wanted her to believe; but she never puts together that there is a conspiracy to scapegoat these kids, or that the people in power might not be trustworthy?!

- Griffin Fliers are supposed to be the assumed enemy of the story, until we get the twist reveal that they are refugees fighting for resources that the Dragon Riders won't share. But it's not a twist, because the griffins are never presented as a real threat. First of all, it's laughable that a griffin would pose a threat to a dragon! XD But secondly, we are never shown a skirmish, a moment of danger, a reason to distrust (or question) Team Griffin. They are a vague threat in the background, like a shadow on the wall that you think could be something sinister, until your eyes relax and you realize it's just a sweater on a chair.

- This book missed most opportunities to really think about the complexities of flying on a dragon. No scales chafing your inner thighs. No increased gravity when doing swift turns and loops. No heat-resistant clothes, or burns sustained from being too near their firebreath. In fact, most flight training is yada yada'ed as "It was really difficult. I fell out of my seat a lot. ANYWHO, wow that guy is hot."

- Xaden's shadow powers are too OP. He can make shields, and cloak people from sight, and overhear conversations had in the dark, and solidify his shadows into tentacles that can lasso things or attack people. Meanwhile, Violet's powers make no sense: How are Lightning and Time-Stop extensions of herself?! How do those relate to her bookishness, her tenacity, her (alleged) cunning, or her compassion?! It seemed like everyone was just given a convenient superpower to get out of whatever "conflict" they were in, but then Violet didn't use her Time-Stop when she needed it most: To SPOILER ALERT save Liam/Deigh! Similarly, how convenient is it that the venin mages' one weakness... are daggers... with which Violet just HAPPENS to be proficient. So contrived! Nothing about this magical system has finesse, intelligent design, or consistent stakes.

- The ensemble is not fleshed out beyond Violet, Xaden, Liam, and Dain, but even that's generous, because the big four are clear ripoffs of other Romantasy characters. Tropes within tropes, people. Beyond them, there are A TON of other characters, but they're all one note: A hairstyle, a gender, a magic power that's used once and never mentioned again. Names on paper, nothing more. And every single character, big four included, exists to tell Violet how amazing she is, even though she fails constantly XD.

- Violet is a clear ripoff of Feyre, and Violet's journey of self-empowerment is NOT earned the way Feyre's is.
Violet: People assume I'm weak because my joints pop; I will go to the gym!
Feyre: I have been abused, starved, neglected, traumatized; but even though it's been impossibly hard, I will endure, and I will lift others even as I slowly build myself.
Similarly, Xaden is the bad fanfic version of Rhys.
Xaden: I have always loved Violet, she's so bang-able!
Rhys: I have always loved Feyre, she inspired me and gave me strength when I was grief-stricken and hopeless.

- This book had mountains and forests, battlements and villages... but it never really used the terrain to any great effect. No bottleneck battles, no difficulty following an enemy that knows how to camouflage in chasms/mists/foliage. No tracking another creature's scent. No difficulty flying around spires, or chasing smaller enemies through ravines... The locations had names, but no personalities, nothing memorable in design. Every location came out of a preset D&D map, with no thought for realistic military tactics. That's the thing about fantasy: It's supposed to bring the fantastical to life! It should feel real. Nothing in this book felt real.

Without multi-dimensional characters, or visceral descriptions of warfare with magic/magical creatures, or rich locational lore, or a cunning and intimidating military... without ANY of those things... this book is just the story of how one girl went to the gym over and over again. That's it. Violet Sorrengail went to the gym, and sometimes went to the library, and had a crush on a hot senior. That's. It!

Not worth the ink it cost to print. Definitely not worth the over-inflated resell price, or the multiple merch tie-ins, or the upcoming TV adaptation! And just the cherry on top: I hate the new trend for YA First Editions to all have sprayed edges as the new norm. Those of us who stuck to physical books did it for the smell! You have ruined New Book Smell! This book somehow took every fad and RAN with it, and got rave reviews for aesthetics over substance. Shame. On. Us.

Do not waste your time and money on this series.