Karen ⊰✿’s Comments (group member since Sep 23, 2012)

Karen ⊰✿’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

DQs Day 6: Chapter 32 - end

24. Chapter 32, though! How did you feel about the heart-to-heart on the parapet? Did it fill you with fluttery lovey feelings, or did it fall flat? Are you loving “Vioden” (Xadlet?)??

I actually started to giggle along with violent eye rolling through this section.
Do people really act like this? Or is it that it is written this way so often that then "young people" start actually acting like this IRL? #feelingold

25. Xaden has Violet join his special group for the War Games, and we find out about all the secrets that EVERYONE has been keeping from her. Do you think she overreacted to these revelations or is her reaction warranted? How do you feel about Dain’s betrayal? Surprised (hint hint - NO)?
Totally over-reacted. Her mother is the General - did she really think they could be 100% honest with her? She had to find out for herself although her dragons or X could have given her some more hints / heads-up


26. Anyone crying yet? I know I was losing it through a lot of the last 15% of the book. What are your thoughts on the major losses we see during this battle? Any thoughts on the battle itself (or the enemy themselves)?

Oh that was sad. I liked Liam. I sped up the battle on my audio as by this point I needed to just get to the end

27. That CLIFF-HANGER of an ending had me stunned! What did you think of the sudden appearance of (view spoiler)? Was it too much, or just enough?
haha oh this was perfect. Although it was always possible, and we foreshadowed it within the last DQs, I was still surprised. Perfect soap opera ending


28. What are your overall thoughts on this book? Will you read the next one?
Not for me. Just too many YA tropes and about 200 pages too long. I can see the appeal for those who really love the genre, but there is no way I could suffer through a 5 book series.

Cat wrote: "@Jenny re Q28 There's a interview with her in the GR news area, where she says that she's a big fantasy reader. I was like, nope, no you are not. I think she might have read some of the buzzy YA fa..."

Romantasy?! Oh my
Actually I wouldn’t mind books being tagged that way because then I will know not to read it 😆

Fallyn Nichole wrote: "Oh and referring to your more books in the series answer, the author has stated she has 5 books plotted for this series as of now

..."

Oh that is crah-ah-zy. I could see her pushing it to 3, but 5 is hard to fathom

DQ set 5: Chapters 26 - 31

19. I'm so confused by the logistics of this world! Firstly there's the comment that 6 hours in flight left them all super-stiff, but surely they've been putting the hours in in flight fight practice? And then the sudden realisation that actually it's TOTES fine to put a saddle or harness on to secure them in flight, as if that wouldn't be the very first thing you'd do the first time the dragons decided to plummet and every rider loses their seat!
Anyway, that rant is mostly to say: how are you enjoying the world-building now we are further into the story?

LOL
I think the world building is very light on. Actually too much so considering the size of the book imo

20. We discover that riders of mated dragons can now talk in each others minds... What do you think this adds (or detracts) to the story, characters, world?
I feel like we are just taking so many elements from different YA books and throwing them together. This wasn't needed really

21. Lightning! Who'd've guessed that Violet would end up with a super rare, super powerful signet?! What do you think the lightning says about her character?
Haha of course - who would have guessed?! I like she has a destructive power

22. There's some destructive sex, followed by a decision that it can never happen again. What do you think about the different approaches that Violet and Xaden have towards their attraction to each other?
Well it can't be a YA series without some angst ;)
I don't know why they aren't just throwing themselves at each other, tbh. In a world where you can die at any second it seems silly to hold yourself back

23. Finally - is it just me, or is Dain starting to redeem himself? I feel like I'm seeing signs of improvement in him....
Wow, really? I still can't cope with him

Day 4 Questions Chapter 21-25

14. Do you think there is a reason the Cadets are not being told the truth of what is going on with the battles at the Battle Brief? Is it actually for classified reasons or is there something more sinister going on?
A bit of both, but I'm pretty confident that the rebellion is back on and they know the truth that is being kept from the Cadets and the general population


15. What do you think about the mentioning of the fact that the Dragons and Gryphons use to work together to protect the lands? Could this be foreshadowing of an alliance to come?
Does seem like this could be the goal by the end of the series, to have peace again


16. We finally have a bit of progress in the possible romance between Violet and Xaden. Do you think they have actual chemistry or their attraction is just due to the bond of their dragons?
She was attracted to him from day 1, so I don't think it is about the dragons, but perhaps part of the reason she was chosen was because the dragons could see that V and X were attracted to each other


17. We keep getting random tidbits about Violet's deceased brother Brennan. Do you think there is a possibility he's still alive?
Oh for sure. There is some big conspiracy here. I just wonder if her sister knows too

18. With the revelations we've been given about what went on with the Marked Ones and the various battles that are raging on currently, do you think that the Kingdom of Navarre is actually the protector of this world as we've been lead to believe or are they the villains?
They may have started as the protectors, but power corrupts and all that. I don't think you can have a war for this long without the "good" side turning bad.

Bonus: Anyone else wishing a Dragon would just go scorched earth on Dain already?
Hopefully soon!! ;)

@Vicky and Stacey
Great reasons to choose summoning! Love it 😊

Alysa wrote: "DQs Day 3, Chapters 14 - 20

10. So we are half way through the book. Thoughts and feelings? Loving it? Hating it? Ambivalent?

I'm enjoying it. It's no great literary work by any stretch but it's ..."

Oh breathing under water would be awesome!

Lexi wrote: " DQ Day 3 Chapters 14-20
10. So we are half way through the book. Thoughts and feelings? Loving it? Hating it? Ambivalent?

I started not liking it and then started liking it more but now it is an..."

Thanks Lexi you had me giggle !! Those abs 😆

Teddie wrote: "This feels a little more like YA cosplaying as fantasy -

Perfect description!!

Elinor wrote:

@Karen, so glad you said this:

"They are both controlling and overly protective and the feminist in me recoils"

You said it so much better than I'd managed to formulate it in my own mind. These knights in shining armour seem to forget how little credit they give the women they're 'protecting'.


Thanks Elinor! I just get so frustrated with authors who make “strong” female characters but then still give them male protectors

Lexi wrote: "Why is this marked as an Adult book? I don't mind YA, but this is a very YA theme and the obsession with Xander is very YA. I know it has cursing and discussions of sex but really, YA books have th..."

Publishers decided it would sell better that way?
It is super YA
Perhaps are more people read and tag it will push that into the MPG

Jenny wrote: "I had to look up Toothless. I have never read the books not seen the movie. So. Should I?"

I agree with Alyssa - they are completely different. The movies are great and I prefer that Toothless.
Books are fun for young kids and David Tennant does the audio 😊

Cat wrote: "Question.... Why do these people not have harnesses to keep them attached to their dragons?!"

Because that would mean they may not die? 😆

Cat wrote: "@Karen: re hype: the Curse of Sammy striking again?

For me I'm enjoying it enough to cope. I came in half expecting the YA stuff, given that TikTok hype is generally not for the more complex books..."

Bahahaha
So true
It is Sammy’s fault! 😆😆😆

I’m actually letting it wash over me in its YA glory and I’m not hating it. But I don’t see myself reading the series unless it really cranks up a gear

DQ Day 2: Chap 7- 13

6. This section starts with two scenes with each of the male love/lust interests. The comparison of them continues very clearly. Do you like Xaden or Dain better or neither?
Oh this is one of the more irritating parts of the book! haha
They are both controlling and overly protective and the feminist in me recoils

7. Violet uses alternative methods to survive the fighting challenges. Do you think that counts as cheating or using the resources available? Do you think she is aware that she only has this information because she comes from a privileged background and her sister count sneak in it? Do you think one of the professors should have noticed after 5 rounds?
haha I agree that it should have been noticed. So silly.
For me it is absolutely cheating and doesn't set her up to be able to actually survive in battle where she won't have that advantage

8. The obstacle course is straight out of American Ninja warrior (and other similar TV shows) including ending with the giant ramp. Did you enjoy this section and how Violet figured out working with her height limitations? Have they told us how tall she is? (Though in real life, the shortest person to make it up the wall has only been 5’1” – I just Googled it)
I have a problem with female characters that are "short and cute". At least she doesn't have red hair and grey eyes I guess otherwise we really would really be in YA trope territory. I'm glad she found a way, but I wasn't that invested :o

9. Finally, we meet the dragons. Was it all you were hoping for? Did anyone guess the black one when it was first introduced in this section? (Also, I am not taking the fall seriously at the end of my section since we still have 2/3 of the book to go).
It was rather obvious to guess. I have to say the book isn't meeting the hype for me at this point :o

Bonus: If you could have a dragon from any book or movie, which one would you want?
Toothless!

DQ Day 3 Chapters 14-20

10. So we are half way through the book. Thoughts and feelings? Loving it? Hating it? Ambivalent?

11. Jeremiah gets killed pretty quickly as his signet shows. Do you agree that power can't be allowed?

11. What's the deal with Andarna? Why do you think 2 dragons have bonded with Violet?

12. If you coul choose a Signet what would it be? https://www.julesbuono.com/fourth-win...

13. Were you surprised about Amber's betrayal? How about when Xanden completely believed Violet but Dain didn't?

DQs Day 1, Chapters 1 - 6

1. As someone who grew up with the Pern books, I love diving back into a world with dragons and dragon riders. And this one has extra bonus Gryphons, apparently!
Do you have any first impressions of the main characters (Violet, Dain, Rhiannon, Xader) and the world building? Do you want to know more?

I never read those, but the dragon angle is always fun.
So far I am a bit underwhelmed. It is kind of like Divergent with dragons. I agree with Lexi about the obvious love triangle. Apart from the swearing and perhaps the age of the MCs, it is very YA.

2. What do you think of Violet’s mother and sister? Any idea about why her mother chose to order her to the Rider Quadrant instead of the Scribe Quadrant?
I find this particularly odd. Why suddenly move to make her become a rider? Hopefully there is a very good reason

3. The brutality of the selection process and the casual acceptance of murder is something else. What do you think the purpose of it is? (If there is one beyond societal norms.)
Would you have given your boot to a stranger?
This gave me the Divergent vibe. I'm not sure why we need to continually repeat about how likely their deaths are, though. I liked the boot thing as it showed she is going to be different and could give a good angle to her character

4. So this is a world at war, but at the battle briefings at least, they don’t seem to know why the outer provinces are currently attacking the borders. Any ideas about why this is happening?

This is one of the big gaps in the story/world at this point so hopefully we will find out more soon

5. Do you think that Violet will survive and get chosen by a dragon? If so, any predictions on what kind?
of course she will! And she will get the best dragon ever ;)

I finished

which the cover was probably the best thing. Great premise, but writing needs more editing.

I only have 2 books left on my shelf!!

So I have download this as an audio and requested the latest VE Schwab.

I also noticed the latest Sophie Hannah Hercule Poirot is on there as a read now, but it is PDF only (not that I really enjoyed the first, but I thought it was worth mentioning!!)

New tasks:

Read a book with an average goodreads rating of between 3.01 and 3.5
Read a book with diamonds on the cover or with a night sky that looks like diamonds
Read a book with stationery on the cover
Read a book where the page numbers add to 5 (i.e. 311 pages = 3+1+1 = 5)

Managed to finish another 400 pager

It is school holidays and kids wanted to go to a trampoline play centre so while they jump I get to read 😊