CBR18 BINGO: You (for Dragon Haven because I’ve been working my way through Realm of the Elderlings as part of a book club for the past 1.5 years) and Sheep (for The Knight and the Moth related to being led/conformity)
Dragon Haven
I’ve had an unusual reaction to the first two books in the Rain Wild Chronicles. For both of them, I’ve enjoyed the actual process of reading the book, but I’ve also rarely felt the urge to pick them up between sittings and have often prioritized other books, though this probably changed for about the last 100 pages or so of Dragon Haven. This one is a direct continuation of Dragon Keeper, with the dragons, keepers, and Tarman and crew continuing up the Rain Wild River.
The dynamics between them all continue to shift, and Greft continues to try to lead the group and sort of form a new society with new rules. Some of the tensions from the first book come to a head. I really liked the changes/growth in some of the characters, especially Alise, and even Sedric eventually seemed like he could be developing into a better person. There’s a significant event at the end of the book that changes things, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book goes with it. 4.25 stars.
The Knight and the Moth
I had really high expectations of this because I loved Gillig’s Shepherd King duology. In this one, Six is one of six diviners in a world with a religion based around gods called Omens, each associated with a particular stone object. The objects are in turn associated with specific characteristics and beliefs that the various hamlets in the kingdom follow. Six and her fellow diviners are foundlings who dream about these objects to give portents to people who come to the cathedral. They have to drown to do this, and it’s a 10-year service in exchange for a home. As their service comes to an end, the other diviners start to disappear and Six seeks the help of a knight to find them.
The first 20% of the book was fine. I didn’t really get the hype, and while it seemed to be designed to give time to developing the world and the relationships between the diviners, it didn’t succeed as much at the latter as I’d have liked. It really picked up for me after the first diviner went missing.
For most of the rest of the book I was very engaged. I wanted to know more about what was happening and what would happen, and I liked the characters. However, there were some plot holes, and the romance got too intense too quickly. The book ended on a cliffhanger and I do really want to read the sequel to find out what happens. I liked Two Twisted Crowns more than One Dark Window, and I’m hoping for a similar trajectory with this duology. 3.75 stars
