Finally picked this up because of all the online discourse on it and decided I wanted to make my own opinion. Initially, I had a very hard time getting through the first few chapters. But many reviews said the GraphicAudio was amazing so I used my Audible credits and damn, they were right. Once I was on GraphicAudio, I was flying through the book. Was this the best fantasy book I've ever read? No. Was it a writing masterpiece? No. Were the main characters loveable and easy to root for? No. But did I have fun reading this? Yes. 

I have a bit of beef with Violet's character, especially at the end of the book. She's far too stubborn and pigheaded for her own good and for the good of the people around her. Xaden is absolutely the kind of man any book girlie dreams of but boy is he incredibly infuriating. The sidekicks were the best characters. Rhianon is the definition of a girl's girl, Ridoc the bulky goofball and Liam the steadfast pillar of support. The dragons were the star of the show. Istg, the book went from 3.5stars to 5stars because of the dragons. But Tairn is such a funny old man and has the most iconic lines! Andarna is so sweet. I wish there was more scenes with Andarna, I love that little girl. 

Because of how viral this book was, I had already seen the spoilers and I'm a bit glad I did or else the ending of the book would have had me throwing my kindle across the room. I was not expecting a cliffhanger but there it was. Glad I gave this book a chance, it was a very enjoyable ride. I hope they make merch cos I want my own Tairn and Andarna now.