EON vs FOURTH WING

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[@goodmanticore]

I had forgotten that Eon existed… the magical healing and rape/rape apology prevented me from continuing to the sequel.

[@beccarosewriter]

The what?! I picked these up from a thrift store, maybe I'll donate them back. haha

[@TurtleJulia]

I stupidly read the sequel and it made me so, so angry.

[@reagan7460]

​@@TurtleJuliawanna give some spoilers? 👀

[@crazyth1ngs600]

Women not being allowed to read/using 'woman script' in combination with the Asianesque style of the novel reminds me of Hiragana and Nüshu. In case you don't know but are interested: Hiragana is one of the Japanese syllable languages and it was at first mainly used and developed by Japanese women. Why? Unsurprisingly, because they were not supposed to learn the 'real' scripture (the more complicated Kanji based on Chinese scripture) men were being taught. Nüshu is another syllable scripture based on Chinese Hanzi characters that is now (iirc, otherwise please correct me!) extinct but was used exclusively by women in one Chinese province and has been called a secret language because of this.

[@TwoCatsInLondon]

It also reminds me of Hangul, the Korean writing system. While currently it’s widely used by everyone, due to a concerted effort of the government in the 1980s to form a strong South Korean identity to differentiate the country from North Korea and the Japanese oppressors, prior to 1975 ish Hangul was not very common. It was invented in 1446, but primarily used by women, peasants and Buddhist monks. There are love letters found from kings that were written in Hangul in the Joseon period for his wives/concubines.

[@crazyth1ngs600]

@@TwoCatsInLondonThat's true! Thank you for the addition :) iirc they even tried to outlaw the use of Hangul completely to erase Korean national identity. I did not realize it was primarily used by women in the beginning, but the role of women is so underappreciated in history books that this does not surprise me ...

[@TwoCatsInLondon]

@@crazyth1ngs600 you are correct in remembering this. It’s a common tactic of colonisers to attempt to erase that identity by erasing language. A more current example of that is that a lot of Ukranian people over the age of forty speak Russian due to it having been forced as the national language. Hangul as a writing system is so simple it can be mastered within a weekend. It was incredibly helpful in spreading information to large groups of people due to the accessibility. And yes, unfortunately women’s contributions have often been neglected. Did you know that prior to the arrival of the more heavily patriarchal religions, women used to be spiritual leaders within that area? Most shamans were women.

[@crazyth1ngs600]

@@TwoCatsInLondonDidn't that also happen to Native people in the US and Canada? Like the kids basically being stolen and forced to only speak their abductor's language and adhere to their customs? People are cruel. I speak some Korean actually, so can confirm the Hangul part 🤭 I did not, but few things surprise me anymore when it comes to things that amount to "actually, before the patriarchy everything was 500 times better" ... :(

[@hollym7878]

If you're going to compare Fourth Wing to other dragon books, you have to compare it to the OG dragon books of the scifi-fantasy genre: Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey, the first book of the Dragonriders of Pern series

[@bunnybean77]

Seconded! I would love to see a modern review of Dragonflight, especially if Rachel has never read it and doesn’t have the rose colored nostalgia I know that I have.

[@goodmanticore]

Yes! Both of them also have telepathic dragon sex too.

[@benfoster4320]

I 100% agree with this. Dragonriders of Pern is a classic, and it does very cool and unique things with the dragons

[@lisapt6702]

Came here to say this. I read these back in the 70s. TW: I remember normalized rape culture so I don’t usually recommend them

[@goodmanticore]

@@lisapt6702 Yes and they are full of “normalized” domestic abuse. Makes them harder to read as an adult. At least for me.

[@lauraroberts3520]

I bet Violet’s baby dragon is gonna turn into a defibrillator for her when her older dragon, Tairn inevitably dies. That’s the only reason it’s around. Called it first if that happens 😁

[@xorvictia]

I was just predicting this to exact thing to my boyfriend the other day! As soon as I realized her younger dragon was also a black dragon I was like “oh, so this is so Violet can survive and also still have a dragon, huh…”

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

dramatic big black dragon death for "the feelings" buts she survives because she has her small dragon

[@lauraroberts3520]

@@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv yep and everyone will be like: 😑 yep that just happened lol

[@mascarrowette1046]

Yes! When Andarna gave her name, I was like “oh, so this is so the whole death thing won’t apply to her”

[@SpookyBento]

It makes me wonder how the "she will never carry a rider" bit will be retconned

[@gracemccarthy9739]

Ooh ok, favorite books with dragons: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan Guards Guards by Terry Pratchett The Negotiator Trilogy by CE Murphy The Dragon Prince of Alaska by Elva Birch Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis Eragon by Christopher Paolini (did not hold up on subsequent reads for me, but im curious how it compares)

[@notreal9214]

isn't httyd a full book series? maybe it's not really the right target audience but from what I've heard the books are WILD (i listened to the audiobooks when i was younger).

[@dustrose8101]

IMO Eragon is still worth the time if only to see where some of the bones of dragon-bonding came from... alongside Dragonriders of Pern

[@disciple1313x]

I cannot recommend A Natural History of Dragons enough. Read them through awful depression and it really lifted me--I really resonated with Isabella, more than I ever really have with a protagonist.

[@druidOcelot]

@@dustrose8101 absolutely. i still think dragonriders of pern did it better than the whole series following eragon, but i give the latter series a LOT of leniency due to the age of the author at the time of writing. i *highly* HIGHLY recommend the pern books, especially with how MUCH there is to dig into with it (if you want to be able to deep dive into a long, old series made up of a bunch of trilogies and quartets). the world is just *so* well fleshed out that i kind of consider it close to a masterclass in worldbuilding. (and thats with the caveat of "its definitely written by someone in the 1970s with some odd views on gender and queer people in general, not necessarily from a place of malice, but definitely perspective that feels of its time" and since anne mccaffery is dead, theres literally 0 harm done by getting used copies of her books and actually going over them with a critical eye)

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

Oh yeah those books (like a weird amount of MG book series from the 90's/00's) got dark. I was actually discussing those books yesterday with someone who didn't know there was more than one book. Anyway, I picked up the last book and skipped over 8-11, sou don't know what happens

[@omgmo1962]

Ive been wanting to write a dragon book for like 15 years and the number of bad ones is really motivating me to actually do it before the market for them declines

[@alyssum130]

You shouldn't write for the market or people but for yourself.

[@TheTrueKarin]

That is true but let‘s be honest. A book that is wrote about a specific topic that is right know not popular right know has it way harder. But good luck 👍🍀 Same here. I really want to write down a twisted dragon and his princess story and the many questionable books about it keep me motivated that it some day gets picked.

[@ourabouras]

Honestly same. I’ve got a dragon rider story idea I’ve been kicking around for a while and at this point if these dumb dumbs can get published than so can I

[@sydmoong]

THE JIMMY NEUTRON CLIP I’M CRYING

[@SuperEkkorn]

Read neither, but completely enthralled *grabs popcorn*

[@solerei168]

The Priory of the Orange Tree has dragon riders, I'd love a comparison with this book :)

[@maenochka1833]

This was one of my absolute favorite books when I was in middle school, I remember appreciating the discussion on gender and how much Eon/a struggled with it because of how she was raised and the fact that she never really encountered contradictions until she went into the palace. Also the brand of angst was very appealing to me as a teenager 😅 I super appreciate your review and WOOF this book did not age well lmao

[@chance757]

eon? damn lol i forget that book exists sometimes; feels like a fever dream

[@kit5480]

I just finished my phd thesis partly on how appalling Eon is from a disability studies perspective and your review gives me flashbacks to the far, far too many times I've had to read that cure scene

[@TurtleJulia]

That sounds so interesting! And agreed, Eon does so many things so wrong...

[@kit5480]

@@TurtleJulia I loved the opening with the modified martial arts and then it all just became an Orientalist and ableist soup. I talk about it om a chapter on miracle cures (I look at disability in YA spec fic more broadly).

[@tripwire202]

​@@kit5480 Your thesis sounds fascinating! Do you have a link to it? Would love to read it. I remember reading Eon as a teen and feeling... Weirded out by it but I couldn't articulate why. Good luck with your PHD and life in general - hope your days are both many and wonderous!

[@mmem4264]

I would also like to read your phd thesis, sounds super interesting.

[@sleepypotatoe7]

Oof. Eon/Eona is one of my YA books. I read that book so many times in middle school the spine started to break. This going to be a hard watch for me because I love the series (I have not reread it as an adult).

[@Stoopud_mitch]

In all honesty I’m just using these comments as fuel for my TBR😭😭

[@magicpensel9548]

Same

[@nasimanabestani396]

I fell in love with dragons when I read "dragons of deltora". Also, the women's script does remind me of Nüshu which is a Chinese women's only script.

[@Silvychan13]

I read all the deltora books up to the dragon ones. By the time they came out I felt I was “too old”. I recently picked up special edition collections of the whole series and I’m so excited to finally read them 😊

[@hallaloth3112]

@@Silvychan13 I'd say, as someone who read the first set and picked up the rest in my late 20's that they are worth an afternoon to just enjoy. Deep read? Heck no, this is a set of books meant for like eight year olds, but well written FOR that age group and nothing glaringly awful that is a turn off.

[@haunting_bluejay]

I thought I fever dreamed Eon, nobody I talk to ever knows about this 😂😅😅

[@InversedDragoon]

The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik are my favorite dragon rider books...its historical fantasy, and has very interesting ideas on how humans and dragons coexist all over the world, and how it alters the historical balance of power in the world. Temeraire (the dragon) is super charming and is definitely my favorite dragon in media, and his partner Laurence is great too!

[@stareyedwitch]

Temeraire and Laurence's relationship kept me going to book 4. I dropped the series after that because my fondness for the characters could no longer counterbalance the tissue thin worldbuilding and historical inaccuracies. It's not the big ones that bothered me, but the smaller details that spoke to a lack of research/actual consideration of the implications of her world building choices.

[@tidallunacy]

The Temeraire series by Naomi Naovik, starting with His Majesty's Dragon, is a good mix of dragons, dragon riders, and politics. I've seen several mentions of the Dragonriders of Pern series, by Anne McCaffrey. Mercedes Lackey also had a series called Dragon Jousters; the first book is Joust.

[@AoriDracius]

I remember as a middle schooler I read the Dragon Jousters! I don't remember how far I got in it but I read it before the Dragonriders of Pern series and thought it was fun, but now I wonder a lot if it would still hold up reading it as an adult!

[@varying-quality-creations]

"And with her magical mirror dragon powers our protagonist was able to permanently alter the evil bad guy's mind and make him super duper sorry he tried to hurt her" ... I'm sorry WHAT

[@mpd1732]

Err... wrong information is what seems like is what. I'm vetting through the comments to see if this was a good video and there seems to be a severe problem here with compression on what the book is saying...

[@moonsun526]

​@@mpd1732true, i haven't read the books in a long time and other comments said that the books have rape apologism which made me go ?? and opened the book immediately to check if it was true I checked the last chapters and the bad guy was consistent in his ideology i think? he tried to persuade the heroine to do the wrong thing and ended up dead in the end

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

​@@moonsun526I read the book and don't remember the whole "rape" stuff. I'm not sure if my memory's off or if the people in the comments are overly sensitive.

[@littleredzephyr4698]

just finished the two hour vid about iron flame and I've never been excited to IMMEDIATELY get another one hehe!

[@leahharlann]

Dragon Books! Eragon by Christopher Paolini Dragonfall by LR Lam Fireborne by Rosaria Munda Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon To Shape A Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is SO GOOD I'm not finished either but I'm loving it!!

[@marilynmourneblade85667]

Did not see someone mentioning Anne McCaffrey, whose Pern series were my mum's favs for years! They're some classic sci-fi fantasy with a matriarchy and dragonriders, her book Dragonsong is the first in a trilogy which gives a little more intro to the world and such so could be a decent one to add to the list since its super big in the history of dragonriders books, especially with women MCs!!

[@hollynorth6842]

Dealing with Dragons (and the subsequent books) might be worth a read!

[@iFlutterbye]

Finally found this comment. 🫶🏻

[@soniciris]

Yessss the Enchanted Forest Chronicles are DELIGHTFUL

[@TheSnakeh]

These were the books that got me into reading in middle school! I remember loving them so much. I haven't read them again, so I don't know how they hold up, nostalgia aside. I still use "Kazul" on my videogame characters and similar things lol

[@birdyeggling]

Here’s my dragon book recommendations!: Eragon by Christopher paloni! A pretty good dragon rider book imo Call of the dragon by Jessica Drake, never finished this one, got squicked out by the pairing cause the main girl felt like a 17 year old and love insterest felt 35, the main girl is around 21 I think? But I think this is probably the closest top fourth wing in craft and general idea, dragon riders at war with a non dragon rider nation, but a bit better imo. Priory of the orange tree! I have not read its yet but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it! A natural history of dragons by Marie Brennan, I like this book and world building so much, it can drag on(ha) but it’s an interesting take on dragons in the “real world” and the main character is charming too me. Dragon’s egg by Sarah L. Tomphson! I read this as a child and it was a fun read, if nothing else your sons may enjoy this:) it’s about a girl who is from a dragon farm with domesticated dragons, they run an inn, and one day the girl gets a wild dragon egg, and decides too take it too the wild dragons and it’s a fun journey/coming of age book, and yes I do think it’s better in every way too fourth wing! Honary mention! Wings of fire by Tui T. Sutherland! Love this series, but if you want a human/dragon rider pov: wings of fire, Dragon slayer! It’s between three povs and my favorite was wren the dragon rider, and the dragon and her actually talk verbally! They made an in between language from both of the languages:) These are just the ones that I recommend:)! Gonna be looking into the ones others recommend.

[@xRaiofSunshine]

Wings of Fire 👀

[@io.nebulae]

WING OF FIRE 🔥 Can't wait for the next arc 💕 I'm 31 and I'm obsessed with this series so bad 😅

[@birdyeggling]

@@io.nebulae oh same! Love this book, I’ve been rereading the series cause I never finished the third one but yeah I can’t wait for the fourth either!

[@UvibeeCosplay]

Favorite dragon book: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and I do like the Dragonriders of Pern, but it is of its time

[@bloodlily1203]

Women's script was an actual thing in Japan (apparently also in China according to another commenter). Women at the time weren't allowed the same level of education as men were (such as learning Chinese iirc), so they used hiragana, which was called literally 'women's writing' and was used for personal communication and also literature. The Tale of Genji, the first novel, was written in this script. So that's actually historically accurate, I'm kind of surprised.

[@sarasgonzalezg]

The Fireborne trilogy by Rosaria Munda is my favorite so far. I actually feel like Yarros took A LOT of ideas from Munda's work, but Yarros completely missed the point of fireborne🤣

[@SImba87719]

The reason Fourth Wing intrigued me is that I had just finished Fireborne Series (loved it), and I was thinking - cool should be similar but more adult. I was very very wrong.

[@sarasgonzalezg]

I feel you. I read Fourth Wing because everybody and their mother was recommending it and I was so confused by it cause I couldn't understand why people liked it some much. Then I watched a video of "read this not that" and they talked about Fireborne being Fourth Wing done right, and they were right. Fireborne was everything I expected Fourth Wing to be and I was honestly a little outraged at the similarities. I felt like Yarros fooled me 🤣

[@katnisskern828]

My favorite series involving dragons when I was younger were The Pit Dragon Chronicles by Jane Yolen. I loved those!

[@alyssaclark6690]

I remember reading Eon and Eona back in middle/high school (maybe some 10-11 years ago) and I LOVED it at the time. Think I’ll reread to see if I still like it

[@theresareads]

I tried to read Eon as a teenager but didn’t get past like 20 pages because it was so boring 😮‍💨 Interested to see what you think of So Let Them Burn and wondering: Are you planning on reading Priory of the Orange Tree?

[@ReadswithRachel]

That’s another one I need to add to the list!!

[@brianc4632]

This is making me realize that I’ve not read a lot of dragon fantasy, which is a shame. One I could suggest is the Dragonkeeper series by Australian author Carole Wilkinson. What really drew me in was the fact that it took place in ancient China rather than a European/Western setting. It’s most likely written for middle schoolers in mind. From what I could tell, Wilkinson put in the effort to research her setting. I enjoyed reading about the environment and the worldbuilding. There’s nothing too in-depth though, a good number of things in the worldbuilding that exist do so because they just do. The main character and companions were quite adorable to me as a kid when I read it.

[@easilydistractedauthor]

Same. The last dragon book I read was so horrible and it makes me sad. How I have managed to somehow dodge dragon books for years when I love dragons is baffling. What is wrong with me. 😂

[@jennderqueer]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Dragonriders of Pern. I did think So Let Them Burn was wonderful - a very strong debut with good characters and excellent writing.

[@Marie45610]

I think I've mentioned this series/author before, Ava Richardson has written several Dragon Rider books/series. I remember way back in the early 2010s (the very early days of BookTube) everybody and their mom was reading and loving Eon/Eona. I never read it meaning to but when I only hear praise about a book or series it sometimes makes me not want to read it because I don't believe that many people love it or it's as good as they claim. I am a cynic and a skeptic at heart.

[@livh478]

I'm already loving this new series. Its got me rereading Eragon just to compare for myself lmao

[@AuthorWASimpson]

As a two time breast cancer survivor, the magic heals the disability or disease trope is infuriating and insulting to me. Not to mention all the other problems with this work. I will not be reading it.

[@justokayemilay6029]

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley!!!!

[@mybluecastle]

This book blows Fourth Wing out of the water! It's a childhood favorite of mine ♥️

[@serafinassong]

My favourite dragon books are the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede. The first book is Dealing With Dragons. I think they are technically middle grade, but in my biased opinion they absolutely hold up to reading as an adult.

[@Plotatopus]

One of my favorites as well! I loved the down to earth witch character in this series. So good.

[@jialin2481]

1. Women's script in Chinese culture exists, and it's a form of communication made and used by women. 3. Dragons in East and West culture are different in appearance and symbolism. Chinese dragons are seen as benevolent and mostly associated with elements of water. In these dragoneye books I think they are associated with the five elements. 3. As to why dragons don't seem to do much in the dragon eye series, a lot of lore is explained in the final book. The duology is completed a long time ago. 4. A lot of conversations about power happen throughout the duology. Readers in Western and Chinese scenes are definitely different in terms of taste😂 Western readers leaned into sanitised discussion while Chinese literature can be darker and wilder than you can imagine so I guess the author took a lot of inspiration from that 😂

[@thenitpicker2176]

In Chinese history, dragons are not just any mystical creature. There are celestial beings called 'long' and can control the weather. They are benevolent gods and highly revered. Only the Emperor or sometimes the highest ranked officials of the land could use a dragon symbol. The modern Chinese do use the dragon much more but they are still good gods who bring prosperity and good luck. They are entirely different from western dragons, who are closer to magical creatures and can be evil. Westerners sort of picked the closest creature they had to describe the 'long' so we call the 'long' the Chinese dragon but they are really entirely separate creatures. I haven't read the book EON, but as a Chinese, what you described sort of makes sense, though the bonding and gender themes are still western. It doesn't really make sense to have chinese dragons come down and have really cool fight scenes with our heroes. It's like if Jesus showed up to be your second in a duel.

[@fionamclary7631]

Dragon books were quite the thing for me and my friends in elementary school, so here are some late '00s middle grade recs for ya: Dragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher: to my memory, a very chill yet dark, moody, and chilly series. I think there may have been some Norse mythology going on there but I read it when I was 7 so I wouldn't trust that. There's also a series set in imperial China about a servant girl who finds and rescues a baby dragon but I cannot remember what it was called or who wrote it. I just remember that I think the MC was named Ping and that this is the series that taught me the word auspicious. And of course Eragon, like everyone else is saying. The wait for book 4 was the first time I remember impatiently waiting for a piece of media to come out! My friends and I were so excited.

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

I just finished reading the Eragon series including Murtagh. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@Sunzu49]

That clip you shared of _Jimmy Neutron_ was from the funniest episode!🤣

[@Eyalane2]

It has been years since I read it but! I loved Temeraire! The first time I read it was in high school and every time the series next book came out in swedish I rushed to the library. I really liked how it showed the logistics of having a huge ass dragon follow you around. It felt so cozy and nice!

[@CoreenMontagna]

12:26 this is giving end of The Neverending Story. “Bastien, say my name! Please!”

[@jessnw5441]

Well, if you're willing to travel back in time a little, what about Dragonriders of Pern? It's... dated. The misogyny is palpable. The pseudo-science is occasionally just silly. But it's foundational for all this stuff, and for world building it can be quite cool.

[@hedgers2005]

I just finished reading Dragonsdawn, the book about how Pern was colonized and there's literally a point where the first dragonriders collectively get passed off because the woman who did the genetic manipulation to create the dragons included a gender distinction to prevent the egg laying females from breathing fire and fighting. There's misogyny but a lot of progressive types of characters, especially since the series was started in the 60's.

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

Just because a work of fiction has a misogynistic society does not mean the theme of the story endorses misogyny. We often read about villains who massacre whole villages right?Does that mean the story endorses murder? Pretty sure the answer is no.

[@Ellisepha]

6:38 TBH I read the first book at least 12 years ago, and to me this made sense. There often is a truth to things, but we cannot accept it, or it would be dangerous to openly embrace it. The way women are opressed in this world (the female Mirror Dragon Eyes were afaik abolished a very long time ago), and with her own life at stake, Eona not risking embracing her being a woman makes perfect sense. Yes, it's frustrating, but speaking from the place of a lesbian who needed a long time to accept herself, sometimes people try to brute force rules, even if they don't work, specifically because the alternative - breaking rules set by society - would be much much scarier. The dragons are magical celestial beings, sure, but the Emperor and people of the material world hold all the power. As mentioned, female Dragon Eyes have been outlawed and erased from history before.

[@becausereadingis]

❤To Shape a Dragon's Breath❤ is so good it can't even be compared to Fourth Wing so I am excited to see your review 😁

[@rudetuesday]

Thanks for taking these off my cluttered reading list!😅 I really enjoyed Novik's Temeraire series books I've read, having been burnt-out on the Pern books a good while back.

[@flabershlap101]

I think this concept would've been cool if it was "only boys can bond dragons" and Eona bonds, everyone's confused, and then Eona is like "oh shit I am a boy"

[@chantristrammell6088]

I'm just happy to get some Rachel snark today.

[@simplesimply3753]

Deltora was my favorite dragon book but it was fully focused on Dragons but all kinds.

[@Perfectothemediocre]

I'm barely a novice when it comes to eastern fantasy so there's a lot I don't know, but I have read a couple Xianxia/Murim manhua. One thing I have seen come up a fair amount is the idea of "body reformation" - where you level up and your body becomes a "perfect" ideal of what a human should be. Old toxins/impurities are expelled, any scars/disfigurement are healed, if you were malnourished you instantly grow to whatever height you would have been if you'd had perfect nutrition your whole life, etc. I understand the argument about magical healing, but it's pretty common for a Xianxia protagonist to start off with some incurable affliction that they then proceed to cure.

[@Plotatopus]

I’m sure you’ve probably read the Eragon series but it’s one of my favorites and I’d love your take on it. I use your videos a lot to help me decide what books to read to my daughter.

[@polydactylblackcat2218]

OMG!!! I remember reading EON in middle school and I LOVED IT. Haven't read it since, so I'm sooooo stoked for this!!!

[@seekerxr]

Fireborne and The Aurelian Cycle is one of my fav series of all time so I'm simultaneously pumped and terrified for you to read it 😂

[@AoriDracius]

Someone I know mentioned the Dragonrider Chronicles to me recently by Nicole Conway. Doing some research it looks like that series is actually made more for middleschool or an early teen demographic, but if at some time you want a break from the more YA or adult lit I'd be curious to see you talk about it. The first book of the series is called Fledgling. I'm looking forward to getting recommendations for good dragon books from this series and definitely enjoyed this!

[@voidnoises2324]

absolutly adore your videos and i'm so happy to see your reach and audience growing over the past year! you are genuinely like one of the only people i actually trust for book reviews 😭 but there's a book series i used to read as a kid that im not sure anyone else remembers but e and it's called the shadow of the dragon series by kate o'hearn if that sounds at all interesting

[@JulianGreystoke]

I just started watching, so I don't know if you liked Eon or not, but I found it to be mid. But then book 2 was HOT GARBAGE! OMG I was enraged. I have a review if you want to witness my rage haha

[@SImba87719]

My most recent favorite dragon book is the Fireborne by Rosaria Munda. First book in a trilogy. All three books are published.

[@marocat4749]

I mean interesting comparison for sure,andborbablyan" inspiration"

[@TheCrazyChickUpstair]

With human/dragon bonding, I like how they did it in Eragon where if the dragon dies, the human is fine but will always feel like a part of them is missing, but if a human dies, so does the dragon. It leads to the bond being strong because both of them are protective of each other.

[@blueeyestyrantdragon]

My favorite dragon books are His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik and Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Although it would interesting to hear your take on the Dragon Riders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey

[@ksidkloulechad2905]

Fireborne trilogy by Rosaria Munda is my favorite dragon series. The complex ideas of the series is what Fourth Wing was trying to do

[@kelliomalley4840]

It's old but The dragon Chronicles series by Susan Fletcher. The 1st one is called Dragon's milk. I adored it as a kid. It's been so long since I read it but I still have the books. That's how much I enjoyed them. Not sure if they'd still hold up. The other dragon book I'd recommend is The Priory of the Orange tree. It's a monster but a good one.

[@Piyratheon]

I've read the first three books of the Temeraire series. I've enjoyed 1 and 2 immensly, 3rd was a big letdown in terms of how the plot developed and resolved, I thought it was pretty nonsensical. Still planning to read more though as I greately enjoy the main dragon character.

[@itsvaleriee]

ngl when you said she took a tea for masculine energy i heard "she took a T" and i was like, "damn these fantasy boys are out here tracking their t-levels??"

[@arkkon2740]

Honestly given how the gender stuff is treated, im not too surprised. Then again, there's apparently the cis guy taking the (t)ea so hey, steroids i guess

[@lreve483]

The Hero and the Crown! Read it as a kid and love it to this day.

[@nectarinespores]

My favorite dragon book I read in high school was Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. It’s been a long time since i read it and I’ve never seen anyone talk about it or its sequels so i wonder if it still holds up. Looking forward to seeing what books you choose for this series! 🐉❤

[@ladyrosefelle]

I'm excited for this new series. Dragons are my second most favorite fantasy creatures. Hope you and I find a dragon book that we like/love.

[@punnkinsoup_]

I'd recommend Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George for this series. It's a kidlit book I read in middle school that continues to be my favorite dragon book to this day

[@thejammiestjam]

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan was so good! I will say the dragons... kind of take a backseat, in a way? But I really enjoyed that series, and there is a lot of commentary on Imperialism. The main character is interested in studying dragons, and I enjoy her a lot.

[@mcthurman8822]

Fablehaven, it’s YA and the dragons do not show up until like book 4, but overall it was one of my favorites growing up, like I was briefly into warrior cats and then found Fablehaven and dropped warrior cats

[@alyxbarter3155]

The Fablehaven dragons are beyond my favorite in books. 👏👏 Raxtus superiority forever

[@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv]

YES! I actually started with the 4th book because someone gave them to me, but there is some good dragon characters. Also, have you guys read the sequel series, because I picked it up when I was a little too old to read it and hated the first chapter, so I didn't read it

[@alyxbarter3155]

@@Ceruleansquid-lo3iv sequel series reads like fanfic where the author found god and threw away all character development in order to cram in some weird religious motif. 10/10 do not recommend.

[@HiyyihLouvre]

I kinda liked EON as a 13-14 year old, but then I looked up the author and... It started crumbling for me AT 15 YEARS OLD!!! This made me realise that I was a pretty decent kid

[@Deej210]

I remember reading Dragon Slippers in elementary school and absolutely loving the series. It's what got me into fantasy world-building

[@malloray]

For a book: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. Indigenous author, indigenous queer main characters and set in colonial times where they go to a dragon riding school. VERY underrated.

[@LorewithouttheE]

agreed i am SO hype for To Shape A Dragon's Breath, i might just cave and push it up to the top of my to-read list hahah! i've been so yearning for more good dragon books in my life! i personally will always have a soft spot for the Eragon/Inheritance series; i know it's got issues, i've got my nitpicks with how much i've reread them, but i still love them so much 🥰 i also recently got Murtagh and i'm excited to delve back into the world!

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

Just finished the Eragon series and loved it.

[@missilluminati3389]

My favourite dragonrider book is Eragon. It might not hold up anymore, but it's very nostalgic to me. My other fav dragon book is not about dragonriders, so it might not fit here, but it's Seraphina. (But yeahhh I haven't read that one in years too 😅)

[@nimeskart]

His Majesty's Dragon is one of my favorite books ever, with the rest of the series! The second book is my favorite. I really hope you'll end up making a video about it ❤

[@MarcelleLeiturasPreguicosas]

I've read So Let Them Burn (which is gonna be release here in Brazil with the funny title "Fogo Neles" because it's very coloquial here, it's something that soccer fans say to rivals, it doesn't have the strong meaning of the original), and despise some plot conveniences and some descriptions similar to "she smelled like winter", the worldbuilding and the sisterly relationship is good

[@lamode_dujour]

Eragon/The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini is a classic for me, I grew up when those books were coming out and I remember how all my friends and I raved over them. I’ve been meaning to do a reread since I recently got Murtagh (Paolini’s newest expansion to the Eragon universe), but from what I remember, first book is fairly slow/juvenile (Paolini did write it when he was like 16/17 I think lol) but I loved the lore, I loved the dragon personalities, and the way Eragon bonded with Saphira his dragon. Seraphina and Dragon Scale by Rachel Hartmen, is a duology I found had one of the most intriguing premises, where being a dragon or part dragon is bad and a big ick. So it really subverts the usual, “Wow, dragons are so cool and pretty!” trope.

[@kajielin4354]

Ooh I loved that book at like 10 years old! But I tried rereading it at some point and just.. yeah I prefer to remember only what I still vaguely remember from back then, because I might not like it anymore if I read it now

[@kajielin4354]

Also fun fact, my german book was called Eona, not Eon

[@laurakar1459]

Interesting fact about Eon: When I bought the book it was a british publication and it was called "The Two Pearls of Wisdom" and the sinopsis was quite vague. It was a plot twist for me when I learned that Eon was actually a girl. Later when I searched for the second book I realised that there are two different titles. They should have been more vague, I think..

[@chloesantos8637]

Wings of Fire or Dragon Ball are my favorites lol

[@pretzellog1c]

Ooooh Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde. That book lives in my brain rent free for a specific line

[@oceancrux3810]

Would love to see some more hype and praise for To Shape a Dragon's Breath, Fire with Fire is another one of my favourite dragon books!

[@panoramicdemon758]

The Inheritance Cycle. Starts with Eragon. It’s a good mid-fantasy coming of age book series in my personal opinion. I adore it, flaws and all. But no other dragon riding series has ever lived up to that series for me 😩

[@panoramicdemon758]

Forgot to drop the authors name - Christopher Paolini.

[@HungryEyes-sl3mu]

Love the new series Rachel, can't wait to hear your thoughts on To Shape a Dragon's Breath I really enjoyed it and gave it 4.5 stars. As far as dragon I enjoyed I'd definitely recommend the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, Dealing with Dragons series by Patricia C. Wrede, and A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan.

[@proxximate]

When i was but a young teen weeb i adored the Eon series! I'm glad for your perspective on this book bc nostalgia really did give me those rose-tinted-glasses woof Back then I was really into stories involving girl-pretends-to-be-boy tropes, and in Eon's case it really is such a product of it's time that looking at it now the gender stuff just doesn't work at ALL anymore. The most i'll give it now is that it was pretty formative as a teen before i understood i was queer! Never ever trusted Rat guy though, even in the sequel, i thought the whole redemption was an in-story manipulation lol

[@alina4619]

I remember reading Eon as a kid and thinking the dragons were awesome and liking the whole gender discussion. I think it was my first dragon book. Hearing about it now tho.....sheesh.

[@Choux317]

Ahhh lemme take Eon off my TBR 😇

[@sarahchillomg2946]

Do Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland (my godchildren love Wings of Fire), A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, and Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. All of them are series.

[@kunoichimistress]

I Loved To Shape a Dragon's Breath and it being an Indigenous fantasy novel makes it all the sweeter. I gave it a 4.5 for slow pacing for me sometimes. But otherwise it was really good.

[@circuslollipopart]

This seems like such a fun series! As for dragon books I like, I would be absolutely remiss to not mention A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin; I also enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon...and in listing these, I'm realizing I haven't read as many dragon books as I thought I have and I need to read more

[@redlikeroses1062]

I agree with everyone else on seraphina, wings of fire and eragon but my top pick for you is the recent book Burn by Patrick Ness. It is an alt universe set in the 1950s where dragons exist during the Cold War. It’s pretty diverse too!

[@mbs.writes]

Yes! The relationships between Violet and her dragons is honestly the best parts of both books.

[@Thatdumbgremlin]

To Shape A Dragon’s Breath is already on my best books of the year list and it’s MARCH. As far as Dragon books go, the only one I even attempted to read was Eragon and I never finished that series. 😅

[@dhisufiroafrozenseraphimdragon]

The first Eragon book is kinda typical (though I still like it) but every book afterward is better.

[@JyrisArt]

This one is definitely a barely remembered childhood read for me, but everytime I think of books about dragons, I think of Hatching Magic by Ann Downer

[@crimsonchoucho5258]

I smiled when I saw this review. I left Eon a 2 star, and the only reason I was that generous is I felt the author was having a discussion about the character going on a journey to find their own identity within themselves, whether they were Eon or Eona. I stopped reading it when the Rat Dragoneye took over the monsoon thing. So 85% of the way through, I then DNF’d this book on the spot. Background lore for it is good, but certain topics were not handled well at all. Thank you for another great review Rachel, it made my day against this terrible cold.

[@BookishRaider]

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on The Priory Of The Orange Tree Series in comparison to Fourth Wing

[@nbelferzwaiman]

Searching for Dragons is a super charming YA book and it is a whole series. (Thought I did not love the last book and never finished it) a genuinely fun protagonist and really interesting approach to dragons.

[@GatekeeperGuardian-wv3cd]

From the sounds of it, it seems like it's a mishmash of Sinosphere cultures. The eunuchs are very clearly Chinese, but the "women are relegated to a lesser script" reminds me of how women in Heian Japan weren't supposed to know how to read or write with kanji and instead used hiragana.

[@dragonwolftmaer5]

I’m a bit sad. I used to like Eon when I was a teen. Maybe because I thought Dragons = cool, but now that I’m older and reading comments about its flaws I’m sad. I have to reread it, but yeah… I’m slowly remembering things that are a bit… iffy. Akd it makes me what to give my copies away. Now that I’m more versed in Queer and Disabled issues (you’d think as a disabled Queer I’d be more aware when younger, but… nah, this stuff was just standard). Rereading books I liked or didn’t like is… an experience. In terms of dragon books… I can’t really recommend many. I suppose one that I read that was… interesting at least was Seraphina, though the sequwl was weird. I mean the first book was roo, but… I guess there’s also Eragon that’s well lnown, but can’t remember much at this point.