Synopsis:Dragons. Right. Teenage girls don’t believe in fairy tales, and sixteen-year old Elena Watkins was no different.
Until the night a fairy tale killed her father.
Now Elena’s in a new world, and a new school. The cutest guy around may be an evil dragon, a Prince wants Elena’s heart, and a long dead sorcerer may be waking up to kill her. Oh. And the only way Elena’s going to graduate is on the back of a dragon of her own.
Teenage girls don’t believe in fairy tales. Now it’s time for Elena to believe – in herself.
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
1.5
This was really just a bad case of Good Premise, Poor Execution.
Firebolt started out pretty decent. It got me hooked from the get-go. For the first couple of chapters it was going to be, at least, a 4 star book for me but then the second Elena got to Dragonia Academy it crashed and burned.
The setting...
I feel we don't get an idea about what Paegeia-part of the world were dragons roam free- really is or why it even exists.
Then there was the writing...
I don't usually nitpick about the grammatical errors because I feel I could just overlook those but oh Dear Lord there were moments where I just had to reread something several times because I just wasn't able to grasp what the author wanted to get across. I would have to go back a couple of pages just to make sure the pages weren't messed up or something.
There was also the kissing scenes where they're just explained as "it was a long kiss", "it was a passionate kiss", or "I kissed him for a long time"
Then there was that info dumping...
Pages and pages of it where you're left off worse than when you began.
Then there was that romance...
Which I still don't know where the heck that came from. I mean, we see Lucian a couple of times during breakfast where he'll just ask Elena how she is and then out of nowhere the're making out and in love and I'm just like
Then there was that "mean girls" drama...
Basically all the girls were glaring at Elena. Everyone was jealous of Elena. Everyone wanted to be Elena. Elena Elena...Elena
...
...
...
Then there was the plot...
I can't say anything that went on in the book really added to the plot. That would be a flat out lie. This felt like a second book in a series where nothing really happens just so you can be prepared for the third book where everything is wrapped up and solved. None of our questions are answered and we're just left in a mess of "what is happening?"
Then there were the characters...
Cardboard cutouts. One dimensional bunch of cliches.
Then there was the crying...
Oh Dear God Elena was ready to cry at the drop of a hat.
Someone glared at her...she cried
She didn't understand Latin...she cried
She saw a dragon...she cried
Someone was mean...she cried
Lucian was a prince...she cried
Lucian loved her...she cried
The dragons were ugly...she cried
The dragons were pretty ...she cried
The sky is blue...she cried lol, ok, maybe I'm exaggerating on that one but really she cried like her life depended on it.
Then there was "For the love of blueberries"...
35 times!!
Then there was the SHRIEKING...
Yes, even this was a problem in the story. I'm not even kidding.
"Tires screeched at the same time I shrieked."
"I shrieked and everyone outside fell into an utter silence."
"Sammy shrieked"
"I nodded and let out a tiny shriek as the carriage lifted from the ground"
"She shrieked and jumped from her pillow"
"I shrieked when he emerged right in front of me, sending water flying everywhere"
"Becky shrieked and fell onto her arms"
"I shrieked"
"Becky shrieked"
"I jumped and shrieked every time"
"I shrieked, alarmed"
"I shrieked, disgusted"
"Arriana shrieked"
And the list GOES ON!
Seriously, this could have been a great book-it has dragons! Dragons are the shit-but it just focused on such trivial matters with overused cliches and unnecessary drama. Such a bummer.
