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booksandpops4000's review
5.0
SO GOOD! LOOKING FOWARD TO THE NEXT ONE! TRY NOT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK IN THIS SERIES WHEN YOU HAVE BOOKS OUT OF THE LIB AND A TIME LIMIT!
ksh's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
etkahler's review against another edition
3.0
2018 Reading Challenge #40 - favorite from a previous POPSugar Challenge (2016 #39 - set on an island).
elderkinhv's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
myriahalice's review
3.0
Not quite as good as the last one, had some predictability and not as much depth. But on to the next!
easolinas's review
4.0
The ancient dragon Valdearg was briefly introduced in T.A. Barron's "Seven Songs." So guess what the antagonist of "The Raging Fires" is!
The third volume of this Arthurian fantasy epic introduces some nasty new beasties, magical threats and some explosive dragon action. Barron seems to have overcome his initial roughness, and allows the plot to flow as smoothly as his nature-based writing, as well as the introduction of some interesting new characters.
After barely saving his mother's life, Emrys Merlin is relaxing with his family... only to have their peace destroyed when a monstrous magic-sucking monster called a kreelix appears. They were supposedly extinct, but have somehow reappeared -- and to make matters worse, Valdearg (aka "Wings of Fire") has awakened from his slumber, and is on the warpath for whoever killed his hatchlings.
The problem is that there is a prophecy that Wings of Fire's clash with his old enemy (presumed to be a wizard) will result in both of them dying. So Merlin sets out to discover what is happening on "Fincayra's darkest day," and finds himself enmeshed with strange sorceresses, a magical conspiracy, a pair of deer-people, and eventually with the ancient dragon himself...
"The Raging Fires" sets aside the foresty Celtic symbolism of the previous two books, in favor of fire -- harps burn, lava burns, dragons blast fire, and homicidal anger rages out of control. He also seems to have exhausted his mythological store for the moment, because most of the magical goings-on in this book are pretty original creations.
Barron's writing sometimes gets a bit overlush, but it's loaded down with haunting, detailed moments (the deer-people's transformations), eerie threats, and the occasional moment of comic relief (the baby dragon). But the story is overall very grim, particularly since this is the first of Merlin's stories in which his death seems to be assured. Whether or not he will actually die, there's a dark cloud hanging over everything he does.
The biggest problem is perhaps the kreelixes -- they're an interesting idea, but they sound more like something out of Star Trek than Arthurian legend. I'm just saying.
Merlin is a little older and wiser in this one, and he seems to be feeling the first stirrings of romantic feelings for the bland deer-woman Hallia. And Valdearg is a wonderful antagonist -- he'a an aggressive killer, but he's not evil and at times he even shows signs of dignity and endearing sentiment.
"The Raging Fires" temporarily ditches the Celtic myth'n'legend, in favor of dragons and a few new inventions of the author's. A solid, richly-written fantasy.
The third volume of this Arthurian fantasy epic introduces some nasty new beasties, magical threats and some explosive dragon action. Barron seems to have overcome his initial roughness, and allows the plot to flow as smoothly as his nature-based writing, as well as the introduction of some interesting new characters.
After barely saving his mother's life, Emrys Merlin is relaxing with his family... only to have their peace destroyed when a monstrous magic-sucking monster called a kreelix appears. They were supposedly extinct, but have somehow reappeared -- and to make matters worse, Valdearg (aka "Wings of Fire") has awakened from his slumber, and is on the warpath for whoever killed his hatchlings.
The problem is that there is a prophecy that Wings of Fire's clash with his old enemy (presumed to be a wizard) will result in both of them dying. So Merlin sets out to discover what is happening on "Fincayra's darkest day," and finds himself enmeshed with strange sorceresses, a magical conspiracy, a pair of deer-people, and eventually with the ancient dragon himself...
"The Raging Fires" sets aside the foresty Celtic symbolism of the previous two books, in favor of fire -- harps burn, lava burns, dragons blast fire, and homicidal anger rages out of control. He also seems to have exhausted his mythological store for the moment, because most of the magical goings-on in this book are pretty original creations.
Barron's writing sometimes gets a bit overlush, but it's loaded down with haunting, detailed moments (the deer-people's transformations), eerie threats, and the occasional moment of comic relief (the baby dragon). But the story is overall very grim, particularly since this is the first of Merlin's stories in which his death seems to be assured. Whether or not he will actually die, there's a dark cloud hanging over everything he does.
The biggest problem is perhaps the kreelixes -- they're an interesting idea, but they sound more like something out of Star Trek than Arthurian legend. I'm just saying.
Merlin is a little older and wiser in this one, and he seems to be feeling the first stirrings of romantic feelings for the bland deer-woman Hallia. And Valdearg is a wonderful antagonist -- he'a an aggressive killer, but he's not evil and at times he even shows signs of dignity and endearing sentiment.
"The Raging Fires" temporarily ditches the Celtic myth'n'legend, in favor of dragons and a few new inventions of the author's. A solid, richly-written fantasy.
madeleine_grace's review against another edition
3.0
Here we go again. Yet again Merlin overcomes remarkable challenges. Proves he is a true wizard and displats remarkable courage. He makes new friends and keeps the old and everything is silver and gold! YAY! Only he has to defeat a dragon and some nasty, magic-sucking beasts called kreelixes and the loss of his powers. Some serious Placebo going on there.... And he has to deal with the trials of love. Love between himself and his sister, love between his mother and his mentor. To add to his trouble he needs to deal with that haughty, oh-so attractive deer-woman Hallia... Can't wit for the next one..
hopegirl0727's review against another edition
4.0
The best so far of these Merlin books. Enthralling, engaging, enchanting. The scenes where he was a deer were so beautifully written. I can't wait to see what comes next!
skellyjg's review
3.0
This series (at least the first 5 books) was a favorite of my pre-teen to teen years. I read them multiple times back then, and as a result, there is a certain level of nostalgia involved in rereading now that I'm 30+. While I still generally enjoyed the series, it doesn't hold up to the degree that I would have wished.
I guess it's rare for a series aimed at kids/teens to still work when read from an adult viewpoint. And that's totally fine, honestly. Series like Harry Potter or His Dark Materials don't come along often.
I guess it's rare for a series aimed at kids/teens to still work when read from an adult viewpoint. And that's totally fine, honestly. Series like Harry Potter or His Dark Materials don't come along often.