Scribes & Archers

I haven’t posted as many reviews this year as some other years, as a consequence of reducing the volume of books I read in order to take my time with books that I really enjoy. Let me start by saying, this book was definitely worth the time.

(Required disclaimer that though I received a free copy to review, the following opinions are my own.)

Since this book concludes the Scorch trilogy, here is the blurb from book one rather than DragonFire itself:

What is Robbing Centaurs and Other Bad Ideas about?

Wick the tree messenger is bound for success. His career as a messenger is better than it’s ever been, and he’s on the fast track to getting an even more important job as a councilor. But before he can succeed, word spreads that a thief is after the most powerful magic in Aro, the Heather Stone, and stealing it piece by piece. To be safe, Wick is entrusted with moving one of the stones to a safer location.

On his journey, Wick is overtaken by the thief himself, a seraph named Archer, but Archer’s plans as he explains them are nothing like what everyone thinks. Wick doesn’t know what to believe, but Archer seems so sure. Wick’s options are limited: ignore Archer and keep his piece of the Heather Stone out of potentially dangerous hands, or choose to trust this thief and the warning he brings.

Something is coming. An ancient scourge that could destroy all of Aro. All that stands in its way are an uncertain messenger and an untrustworthy thief.

If he chooses wrong, Wick could lose everything.

Prior to reading DragonFire and Other Nonsense, I went back and reread both Robbing Centaurs and Other Bad Ideas and World Saving and Other Disasters–and I’m quite happy to have done so, both because they’re fun in their own right and because I was able to note details and plot threads that were introduced in prior books and fulfilled in DragonFire and Other Nonsense.

Robbing Centaurs is a fun, witty fantasy adventure that has made me laugh out loud multiple times, and it’s a bright and bold introduction to the story, world, and characters of the Scorch trilogy.

World Saving and Other Disasters is easily the weakest installment of the trilogy, in my opinion, but by no means a weak one! While some of the writing is a bit weaker in World Saving than in its fellows and some moments feel a bit like a repeat of Robbing Centaurs, it offers a tonal transition point between books, features a role-reversal that is fascinating to see play out, and offers particularly “cozy” scenes that I loved reading. While I may consider it a 4- or 4.5-star read rather than a 5-star, it is absolutely still a worthwhile and enjoyable installment to the series.

That brings us to DragonFire and Other Nonsense. It can be difficult to review a sequel without massive spoilers, but this book has plenty of heart underneath the plot points to make the task easier.

DragonFire is the longest and most intense book in the series; everything else ramps up toward and prepares for this climax–and, boy, what a climax it is.

While Meyer does a great job through the majority of the series of matching the level of plot intensity to the level of emotional intensity (for the characters and the reader), I think that most shines through in DragonFire and Other Nonsense. It can be difficult to pull off such heightened action and emotion–especially where both are involved–without overwhelming the reader or coming across as melodramatic, but Meyer does a beautiful job in DragonFire of including enough peaceful moments to keep things balanced and ensuring that all of the higher action and emotion feels incredibly meaningful. (Part of this, of course, is laid out through the previous books, as she gets you invested in the characters while the stakes are lower so that you care when things come to a head.)

Look, a lot of what I’m going to talk about in this review is heart and emotion, because that is definitely a strong point of this book. It’s rare that a book makes me feel a whole lot for the characters–and even more rare if a book gets me to tear up or outright cry. While I did not cry while reading DragonFire, I did tear up once or twice and I certainly felt a great deal–both empathizing with and worrying for the characters. Meyer manages to capture very real emotions on the page, translating them into meaningful prose and dialogue that makes you realize, “I’ve felt that.”

On a more superficial note, the world expands in this book! Y’all know I love a good expansive world. I started to wonder about the world outside Aro during my reread of World Saving and Other Disasters, and I felt well-rewarded by DragonFire and Other Nonsense. Paradoxically, DragonFire is perhaps the most geographically contained book of the series. Do with that what you will (or, you know, just go read the trilogy).

DragonFire and Other Nonsense is the strongest Scorch book in terms of its writing, which contributes to its effectiveness in the emotional department. While the previous books are not, as a whole, poorly written, DragonFire takes the series to a new level and offers probably the most immersive and rewarding reading experience of the series (Robbing Centaurs competes, but its tone is so different that it would be a difficult comparison)–which secures the skillful storytelling and helps DragonFire and Other Nonsense stand up as a fulfilling end to the trilogy’s arc.

I would be remiss to finish this review without dedicating time the characters, as they are the beating heart of the entire Scorch trilogy. Archer and Wick, as well as their friendship, grow and develop so much over the course of the trilogy, and DragonFire brings their arcs to a beautiful conclusion that makes perfect sense for each of them. They contribute so much to one another’s growth, and seeing the culmination of their friendship and all they’ve been through and learned is such a satisfying ending to their story (even if I wished that story could just never end, lol). Not only that, but the side characters drawn together (and those newly introduced) in DragonFire and Other Nonsense contribute their own depth and influence to the main story and the main character arcs, in addition to being engaging on their own merit, and DragonFire offers the opportunity to get to know a number of them more deeply–especially Fowl, Twill, and Ongel.

Overall, DragonFire and Other Nonsense is just an excellent book as well as an excellent trilogy conclusion, and I would highly recommend checking out the Scorch trilogy if you haven’t already!

Rating: 5 stars

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