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The Ellyrian Code: The Treaty of Edriendor
Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six in this epic fantasy set in an elite university, where four students test their mettle to become part of an elite order of dragon riders.
Eshtem University has long stood as a pillar of equal opportunity, a place that any youth of Ellyrian can apply to to become part of the Edrei, an elite order of dragon-riding, magic-wielding peacekeepers.
High Prince Jadon seeks an escape from his father’s political machinations. Though his recklessness attracts respect from several classmates, it also nurtures the ire of others, including Jenne, a common born student whose seeks to recall memories that she purposely wiped before the start of term.
Smitten with Jenne, Diar finds himself increasingly torn between allegiances to his heart, his religion and the house Noraani. And as the first Noraani royal to attend Eshtem in a century, Princess Christina is determined to not let anyone – or anything – stand in her way.
But as evidence of corruption surfaces within the order, the students will have to re-examine their future and the roles they wish to play as an Edrei… if they aren’t expelled first.
Eshtem University has long stood as a pillar of equal opportunity, a place that any youth of Ellyrian can apply to to become part of the Edrei, an elite order of dragon-riding, magic-wielding peacekeepers.
High Prince Jadon seeks an escape from his father’s political machinations. Though his recklessness attracts respect from several classmates, it also nurtures the ire of others, including Jenne, a common born student whose seeks to recall memories that she purposely wiped before the start of term.
Smitten with Jenne, Diar finds himself increasingly torn between allegiances to his heart, his religion and the house Noraani. And as the first Noraani royal to attend Eshtem in a century, Princess Christina is determined to not let anyone – or anything – stand in her way.
But as evidence of corruption surfaces within the order, the students will have to re-examine their future and the roles they wish to play as an Edrei… if they aren’t expelled first.
483 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
April 12, 2025
Fourth Wing, but more academic, political, and less romance. However, this seems better plotted with great potential.
Eshtem University is where initiates are trained to join the Order of the Edrei, to become guardians of magic and dragons, keepers of peace, and servants of justice.
We follow a range of firsts year students who are trying to graduate amidst gruelling challenges and competitions to eliminate the weak.
We also have rebels, worries of invading wizards with no elves to help, and a haunch that turns into a mystery and conspiracy theory which could get those looking into it expelled or killed.
“Just the idea that people respect the law because they actually weighed their alternatives,” said Jadon, not even bothering to sit up properly. “Always seemed to me such respect was more a culturally indoctrinated reflex.”
There is a strict class structure where people are sworn to different royal Houses and House honour is a huge deciding factor in socialising and favouritism in the school - despite the ideal that everyone should be held equal in learning.
This wasn’t necessarily fast-paced, but I was riveted to all of the different characters and their own arcs.
This book has a lot in it which can teeter on overwhelming but manages to pull it off.
I do wish there were more deception and a better explanations of the magic system and the abilities. However, I am sure this will be built on in future instalments.
Be warned, this goes for the dragons too - we don’t get much of them as they are reserved for graduates in only certain circumstances.
To me, this means there is a lot of promise and so much more to come.
Arc gifted by Angry Robot.
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Eshtem University is where initiates are trained to join the Order of the Edrei, to become guardians of magic and dragons, keepers of peace, and servants of justice.
We follow a range of firsts year students who are trying to graduate amidst gruelling challenges and competitions to eliminate the weak.
We also have rebels, worries of invading wizards with no elves to help, and a haunch that turns into a mystery and conspiracy theory which could get those looking into it expelled or killed.
“Just the idea that people respect the law because they actually weighed their alternatives,” said Jadon, not even bothering to sit up properly. “Always seemed to me such respect was more a culturally indoctrinated reflex.”
There is a strict class structure where people are sworn to different royal Houses and House honour is a huge deciding factor in socialising and favouritism in the school - despite the ideal that everyone should be held equal in learning.
This wasn’t necessarily fast-paced, but I was riveted to all of the different characters and their own arcs.
This book has a lot in it which can teeter on overwhelming but manages to pull it off.
I do wish there were more deception and a better explanations of the magic system and the abilities. However, I am sure this will be built on in future instalments.
Be warned, this goes for the dragons too - we don’t get much of them as they are reserved for graduates in only certain circumstances.
To me, this means there is a lot of promise and so much more to come.
Arc gifted by Angry Robot.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
May 24, 2025
Thank you so much to Angry Robots and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review!
This book has all the ingredients I usually love: magic, dragons, an academic setting, and a morally grey fantasy world, but it didn’t quite come together for me the way I’d hoped.
The world-building is rich and ambitious, and the multiple POVs give the story depth, but I struggled to connect with the characters and felt a bit lost in the beginning. The pacing is definitely a slow burn, and while I can appreciate a more patient storytelling style, it left me feeling detached at times.
That said, I liked the ending and the potential the story sets up for future books. If you enjoy intricate world-building and character-driven fantasy that leans more intellectual than action-packed, this might be worth a try. Just be ready to work for it a little.
3 stars.
This book has all the ingredients I usually love: magic, dragons, an academic setting, and a morally grey fantasy world, but it didn’t quite come together for me the way I’d hoped.
The world-building is rich and ambitious, and the multiple POVs give the story depth, but I struggled to connect with the characters and felt a bit lost in the beginning. The pacing is definitely a slow burn, and while I can appreciate a more patient storytelling style, it left me feeling detached at times.
That said, I liked the ending and the potential the story sets up for future books. If you enjoy intricate world-building and character-driven fantasy that leans more intellectual than action-packed, this might be worth a try. Just be ready to work for it a little.
3 stars.
July 24, 2025
I enjoyed this one but I have a lot of thoughts 😅
The comparison with Fourth Wing and The Atlas Six on the blurb threw me off. I know these are popular titles but in my opinion "it’s a magical academy and we have dragons" is where the comparison ends. To me, this book is a slow paced high fantasy laced with political intrigue and no action or significant romance.
I enjoyed the magical academy setting. The world and the magic were intriguing, but by the end of the book we still know very little about those aspects, I'm guessing we’ll learn more in the sequels.
The class system between noble houses was the most explored aspect and seemed deceptively simple, but also it was never properly explained, so I kept getting lost as to what it meant to belong to a Blood, Gold or War house.
I came to like the different narrators, but some of them didn’t seem to have distinct personalities. I kept mixing Jenne and Christina in my head because their voices seemed very similar to each other, even though their backstories were completely opposite.
(some mild spoilers from here on)
Jenne's character was weird to me because she never questions her lack of memory. I know we're actually told memories can be magically removed and the person made to not question it, so I'm assuming this is what’s happening, but I wished the character would’ve explored this point a bit more.
Christina's obsession with the outlaw was a bit too over the top in my opinion. Her reasons for being invested in the potential conspiracy/coverup were glossed over. We got very little insight into her past or personality to explain why she would risk expulsion and spend all her free time pursing this investigation.
I liked Diar the best, his personality was the most distinctive to me, but at the same time we know almost nothing about him other than vague allusions to his beliefs/religious upbringing.
I thought I found Jadon interesting but by the end I wondered if I was blindsided by the author, who certainly thought this was the most interesting character and wanted us to think that too, but showed little proof of it. I did enjoy the moments when Jadon has to pass judgement or devise strategies, but I disliked that he was lazy and entitled when at class, and antagonized everyone else just because he could.
On a positive note, the story doesn’t seem to follow a traditional structure, and it’s not a rehash of all the popular tropes of the latest fantasy books, so I actually never guessed where the story was going, I had to keep reading to find out.
Overall my main gripe was that the whole book felt like a long introduction to the story the author actually wanted to tell. I'll have to wait and see how the story progresses in the following books.
Thanks to Angry Robot via NetGalley for providing an eARC
The comparison with Fourth Wing and The Atlas Six on the blurb threw me off. I know these are popular titles but in my opinion "it’s a magical academy and we have dragons" is where the comparison ends. To me, this book is a slow paced high fantasy laced with political intrigue and no action or significant romance.
I enjoyed the magical academy setting. The world and the magic were intriguing, but by the end of the book we still know very little about those aspects, I'm guessing we’ll learn more in the sequels.
The class system between noble houses was the most explored aspect and seemed deceptively simple, but also it was never properly explained, so I kept getting lost as to what it meant to belong to a Blood, Gold or War house.
I came to like the different narrators, but some of them didn’t seem to have distinct personalities. I kept mixing Jenne and Christina in my head because their voices seemed very similar to each other, even though their backstories were completely opposite.
(some mild spoilers from here on)
Jenne's character was weird to me because she never questions her lack of memory. I know we're actually told memories can be magically removed and the person made to not question it, so I'm assuming this is what’s happening, but I wished the character would’ve explored this point a bit more.
Christina's obsession with the outlaw was a bit too over the top in my opinion. Her reasons for being invested in the potential conspiracy/coverup were glossed over. We got very little insight into her past or personality to explain why she would risk expulsion and spend all her free time pursing this investigation.
I liked Diar the best, his personality was the most distinctive to me, but at the same time we know almost nothing about him other than vague allusions to his beliefs/religious upbringing.
I thought I found Jadon interesting but by the end I wondered if I was blindsided by the author, who certainly thought this was the most interesting character and wanted us to think that too, but showed little proof of it. I did enjoy the moments when Jadon has to pass judgement or devise strategies, but I disliked that he was lazy and entitled when at class, and antagonized everyone else just because he could.
On a positive note, the story doesn’t seem to follow a traditional structure, and it’s not a rehash of all the popular tropes of the latest fantasy books, so I actually never guessed where the story was going, I had to keep reading to find out.
Overall my main gripe was that the whole book felt like a long introduction to the story the author actually wanted to tell. I'll have to wait and see how the story progresses in the following books.
Thanks to Angry Robot via NetGalley for providing an eARC
May 13, 2025
DNF. Because why is the one Black character a believer in the "one true God, White" and espousing the "high moral standards of the White Way"?
Other phrases that make this great fire kindling include "traitor is a black word with which to label a man" and "the dark-skinned initiate was in the company of a strappy blond youth and a scruffy dwarf."
Other phrases that make this great fire kindling include "traitor is a black word with which to label a man" and "the dark-skinned initiate was in the company of a strappy blond youth and a scruffy dwarf."
May 28, 2025
This is a solid epic fantasy set in an elite university where magic, politics, and power intersect. The story is rich with character development, and I especially loved Jadon and Christina—complex, flawed, and so well written. The multiple POVs added a lot of depth, showing how each character’s background and beliefs shape their choices.
It’s a slowburn, character-driven read—less about nonstop action and more about the emotional and political stakes. The academic setting creates a unique pressure-cooker atmosphere, and the way the book explores class, privilege, and the question of who deserves power really stood out to me.
The worldbuilding is thoughtful, the themes are timely, and the tension builds beautifully as the characters are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about the order they’ve been taught to revere.
Thanks to Angry Robot for the gifted ARC. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy with layered characters, moral complexity, and slow-building tension, I highly recommend this one.
It’s a slowburn, character-driven read—less about nonstop action and more about the emotional and political stakes. The academic setting creates a unique pressure-cooker atmosphere, and the way the book explores class, privilege, and the question of who deserves power really stood out to me.
The worldbuilding is thoughtful, the themes are timely, and the tension builds beautifully as the characters are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about the order they’ve been taught to revere.
Thanks to Angry Robot for the gifted ARC. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy with layered characters, moral complexity, and slow-building tension, I highly recommend this one.
May 25, 2025
✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 3.7/5 .ᐟ
ʚɞ ⁺˖ premise .ᐟ follows four students at the prestigious eshtem institute, which is like harvard if harvard had dragons. features jadon, spoiled insufferable prince archetype everyone's seen a million times. christina, out-of-touch princess with a white savior complex (maybe i'm being a bit mean here). there's also diar and jenne, who i have no personality descriptors for because, despite taking up half the story, they don't do anything at all.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ plotline .ᐟ 90% setup for the next book. turtle pacing. nothing happens until the last quarter. jadon, at least, goes out and does things, but again, almost all of it is for the next installment's story. christina's arc is the second most fleshed out, but even then, over half of it is her getting information from a side character rather than her taking any action herself. at least half of jenne's and diar's arcs are them pining over each other, and then the other half is nothing. like i understand they have a lot less power compared to the other two, as they're commoners, but what do they even contribute?
ʚɞ ⁺˖ worldbuilding .ᐟ the only thing diar and jenne were good for, as they provided perspective of the culture and lives of normal people in ellyrian that jadon and christina would never know. overall, quite a highly developed universe, with immersive historical, cultural, and political imagery. the problem is that there's no actual story, so there's no way to remember this information. for context, i read a new-adult fantasy of similar complexity around mid-april, and i can still name all twelve countries and this and that king and side character #324. for the ellyrian code, i had to go find half the characters' names before writing this review, and i read this two weeks ago. all that worldbuilding and setup isn't impactful if there's no action to attract the audience.
one thing i found difficult to understand was how eshtem selected its students. it's meant to be incredibly elite, but they seem to accept literally anyone? half the students are portrayed as morons. these aren't rich people buying their way in either; they're dumb and POOR. and then 3/4 of the students are culled during first-year finals? is that not a ridiculous waste of resources? like how? + the misogyny is questionable. i understand eshtem isn't mainly a war college and the actual academics matter more, but if the girls are supposedly so weak none of them rank in the top 100 in fighting tournaments, and they're despised so much (and believe me, women. are. despised.), how are they getting in? and the majority of the female characters mentioned were also of middling intelligence? (not that the m*n were smart, but they obviously get more leeway with the administration.)
ʚɞ ⁺˖ characters .ᐟ
➺ jadon tu'hatreth. prince of hatreth. invented daddy issues. thinks he's god and everyone indulges him. secretly a softie in his soul, but very little of his actions demonstrate that. yes, i know he's constrained by his father, but this is a very boring, very overdone archetype. i did originally say he'd be more interesting as a female character, but then i actually read the book and it's set in some misogyny infested land circa 1478, so they probably would have set him on fire if he was a girl. he has more character development than everyone else, however, and his insights into the motivations of every other character make the book what it is. he also gets his brain developed in the last couple of chapters, so you can tell he's going to have a fascinating arc in book two. hopefully.
➺ christina tu'noraan. princess of noraan. literal nun. annoyed me so much in the beginning (she mother theresa'd so hard over a bandit that murdered her entire entourage, i ended up pro-cop. very embarrassing for the both of us). the thing about her savior complex is that it's actually extended to all of society, even if she's a bit dense, so she's quite feminist as well, which made me finally stop hating her. i loved her during the tourney and how she articulated her thoughts on representing women in the competition.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ diar who definitely has a last name that i don't remember. has three personality traits: christian, naive, in love with jenne. all he does is study, ponder about jenne this and jenne that, and go on quests for jadon and christina. he's quite literally an npc side character who glitched himself into getting a pov. we find out his importance to the story at the very end, and when does that happen? when he's on a mini quest for jadon. of course. i wish the only black character had a narrative of his own, or at least something a little interesting, but alas.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ jenne whose name i don't remember either. somehow worse off than diar. her main contribution to the story is being an antimonarchist. which is so cool, love that, but she doesn't do anything else. it's just her terrorizing christina when she breathes near diar and that's it. her introduction was gorgeous—she immediately became my favorite from the first time she was mentioned—and then 300 pages of nothing. she was introduced with amnesia and some sort of cult ceremony gone wrong, and somehow neither of these things were utilized within the story?? and the whole romance with diar dragged on and on. the other three characters, even if boring or annoying at most times, showed their relevancy to the plot by the end. for jenne? nothing.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ romance .ᐟ so you can tell the motivation for the romance was contextualizing the rishtara(?) culture within ellyrian and not actually romance. which is fine, this is a political fantasy, but it does get to a point where the pen should be put down.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ overall, not really what i expected, so it made for an awkward reading experience. thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ premise .ᐟ follows four students at the prestigious eshtem institute, which is like harvard if harvard had dragons. features jadon, spoiled insufferable prince archetype everyone's seen a million times. christina, out-of-touch princess with a white savior complex (maybe i'm being a bit mean here). there's also diar and jenne, who i have no personality descriptors for because, despite taking up half the story, they don't do anything at all.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ plotline .ᐟ 90% setup for the next book. turtle pacing. nothing happens until the last quarter. jadon, at least, goes out and does things, but again, almost all of it is for the next installment's story. christina's arc is the second most fleshed out, but even then, over half of it is her getting information from a side character rather than her taking any action herself. at least half of jenne's and diar's arcs are them pining over each other, and then the other half is nothing. like i understand they have a lot less power compared to the other two, as they're commoners, but what do they even contribute?
ʚɞ ⁺˖ worldbuilding .ᐟ the only thing diar and jenne were good for, as they provided perspective of the culture and lives of normal people in ellyrian that jadon and christina would never know. overall, quite a highly developed universe, with immersive historical, cultural, and political imagery. the problem is that there's no actual story, so there's no way to remember this information. for context, i read a new-adult fantasy of similar complexity around mid-april, and i can still name all twelve countries and this and that king and side character #324. for the ellyrian code, i had to go find half the characters' names before writing this review, and i read this two weeks ago. all that worldbuilding and setup isn't impactful if there's no action to attract the audience.
one thing i found difficult to understand was how eshtem selected its students. it's meant to be incredibly elite, but they seem to accept literally anyone? half the students are portrayed as morons. these aren't rich people buying their way in either; they're dumb and POOR. and then 3/4 of the students are culled during first-year finals? is that not a ridiculous waste of resources? like how? + the misogyny is questionable. i understand eshtem isn't mainly a war college and the actual academics matter more, but if the girls are supposedly so weak none of them rank in the top 100 in fighting tournaments, and they're despised so much (and believe me, women. are. despised.), how are they getting in? and the majority of the female characters mentioned were also of middling intelligence? (not that the m*n were smart, but they obviously get more leeway with the administration.)
ʚɞ ⁺˖ characters .ᐟ
➺ jadon tu'hatreth. prince of hatreth. invented daddy issues. thinks he's god and everyone indulges him. secretly a softie in his soul, but very little of his actions demonstrate that. yes, i know he's constrained by his father, but this is a very boring, very overdone archetype. i did originally say he'd be more interesting as a female character, but then i actually read the book and it's set in some misogyny infested land circa 1478, so they probably would have set him on fire if he was a girl. he has more character development than everyone else, however, and his insights into the motivations of every other character make the book what it is. he also gets his brain developed in the last couple of chapters, so you can tell he's going to have a fascinating arc in book two. hopefully.
➺ christina tu'noraan. princess of noraan. literal nun. annoyed me so much in the beginning (she mother theresa'd so hard over a bandit that murdered her entire entourage, i ended up pro-cop. very embarrassing for the both of us). the thing about her savior complex is that it's actually extended to all of society, even if she's a bit dense, so she's quite feminist as well, which made me finally stop hating her. i loved her during the tourney and how she articulated her thoughts on representing women in the competition.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ diar who definitely has a last name that i don't remember. has three personality traits: christian, naive, in love with jenne. all he does is study, ponder about jenne this and jenne that, and go on quests for jadon and christina. he's quite literally an npc side character who glitched himself into getting a pov. we find out his importance to the story at the very end, and when does that happen? when he's on a mini quest for jadon. of course. i wish the only black character had a narrative of his own, or at least something a little interesting, but alas.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ jenne whose name i don't remember either. somehow worse off than diar. her main contribution to the story is being an antimonarchist. which is so cool, love that, but she doesn't do anything else. it's just her terrorizing christina when she breathes near diar and that's it. her introduction was gorgeous—she immediately became my favorite from the first time she was mentioned—and then 300 pages of nothing. she was introduced with amnesia and some sort of cult ceremony gone wrong, and somehow neither of these things were utilized within the story?? and the whole romance with diar dragged on and on. the other three characters, even if boring or annoying at most times, showed their relevancy to the plot by the end. for jenne? nothing.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ romance .ᐟ so you can tell the motivation for the romance was contextualizing the rishtara(?) culture within ellyrian and not actually romance. which is fine, this is a political fantasy, but it does get to a point where the pen should be put down.
ʚɞ ⁺˖ overall, not really what i expected, so it made for an awkward reading experience. thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.
July 16, 2025
Maybe I dived into this book with extremely high expectations but I was hoping for an epic fantasy with dragons, high stakes and an intricate magic system. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver on those fronts for me.
There was surprisingly little focus on the dragons themselves. The pacing was slow, which in itself is not a bad thing whatsoever (at least for me), but while I usually enjoy a character-driven story, I struggled a lot on this point because I genuinely didn't connect with any of the characters. They felt a little flat and a little underdeveloped. Because of that I found it hard to care about what was happening to them or their world.
The worldbuilding had pontential but it was a bit too confusing at times. Obviously this is a fantasy book and that's usually how it goes when you first start reading them, but The Ellyrian Code felt confusing from start to finish. I do wish the magic system had been explained in more detail as it felt more like an afterthought rather than an important part of the story.
The stakes felt low for what was supposed to be an intense and dangerous setting and this only made it hard for me to feel any tension or urgency from the characters.
Overall, although my review criticizes a lot of caracteristics, The Ellyrian Code is not a bad book per say. I think this book might work better for readers who prefer a more slower-paced fantasy focused almost entirely on character emotions and internal conflicts. Unfortunately, that is not me and so I feel like this book wasn't targeted towards readers like me.
A thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.
There was surprisingly little focus on the dragons themselves. The pacing was slow, which in itself is not a bad thing whatsoever (at least for me), but while I usually enjoy a character-driven story, I struggled a lot on this point because I genuinely didn't connect with any of the characters. They felt a little flat and a little underdeveloped. Because of that I found it hard to care about what was happening to them or their world.
The worldbuilding had pontential but it was a bit too confusing at times. Obviously this is a fantasy book and that's usually how it goes when you first start reading them, but The Ellyrian Code felt confusing from start to finish. I do wish the magic system had been explained in more detail as it felt more like an afterthought rather than an important part of the story.
The stakes felt low for what was supposed to be an intense and dangerous setting and this only made it hard for me to feel any tension or urgency from the characters.
Overall, although my review criticizes a lot of caracteristics, The Ellyrian Code is not a bad book per say. I think this book might work better for readers who prefer a more slower-paced fantasy focused almost entirely on character emotions and internal conflicts. Unfortunately, that is not me and so I feel like this book wasn't targeted towards readers like me.
A thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.
July 18, 2025
Thankyou to Book in a Box EU and MTMC tours for gifting me a copy of this book
The Ellyrian code was an intriguing story full of politics, buried secrets and elitism. I did find the book hard to get into. There are four point of view characters from the start, and I tend to struggle with this structure trying to figure out who everyone is as well as understand the complex house and class system of the world. About half way through I had a grasp of things, and really enjoyed it from there.
This book is mainly academia, with our four characters all enrolled in their first year of the academy . The academy is supposed to be free of politics and equal opportunity to all, but it is soon discovered that even the prestigious school is corruptible and this is especially evident from the multi-POV perspective with each character coming from a vastly different background.
The academia and politics were intriguing, but I would have loved to see more magic and dragons. I am guessing they will have a larger part in future books. There is a romantic relationship, but it is a minor plot point.
Narration: multi character, third person POV
Spice: 0/5
Tropes:
- Academia
- Politics
- Elitism & Class structure
- Multi POV
- Corrupt professors
Similar Titles:
- TBC
I just want to disclaim that I don't find this similar to fourth wing.
Follow for more:
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The Ellyrian code was an intriguing story full of politics, buried secrets and elitism. I did find the book hard to get into. There are four point of view characters from the start, and I tend to struggle with this structure trying to figure out who everyone is as well as understand the complex house and class system of the world. About half way through I had a grasp of things, and really enjoyed it from there.
This book is mainly academia, with our four characters all enrolled in their first year of the academy . The academy is supposed to be free of politics and equal opportunity to all, but it is soon discovered that even the prestigious school is corruptible and this is especially evident from the multi-POV perspective with each character coming from a vastly different background.
The academia and politics were intriguing, but I would have loved to see more magic and dragons. I am guessing they will have a larger part in future books. There is a romantic relationship, but it is a minor plot point.
Narration: multi character, third person POV
Spice: 0/5
Tropes:
- Academia
- Politics
- Elitism & Class structure
- Multi POV
- Corrupt professors
Similar Titles:
- TBC
I just want to disclaim that I don't find this similar to fourth wing.
Follow for more:
did-not-finish
May 28, 2025DNF @ 42%
Nothing really stood out to me. It was hard to pay attention because there were numerous characters but I only cared about one character. Everything felt VERY low stakes and read like a typical fantasy school story with rich kids bullying poor kids, kids doing stupid things after classes, etc.
Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for this arc.
Nothing really stood out to me. It was hard to pay attention because there were numerous characters but I only cared about one character. Everything felt VERY low stakes and read like a typical fantasy school story with rich kids bullying poor kids, kids doing stupid things after classes, etc.
Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for this arc.
July 18, 2025
Dragon Riders, Academia, Corruption, Magic!
I mean....you had me at hello! There is really nothing not to like about this book.
I'm a big fan of all of the tropes found within the pages, not that anything is new or different but it's all put together with well thought out world building, characters and prose.
This doesn't have the pace of Fourth Wing, for which I'm grateful and really isn't anything like it. This is slower and builds over time. I can see this setting up book #2 very well and I'm hopeful that everything just gets better and better as we go along.
We have lots of political machinations going on and our characters have to navigate that while trying to learn and grow as students. I wish we got to know more about the dragons themselves but I know it will be more of a focus going forward. I cant wait to see where this story takes us!
My rating is 4.5 rounded for GR
Thank you to NetGalley and AngryRobot for this advance reading copy. My review is based on my own thoughts.
I mean....you had me at hello! There is really nothing not to like about this book.
I'm a big fan of all of the tropes found within the pages, not that anything is new or different but it's all put together with well thought out world building, characters and prose.
This doesn't have the pace of Fourth Wing, for which I'm grateful and really isn't anything like it. This is slower and builds over time. I can see this setting up book #2 very well and I'm hopeful that everything just gets better and better as we go along.
We have lots of political machinations going on and our characters have to navigate that while trying to learn and grow as students. I wish we got to know more about the dragons themselves but I know it will be more of a focus going forward. I cant wait to see where this story takes us!
My rating is 4.5 rounded for GR
Thank you to NetGalley and AngryRobot for this advance reading copy. My review is based on my own thoughts.
August 26, 2025
This was great! Dragons, dragon riders, academia, magic, politics, corruption! It had so much. The Ellyrian Code is compared to Fourth Wing and Atlas Six and I would have to agree but I enjoyed how this one focused more on the academia and politics, rather than the romance like Fourth Wing.
Overall, I'm excited to see where this series goes in the future especially because the character development was top tier in this book.
Thank you NetGalley, the author, and AngryRobot for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Overall, I'm excited to see where this series goes in the future especially because the character development was top tier in this book.
Thank you NetGalley, the author, and AngryRobot for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 13, 2025
Thank you Angry Robots and NetGalley for the ARC !
Hugely character driven story, The Ellyrian Code will appeal to readers who love a strong world building and magical system. I really enjoyed the academic setting and the different types of magic. And also, dragons !!
But for a character heavy story, I didn't care for them at all. I found them lacking and one dimensional, sometime even cliché.
The pacing is very slow, which doesn't bother me usually, but it felt like dragging sometimes here.
I am very split about this book unfortunately !
Hugely character driven story, The Ellyrian Code will appeal to readers who love a strong world building and magical system. I really enjoyed the academic setting and the different types of magic. And also, dragons !!
But for a character heavy story, I didn't care for them at all. I found them lacking and one dimensional, sometime even cliché.
The pacing is very slow, which doesn't bother me usually, but it felt like dragging sometimes here.
I am very split about this book unfortunately !
August 13, 2025
RTC
Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Release date : 24 June 2025
Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Release date : 24 June 2025
June 7, 2025
The Ellyrian Code is set in the academy of Eshtem, where the best students train to become part of the Order of Edrei, who are powerful beings who protect the realm where the story is set. This school is open to people from all backgrounds, because in here, the students should be all equals. This, however, is hard to achieve. Because eventually, what counts to most students are the connections: they won't associate with someone they don't consider their equal. What matters the most in this school, and was the main focus of this book, were the politics.
This is a character driven story, and we get the pov of four main characters who come from different backgrounds.
There is Jadon, who is a prince who often disregards the rules but who also tries to be just. Then there is Christina, a princess who is an idealist. Once she comes to Eshtem, all her beliefs are shattered and she learns how life works the hard way. The third character, Diar, comes from a merchant class. He is very religious and strict, and an altruist. The last character, Jenne, comes form the humblest side of society. She values her freedom a lot and isn't afraid to stand up to those who hold the power, if she thinks they are wrong.
The school runs rampant with classism, sexism and racism, to cite a few. So there was wide ground for addressing them, since like I said, this book is about politics. And politics also include the relationship between people who have different beliefs.
There are quite a few instances when Christina says that she's from the sex who is less capable physically or things along these lines. Or instances where Diar mentions the beliefs of his religion and makes it clear that who doesn't believe in it, often belittles the believers. On the top of that, Diar is also a poc, and he believes is a god called... the WHITE? Even when Jenne and Christina fight, it is clear that the university considers women as weaker and not able to fight a man and win. Women also have to wear dresses at school. Then there's the not so subtle classism the highborn students have towards the lower born. There are several issues that could've been handled differently, but they were treated as an afterthought, which is a missing opportunity because it would have made this story better.
The style is something else I didn't enjoy. The grammar was good, though. The prose was formal and detached for my taste. It was also confusing even though things were repeated more than once. I was excited for the first 25% or so, then ended up being bored. It contributed to this mood that there are four pov characters, yet they all have the same voice. I couldn't distinguish between them. Their povs lacked personality, and only Jenne's character stood out from the mass a bit.
I think the story has potential, but the execution was lackluster.
Thank you to AngryRobot for letting me read an ARC of this book. The opinions are my own.
This is a character driven story, and we get the pov of four main characters who come from different backgrounds.
There is Jadon, who is a prince who often disregards the rules but who also tries to be just. Then there is Christina, a princess who is an idealist. Once she comes to Eshtem, all her beliefs are shattered and she learns how life works the hard way. The third character, Diar, comes from a merchant class. He is very religious and strict, and an altruist. The last character, Jenne, comes form the humblest side of society. She values her freedom a lot and isn't afraid to stand up to those who hold the power, if she thinks they are wrong.
The school runs rampant with classism, sexism and racism, to cite a few. So there was wide ground for addressing them, since like I said, this book is about politics. And politics also include the relationship between people who have different beliefs.
There are quite a few instances when Christina says that she's from the sex who is less capable physically or things along these lines. Or instances where Diar mentions the beliefs of his religion and makes it clear that who doesn't believe in it, often belittles the believers. On the top of that, Diar is also a poc, and he believes is a god called... the WHITE? Even when Jenne and Christina fight, it is clear that the university considers women as weaker and not able to fight a man and win. Women also have to wear dresses at school. Then there's the not so subtle classism the highborn students have towards the lower born. There are several issues that could've been handled differently, but they were treated as an afterthought, which is a missing opportunity because it would have made this story better.
The style is something else I didn't enjoy. The grammar was good, though. The prose was formal and detached for my taste. It was also confusing even though things were repeated more than once. I was excited for the first 25% or so, then ended up being bored. It contributed to this mood that there are four pov characters, yet they all have the same voice. I couldn't distinguish between them. Their povs lacked personality, and only Jenne's character stood out from the mass a bit.
I think the story has potential, but the execution was lackluster.
Thank you to AngryRobot for letting me read an ARC of this book. The opinions are my own.
April 11, 2025
Thank you to Angry Robot Books and Netgalley for my very first ARC!! I'd give this book 3.75 stars.
The Ellyrian Code is a new fantasy series, and when I say fantasy, I mean FANTASY. This book is perfect for fans of intense and intricate worldbuilding. If you like Samantha Shannon's worldbuilding, this is much the same. Fleshed out religions, regions, languages, and cultures. Way too much history to keep up with. I hope the print versions have maps, because I feel like the book would've benefitted from one. The countries/territories were mentioned a lot, but I felt disoriented a bit while reading the book.
The good: The story is unique. I've never read anything like this before, and I appreciate the breath of fresh air. I felt like the characters, (Jadon, Christina, Jenne, and Diar) were well written, different from each other, and didn't fit into a stereotypical box. Christina was a noble but not snotty, Jadon was a noble, snotty (sometimes), and yet intelligent and caring, Diar was frustrating, lawful good, but also loveable, Jenne was hard-headed, determined, smart. (I'm over-simplfying them, I promise.)
I liked the idea of Edrei being general peacekeepers for the land. One would think of police officers, but they're more like advisers to the rulers of the land. The author could've easily gone for a Divergent-Dauntless-Hunger Games-Peacekeeper copycat but this manages to be completely different. I got some Fourth Wing Basigiath vibes.
I appreciate the classism that was rampant in this book. Eshtem is supposed to be class-less, but I think that if the commoners and nobles just dropped their class divides and were happy best friends, it would be super unrealistic. The nobles and commoners tension was very accurate.
The not-so-good: I won't say bad, because nothing in this book was truly BAD. The pacing was a bit off. The book starts off extremely slow to build up the characters, world, etc. But it was a bit of a slog to get through and I almost DNF'd because I was so stuck in trying to understand everything. I think the author would benefit from infusing the worldbuilding throughout the action and conversation rather than exposition or a lot of little events. The last half was more interesting as Christina broke the mystery open. However, for a book with a synopsis about dragons...where were the dragons? We only saw them once!
I also don't understand the magic system and I think that the author meant for it to be that way as the main characters also don't understand the magic system. But for the record, I am lost on what Dreamers, Imagers, Intuiters, etc. are. I will say that the magic doesn't play a HUGE part in this book, so it's not critical.
Also, I don't feel like Eshtem had any true learning or structure to it. It's supposed to be a university with a curfew, but for being a peacekeeper school, none of the students learned any kind of discipline or military skills. If you were good at swordplay (Jadon) you didn't learn anything new. If you were bad at swordplay (Christina) you didn't learn any basic skills. All of the students are just basically at Bible college (required uniform and curfew).
I would absolutely read book 2!
The Ellyrian Code is a new fantasy series, and when I say fantasy, I mean FANTASY. This book is perfect for fans of intense and intricate worldbuilding. If you like Samantha Shannon's worldbuilding, this is much the same. Fleshed out religions, regions, languages, and cultures. Way too much history to keep up with. I hope the print versions have maps, because I feel like the book would've benefitted from one. The countries/territories were mentioned a lot, but I felt disoriented a bit while reading the book.
The good: The story is unique. I've never read anything like this before, and I appreciate the breath of fresh air. I felt like the characters, (Jadon, Christina, Jenne, and Diar) were well written, different from each other, and didn't fit into a stereotypical box. Christina was a noble but not snotty, Jadon was a noble, snotty (sometimes), and yet intelligent and caring, Diar was frustrating, lawful good, but also loveable, Jenne was hard-headed, determined, smart. (I'm over-simplfying them, I promise.)
I liked the idea of Edrei being general peacekeepers for the land. One would think of police officers, but they're more like advisers to the rulers of the land. The author could've easily gone for a Divergent-Dauntless-Hunger Games-Peacekeeper copycat but this manages to be completely different. I got some Fourth Wing Basigiath vibes.
I appreciate the classism that was rampant in this book. Eshtem is supposed to be class-less, but I think that if the commoners and nobles just dropped their class divides and were happy best friends, it would be super unrealistic. The nobles and commoners tension was very accurate.
The not-so-good: I won't say bad, because nothing in this book was truly BAD. The pacing was a bit off. The book starts off extremely slow to build up the characters, world, etc. But it was a bit of a slog to get through and I almost DNF'd because I was so stuck in trying to understand everything. I think the author would benefit from infusing the worldbuilding throughout the action and conversation rather than exposition or a lot of little events. The last half was more interesting as Christina broke the mystery open. However, for a book with a synopsis about dragons...where were the dragons? We only saw them once!
I also don't understand the magic system and I think that the author meant for it to be that way as the main characters also don't understand the magic system. But for the record, I am lost on what Dreamers, Imagers, Intuiters, etc. are. I will say that the magic doesn't play a HUGE part in this book, so it's not critical.
Also, I don't feel like Eshtem had any true learning or structure to it. It's supposed to be a university with a curfew, but for being a peacekeeper school, none of the students learned any kind of discipline or military skills. If you were good at swordplay (Jadon) you didn't learn anything new. If you were bad at swordplay (Christina) you didn't learn any basic skills. All of the students are just basically at Bible college (required uniform and curfew).
I would absolutely read book 2!
July 16, 2025
Thank you to Angry Robot Books for the copy of the novel. Here are my thoughts.
Four students from very different backgrounds head to Eshtem University where they learn how to fight and the politics required to become someone significant in the world of Ellyrian. We follow the highborn, Christina and Jadon and the lower borns Jenne and Diar as they work there way through classes and try to investigate the mysteries lurking at the school.
Okay so this sounds like the perfect book to me. I love high fantasy and a school system. When I read about it I jumped at the opportunity to request a copy, and I loved it. The characters are fantastic. I was surprised when I found myself more drawn to Jadon, as usually I don’t like the privileged prince characters but there was so much more to him than met the eye. But that’s the case for all the characters.
The plot doesn’t move fast, but that feels classic for high fantasy. The focus is on world building and politics in this, and it was done with pristine skill. For a 500-page book I found that I wanted to keep reading it. Sometimes they can feel like a drag, but I didn’t get that from this one at all. I did wish there was a map though so I could keep track of where people were from and the world.
The only complaint I have about the book is there was a drawn-out miscommunication bit that annoyed me. It was with my least favourite character, Jenne, so I kind of wrote it off.
I can’t wait to read the follow ups in the series. I feel like the author got her hooks into me. I’m intrigued and invested from where the book left off and just enough little twists were started that I feel confident that book 2 will flow perfectly from this one. Can’t wait to read it!
Four students from very different backgrounds head to Eshtem University where they learn how to fight and the politics required to become someone significant in the world of Ellyrian. We follow the highborn, Christina and Jadon and the lower borns Jenne and Diar as they work there way through classes and try to investigate the mysteries lurking at the school.
Okay so this sounds like the perfect book to me. I love high fantasy and a school system. When I read about it I jumped at the opportunity to request a copy, and I loved it. The characters are fantastic. I was surprised when I found myself more drawn to Jadon, as usually I don’t like the privileged prince characters but there was so much more to him than met the eye. But that’s the case for all the characters.
The plot doesn’t move fast, but that feels classic for high fantasy. The focus is on world building and politics in this, and it was done with pristine skill. For a 500-page book I found that I wanted to keep reading it. Sometimes they can feel like a drag, but I didn’t get that from this one at all. I did wish there was a map though so I could keep track of where people were from and the world.
The only complaint I have about the book is there was a drawn-out miscommunication bit that annoyed me. It was with my least favourite character, Jenne, so I kind of wrote it off.
I can’t wait to read the follow ups in the series. I feel like the author got her hooks into me. I’m intrigued and invested from where the book left off and just enough little twists were started that I feel confident that book 2 will flow perfectly from this one. Can’t wait to read it!
May 23, 2025
This is a story with a vast fantasy world while also being extremely character driven.
And while I love character driven stories, I tend to have problems with them when I can't burn for at least one of them. In this way, the book lived up to the Atlas Six comp for me personally.
However, this is purely subjective, so let's get into the rest of it:
The worldbuilding is immense - with regions, religions, politics and even dragons (though don't expect much dragons in book 1 - this might get more in the subsequent books hopefully).
Everything is extremely slow burn, building up characters, the world and the magic system.
And while I like working for my stories and not being spoon-fed everything, this time I felt lost and completely failed to get a good grip on the story. I'd have loved to be taken by the hand a bit more.
When I was about 50% in, I still felt lost, and so it was hard to stay interested.
I really liked the ending though, when I could finally get a feeling for where the story as a whole is headed. I appreciate everything it tries to do and the path it chooses.
3,5/5 stars
Thank you @netgalley and @angryrobots for the eARC!
#TheEllyrianCode #Netgalley #Bookstagram
And while I love character driven stories, I tend to have problems with them when I can't burn for at least one of them. In this way, the book lived up to the Atlas Six comp for me personally.
However, this is purely subjective, so let's get into the rest of it:
The worldbuilding is immense - with regions, religions, politics and even dragons (though don't expect much dragons in book 1 - this might get more in the subsequent books hopefully).
Everything is extremely slow burn, building up characters, the world and the magic system.
And while I like working for my stories and not being spoon-fed everything, this time I felt lost and completely failed to get a good grip on the story. I'd have loved to be taken by the hand a bit more.
When I was about 50% in, I still felt lost, and so it was hard to stay interested.
I really liked the ending though, when I could finally get a feeling for where the story as a whole is headed. I appreciate everything it tries to do and the path it chooses.
3,5/5 stars
Thank you @netgalley and @angryrobots for the eARC!
#TheEllyrianCode #Netgalley #Bookstagram
May 19, 2025
"The Ellyrian Code: The Treaty of Edriendor" is a character-driven fantasy novel set in the world of Ellyria, where dragon-riding, magic-wielding peacekeepers known as the Edrei maintain order. The story follows a cast of complex characters, including High Prince Jadon, Jenne, Diar, and Princess Christina, as they navigate the intricate world of Eshtem University and confront corruption within the Edrei.
While the world-building and magical system are strong points, the multitude of characters and plotlines sometimes felt overwhelming. A reference guide or info pages at the front might have helped clarify the complex details.
Overall, "The Ellyrian Code" is an engaging, if not entirely captivating, read. With a rating of 3 stars, it's a solid start to the series, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations based on the summary and cover.
Thank you to B. F. Peterson, #NetGalley and #AngryRobot for allowing me to have an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While the world-building and magical system are strong points, the multitude of characters and plotlines sometimes felt overwhelming. A reference guide or info pages at the front might have helped clarify the complex details.
Overall, "The Ellyrian Code" is an engaging, if not entirely captivating, read. With a rating of 3 stars, it's a solid start to the series, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations based on the summary and cover.
Thank you to B. F. Peterson, #NetGalley and #AngryRobot for allowing me to have an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2025
In the Ellyrian Code, we follow four 1st year students as they are tested to become Edrei an elite order of dragon-riding, magic-wielding peacekeepers.
But when evidence of corruption within the Order surfaces, they will have to reexamine their expectations and the roles they wish to play as Edrei... if they aren't expelled first.
I enjoyed this. With 4 POVs, the story is easy to follow, and the world-building is intricate and rich.
I'm hopeful that there will be more books to follow with a bit more focus on the dragons.
But when evidence of corruption within the Order surfaces, they will have to reexamine their expectations and the roles they wish to play as Edrei... if they aren't expelled first.
I enjoyed this. With 4 POVs, the story is easy to follow, and the world-building is intricate and rich.
I'm hopeful that there will be more books to follow with a bit more focus on the dragons.
June 8, 2025
This was a great set up for an epic fantasy series. We follow four different characters from different backgrounds and upbringings, who entered Eshtem university for a chance to join the Edrei, an elite order of dragon riders.
The politics and world building in this book were really good. I loved the insight into history we got alongside the other Eshtem students in their classes. Despite this, I often felt a bit lost in the world building and politics, especially in the beginning. I would have liked a few more “lore dumps” earlier on in the book to help better understand the political history and the magic system. We did get some great lore on the history of the Edrei order and I wish we had gotten more insight into them and the dragons (we only see them about 3 times throughout the book), but I understand that this is probably only book 1 in a series.
Following four different students from different backgrounds was a great way to learn more about different philosophies, and the intricate political system. Diar, Jenne, Christina and Jardon were all interesting characters, but I think following four POVs together with the detailed world building didn’t allow for enough depth on all the characters and I didn’t find myself to be fully invested in them.
Overall, I think this is a solid first book in a series. After the ending of this book, I’m intrigued to see how the story develops and hopefully learn more about the dragons.
The politics and world building in this book were really good. I loved the insight into history we got alongside the other Eshtem students in their classes. Despite this, I often felt a bit lost in the world building and politics, especially in the beginning. I would have liked a few more “lore dumps” earlier on in the book to help better understand the political history and the magic system. We did get some great lore on the history of the Edrei order and I wish we had gotten more insight into them and the dragons (we only see them about 3 times throughout the book), but I understand that this is probably only book 1 in a series.
Following four different students from different backgrounds was a great way to learn more about different philosophies, and the intricate political system. Diar, Jenne, Christina and Jardon were all interesting characters, but I think following four POVs together with the detailed world building didn’t allow for enough depth on all the characters and I didn’t find myself to be fully invested in them.
Overall, I think this is a solid first book in a series. After the ending of this book, I’m intrigued to see how the story develops and hopefully learn more about the dragons.
July 26, 2025
the ellyrian code isn’t at all what I was expecting. I thought it would be more like fourth wing, but it really wasn’t. there was a noticeable lack of romance, which didn’t bother me, but if someone’s thinking this is anything like fourth wing, they’ll be significantly disappointed. the similarities end at dragons.
first and foremost, the plot and premise of the ellyrian code was very well thought out and intriguing. my interest was held from the very first page. because this book is heavy in politics and an academic setting, the pacing was a lot slower than i’d typically expect from a fantasy novel. it wasn’t bad (ever, at all), just something I wanted to point out. it’s a nice medium pacing with some fairly slow bits.
while there’s a lot of world building and things to learn, I found myself loving the characters a lot. they were relatable and loveable, which are the main things I’m looking for when it comes to characters. the dialogue between each of them was so well written, it felt like I was really there, watching everyone bicker.
the ending was really well done. it speed up enough for the climax to really hit hard. I absolutely can’t wait for the next book.
first and foremost, the plot and premise of the ellyrian code was very well thought out and intriguing. my interest was held from the very first page. because this book is heavy in politics and an academic setting, the pacing was a lot slower than i’d typically expect from a fantasy novel. it wasn’t bad (ever, at all), just something I wanted to point out. it’s a nice medium pacing with some fairly slow bits.
while there’s a lot of world building and things to learn, I found myself loving the characters a lot. they were relatable and loveable, which are the main things I’m looking for when it comes to characters. the dialogue between each of them was so well written, it felt like I was really there, watching everyone bicker.
the ending was really well done. it speed up enough for the climax to really hit hard. I absolutely can’t wait for the next book.
June 28, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Right from the first chapter, the Ellyrian Code gave me Fourth Wing vibes, from the dragons (who are mostly hinted at and remain a mystery)(the reasoning I will touch on in a moment), to the rigid academy setting, class divides, and an intriguing touch of magic through “projectors”, “intuiters”, etc. Even the chapters have tiny lore dumps at the beginning of the chapters that are important to the story. But that’s where the comparison to Fourth Wing stops. The Ellyrian Code is Fourth Wing’s more serious, more mysterious cousin.
The writing is super sharp and mature, and felt like a very real and immersive fantasy world. Eshtem is a school, but it never really felt safe or lighthearted. There was always a sense of something happening just off page. The author did a great job of keeping me locked into the unease of the school, balancing political undercurrents and the class divisions, and with a sense of something much darker happening just beyond the school walls.
The story is told through 4 rotating POVs, and while their story arcs remain somewhat separate at first, I genuinely enjoyed each main characters story development, even though I still have many questions. Their individual struggles were very distinct, yet you can tell that they are all on a collision course for something much bigger. The occasional overlap of their stories built a really fantastic slow burn anticipation for when they finally do begin to come together.
This book didn’t shy away from exploring cruelty. The bullying in particular made me a little uncomfortable in some spots, though it did serve a very clear purpose in how well it showed just how deep the class divide runs in this world. There was very little “tell” and a lot of “show” in how the social hierarchy played out, and it added an interesting layer of tension to every interaction in the book.
The pacing of this book sits somewhere between slow and medium, and there were moments I struggled to stay invested. The plot took a back seat multiple times to the world building and the establishment of the schools systems. Still… I really enjoyed how IMMERSIVE the story was. Even with multiple POVs, the story was really cleverly told from the students perspective. You the reader are discovering things right along with the stufents… never ahead, and never quite sure what the Master Dreis (the teachers) were truly up to. This is the main reason why I don’t believe we get to see many dragons in this book.. or magic, for that matter. No first years have developed their magic, and they don’t have access to the dragons yet, so why would we the reader see them? I think this all really added to the mystery and appeal!
There’s no romance (yet 👀)… That’s clearly being saved for future books. Instead, this book lays some massive groundwork by way of political intrigue, strict laws and expectations, and young characters navigating their new places in the world.
If you’re looking for a book that contains fast action, and swoon-level dynamics, this book may test your patience. But if you like the element of tension that sits just beneath the surface, complex and layered worldbuilding, and that feeling that the REAL story is just getting started, you’ll want to get into this book and stick around.
I’m already planning a re-read of this one, and dying for the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC and opportunity to share my review. This was one of my favorite reads of the year.
Right from the first chapter, the Ellyrian Code gave me Fourth Wing vibes, from the dragons (who are mostly hinted at and remain a mystery)(the reasoning I will touch on in a moment), to the rigid academy setting, class divides, and an intriguing touch of magic through “projectors”, “intuiters”, etc. Even the chapters have tiny lore dumps at the beginning of the chapters that are important to the story. But that’s where the comparison to Fourth Wing stops. The Ellyrian Code is Fourth Wing’s more serious, more mysterious cousin.
The writing is super sharp and mature, and felt like a very real and immersive fantasy world. Eshtem is a school, but it never really felt safe or lighthearted. There was always a sense of something happening just off page. The author did a great job of keeping me locked into the unease of the school, balancing political undercurrents and the class divisions, and with a sense of something much darker happening just beyond the school walls.
The story is told through 4 rotating POVs, and while their story arcs remain somewhat separate at first, I genuinely enjoyed each main characters story development, even though I still have many questions. Their individual struggles were very distinct, yet you can tell that they are all on a collision course for something much bigger. The occasional overlap of their stories built a really fantastic slow burn anticipation for when they finally do begin to come together.
This book didn’t shy away from exploring cruelty. The bullying in particular made me a little uncomfortable in some spots, though it did serve a very clear purpose in how well it showed just how deep the class divide runs in this world. There was very little “tell” and a lot of “show” in how the social hierarchy played out, and it added an interesting layer of tension to every interaction in the book.
The pacing of this book sits somewhere between slow and medium, and there were moments I struggled to stay invested. The plot took a back seat multiple times to the world building and the establishment of the schools systems. Still… I really enjoyed how IMMERSIVE the story was. Even with multiple POVs, the story was really cleverly told from the students perspective. You the reader are discovering things right along with the stufents… never ahead, and never quite sure what the Master Dreis (the teachers) were truly up to. This is the main reason why I don’t believe we get to see many dragons in this book.. or magic, for that matter. No first years have developed their magic, and they don’t have access to the dragons yet, so why would we the reader see them? I think this all really added to the mystery and appeal!
There’s no romance (yet 👀)… That’s clearly being saved for future books. Instead, this book lays some massive groundwork by way of political intrigue, strict laws and expectations, and young characters navigating their new places in the world.
If you’re looking for a book that contains fast action, and swoon-level dynamics, this book may test your patience. But if you like the element of tension that sits just beneath the surface, complex and layered worldbuilding, and that feeling that the REAL story is just getting started, you’ll want to get into this book and stick around.
I’m already planning a re-read of this one, and dying for the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC and opportunity to share my review. This was one of my favorite reads of the year.
July 5, 2025
Okay, let’s get this out of the way first: Fourth Wing and The Atlas Six are not the right comps for this book. There are dragons. It’s set in a magical university. But that’s where the comparison ends.
This is not action-packed or romantically driven, and it’s not the cutthroat, cerebral chaos of Atlas Six. The Ellyrian Code is far more of a slow-burn political high fantasy and a looming conspiracy that simmers quietly under the surface.
I was totally hooked by those early character moments and ready to dive into tangled allegiances, outlaw secrets, and hints of rebellion. But the story quickly shifts into university life and class politics, and I was left feeling a little thrown off and unsure where the focus was supposed to be. The class disparity between the class houses is clearly meant to be central, but it's frustratingly vague. It feels important, but doesn’t read like it has a consistent impact on the story or character interactions beyond surface-level tension.
The characters’ motivations were all over the place. Christina’s fixation on the outlaw felt unearned, like we skipped a few emotional beats. Why would she risk her life for this? Jenne has missing memories and just... vibes through it? Like, girl, are you not even a little curious?? Diar is endearing in that sweet YA boy way, but that tone clashes with the more serious epic fantasy framing. And Jadon had potential, but he came off more like a list of traits we’re told to believe than an actual person. I liked the characters, but not many of them felt like they had a ton of depth.
The world-building is ambitious, and the writing talent is definitely there. But this reads like it's all setup. It's slow, intricate, and sometimes frustratingly glacial. I imagine some of the threads will pay off later, but nothing much happens for most of the book.
There is something unique here and if you're in the mood for methodical political intrigue mingled with some academia, this might scratch that itch.
Thanks to Angry Robot for trying to send me a complimentary copy that got lost in the mail somewhere. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
This is not action-packed or romantically driven, and it’s not the cutthroat, cerebral chaos of Atlas Six. The Ellyrian Code is far more of a slow-burn political high fantasy and a looming conspiracy that simmers quietly under the surface.
I was totally hooked by those early character moments and ready to dive into tangled allegiances, outlaw secrets, and hints of rebellion. But the story quickly shifts into university life and class politics, and I was left feeling a little thrown off and unsure where the focus was supposed to be. The class disparity between the class houses is clearly meant to be central, but it's frustratingly vague. It feels important, but doesn’t read like it has a consistent impact on the story or character interactions beyond surface-level tension.
The characters’ motivations were all over the place. Christina’s fixation on the outlaw felt unearned, like we skipped a few emotional beats. Why would she risk her life for this? Jenne has missing memories and just... vibes through it? Like, girl, are you not even a little curious?? Diar is endearing in that sweet YA boy way, but that tone clashes with the more serious epic fantasy framing. And Jadon had potential, but he came off more like a list of traits we’re told to believe than an actual person. I liked the characters, but not many of them felt like they had a ton of depth.
The world-building is ambitious, and the writing talent is definitely there. But this reads like it's all setup. It's slow, intricate, and sometimes frustratingly glacial. I imagine some of the threads will pay off later, but nothing much happens for most of the book.
There is something unique here and if you're in the mood for methodical political intrigue mingled with some academia, this might scratch that itch.
Thanks to Angry Robot for trying to send me a complimentary copy that got lost in the mail somewhere. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
May 31, 2025
NOTHING like Fourth Wing or the Atlas Six - except for the fact that there are dragons (although they are very much in the background for now, a mystery to be uncovered later) and the bulk of it is set at a college, a university where young people train to be Edrei: the elites who keep the peace, learn magic, and ride dragons.
But all of this is very much in the future for our candidates. There is the usual school politics, nemeses amongst classmates and tutors, but there’s no tuition in magic or dragons - yet. Instead they learn ethics and history and swordplay as lowly first years, although this doesn’t prevent them from getting into trouble.
We follow four main characters. Jadon is a spoiled prince, aware of his privilege but not afraid to use it; but under his laissez-Faire attitude to the rules he has a core of fairness and the desire to do what is right, despite his tyrannical father. Christina is an idealistic princess, who stumbles across a mystery - possibly a conspiracy - which might undermine the whole integrity of the Edrei. Diar, sworn to her house, is drawn into this mystery - whilst also attempting to keep roommate Jadon out of trouble, and struggling with feelings for Jenne, a common-born and naturally talented student who despises the nobles, hiding secrets of her own.
Well told and engaging, this is a fantastic read and I’ll be looking forward to the next instalment. The world building is engaging, the pacing and structure is solid, and the characters are just as annoying and sympathetic as real teenagers are.
But all of this is very much in the future for our candidates. There is the usual school politics, nemeses amongst classmates and tutors, but there’s no tuition in magic or dragons - yet. Instead they learn ethics and history and swordplay as lowly first years, although this doesn’t prevent them from getting into trouble.
We follow four main characters. Jadon is a spoiled prince, aware of his privilege but not afraid to use it; but under his laissez-Faire attitude to the rules he has a core of fairness and the desire to do what is right, despite his tyrannical father. Christina is an idealistic princess, who stumbles across a mystery - possibly a conspiracy - which might undermine the whole integrity of the Edrei. Diar, sworn to her house, is drawn into this mystery - whilst also attempting to keep roommate Jadon out of trouble, and struggling with feelings for Jenne, a common-born and naturally talented student who despises the nobles, hiding secrets of her own.
Well told and engaging, this is a fantastic read and I’ll be looking forward to the next instalment. The world building is engaging, the pacing and structure is solid, and the characters are just as annoying and sympathetic as real teenagers are.
June 29, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! I just finished it this morning and am already so curious to read the sequel.
The Ellyrian Code is a thoroughly enjoyable epic fantasy, set in an elite military academy where trainees study to become various kinds of magicians and dragon riders, depending on their abilities. The academy is cut-throat, and the threat of expulsion constantly hangs over the students' heads. The story follows four first-year students from very different backgrounds as they tackle academic challenges while also trying to find their place among peers who don't see them as equals - Ellyrian society is highly divided by Houses. Meanwhile, a mystery is woven through the plot, involving each character in some way - something that could pose a threat to all of Ellyria.
I really enjoyed getting to know each character and seeing how they navigated their first year. The story spans an entire academic year, which made it feel quite fast-paced while still offering solid insight into their experiences at the school. I particularly enjoyed Christina and Jadon’s arcs so far, especially the way they confront the seemingly inescapable classism embedded in the school system.
The world itself is intriguing - I don’t think it’s been explored to its full potential yet, but I’m sure more is coming in future instalments! The first book introduces different types of magic and hints at the dragons, which I'm especially excited to see more of in Book 2.
The mystery that lands in the protagonists' hands, in one way or another, has me very curious. I love that the characters aren’t all close friends or connected to the mystery in the same way; it makes the unfolding plot feel more natural and layered. The inclusion of extracts from letters and textbooks at the start of each chapter adds a great touch - giving hints at what’s to come, and what hasn’t yet been said aloud.
I look forward to finding out what comes next for these characters and their world! This is a book I’d definitely recommend to fans of military and political fantasy.
The Ellyrian Code is a thoroughly enjoyable epic fantasy, set in an elite military academy where trainees study to become various kinds of magicians and dragon riders, depending on their abilities. The academy is cut-throat, and the threat of expulsion constantly hangs over the students' heads. The story follows four first-year students from very different backgrounds as they tackle academic challenges while also trying to find their place among peers who don't see them as equals - Ellyrian society is highly divided by Houses. Meanwhile, a mystery is woven through the plot, involving each character in some way - something that could pose a threat to all of Ellyria.
I really enjoyed getting to know each character and seeing how they navigated their first year. The story spans an entire academic year, which made it feel quite fast-paced while still offering solid insight into their experiences at the school. I particularly enjoyed Christina and Jadon’s arcs so far, especially the way they confront the seemingly inescapable classism embedded in the school system.
The world itself is intriguing - I don’t think it’s been explored to its full potential yet, but I’m sure more is coming in future instalments! The first book introduces different types of magic and hints at the dragons, which I'm especially excited to see more of in Book 2.
The mystery that lands in the protagonists' hands, in one way or another, has me very curious. I love that the characters aren’t all close friends or connected to the mystery in the same way; it makes the unfolding plot feel more natural and layered. The inclusion of extracts from letters and textbooks at the start of each chapter adds a great touch - giving hints at what’s to come, and what hasn’t yet been said aloud.
I look forward to finding out what comes next for these characters and their world! This is a book I’d definitely recommend to fans of military and political fantasy.
April 15, 2025
3.75/5 Stars
I want to thank Angry Robot Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Now this a new Fantasy world to dive into. As advertised, the story does stick to the Eshtem University and the lives of first-year students for the first book, but the snippets of information the reader gleans from the four students' perspectives make big hints of something much larger at play. Peterson paints a beautifully complex world for us with geopolitical issues, social classes and a system of magic the next instalment is sure to dive deeper into. I do love interesting ideas for Fantasy Universities and the book sure as hell delivered those.
I enjoyed the characters, though this is where the book gets a "demerit" from me, as none of them are really characters to write home about. You have the naive lovesick boy who is into the "angry girl" whose memory has been wiped - and their whole story screams "can't just give the readers the romance early". I'm not a romance girly myself, but I dislike the whole they're-suddenly-just-kinda-in-love and the issues that come with that without any real romantic foundation in my opinion. I found the other two POV characters much more interesting to read in general: the arrogant prince and the smart girl who is trying to solve a mystery bigger than herself. Part of me thinks the book would have benefitted from less POV characters, but as can be seen by my rating it was still a very rewarding experience of reading!
Overall I do think this is one of the better Fantasy University-type books and I see much potential for future instalments!
I want to thank Angry Robot Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Now this a new Fantasy world to dive into. As advertised, the story does stick to the Eshtem University and the lives of first-year students for the first book, but the snippets of information the reader gleans from the four students' perspectives make big hints of something much larger at play. Peterson paints a beautifully complex world for us with geopolitical issues, social classes and a system of magic the next instalment is sure to dive deeper into. I do love interesting ideas for Fantasy Universities and the book sure as hell delivered those.
I enjoyed the characters, though this is where the book gets a "demerit" from me, as none of them are really characters to write home about. You have the naive lovesick boy who is into the "angry girl" whose memory has been wiped - and their whole story screams "can't just give the readers the romance early". I'm not a romance girly myself, but I dislike the whole they're-suddenly-just-kinda-in-love and the issues that come with that without any real romantic foundation in my opinion. I found the other two POV characters much more interesting to read in general: the arrogant prince and the smart girl who is trying to solve a mystery bigger than herself. Part of me thinks the book would have benefitted from less POV characters, but as can be seen by my rating it was still a very rewarding experience of reading!
Overall I do think this is one of the better Fantasy University-type books and I see much potential for future instalments!
June 2, 2025
The Ellyrian Code is an epic fantasy set within an elite university.
We follow four students on their quest to make it into the order to become magicians and dragon riders. They are tested on their morals just as much as their power. The book covers lots of political intrigue and morality, which was interesting.
The characters are all distinct and highly competitive - so I can understand the comparison to The Atlas Six. There is also a nice romance subplot that I really enjoyed and got me invested into the characters more.
In terms of dragons this is clearly just the beginning and we only get a teaser of them. I loved how elusive they are and cannot wait to find out more about them as these characters progress.
The timeline is the first year and this really worked - bring on second year! I loved the epic feel of this book and just know this is going to be one of those series that develops into an immense and immersive world.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
We follow four students on their quest to make it into the order to become magicians and dragon riders. They are tested on their morals just as much as their power. The book covers lots of political intrigue and morality, which was interesting.
The characters are all distinct and highly competitive - so I can understand the comparison to The Atlas Six. There is also a nice romance subplot that I really enjoyed and got me invested into the characters more.
In terms of dragons this is clearly just the beginning and we only get a teaser of them. I loved how elusive they are and cannot wait to find out more about them as these characters progress.
The timeline is the first year and this really worked - bring on second year! I loved the epic feel of this book and just know this is going to be one of those series that develops into an immense and immersive world.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
June 12, 2025
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the EARC of The Ellyrian Code by B.F. Peterson, in exchange for an honest review.
From reading the blurb, I was super excited for this - it promises Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six in an epic fantasy set in an elite university. Academia, fantasy, and dragons?! Sign me up!
The story is about 4 students: Christina, Jadon, Jenne and Diar, who come from a broad range of backgrounds who are going to study at Eshtem University.
Unfortunately for me I found this super slow and lacklustre, and especially hard to build connections with the characters which made this book quite heavy. which nearly caused me to DNF.
The idea was superb, but for me just fell short, but that being said I'm sure this will be a hit with other readers, but sadly not for me,
2.5 stars rounded up.
From reading the blurb, I was super excited for this - it promises Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six in an epic fantasy set in an elite university. Academia, fantasy, and dragons?! Sign me up!
The story is about 4 students: Christina, Jadon, Jenne and Diar, who come from a broad range of backgrounds who are going to study at Eshtem University.
Unfortunately for me I found this super slow and lacklustre, and especially hard to build connections with the characters which made this book quite heavy. which nearly caused me to DNF.
The idea was superb, but for me just fell short, but that being said I'm sure this will be a hit with other readers, but sadly not for me,
2.5 stars rounded up.
June 20, 2025
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this, I’m rating it 4.0 stars.
I want to start by saying the beginning of the book with our introductions to the core characters felt very impactful and I was locked in. I honestly quite like our characters although they are flawed in different ways. As the story moves along and we get our insights into the academy where you train to become an Edrei, the stakes seem to heighten. The trials and tribulations our characters face are tough and you definitely see a competitive nature win out.
The last few chapters had me on edge, and I’m excited for the next book to see new alliances forged and new enemies made or revealed. I feel like book 1 has been a great intro into the world and it’s characters, but book 2 is going to be dropping us into the thick of it and I can’t wait.
I want to start by saying the beginning of the book with our introductions to the core characters felt very impactful and I was locked in. I honestly quite like our characters although they are flawed in different ways. As the story moves along and we get our insights into the academy where you train to become an Edrei, the stakes seem to heighten. The trials and tribulations our characters face are tough and you definitely see a competitive nature win out.
The last few chapters had me on edge, and I’m excited for the next book to see new alliances forged and new enemies made or revealed. I feel like book 1 has been a great intro into the world and it’s characters, but book 2 is going to be dropping us into the thick of it and I can’t wait.
June 26, 2025
Fourth Wing meets Atlas Six had me really excited to read this book and while I do see elements of that it wasn’t quite what I expected! I enjoyed the world that was built and the writing was really polished but there were just entirely too many main characters so it just all got a bit overwhelming and convoluted and with so many characters it was hard to really connect. Also there was not entirely enough dragons which I was looking forward too! I will say even though this book was mostly set up I will for sure continue and see where the story goes as it had a lot of promise - I really love academic settings and dragons so will continue and see.
Thanks to Angry Robot for the advance review copy!
Thanks to Angry Robot for the advance review copy!
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