Saga

Volume Cinque

by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

Italian language

Published Oct. 15, 2015

ISBN:: 978-88-6543-510-6

View on Inventaire

(93 reviews)

3 editions

WardenRed reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

None

4 stars

Boredom makes dragons hungry, you know.

This book picks up right where the first installment of the Drake Chronicles left off and finally makes good on the first book’s early promises with all the big politics coming into play. Which means it once again leaves me feeling slightly deceived, lol. Because the first book made all those promises and then turned into a cozy slice-of-life about adapting to life at a foreign court and learning new customs and falling in love etc, etc. Now I picked up the next one expecting more of the same, with maybe slightly higher stakes, but instead there are epic journeys and dragons and battles and an ever-increading number of POVs? Like, none of that is a bad thing, and a lot of it is quite intriguing, but can this series decide what it wants to be, please!

All in all, I feel this is what we used to call romantic fantasy before those words were shortened to romantasy and started defining a specific brand of capital R romance in a magical secondary world setting. It’s a fantasy adventure with elements of a family saga, there are dragons and adventures and drama, and there are also prominent romantic storylines. Eric and Ollie’s continuing love story is the biggest among them, but there’s also Tessa’s love triangle with Eric’s nephews that is steadily getting more tangled, and the evolving tension between Revna and Bryne, and then in the “meanwhile back in Drakewell” chapters we’ve got Amelia and Malcolm, whom I’ve personally been really rooting for, but I digress. What I mean to say, this isn’t a straight-up romance following a single couple, but it’s a very romantic story still and maybe just a bit of soap opera, except in a viking-inspired fantasy land with dragons. A pretty entertaining one at that, my gripes with the slight mood whiplash notwithstanding.

I liked seeing Ollies come more into his own and let his sassy side show more and more, both with Eric and around other people. I really, really liked the exciting worldbuilding developments: between shamans and dragons and necromancy, there was never a dull moment in terms of all these discoveries. And the characters all remain really well fleshed-out. What the book is severely lacking, though, is proper editing. There are a lot of typos and awkward turns of phrase that scream “first draft,” and the narrative itself really begs to be tightened up. Because sometimes, it just goes off on tangents, or there are obvious filler/fluff scenes taking up too much space, and while there’s some great character work in those for the most part, it really messes with the pacing.

WardenRed reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

None

3 stars

We are a match made in fake boyfriend heaven, aren't we?

I feel like I’ve got rather little to say about this book—not because I disliked it, but because it just… very reliably did exactly what it said on the tin, you know? This is a solid lighthearted romance that is there to provide the reader with a few hours of comfort and escapism. All the feels are good feels, the characters slide into each other’s lives easily, and even when there are objectively dramatic situations happening, it all feels very chill and low-drama.

We’ve got Cole, the heir to a vineyard who can only keep being a heir if he gets married soon. His grandparents are all about family values, you see. They would rather give the vineyard to Cole’s sister who *is* getting married, knowing full well she’ll sell it, then let it go to an unmarried grandson who truly cares for it, because it’s a *family* vineyard. Luckily, they don’t mind if he marries another guy.

We’ve also got Rhett, twin brother to Cole’s best friend, who’s been unlucky in love later. And to get his family off his back about it, he pretends that he’s in some secret relationship.

Then the two run into each other in a bar, share their grievances, and realize they’re the solutions to each other’s problems. Cole will pose as the no-longer-secret boyfriend! And Rhett will be Cole’s future fake husband! Now off they go to attend Cole’s sister’s wedding on Tahiti, where of course they’ll fall in love for real in a tropical paradise while having to share a bed.

Despite the fact the leads have known each other all their lives, there’s this super insta-love feel to their relationship. But we do get a bunch of reminders that we’re dealing with the “best friend’s brother“ trope, too, in the form of Ryan, the best friend/brother in question who tries hard to be supportive but also struggles to wrap his head around the fact that his twin and his BFF are now an item. This plotline, just like some stuff about Cole’s family, could have injected some drama and seriousness in the story, but the way it’s handled, it really doesn’t. All the struggles feel really low-stakes and fluffy at all times, and you know what? That’s great, actually. Not every book needs to be a memorable deep dive into every issue the characters face. Sometimes, you just need pure mindless life-affirming fluff.

WardenRed reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

None

5 stars

I hear all the cool bodyguards love to shut their clients in a strange room with a strange man. Extra points when zombies are involved.

This series has been recommended to me more times than I can count, but I've shied away from it because of the trigger warnings. I cracked open the Amazon sample once, and the way Rune's past trauma was mentioned/handled at the very beginning didn't sit well with me. But the recs kept coming, so I eventually caved, and wow, I don't regret it one bit! There were some aspects of the trauma narrative I remained slightly put out by until the end, I admit, but there were also scenes where I liked the handling of it, and anyway, there is just SO MUCH MORE to this book.

I really loved the worldbuilding and how it was delivered. The author uses my absolute favorite approach: just plunge the reader in the middle of things, throw in a bunch of stuff that is completely natural to the POV character so he doesn't dwell on every detail and just experiences things instead of actively explaining them, and wait until it all makes sense. A tad overwhelming at first, but by the end of first act I felt like I had a strong grasp on the basics of the setting, and then more exciting stuff kept getting added throughout the book, making for a super exciting kitchen-sink-type urban fantasy setting with complex political relations between the Tarot-inspred courts and an interesting take on the Vancian magic system. And it's not just the worldbuilding info that's delivered this way: Rune definitely keeps secrets from the reader that he alludes to periodically—or rather, it's not that he actively keeps secrets, it's that he only narrates what is immediately relevant. So I'm very excited to keep reading and learning more about all the things that's been hinted at.

The character dynamics are a huge strength of the story. There's a big web of relationships growing around Rune, each of them unique and compelling. I particularly adored the relationship he has with Brand, and how most of their interactions consist of sniping at each other in fluent sarcasm, but when it matters, they're always able to brush it aside and have an honest, vulnerable conversation. I also liked the budding relationship between Rune and Addam, and Rune's interactions with Lord Tower, and so many more connections. Also, the banter is absolutely to die for. I may have burst out into loud laughter at least four times. I also found myself a huge fan of action scenes here. A lot of them are long, but they never feel drown out and are always exciting in more ways than one, slipping in plenty of character development and worldbuilding info between all the tension.

The plotting overall is solid, both in terms of delivering a self-contained adventure and setting up the foundations for an overarching plot. I was, however, a bit annoyed by the number of times the characters were backed into a corner and then saved by a happy accident. Though this kind of thing was easier to stomach when I remembered that <spoiler>a lot of these 'accidents' were actually set up by a teenage Seer with more good intentions than common sense</spoiler>. And speaking of things that miffed me, I didn't love how few female characters there were. The ones we do meet all seem interesting but get so little page time.

Finally, a shoutout to Josh Hurley who's 100% one of the best audiobook narrators I've come across. Such an amazing job making every character feel distinct and maintaining the mood throughout!

WardenRed reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

None

4 stars

“I have to burn,” she says. “I have to feed. But it doesn’t have to be that bright. It doesn’t have to be . . .” She pauses, again, as if words were hard to get. “It doesn’t have to harm.”

There was a lot I enjoyed about this novella, but compared to Aliette de Bodard's other works of similar length that I've read it felt a bit clumsily constructed. In some parts, at least. I really liked how the political plotting unfolded, and everything about the mystery fires leading up to the reveals about Giang. But I wish Eldris was more flashed out, and I wish there was more background information about Thanh's past history with her, trickling in more gradually and steadily. I also feel the story would be stronger without the blackmail subplot—it added nothing of value and took up space that could have been used to expand on other parts of the story.

The love triangle aspect came a bit out of the blue for me. There was internal logic to it, sure, but I think I would have preferred <spoiler>to see Thanh and Giang as friends, perhaps with a subtle hint at their relationship developing further in the future instead of a definite "this is where this is going, look, they're kissing already." Not because there's anything wrong with the two of them getting together, but because it feels like Thanh is only just getting the chance to fully get over Eldris. She could use some time to better process the events of the novella, and of her past as a hostage, before low-key rushing into figuring out "a connection, a start" that she feels with Giang.</spoiler>

All that said, I think I overall rather enjoyed the story. Thanh is a compelling protagonist who might seem like she wavers a lot now and then, but there's a quiet strength inside her that turns into a quiet stubbornness when it comes to things that matter to her a lot. Her relationship with her mother is rather complicated, but not devoid of hope and very interesting to follow. While the story has an almost claustrophobic feel, contained to just a few rooms and a garden, it is clear that there is an entire big, compelling, politically fraught world around the palace. I'd love to know more about what goes on in this setting, in fact!

Ayxan Solongo reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

Review of 'Saga, Volume 5' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

friendshipgoals.
Hat mich gerührt.

#friendshipgoals.
Hat mich gerührt.

Aidan Reads reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

Review of 'Saga, Volume 5' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

One of the worst plot wise but with some great 5 star moments.

WardenRed reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

None

5 stars

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly sweet romance against the backdrop of historical organized crime, with a dash of music hall. I loved every component of this short love story. Predictably perhaps, I especially enjoyed the fact that this is an ace romance—I always, always want more of those, and I loved how it was handled here. The conversation Stan and Christiana had about the subject felt really authentic and put a smile on my face. I was also really intrigued by the Lilywhite Boys, and I'm looking forward to reading more about these characters.

georgewhatup reviewed Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, #5)

Review of 'Saga, Volume 5' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Personally found it the weakest so far but also it includes an unnecessarily detailed image of a dragon engaged in some auto-fellation so it's still four stars.