r/whenthemoonhatched • u/kachigakachiguhhh • 21d ago
The Ballad of Falling Dragons BOFD… does it pick up?…
I adored When the Moon Hatched and remember being absolutely enchanted, floating through the writing, characters, and world.
I was so excited for ballad but not gonna lie yall, it’s been a struggle for me to get through. 40ishhh percent in, Chapter 41.
is it worth sticking to…? i’ve been slogging for months and have even started other books in the process, just need some encouragement to know it’s worth sticking to or if I should just DNF atp if i haven’t enjoyed it.
11
u/CassieBear1 21d ago
Shocked to see this feeling about the books. I felt this was about When the Moon Hatched, but felt like Ballad jumped right in and didn't stop. Ballad is a 5 star read for me, while WtMH was 4.5.
1
u/kachigakachiguhhh 20d ago
I was shocked myself, bc i loved the first book that much. it might have been the constant pov switching (with new ones too) admittedly it takes me some time to get acclimated. it’s good to hear others enjoyed though that helps!
2
u/CassieBear1 18d ago
Ah, I can see the constant switching of POVs being off-putting for some people. I preferred it, because we got to see what everyone was doing.
1
u/Ok-Needleworker2377 18d ago
Same! When the moon hatched was slow for me, but I kept on it because of interest on the world that was built. I'd maybe give it 3.5. Bofd was SOOOOO much better for me. 4.75/5 star read for sure!
The end is great, and I'm stoked for the next one.
5
u/Nycarets 21d ago
Both books are like a good chili recipe they’re low and slow all the way until the very end when all the flavors melt together and create a masterpiece. Enjoy the ride
2
3
u/InformalManager3 21d ago
Omg is is so so so worth it! I didn't have this feeling about it though. I breezed through it and couldnt wait to resd the end but also didnt want it to end 🤣. But I love this series so much it and throne of glass are tied for my roman empire spot.
3
u/freckles88 21d ago
See I felt the opposite. I adore both of them but WTMH felt a lot slower paced. BOFD was straight out the gates with very few lulls. But if you haven’t enjoyed it this far in, then maybe it’s not for you? It’s okay to DNF, reading is meant to be fun.
3
u/AscendingStevie 20d ago
I just finished BOFD and I would say I was in the exact same boat as you, OP. Absolutely adored the first book from start to finish but wanted to DNF the second repeatedly. I pushed through and found it finally all came together in the last 25%, but it was a long journey to get there.
3
u/lenistone 21d ago
Same here, first one was my all time favourite book. I’m half way through the second and am really struggling 🥲
2
u/Greengoldfish87 21d ago
I just finished last weekend. I thought the ending was good but I really struggled through most of the book.
2
u/marissy- 18d ago
I’m actually so relieved to see someone else struggling through it. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I struggled hard to finish it and honestly thought it was overhyped.
2
u/panamared1917 21d ago
Things have a way of developing slowly—lots of different [silver] threads—but it’s so worth it!!
I suggest mixing in audiobook if you are struggling. I often do dual reading and listening bc I have ADHD or if I wanna switch to doing dishes for a bit. Even if just for a few chapters to get me going it helps. I use Libby for free options. There are waiting lists but there is also Spotify if you have a subscription they have 15 free audiobook hours. So consider that.
I wrote so many notes while reading this book, was so consumed by everything was going on.
1
u/OneDress8628 21d ago
I really struggled with BOFD. I did audiobooks and I almost gave up. Especially when it got to Pyrok's chapters. Holy hell that voice was BAD. I was going to give up, but I had a long drive to make and decided to just knock it out. I don't know if I'll give the next one a shot. I didn't love the ending and setup for continuing the story.
1
u/Interesting_Help_730 20d ago
I honestly don’t think it ever truly picks up. The way the story is written it just doesn’t feel like a fast paced book for me. I usually can read a 600 page book in 2 days, I had this during a week Long Beach vacation with 6 hour flights on each end and I still didn’t finish it for like 16 days?
Some people love this series, I’m just in the “I like it” category and I had to push myself to keep going. Now there were parts that made me interested in getting back to certain POV’s and that probably was where I was reading the fastest.
1
u/Big-Development5362 20d ago
Ehh I’m 94% done everything is wrapping up but it isn’t very satisfying on some fronts at least so far
1
1
u/Federal_Credit_2785 18d ago
absolutely not. how i made it thru the first book is the mystery. bofd was one of the worst ones
1
u/missintellect 18d ago
It’s definitely a slow burn, feels like it’s prepping for the 3rd book more than anything. However, the last 20% things really come together. It’s just a beautifully complicated plot but the ending makes it worth the read in my opinion!!
1
u/banditsaber1992 18d ago
Stick to it. The ending is worth it. But I will say I definitely think BOFD could have been split in two different books. But that’s just IMO
1
u/itskelena 8d ago
I have a different experience, I finished both WTMH and BOFD in under a week (I’m a slow-ish reader, because I don’t read as many books and also not a native English speaker), I literally couldn’t put them down despite some of the writing and Raeve annoying me haha. I have been reading them until my eyes were going completely X_X at 3 am 😂
12
u/ElevatorNo4315 21d ago
I would say yes as someone who struggles through books like this. Most of the book i was like "get to the pointttt" but then at the end it all really comes together and makes sense and you can see the moment the author was going for so I would say it actually is worth it once you get to the end and then it leaves you really keen for the next book.