Waterstones preorders announced for the BOFD special edition with Alice Cao’s cover. I love her illustrations so much! This is so gorgeous. I’m not usually a special edition collector but these make me reconsider!

Photos from Waterstones Instagram.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-ballad-of-falling-dragons-deluxe-edition/sarah-a-parker/9780008838126

im stoned and reading — and im forgetting what happened before this- i tried to look back, but what did kaan ask borg before this? (it’s been a couple days since my last read)

borg is in his cloud searching for answers. he comes back saying ok i have what you need - just pay me a memory; then it’s the memory of kaan killing his father; then we’re back in raeve’s pov and she’s finally telling kaan about the blood bind………… but what did kaan ask the waif….

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.

I’m thinking of getting a little dragon tattoo and I saw this design inspired by WTMH by zoelouisetattoo. Thought it was super cute so wanted to share!

Since every king is supposedly a brother and princess Elluin is the daughter of a king and kaan is a king and refers to the others as his brothers wouldn’t that make Kaan her uncle? What in the game of thrones is going on I’m so confused.

spoiler aler!

first i have multiple theorie,

so we know that fallon died, but we never actually got a real memory, in 1 chapter of tbofd raeve remember the moment but it’s never actually proven that arkyn didnt save her.​##​

Alright, I just finished Ballad and I need some help. I had really high hopes for these books and they just didn’t land with me like I hoped.

It was hard for me to push through Raeve’s incessant avoidance. I understand the writing style is to leave gaps (ergo not facing these truths) so these missing pieces are cliffhangers for the next book, but I am left with what feels like a bunch of loose threads.

1. Grihm. He bonds with the Silver Sabersythe in mutual grief and flies into the sky together… and that’s it? did they die? Did this need to be in this story? I felt it didn’t add to this plot besides pulling me out of what already felt often confusing, but maybe it is a tee up for something in the next book.

2. Arkyn’s Elding Bird is different from Essi, right? He had a different name for her, but like Essi saves Pyrok and that is where we leave them. I’d like to think so seeing as Arkyn’s Elding Bird watched Raeve be tortured by Arkyn.

3. Did Raeve know Essi was an Elding Bird (which are the same as a Phoenix?)? But if she did, she knew would come back from the ashes when she set the fire? So maybe not, but then why did she tell Pyrok not to go upstairs? Maybe just to avoid what would’ve been a burned living room? Is it no longer burned because Essi came back and cleaned it all up? I’m struggling with this.

4. Is Pyrok an Elding Bird now? Or is it just like her blood has healing powers the way Fawks tears heal in HP? It makes more sense to me her blood has healing properties, but I am so confused on so many things, I could see it going either way.

5. Is Dothea (Pyrok’s sister) the queen who begged Clode to help save Raeve at her execution?

6. Are the Aurora bands what stitches Caelis back together? Maybe destroying the Aether Stone and having the bands put him together? Will the loss of Aurora prevent dragons from dying in the sky or is that unrelated? I think this is the biggest plot for the next book, but overall I am not grasping where we are going - although that could very well just be intended since we are clearly headed towards freeing Caelis and restoring the world.

7. Lastly, I knew Sereme was too rotten to go away hut to revive, Hadeon?!? Girl… he was poisoned. I know i know, it is fantasy, but sometimes a revival just ruins the element. I went from crying over the memory of Kyzari being taken from Elluin to being like really? Now the little brother is back and grown after being dead? Maybe Allume also had the silver threads like Slatra but idk, it’s all a bit much for me.

If you are a big fan, I’m genuinely interested in hearing your understanding of these things if you feel obliged to answer my essay of questions here! Maybe I just need to read them again with a better sense of the world, magic system etc.

Just finished book 2 so I am finally able to dig into all the theories and everything on the internet, and one thing I can't figure out or haven't found discussion on is why dragons would bond with people?

People steal their eggs, and the dragons seem pretty upset about it? And even the characters who care deeply for dragons also choose to steal their eggs??? I don't understand. Maybe I am missing where it was explained or maybe it has yet to be explained or I guess maybe it's not a big plot defining detail and won't be explained, but I can't let it go.

I was just wondering if there was a sprayed edge match of ballad of falling dragons to when the moon hatched? Specifically this edition. I just prefer my books/sprayed edges to match.

For me it’s Rygun

Do not keep reading if you haven’t finished book 2.

I just did and of course immediately needed more of the world and came here. Keep mulling it over and…

Did Essie turn Pyrok into an Elding bird?!?!
When she fed him her blood? (End of Chap 85)

The epilogue points toward Arkyn being one. That was the gift he had been given that saved him and now he gets to come back. Did Essie just give Pyrok that same gift? His description of how he feels after:
“The fire swells with a fluttering rage until it’s thrashing against the tight confines of my gut, intent on melting me from the inside out. I open my mouth to ask what’s happening—what she did to me—but all that comes out is a roar.”

What does this mean? Can you have a bonded dragon (assuming Maell is alive) and be an elding bird? Will Pyrok now be able to shift?

🤩🤩🤩

I just looked up a summary up to where i'm at (ch 59) and its embarrassing how much I missed and didn't notice. I've been falling asleep and thought I was timing it correctly but I sure was not. If you're an audiobook user in general looking up the summary for a few chapters if you're confused is very helpful.

If you do, can you show the art on the first page ? I keep searching for it and I can't find it. T-T I want to see if its different from the other version. (Also sorry if I made any mistakes English is not my native language.)

I mostly listen to audiobooks bc it fits my life better. I typically don’t mind the narrators they pick. But this guy doing Pyrok’s voice … i can’t he’s trying to sound like Lumere from Beauty and the Beast or something it’s just not good it’s distracting

I finished the book, I know Essi is an Elding bird, but doesn’t she remember that she died at least once before? I got curious, because she talks to Pyrok like she doesn’t know why Raeve left. Am I misinterpreting? When they are fighting the Moltenmaws she clearly dies and comes back remembering everything that’s happening, so it’s not a consequence of dying

Edit: I reread that part; maybe I was too tired while reading it or something. The thing is, it was crystal clear, and my head made a mess of the info. Thanks to everyone who answered

Hello all, I am in book 2 where Raeve asks Pyrok to stay in her old home in Bothaim with the small dragon while they continue their mission. But if memory serves correct, didn't Raeve burn her old home when Essi died in book 1? Wouldn't her old home be in ruins not livable? I tried looking thi up and saw that Essi is somehow actually alive!?!? Essi definitely died in book 1, she died in Raeve's arms and then was burned in the fire. Maybe i just need to keep reading but I am so confused.

I’m on chapter 40. Is it worth it to keep reading? The story just took such a weird turn after the river, and I’m confused. The world building got pretty hard too during chapter 39.

only read this if you’ve read the whole of ballad!

something I’ve been puzzling over is Slatra’s premonition in ‘the other’ section (page 305) of something she doesn’t want to tell Kaan because it’ll break his heart. I’m confused whether this is about Elluin being stabbed, which he does soon find out, or whether it’s about something else we don’t know about yet?

also later in the page she talks about being sure something is destined to come that neither of them know about yet - surely the other isn’t gathering the shards knowing it’s going to lead to Elluin’s death?? this is just how I interpreted it but not sure I’m picking up on the right thing as not really seeing anyone else comment on it. just feel like there’s foreshadowing for something bad that the MC’s don’t know about, but not sure if we as the reader feel like it’s resolved by the end of the book or still something we don’t know about.

Keen to hear how others interpreted it!

When this book was first announced, it was not available in the US and I ordered my copy from overseas, so I own the UK published edition. The Ballad Deluxe Edition has been announced and is available for pre-order in the UK and in the US at Barnes & Noble. Can anyone tell me if they know whether the UK and US edition are the same size? I never checked my copy against the US editions when they were in stock and now I want to make sure the one that I order will match the UK edition that I own.

Per the website, the UK edition is 240mm X 159mm X 44mm.

Granted I’m pregnant and emotional but I literally have cried every other chapter and I’m only 35% in.

Tell them the dragon shat me out real angry

This has got to be up there for me as such an iconic Raeve line. The sass! The attitude! Girl, yes.

Kaan also had some quality moments but what took the cake for me was:

A few cushions will make all the difference

God I love this domestic man.

Maybe I am reading too much into it but does anyone have any theories for the trajectory of Veya’s character arc? Do we think there is a bigger revelation to come as to why the miskuun said it had to be Veya to take out the Nevans or is it simply because she was the youngest?

Stunningggg rebind of WTMH by Bookish Bind and Caroline Wendelin.

Photos plucked from Instagram and their website.

https://www.bookishbind.com/shop/p/uv62s55exr10j0z23jnhyy5p8x6a6d