Academy fantasy is all the rage these days, and it’s easy to see why. They offer compelling, coming-of-age stories, filled with personal rivalry and conflict. You can have all the action without needing to write any complex geopolitics. The Ellyrian Code is a new addition to the genre, and, as it has dragons too, it might be easy to write it off as just another Fourth Wing clone. But would that be a fair comparison?
As they enrol in the university, the new students are blissfully unaware of all this. Christina is attacked on the way to Eshtem, which will later lead her to investigate the secrets kept and lies being told by the order. She is also the first royal from her clan to attend in generations. Jenne is a commoner who hates nobles, and is missing memories of her past. Jadon, another noble, is intelligent, articulate, and gifted in physical endeavours too. (His sort turns up in lots of these sorts of books). Yet, whatever he does, Jadon’s father always pushes him harder. His roommate, Diar, wants nothing but to qualify for next year, despite the unflinching training regime. Can Diar hold everything together as he becomes closer to each of the three?
As friendships deepen, evidence of corruption at the heart of the Order surfaces. Can the students progress to the next year, or will they become victims of unseen machinations from behind the scenes?
Not going to lie, the reductive review of the Ellyrian Code would be “Fourth Wing without the sex,” which would probably make it more appealing for some, and considerably less so for others. Ellyrian Code is a more subtle rendition of the school academy setting, and while there is some romance and chemistry between the students, there are no overwrought “why do I like the bad boy?” internal monologues or much “will-they-won’t-they, course-they-will,” angst to wade through.
Having said that, the plot of The Ellyrian Code is also more pedestrian than Fourth Wing. Both have shadowy politics and clandestine movers, but Rebecca Yarros, grabs you by the short and curlies and drags you into her story. Again, The Ellyrian Code is more subtle.
The more perceptive amongst you might see that subtle and “boring” are interchangeable here, and I’d be hard pressed to deny it. The Ellyrian Code is more boring than Fourth Wing, but to borrow from the zeitgeist of 2023, Oppenheimer is arguably more boring than Barbie, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy both.
About halfway through The Ellyrian Code, I did begin to wonder whether it was going to be worth finishing, but gradually, the characters and setting worked their way into my heart. There is a slow-burn buildup of political interplay and the deeper mystery surrounding the events shown in the prologue.
It was no surprise to me that the achingly handsome boy noble, who seemingly had the world handed to him, would have hidden depths, but his character arc is well-realised by Peterson. By the end of the novel, I found his journey realistic and, better yet, intriguing.
This is the first book in a series, and while I do feel it took Peterson too long to set the scene in The Ellyrian Code, now that the setting is established, I’m hanging out for more. Having painstakingly constructed her world, the author poses her readers many questions, which I am keen to find the answers to.
If you’re looking for thoughtful fantasy, with believable character arcs, you could do a lot worse than picking up The Ellyrian Code.
If you would like to pick up a copy of The Ellyrian Code, you can do so here in the US and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
Source: geekdad.com