eragon (the inheritance cyle #1) by christopher paolini
✨✨✨✨✨
the short version:
this book raised me. it’s got dragons, prophecies, and a farm boy who discovers he’s special — aka the fantasy starter pack. is it perfect? no. do i care? also no. 5 stars for the sheer chokehold this book had on my childhood.
the vibes:
🐉 dragons (duh)
🧙♂️ mysterious mentor who absolutely knows more than they’re saying
🏔️ epic fantasy world with too many names to remember
😬 main character who has one brain cell and it’s borrowed
the plot:
eragon finds a shiny egg. surprise, it’s a dragon egg! now he’s on the run from evil forces, training to be a dragon rider, and carrying the weight of the entire plot on his teenage shoulders. there’s a wise old mentor, a tragic backstory reveal, and a lot of dramatic staring into the distance. also, saphira (the dragon) is the real MVP.
my thoughts:
okay so. baby me thought this was the most important book ever written. it was my gateway to fantasy, so it has permanent squatter’s rights in my heart. that said — reading it now? eragon’s decision-making skills are deeply concerning. like sir, please think one time before acting.
but honestly? saphira makes up for all of it. she’s sarcastic, loyal, and absolutely done with eragon’s nonsense from the second she hatches. if this book was just 500 pages of her roasting him, it would be a masterpiece.
the writing itself? look, paolini was 15 when he wrote this, and sometimes you can tell. the pacing is a little chaotic and the dialogue sometimes sounds like a middle school play, but there’s so much heart in it. you can feel how much he loves this world, and that’s contagious.
also, fun fact: this book made me briefly believe i could learn to sword fight in my backyard. i could not.
final verdict:
✨✨✨✨✨
read this if you:
love classic, slightly chaotic chosen one stories
want a dragon bestie
don’t mind a main character who desperately needs a nap and a therapist
skip this if you:
need flawless prose
hate long travel sequences where nothing happens (i actually didn’t mind this tho, it still felt like there was stuff happening)
are allergic to books that spawned entire personality eras in 2008
