UptownOracle in Book Reviews

Uptown Oracle Reads… Moroda

Moroda by L.L. McRae

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In Linaria, dragons are revered as gods.

Airships command the skies.

And across the land, war is brewing.

Devastated by their father’s death, Moroda and her sister struggle to make ends meet. Things go from bad to worse when a rogue dragon destroys their city.

Fleeing on a sky pirate’s airship to escape the chaos, the sisters find themselves penned in by untrustworthy companions, a bloodthirsty warlord, and dragons on the rampage.

For Moroda, who would do anything to protect her sister, nowhere is safe. Not even the sky.

The balance of power in Linaria is tipping. Can one woman make a difference?

If you find this review familiar, it’s because I’ve already read and reviewed Moroda previously. But since then, L.L. MacRae has released multiple books in the World of Linaria Series, as well as other series and has re-written and updated Moroda for it’s second edition. Including the amazing update to the artwork.

Moroda follows it’s titular character as well as her sister Eryn as they find themselves on a journey escaping Corhaven with very different companions than they’re used to. I loved watching their interactions and sisterly bond throughout the story, as well as how their genuine niceness often softens those around them.

There’s a wide range of other characters who join them and each of these characters are so clearly distinct due to their personalities and backgrounds. MacRae writes in depth characterisation and makes you want to root for these characters, even when they’re not being the best people. I also liked that even by the end of the book some of the characters still didn’t get along, and this moves the series along with tension.

The plot and pace of the books is very fast even when not full of action, and you could easily read the whole of Moroda in a day or two. Whilst I was reading I felt like I was flying through it to find out what was going to happen next, even though it was a re-read and I knew the outcome.

The World of Linaria’s first book perfectly sets up the world. It contains so many different types of people and cultures, of which our characters show in depth throughout the story. There’s also a lot of prejudice and stereotypes, especiallly around characters like Sapora and Kohl, which we often see through preconcieved views from other characters.

On top of the people, we visit multiple locations within Moroda, all of which have very different feelings. The descriptions are vivid and it makes you want to continue exploring this world, and I was very excited to see this continue in future books too.

There’s also a very beautiful fantasy map of Linaria (above) which shows you just how far our characters travel. I loved the exploration aspect for some of our characters who’d never really traveled, and I’m excited to see some of the places on the map that we didn’t see in Moroda in the next few books.

One of my favourite things about Moroda is that it’s an adventure fantasy book, and whilst it does focus on friendships and relationships between our characters – it doesn’t have a romance sub-plot. I know some readers love fantasy romance, but if you’re looking for a non-romance read then this one is for you.

Overall I loved my re-read of Moroda and I’m excited to read and re-read the rest of the series too.