I really didn’t like this - it was just so confusing and I couldn’t relate to any of the characters!

3.5⭐ rounded up. Thank you NetGalley & Angry Robot for the ARC.

Given that it's compared to Fourth Wing in the synopsis, imagine a military academy but with far more explored and fleshed out politics, lesson scenes with thought-provoking discourse on ethics taking place, and a focus on building up the friendship before diving into a potentially rushed romance. Ellyrian Code has a lot of potential to be a future fave especially with such a promising ending that sets up the sequel: the arrogant, foolhardy Privileged Boy has gone through his character development and now strives to be a better person + the truth of the Covered Up Conspiracy unveiled by three students is about to explode into something bigger.

Given the youth of the characters, I will say that there are times when their immaturity and pettiness inevitably got on my nerves, but fortunately not enough of a complete turn off to make me dread reading their chapters. For the most part, even when the POV characters annoyed me, they have qualities and moments that I DO like, which makes them more well-rounded characters in my eyes. i.e. Jadon can come off pompous and oblivious to how insensitive his privileged comments are, but ultimately he is ignorant & not malicious, and tries to use what power he holds to be as compassionate as he can. Jenne's jealousy towards Christina over a boy of all things is eyeroll-worthy, but when it comes to a critical moment that required her help, she really pulled through. Her Eat-the-Rich mentality is so relatable as well, even if overzealous a few times.

Meanwhile, the other two POV characters Christina and Diar are easy for me to grow invested in and root for. The former makes a sincere attempt to unpack her privileged mindset and form friendships across class lines, while the latter is one of the most earnest characters in the book who just wants to do good. All four POV characters also have a solid sense of justice and morality, making them all at the very least palatable to consume, given that they are literally in military school which historically is a tool for imperialism. (If Ellyrian Code eventually unpacks how flawed that system is, I would be very impressed.)

I will say that the magic system could be better explained, because it still feels rather vague to me. But like the dragon aspect of the plot that's barely touched on, I figure that we as the reader are being introduced to these concepts the same way the students are: first-years don't touch anything dragon-related and the different types of magic till much later into their academic journey. Interesting narrative strategy, but I don't mind it.

This is very much a university story, even with the outlandish elements that are part and parcel of a fantasy. So if you're in the mood for lectures and Students Doing Student Things, this will be a fun ride. I certainly did overall.

I enjoyed this one but I have a lot of thoughts 😅

The comparison with Fourth Wing and The Atlas Six on the blurb threw me off. I know these are popular titles but in my opinion "it’s a magical academy and we have dragons" is where the comparison ends. To me, this book is a slow paced high fantasy laced with political intrigue and no action or significant romance.

I enjoyed the magical academy setting. The world and the magic were intriguing, but by the end of the book we still know very little about those aspects, I'm guessing we’ll learn more in the sequels.
The class system between noble houses was the most explored aspect and seemed deceptively simple, but also it was never properly explained, so I kept getting lost as to what it meant to belong to a Blood, Gold or War house.

I came to like the different narrators, but some of them didn’t seem to have distinct personalities. I kept mixing Jenne and Christina in my head because their voices seemed very similar to each other, even though their backstories were completely opposite.

(some mild spoilers from here on)

Jenne's character was weird to me because she never questions her lack of memory. I know we're actually told memories can be magically removed and the person made to not question it, so I'm assuming this is what’s happening, but I wished the character would’ve explored this point a bit more.

Christina's obsession with the outlaw was a bit too over the top in my opinion. Her reasons for being invested in the potential conspiracy/coverup were glossed over. We got very little insight into her past or personality to explain why she would risk expulsion and spend all her free time pursing this investigation.

I liked Diar the best, his personality was the most distinctive to me, but at the same time we know almost nothing about him other than vague allusions to his beliefs/religious upbringing.

I thought I found Jadon interesting but by the end I wondered if I was blindsided by the author, who certainly thought this was the most interesting character and wanted us to think that too, but showed little proof of it. I did enjoy the moments when Jadon has to pass judgement or devise strategies, but I disliked that he was lazy and entitled when at class, and antagonized everyone else just because he could.

On a positive note, the story doesn’t seem to follow a traditional structure, and it’s not a rehash of all the popular tropes of the latest fantasy books, so I actually never guessed where the story was going, I had to keep reading to find out.

Overall my main gripe was that the whole book felt like a long introduction to the story the author actually wanted to tell. I'll have to wait and see how the story progresses in the following books.

I haven't read The Fourth Wing or The Atlas Six, yet so this story was new for me. It's highly political even in an academia standpoint. The characters I followed were still students but they were dealing with their world's politics nonetheless, not that I'm complaining cause I unbelievably enjoyed those parts (though some parts were a bit too much).

The world-building was awesome but the number of characters I needed to know was overwhelming and not just characters but their houses, too! Just 35% in and I already had a gazillion names and houses churning in my head! Add in the names of places and I was almost done for!

Honestly, I didn't actually get where the story was going until around the 70-75% mark. It majorly felt like an introduction book with me following the daily university lives of 4 students. I didn't care for the romance, as well, thinking that I wanted to skip those parts (even though I loved Diar so much and can relate to him this entire time) cause they didn't have a chemistry at all.

The ending was something, though! I've been waiting for so long for certain characters to connect and they only did at the end! Now, I want the next book even though this one hasn't been released, yet!


Thank you very much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing me with the eARC!

DNF for me at 30% unfortunately. I was confused, didn’t know where the plot was going and there was too many characters.

Wow. This is definitely the beginning of an amazing series with an incredible world and lots of politics. It was definitely a beast to get through, learning all the characters, houses, and the political structure. But this was so beautifully written and kept me on my toes. The characters are all very unique and have their own reasons for being where they are. Can’t wait to see where this goes and how far this series will spand!

I featured in my June 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q31xhbo1tE, and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me at around 20%.
There were too many characters/names etc and I just found it a bit chaotic

NOTHING like Fourth Wing or the Atlas Six - except for the fact that there are dragons (although they are very much in the background for now, a mystery to be uncovered later) and the bulk of it is set at a college, a university where young people train to be Edrei: the elites who keep the peace, learn magic, and ride dragons.

But all of this is very much in the future for our candidates. There is the usual school politics, nemeses amongst classmates and tutors, but there’s no tuition in magic or dragons - yet. Instead they learn ethics and history and swordplay as lowly first years, although this doesn’t prevent them from getting into trouble.

We follow four main characters. Jadon is a spoiled prince, aware of his privilege but not afraid to use it; but under his laissez-Faire attitude to the rules he has a core of fairness and the desire to do what is right, despite his tyrannical father. Christina is an idealistic princess, who stumbles across a mystery - possibly a conspiracy - which might undermine the whole integrity of the Edrei. Diar, sworn to her house, is drawn into this mystery - whilst also attempting to keep roommate Jadon out of trouble, and struggling with feelings for Jenne, a common-born and naturally talented student who despises the nobles, hiding secrets of her own.

Well told and engaging, this is a fantastic read and I’ll be looking forward to the next instalment. The world building is engaging, the pacing and structure is solid, and the characters are just as annoying and sympathetic as real teenagers are.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I’m currently making my way through Samantha Shannon’s Bone Season series and the world building in this felt very similar, it’s brilliant.

The only slight let down is the magic system isn’t given nearly as much description as the world, and I hope we get to learn more about it in the future.

Like most first books in a fantasy series, this was really setting us up to learn the world for the stuff that’s going to down in the future, but overall it was enjoyable and I really liked the setting.
Also, dragons!

I’m unsure how to feel. I honestly don’t think this was marketed very well. Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six are some pretty big shoes to fill and while I would never expect a book to match their comps completely, this didn’t have similar vibes like I was hoping for. I was expecting more of a romance and character focused story versus heavy on the world building and plot. From what I read, I think this will be better for epic fantasy lovers who are in the mood for a slower pace and an expansive world, but this didn’t work for me from what I read. I DNF’d pretty early on so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

Though not a book I would've typically picked up, I was thankful to recieve this as an ARC from Angry Robot after having participated in its original cover reveal. Recommended for fans of fourth wing, we have academia, magic, dragons, and fierce competition, all tied together through politics and secrecy that may be hiding cover ups and wrong doings.

Individuals studying to become Edrei at the university follow the strict Ellyrian Codes, and though they are supposed to leave their previous classes at the door class divides often cause drama and leave many characters at odds with one another. While this was somewhat slow paced for me I can understand that this is necessary to build the world, its conflicts and its characters foundations for the wider series. While hard to follow at first, once competition has amped up for the Tourney all first years must face I found the following intrigue was enough to keep me hooked into wanting to know more about a lost rebel we see as central to much of the potential political mystery.

Overall, though not my favourite book I appreciated how diverse the cast in this was, and how each's personality come to complement one another as we see an unlikely bunch come together. As the wider series as a whole comes into our hands though I cannot wait to see where our odd group moves onto, if all make Edrei, and if they ever solve some of the political questions that currently hang in the balance.

I really loved this book! I am not usually a high fantasy reader, but this was great!!

It reminds me of FW, but with a much better plot and more focus on the academy and political intrigue aspects. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who prefers this over the romance in FW.

The magic system is really cool, but lacks descriptions in some areas. I hope to see it more laid out and explained in future books.

This book is easily one of my favorite reads of the year!!!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the EARC of The Ellyrian Code by B.F. Peterson, in exchange for an honest review.

From reading the blurb, I was super excited for this - it promises Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six in an epic fantasy set in an elite university. Academia, fantasy, and dragons?! Sign me up! ,

The story is about 4 students: Christina, Jadon, Jenne and Diar, who come from a broad range of backgrounds who are going to study at Eshtem University.

Unfortunately for me I found this super slow and lacklustre, and especially hard to build connections with the characters which made this book quite heavy. which nearly caused me to DNF.
The idea was superb, but for me just fell short, but that being said I'm sure this will be a hit with other readers, but sadly not for me,

2.5 stars rounded up.

To be honest I struggled with this book. I found it hard to stick with the storyline and connect with the characters . I found it hard to follow along and stay with the story. A very slow pace.

I've read The Ellyrian Code by B.F. Peterson as an arc, given by Netgalley, Angry Robot and offcourse the author B.F.Peterson, this in exchange for an honest review.

The story is about 4 students: Christina, Jadon, Jenne and Diar, all 4 of different backgrounds who's going to study at the prestigiouos Eshtem University. The place where everyone is all and the same person and try to become a member of the order of peacekeepers (and with dragons! and magic!)

You can compare it with Fourth Wing but more political, more serious and not really romance. If you like more the political and the more serious story, that's the one for you. For me, I did struggle a bit in the beginning to get a connection with the characters. I lacked the more cosy world-building where I can read this curled under my blanket.

It's my opinion and I tried to feel it but I feel more detached from all. So for me this is a 3 star read. But it can be a 4 or 5 star for someone else.

Thank you for this ARC! Unfortunately this story and writing style wasn't for me. There was a lot of information, and not a lot of plot movement. The pacing was glacial, and I found it really difficult to connect with the characters. I will probably not check out the sequel.

3.5 stars

The world-building is rich and ambitious, and the multiple POVs give the story depth, but I struggled to connect with the characters and felt a bit lost in the beginning. The pacing is definitely a slow burn, and while I can appreciate a more patient storytelling style, it left me feeling detached at times.

That being said, I am very intrigued to continue with the series

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 The Ellyrian Code
✒️ B.F. Peterson
💫💫

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love it. I really did. Being pitched as Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six had me so excited.
But it fell short.
The stakes felt non-existent for a society that is meant to be intense. This book is driven by the characters completely, which is not a bad thing. I don't mind it when the characters dictate the pace. What I had issues with was that I didn't develop any connections to these characters, and because of this I just did not care... I feel horrible saying it.
I just feel like it had the potential but something went wrong. I also think it is nothing like Fourth Wing apart from there being dragons and trials and inner conflict in the university.

Marketed as Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six, The Ellyrian Code feels more like its own beast being quieter, smarter and more political than pulse-pounding. Readers expecting high-stakes romance or action may be surprised as this book leans more into slow-burning political tension, ethical complexity and intricate character work.

Set in the elite Eshtem University, we follow four first-year students - a prince, a princess, a noble, and a commoner - as they navigate class divides, philosophical debates, and emerging conspiracies. Magic takes a backseat to ethics and power structures (for now), but there are tantalizing hints of dragons and arcane conflict to come.

It’s definitely a slow burn and occasionally dense, but if you love academic settings, morally complicated characters and stories that ask big questions this is a strong, thoughtful entry in the genre. I’m really curious where the next book takes us.

Recommended for: Fans of political intrigue, ethical dilemmas, and character-first fantasy with brains.

Thanks to Angry Robot Books & NetGalley for the ARC!