DNF

I picked this due to the "Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six" description but I just could not get into the story and I did not bond or cared about any character at all.
The book felt more like telling than showing and also the number of characters made it difficult to keep up!

𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

I found The Ellyrian Code to be an enjoyable, richly layered novel full of dark academia, intricate magic systems and intellectual intrigue. The world is well built and builds it's prose around the well loved trope of "knowledge being power and therefore, dangerous." The story unfolds slowly, allowing the reader to sink deeply into the details of the University and intimately get to know our group of main characters. Although it does feel like the story takes a long time to get where it's going, the pacing feels deliberate leaning more on thoughtful immersion rather than action packed high stakes. It's a thinker's read for sure. If you love an intelligent academic fantasy. If you love a bit of the arcane and a bit of politics. If you love a slow build. This is for you.

This is a fantasy academic novel with an intriguing plot and cast of characters. The novel follows four students, all from different backgrounds, as they navigate their journey to the school Eshtem to become part of the Edrei, the Order that seeks to protect the realm. The alternating points of view worked really well in this novel, as each character reveals important details about the world and its politics, and their interactions with each other and the other students shapes them through their stories. I really enjoyed the class politics raised by the novel, as the school is attended by commoners and nobles of different Houses who are meant to put their backgrounds aside and become equals at Eshtem, but it is very quickly revealed that social hierarchies prevail among students and their teachers, who reward and punish students differently depending on their background.

Some of the characters, particularly the Princess Cristina, increasingly start to question the honour and integrity of the Edrei as secrets and injustices become apparent, but this plays in the background of other trials faced by the students during their scholarly journeys. This novel is the first of a series, so the intrigue is a slow burn and none of these secrets are fully revealed, let alone resolved, by the end of the novel. The ending isn't gripping enough to be a cliffhanger, but it does set up the potential for a longer exploration of this plot and the futures of the four students. Overall, the book works well for setting up the series in terms of worldbuilding, the characters, and the mystery that will be unravelled throughout its sequels. My hope is that the following novels would be slightly faster paced, but I still found this first instalment compelling enough.

While I enjoyed the plot, the main issue I had with this book is the themes of racism and sexism that aren't dealt with particularly well - it is never explained why, in this fictional world, women and the darker skinned Risharan people are assumed to be less capable. It doesn't add anything to the plot, as the divide between the nobles and commonfolk already features as the main point of social hierarchy, and is far from a nuanced exploration of the roots of racial and gender injustice.

The Ellyrian Code is an epic fantasy set within an elite university.
We follow four students on their quest to make it into the order to become magicians and dragon riders. They are tested on their morals just as much as their power. The book covers lots of political intrigue and morality, which was interesting.
The characters are all distinct and highly competitive - so I can understand the comparison to The Atlas Six. There is also a nice romance subplot that I really enjoyed and got me invested into the characters more.
In terms of dragons this is clearly just the beginning and we only get a teaser of them. I loved how elusive they are and cannot wait to find out more about them as these characters progress.
The timeline is the first year and this really worked - bring on second year! I loved the epic feel of this book and just know this is going to be one of those series that develops into an immense and immersive world.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

this book was hard to get through. I couldn't get interested in the plot or the characters. after finishing the book I can't even tell you what happened honestly.

This is a highly political epic fantasy set at a college training the next generation of Edrei, a free group of individuals who attempt to keep the peace, and, if fully-fledged, ride dragons. Dragons do not feature prominently in this first installment, appearing a total of five times maximum. I think it is a good, strong set up for its sequel, and is extremely heavy on the worldbuilding while establishing the differing personalities of our four main characters: Diar, Jenne, Charlotte and Jadon. Peterson is great at giving them each a different background, mindsets, character traits and likability/relatability, but it doesn't feel to me like all that much happened other than attending classes, a few stressful trials, and then an event at the end which felt like the top of an arc that we needed to jump off from in order to learn more about the real dangers outside the Edrei college. We hear of prophecies, but not their specific actual wording. We hear of a rumored evil gathering strength, but only one potential piece of evidence at the very end. I really think this book is just a set up for the next installment, and it is probably best to read once the sequel is out in order to better enjoy it. The characters were diverse, but unfortunately after reading this... I do not think reading the sequel will be a high priority.

Also, I do not understand the amount of misogyny and self-doubt from Charlotte specifically on her capability. It seems as unnecessary as adding the touch of racism with the Risharan people having darker skin because their ancestors married Elves, and that causing the students from nobility to assume Risharan's would not be as smart or worthy of attending the Edrei college.

The Ellyrian Code invites readers into a richly imagined world where young recruits at Eshtem University train as dragon-riding, magic-wielding peacekeepers. The story follows four distinct students: Jadon, a privileged prince seeking freedom from his father’s schemes; Christina, a princess devoted to the Order’s ideals; Jenne, a fierce competitor who despises the nobility; and Diar, caught between loyalty and affection.

As their training intensifies, cracks appear in the Order’s perfect facade, forcing the students to question their beliefs, alliances, and ambitions. Peterson’s narrative explores themes of power, trust, and integrity with engaging character dynamics and a vivid fantasy setting.

This is a captivating tale of friendship, rivalry, and the challenges of growing up in a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Four initiates take their places at Eshtem University in hopes of being selected to learn magic, interact with dragons, and become part of an elite order of peacekeepers. Jadon is the privileged High Prince of one of the War Houses who assumed his place among the Edrei was predetermined. Jenne is a commoner who remembers nothing about her life prior to her enrollment at the university. Princess Christina is the first royal of her House to attend Esthem in a century, and she is determined to perform well. Diar is the thread that links all these characters together, forging unlikely friendships and allegiances despite this society's rigid expectations of loyalty to one's house.

I enjoyed the mixture of POVs in this story, the academic setting, the hint of corruption within this supposedly idealistic Order, and the set up for a complex political and magical system. I wish we learned more about the magic system and history of this world, but I hope that as the series progresses we will learn more as the characters progress through their education. This story takes quite a bit of time to establish the characters and weave their threads together, which I liked. There is so much potential for where this story can lead, and I am definitely interested in reading a sequel. I am hoping the end set us up for some great found family dynamics in the future!

I would hesitate to compare this book to Fourth Wing, as the school setting is the main thing these 2 books have in common. Dragons play a very small role in this book as the first year initiates have very limited interaction with them (although I am hoping there will be more dragons in future installments).

Thank you Angry Robot & Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This one was 50/50 for me.
- I enjoyed the world building and the authors ease to be able to carry and tell a story well.
- I enjoyed some of the characters, some I just didn’t like or care for.
- I will always enjoy povs, I wish we got some more emotion and depth from the characters though.
- the book is heavy on political fantasy, so it took me a while to read this as I have to be in the right frame of mind to read that, however that is just me.
- I feel as though the world building was setting up for the other books in this series, this is book one so is understandable.
- the pace was slow, so another reason it took me a while to read as I kept leaving and coming back to try and finish it.

All in all I enjoyed the world building and some of the characters and the world seems like it has potetiyfor future books, however I’m a vibe reader and it took me a while to read this, however if you like political high fantasy books with some academia, I would recommend you this book

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an arc copy!

I went into The Ellyrian Code completely blind—not even sure what I was in for. I’ve been deep in my fantasy era lately (someone please drop those sequel release dates 😩), and I picked this up hoping to fill the void. I expected broody royals, dragons, a magical academy divided by ranks and relics. The usual, right?
Wrong. So wrong.
Yes, this story starts with familiar beats—four students at a prestigious magical university, all competing for a place in the Order of the Edrei, aka elite dragon-riding peacekeepers of the realm. But somewhere around the halfway point, it hit me: B.F. Peterson is playing the long game. This isn’t just dragons and drama. It’s a story about legacy, power, and the lies people live with. About who we are when no one’s watching, and what we’ll sacrifice for love, loyalty, or revenge.
We get four POVs here, and while that can sometimes feel chaotic, it totally worked. Each perspective felt distinct and intentional, like pieces of a larger truth slowly falling into place. Character-wise, the cast is diverse and morally complicated in a way that kept me turning pages. Jadon, the high prince trying to outrun his legacy, and Jenne, the girl who has a mysterious gap in memory, were both standout POVs. The personal stakes felt high, and the academic/elite training environment added a fun, competitive energy.

The world-building? Deep. Think religions, languages, political factions—Peterson went all in. But heads up: it’s a “keep your brain on” kind of read. A map and glossary would’ve helped a ton, and I had to reread a few sections just to keep things straight. Still, I stayed locked in because the tension and stakes were worth it.

There are some areas that could use refinement—certain character portrayals and terminology may spark valid conversations. But overall, this is a promising start to a new fantasy series that fans of dragons, dark academia, and tangled destinies will definitely want to check out.

Tropes:
🐉 Dragons and magic ✨
🎓 Elite magical academy
👥 Rivals-to-friends
🧠 Memory loss + hidden past
⚔️ Political intrigue

All in all, The Ellyrian Code is an ambitious, layered start to a new fantasy series that feels like it’s only just beginning to reveal its secrets.

B.F. Peterson’s debut novel, The Ellyrian Code: The Treaty of Edriendor, offers a compelling addition to the epic fantasy genre, blending elements of dark academia with political intrigue. Set within the prestigious Eshtem University, the narrative follows four diverse students—Jadon, Christina, Jenne, and Diar—as they navigate the challenges of becoming members of the elite Order of the Edrei, guardians of dragons and magic.

The novel delves into themes of identity, privilege, and institutional corruption. Each character brings a unique perspective: Jadon, a high prince seeking escape from political machinations; Christina, a princess from a rival house determined to uphold the Order's ideals; Jenne, a commoner with a mysterious past; and Diar, caught between personal loyalties and emerging truths. Their interactions and evolving relationships add depth to the story, highlighting the complexities of friendship and duty.

While the book is marketed as "Fourth Wing meets The Atlas Six," it's important to note that The Ellyrian Code leans more towards introspective character development than action-packed sequences. The presence of dragons and magic is subtle, serving more as a backdrop to the characters' personal journeys and the unfolding political drama. This approach may appeal to readers who appreciate nuanced storytelling and character-driven narratives.

The prose is thoughtful, and the pacing allows for a gradual immersion into the world of Ellyrian. Peterson's background in psychology is evident in the intricate portrayal of her characters' internal conflicts and motivations.
However, readers seeking a fast-paced fantasy with prominent magical elements might find the narrative's focus on character introspection and institutional critique a departure from traditional genre expectations.

In summary, The Ellyrian Code presents a mature and reflective take on fantasy tropes, emphasizing character growth and societal commentary over conventional action. It's a promising start to a series that invites readers to ponder the true meaning of honor and the complexities of institutional power.

This is a solid epic fantasy set in an elite university where magic, politics, and power intersect. The story is rich with character development, and I especially loved Jadon and Christina—complex, flawed, and so well written. The multiple POVs added a lot of depth, showing how each character’s background and beliefs shape their choices.

It’s a slowburn, character-driven read—less about nonstop action and more about the emotional and political stakes. The academic setting creates a unique pressure-cooker atmosphere, and the way the book explores class, privilege, and the question of who deserves power really stood out to me.

The worldbuilding is thoughtful, the themes are timely, and the tension builds beautifully as the characters are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about the order they’ve been taught to revere.

Thanks to Angry Robot for the gifted ARC. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy with layered characters, moral complexity, and slow-building tension, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy.

This was superfun! I don’t really agree with the atlas six comparison (though I loved them both), but this was thoroughly entertaining! Lots of politics, characters I genuinely became invested in, and good pacing. I give it 4,8 stars. It would have been a clean 5/5 stars if it wasn’t for the fact that I _hate_ the miscommunication trope which this (kind of) has. The kind of is why I didn’t drop it a star. Absolutely recommend people read this book.

I liked this book. The Ellyrian Code is a political fantasy, with a mixture of high stakes of political intrigue and life in an elite university, where four students compete for a place in the mysterious Order of Ellyria.

What stood out most was the layered storytelling. It digs into themes of institutional corruption, identity, and the cost of ambition. The political side of the story took a huge place in the book; which is not something everyone will love. The pacing felt strong for most of the book and the payoff in the final chapters made it worth the wait. This book definitely has more high fantasy vibes than romantasy!

I liked when the characters feel real; and this book definitely offers that, with their flaws and weaknesses. It feels so much easier to understand them and relate to them!

The worldbuilding is immersive without being overwhelming, and the dragons are made into the plot with purpose, not just to have cool dragons.

A few parts of the story felt slightly dragged out (probably because it is so political centred) and I would’ve loved a bit more emotional depth from one or two of the POVs. But overall this was a good read!

I definitely recommended for fans of Fourth Wing or An Ember in the Ashes (which are books I loved!) or anyone who loves a magic school with secrets and serious stakes.

✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 3.7/5 .ᐟ

ʚɞ ⁺˖ premise .ᐟ follows four students at the prestigious eshtem institute, which is like harvard if harvard had dragons. features jadon, spoiled insufferable prince archetype everyone's seen a million times. christina, out-of-touch princess with a white savior complex (maybe i'm being a bit mean here). there's also diar and jenne, who i have no personality descriptors for because, despite taking up half the story, they don't do anything at all.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ plotline .ᐟ 90% setup for the next book. turtle pacing. nothing happens until the last quarter. jadon, at least, goes out and does things, but again, almost all of it is for the next installment's story. christina's arc is the second most fleshed out, but even then, over half of it is her getting information from a side character rather than her taking any action herself. at least half of jenne's and diar's arcs are them pining over each other, and then the other half is nothing. like i understand they have a lot less power compared to the other two, as they're commoners, but what do they even contribute?

ʚɞ ⁺˖ worldbuilding .ᐟ the only thing diar and jenne were good for, as they provided perspective of the culture and lives of normal people in ellyrian that jadon and christina would never know. overall, quite a highly developed universe, with immersive historical, cultural, and political imagery. the problem is that there's no actual story, so there's no way to remember this information. for context, i read a new-adult fantasy of similar complexity around mid-april, and i can still name all twelve countries and this and that king and side character #324. for the ellyrian code, i had to go find half the characters' names before writing this review, and i read this two weeks ago. all that worldbuilding and setup isn't impactful if there's no action to attract the audience.

one thing i found difficult to understand was how eshtem selected its students. it's meant to be incredibly elite, but they seem to accept literally anyone? half the students are portrayed as morons. these aren't rich people buying their way in either; they're dumb and POOR. and then 3/4 of the students are culled during first-year finals? is that not a ridiculous waste of resources? like how? + the misogyny is questionable. i understand eshtem isn't mainly a war college and the actual academics matter more, but if the girls are supposedly so weak none of them rank in the top 100 in fighting tournaments, and they're despised so much (and believe me, women. are. despised.), how are they getting in? and the majority of the female characters mentioned were also of middling intelligence? (not that the m*n were smart, but they obviously get more leeway with the administration.)

ʚɞ ⁺˖ characters .ᐟ

➺ jadon tu'hatreth. prince of hatreth. invented daddy issues. thinks he's god and everyone indulges him. secretly a softie in his soul, but very little of his actions demonstrate that. yes, i know he's constrained by his father, but this is a very boring, very overdone archetype. i did originally say he'd be more interesting as a female character, but then i actually read the book and it's set in some misogyny infested land circa 1478, so they probably would have set him on fire if he was a girl. he has more character development than everyone else, however, and his insights into the motivations of every other character make the book what it is. he also gets his brain developed in the last couple of chapters, so you can tell he's going to have a fascinating arc in book two. hopefully.

➺ christina tu'noraan. princess of noraan. literal nun. annoyed me so much in the beginning (she mother theresa'd so hard over a bandit that murdered her entire entourage, i ended up pro-cop. very embarrassing for the both of us). the thing about her savior complex is that it's actually extended to all of society, even if she's a bit dense, so she's quite feminist as well, which made me finally stop hating her. i loved her during the tourney and how she articulated her thoughts on representing women in the competition.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ diar who definitely has a last name that i don't remember. has three personality traits: christian, naive, in love with jenne. all he does is study, ponder about jenne this and jenne that, and go on quests for jadon and christina. he's quite literally an npc side character who glitched himself into getting a pov. we find out his importance to the story at the very end, and when does that happen? when he's on a mini quest for jadon. of course. i wish the only black character had a narrative of his own, or at least something a little interesting, but alas.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ jenne whose name i don't remember either. somehow worse off than diar. her main contribution to the story is being an antimonarchist. which is so cool, love that, but she doesn't do anything else. it's just her terrorizing christina when she breathes near diar and that's it. her introduction was gorgeous—she immediately became my favorite from the first time she was mentioned—and then 300 pages of nothing. she was introduced with amnesia and some sort of cult ceremony gone wrong, and somehow neither of these things were utilized within the story?? and the whole romance with diar dragged on and on. the other three characters, even if boring or annoying at most times, showed their relevancy to the plot by the end. jenne? nothing.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ romance .ᐟ so you can tell the motivation for the romance was contextualizing the rishtara(?) culture within ellyrian and not actually romance. which is fine, this is a political fantasy, but it does get to a point where the pen should be put down.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ overall, not really what i expected, so it made for an awkward reading experience. thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

This felt like Fourth Wing but with more political depth. Not bad, but I don't think I'll be reaching out for this book for a reread anytime soon.

The Ellyrian Code is absolutely one of my top three favorite books of the year! Getting into Eshtem University is beyond difficult; however, making it to graduation is almost impossible, with only the elite surviving. Jadon, the arrogant and reckless heir of the high prince, just wants to escape his overbearing father, and maybe showoff his physical and intellectual skills. Christina, a princess from a rival house, has always dreamed of attending the University, believing the Order to be the ideal representatives of law and order. When she is involved in a bandit attack on the way to Eshtem, she begins questioning everything she ever believed. Jenne, who has lost all recent memories (also not remembering how this occurred), just knows that, in addition to absolutely hating all nobles and what they stand for, she has always wanted to attend Esthem and prove her worth. Finally, Diar, a naive but determined and charismatic student, finds himself tangled in varying relationships with the other three, which proves to be a huge distraction when he should be focusing on surviving the University.

Seriously, The Ellyrian Code is a fantastic read! I absolutely loved all four of the main characters, with Jadon being my favorite. While the storylines of the main four do connect, bringing the characters together, they all each have their own storylines, including their own groups of friends and enemies. While that meant there were a lot of side characters/friends to remember, it was much more realistic. I truly felt like I was at a college with different friend groups who have varying interests. I found the relationships between each of the main characters to be well-developed and well-written. For me, the characters are what made this book so fantastic. The magic and world-building are also great; however, the characters - YES! The Ellyrian Code is action-packed, fast-paced, and just an overall incredible read. I cannot wait for the next book. I need it NOW! The Ellyrian Code is an easy five stars!

Intricate, thoughtful, and refreshingly different.
The Ellyrian Code isn’t your typical magic school story—it’s layered, political, and character-driven in a way that pulled me in slowly but deeply. The story follows four students at Eshtem University, where the stakes are higher than exams, and peacekeeping is taught alongside dragon-riding and diplomacy.

Each POV character brought something unique to the table, and I really appreciated how their choices were shaped by personal values, background, and the gray areas of morality. The world is complex, and while the magic system wasn’t always fully explained, I didn’t mind—the focus on ethics and power struggles kept me hooked.

It’s a slower-paced read, especially in the beginning, but it’s worth the investment if you like your fantasy thoughtful and a little more grounded. I’m curious to see where the series goes next!

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a complex but really interesting read. I loved the slow reveal of the characters and how their personalities grew with the story, several belong a lot more interesting than they first seem. The world is complicated and the story takes focus but I enjoyed the read.

thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for this eArc!
I reeeaallly wanted to love this! I liked it, but not loved… it definitely felt like fourth wings vibes, but maybe too much. It was much more focused on politics which I enjoyed but I feel like the story overall fell a bit flat to me. I just wanted more in every aspect. Again, I liked it, didn’t love.