Eragon/Eldest Trade Paperback Boxed Set (Inheritance Cycle, 1-2)

by Christopher Paolini

Eragon and Eldest is slow-paced, predictable, repetitive and extremely descriptive, but it's these aspects that make for a relaxing, calming and enjoyable audiobook experience. 

Eragon is one of the OG Gary-Stu's. I don't mind the Farmboy-Becomes-The-Chosen-One trope, as long as the character is compelling and there's no deus ex machina happenings, but Eragon is just alright. While I do like some of the secondary characters, such as Saphira, Arya, Angela, Nasuada and Murtagh (whose appearance at the end could be the origin of a potentially amazing anti-hero), I didn't get attached to any of them. 

My favourite part is obviously the dragons. I love books with dragons, but it's so difficult to find amazing ones. The bond between Eragon and Saphira is fantastic and heartwarming and Saphira is so EPIC. 

While this book has a traditional fantasy world, it's still rich and extensive. The world becomes more expansive in Eldest as Eragon travels to different places and it is interesting to see how the different races live and interact. 

The plot progression has ups-and-downs. There are parts where the plot is action-packed and fast-paced and other parts that are slow and bogged down - usually having too many descriptive passages and not enough happenings. 

A world that's predictable and formulaic, one where you know exactly what to expect, but still a great audiobook experience. I'm so glad that I reread Eragon and Eldest via audiobook because I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much otherwise.