This book should have been right up my alley but it turned out to be a pretty bad one – and I’m not sure why I persevered through to the end.
I heard that it features dragons prominently, so that was the initial hook. I really liked the books by Naomi Novik, so I thought I’d check this one out.
What the hell?
More of a horny romance book full of tropes lifted from the likes of Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Twilight. Dialogue written like a people are teenagers, laced with pop-culture expressions and social issues from 2023 USA. An over-the-top sexualization and objectification of the male romantic interest – and page after page of description of his physical traits. Would this be acceptable if the main character was so focused on the physical traits of a female interest?
From a story point of view I thought it would be much more interesting to focus on the relationship between the dragon and the rider – Novik’s books do this so well – where here the dragon is sort of the background to the main character’s attraction/lust.
So if you’re in the market for a well-written book with dragons that doesn’t treat you like a teenager, Naomi Novik’s series with Temeraire is what I recommend. Skip this one.
Next I am reading Devil In A Blue Dress by Walter Mosley.
