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4.66k reviews for:
Téméraire - Tome I: Les dragons de sa majesté
Guillaume Fournier, Naomi Novik, Naomi Novik
4.05 AVERAGE
4.66k reviews for:
Téméraire - Tome I: Les dragons de sa majesté
Guillaume Fournier, Naomi Novik, Naomi Novik
4.05 AVERAGE
The premise — what if dragons existed and were weaponized during the Napoleonic wars — was super interesting, and I appreciated the dragon rider protagonist being a Navy officer as opposed to a child of destiny, as it allowed the author to play with some fish-out-of-water tropes instead of the typical chosen one stuff. I did struggle to remember all of the dragons, which type they were, their special attributes, and which riders went with which dragon, as by the end there were well over a dozen dragons named. Overall, I liked this book about as much as I could without wanting to keep reading the series, so I'd say 3.5 stars really. As for why I am not interested in continuing, what made this book fresh was its new and original ideas, and I fear the sequels will lose that novelty.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I want a dragon, that is all. Or alternatively, I would like my horse to speak with me lol. Temeraire was charming, He was sweet, innocent, and protective of his person and I just loved him. I will continue the series but have other books I am reading currently so It will have to wait.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this! This is how you write a book about dragon riding! I cant wait for more.
I was bored by the training plot, and annoyed by the main character’s reactions to women. Main character also had no defining characteristic besides “military” and “duty”
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Temeraire is so cute! I would die for him and all the other dragons🥺 These are the best dragons I’ve read, second only to Smaug.
Laurence is such a funny dude, truly an Austen character having to adjust to very non-Austen circumstances and always complaining about politeness and propriety. I’m so excited to see other kinds of dragons from around the world! It’s the dragon’s world we’re just living in it🐉🌎
Laurence is such a funny dude, truly an Austen character having to adjust to very non-Austen circumstances and always complaining about politeness and propriety. I’m so excited to see other kinds of dragons from around the world! It’s the dragon’s world we’re just living in it🐉🌎
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Imagine the Napoleonic War but with dragons. This book is such a fascinating blend of historical fiction and pure fantasy. Novik’s ability to fully embrace the speech, customs, and formality of the times while also immersing the reader in a world of dragons and politics is absolutely exquisite.
3.5
As someone who cares very little about both dragons and historical fiction, the first book in the Temeraire series about a captain and his dragon during the Napoleonic wars was a pleasant surprise.
Novik decided to make her dragons talk — which could have become very cheesy very fast — but it works here. Obviously the dragons and their training/fights were the most interesting part of the book, but it was paced well enough that the filler chapters weren’t too dull.
Speaking of dull, it’s a shame that this series follows Laurence when we could have followed the battle-hardened badass Jane Roland or rookie aviator Catherine Harcourt. Certain dragon breeds will only bond with a female captain and the presence of female aviators is kept a secret to those outside the service, which is a scenario just begging for a cool female lead! Laurence is meant to be a bit of a stick in the mud, which is fine, but he remained the same person throughout the book and his only personality traits were being obsessed with his dragon and being a bit of a hard ass.
I liked that we saw how intertwined the lives of the aviators and their dragons were and the mutual respect between them. I just wish Laurence and Temeraire had gone through some conflict that progressed their relationship, or that we saw some character growth from literally anyone, because there was not much here.
Luckily this is Naomi Novik so any criticisms I had were calmed by her amazing writing, and I’d be willing to see how this series progresses with book two.
As someone who cares very little about both dragons and historical fiction, the first book in the Temeraire series about a captain and his dragon during the Napoleonic wars was a pleasant surprise.
Novik decided to make her dragons talk — which could have become very cheesy very fast — but it works here. Obviously the dragons and their training/fights were the most interesting part of the book, but it was paced well enough that the filler chapters weren’t too dull.
Speaking of dull, it’s a shame that this series follows Laurence when we could have followed the battle-hardened badass Jane Roland or rookie aviator Catherine Harcourt. Certain dragon breeds will only bond with a female captain and the presence of female aviators is kept a secret to those outside the service, which is a scenario just begging for a cool female lead! Laurence is meant to be a bit of a stick in the mud, which is fine, but he remained the same person throughout the book and his only personality traits were being obsessed with his dragon and being a bit of a hard ass.
I liked that we saw how intertwined the lives of the aviators and their dragons were and the mutual respect between them. I just wish Laurence and Temeraire had gone through some conflict that progressed their relationship, or that we saw some character growth from literally anyone, because there was not much here.
Luckily this is Naomi Novik so any criticisms I had were calmed by her amazing writing, and I’d be willing to see how this series progresses with book two.