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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
There were some areas of this book that I really enjoyed - the introduction of dragons in Africa in particular was a great narrative (we've met European dragons, Chinese dragons and heard rumors of American dragons - it was fascinating to see African dragons) - and things that drove me bit nuts - Laurence can be pretentious and arrogant at times, despite his heroic actions.
The cliffhanger is annoying , I dislike series that don't contain complete stories.... grrr...... I realize there's an art to wrapping up a plot while still leaving enough to tantalize a reader to continue, but cliffhangers seem cheap.
Some of the side plots and other recurring characters are becoming much more interesting to me than the leads. Catherine and Riley, for example - that's a fun dynamic. Jane has always been fascinating (although I have no clue why she bothers with Laurence, TBH) and it was good to see Maximus, Lily and some of the other dragons survive and I hope there are more of them in the upcoming books.
The cliffhanger is annoying , I dislike series that don't contain complete stories.... grrr...... I realize there's an art to wrapping up a plot while still leaving enough to tantalize a reader to continue, but cliffhangers seem cheap.
Some of the side plots and other recurring characters are becoming much more interesting to me than the leads. Catherine and Riley, for example - that's a fun dynamic. Jane has always been fascinating (although I have no clue why she bothers with Laurence, TBH) and it was good to see Maximus, Lily and some of the other dragons survive and I hope there are more of them in the upcoming books.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Solid overall, though still lacking the more lush narrative and complex characters I prefer. Nothing truly memorable or remarkable, but a good book nonetheless.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A much better book than the previous one, with much better pacing. The real downer of an ending took the edge off a possible 5 star rating though.
Temeraire and his crew finally make it home only to find most of the dragons sick with a lung complaint that kills them slowly and agonisingly. So, with barely time to draw breath they find themselves on their way to Africa to look for a cure. This seems to be little more than a blind stab in the dark, based on the fact that Temeraire didn't get sick. Some of the dragons in their formation also come along, in case it was just the warm climate that was the cure.
The series has briefly visited Africa before, in book 2. Then, Temeraire was alerted to the miseries of the slave trade, and spent some time flying into the interior. It was explained then that the continent was infested by feral dragons that killed anyone that ventured too far inland. This only proves to be half true, as the African dragons have actually created a substantial empire along with their human companions, around Victoria Falls. Held prisoner after raiding a patch of sacred magic mushrooms that prove to be the cure they are looking for, they finally escape only to find that the dragon king has destroyed all the outposts that support slavery. Africa is effectively lost to the British. This whole sequence is excellently written without being preachy, as the author explores the complicated relationship between black and white people in a continent that would become a battlefield in later decades, at least in our world. Here, the dragons have effectively stopped all that - there will be no exploitation of sub-Saharan Africa by the Europeans here, or at least not for a while.
That alone would be enough of a book for it to end here when the cure is administered to the sick dragons at home, but there is one final twist to this tale. Unbeknown to the Aerial Corps, the Admiralty
This was a pretty shocking turn of events, as it shows only too clearly the disdain that most people in this series hold for dragons, though some would argue that it was a legitimate tactic to use when faced with almost certain conquest. The moral implications of this act will no doubt be important in future stories, but it felt quite wrong to me as a plot device. I would much rather had seen a resurgent British dragon force beat the French on their own terms.
It was at least good to be reunited with the other dragons in Temeraire's battle formation, such as Maximus and Lily, though I was concerned that at least one of them was going to be killed off. It seems to be a brief interlude in the ever darkening plotlines here, though I am still keen to se what happens next.
Temeraire and his crew finally make it home only to find most of the dragons sick with a lung complaint that kills them slowly and agonisingly. So, with barely time to draw breath they find themselves on their way to Africa to look for a cure. This seems to be little more than a blind stab in the dark, based on the fact that Temeraire didn't get sick. Some of the dragons in their formation also come along, in case it was just the warm climate that was the cure.
The series has briefly visited Africa before, in book 2. Then, Temeraire was alerted to the miseries of the slave trade, and spent some time flying into the interior. It was explained then that the continent was infested by feral dragons that killed anyone that ventured too far inland. This only proves to be half true, as the African dragons have actually created a substantial empire along with their human companions, around Victoria Falls. Held prisoner after raiding a patch of sacred magic mushrooms that prove to be the cure they are looking for, they finally escape only to find that the dragon king has destroyed all the outposts that support slavery. Africa is effectively lost to the British. This whole sequence is excellently written without being preachy, as the author explores the complicated relationship between black and white people in a continent that would become a battlefield in later decades, at least in our world. Here, the dragons have effectively stopped all that - there will be no exploitation of sub-Saharan Africa by the Europeans here, or at least not for a while.
That alone would be enough of a book for it to end here when the cure is administered to the sick dragons at home, but there is one final twist to this tale. Unbeknown to the Aerial Corps, the Admiralty
Spoiler
deliberately infects a captured French dragon then sends it home to spread the infection amongst Napoleons force. Appalled, Laurence and Temeraire do the honorable thing by stealing some of the mushrooms and taking them to France. Condemned as a traitor, even Napoleon himself cannot persuade Laurence to stay, and so they return home to await their fate...This was a pretty shocking turn of events, as it shows only too clearly the disdain that most people in this series hold for dragons, though some would argue that it was a legitimate tactic to use when faced with almost certain conquest. The moral implications of this act will no doubt be important in future stories, but it felt quite wrong to me as a plot device. I would much rather had seen a resurgent British dragon force beat the French on their own terms.
It was at least good to be reunited with the other dragons in Temeraire's battle formation, such as Maximus and Lily, though I was concerned that at least one of them was going to be killed off. It seems to be a brief interlude in the ever darkening plotlines here, though I am still keen to se what happens next.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Love me some Temeraire. What's not to love about alt-history with DRAGONS?! Enjoyed the visit to the African continent. It was very interesting to see the dragons there and the lore that surrounded them. I was a bit surprised that they had as little trouble as they did finding the cure and also that it just so happened that Temeraire had caught the bug the previous year and had been in the right place at the right time to be treated. However, that was a pretty small thing to look past. This book was action packed and fast paced almost right from the get-go.
I immediately checked out the next book in the series as this one does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Think I am roped in and planning to read the rest of the series back to back. Well, as close to back to back as I can make myself manage while still fitting in Sword and Laser picks and a few other reads along the way. :)
I immediately checked out the next book in the series as this one does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Think I am roped in and planning to read the rest of the series back to back. Well, as close to back to back as I can make myself manage while still fitting in Sword and Laser picks and a few other reads along the way. :)
Five stars for the failure of colonialism in Africa thanks to the Tswana and for the heart-rending final few chapters.
3,5 stars for this one.
More entertaining than book 3. The high stakes introduced at the beginning make at least the start of the book much faster paced. The introduction of the African continent and the African dragons and culture is lovely, the ethical questions and comments on slavery important. The cliffhanger at the end is also quite good.
More entertaining than book 3. The high stakes introduced at the beginning make at least the start of the book much faster paced. The introduction of the African continent and the African dragons and culture is lovely, the ethical questions and comments on slavery important. The cliffhanger at the end is also quite good.
Oh for goodness sake. This book was an insane roller coaster ride.
The ending was one of the most cliffhangery things I've ever read. I'm so grateful that I can just barrel on to the next book and didn't have to wait 2 years for it!
Although I think I'm going to have to take a quick break from the Temeraire novels, I don't think my fangirl heart can take another one right now.
Again, I implore you all to read this series (especially on audiobook)!
The ending was one of the most cliffhangery things I've ever read. I'm so grateful that I can just barrel on to the next book and didn't have to wait 2 years for it!
Although I think I'm going to have to take a quick break from the Temeraire novels, I don't think my fangirl heart can take another one right now.
Again, I implore you all to read this series (especially on audiobook)!