Reviews

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

rynflynn12's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lucinda_lesbrarian's review

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bestieandthebookish's review against another edition

3.0

This book was a wild ride! I was looking for more dragon books and instantly fell in love with the cover, tbh.

I enjoyed the world-building, the unique magic systems, and the characters! We have gender-fluid characters, prophecies, magical heists, sign language, and a sprinkle of romance. Again, the world-building was exceptional.

I felt like this book was a lot of world-building to set the tone for a great series! The different point of views and the way that it was written was so different and definitely added to the entire vibe of this book! I cannot wait to see how their story unfolds!

taniacorsini's review

adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

Loved the world building and thought the main character was so relatable

emohan's review

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Some of the Lore was confusing to me, but that could’ve just been my own misunderstanding. It was a little confusing in the beginning of the book while reading in first second and third person for each of the different points of view of the characters. This was an interesting take, but it did provide different voices for each of the characters and their points of view. I look forward to reading more about Everen and Arcady. I hope that they are able to make it back to each other and ultimately prevent the dragons from entering the human world. The plot twist with Magnus was unexpected, but at the same time makes sense in which the last other male dragon disappeared.

princenbeaux's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.0

anusername0521's review

adventurous medium-paced

3.5

kd_reading's review

adventurous 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

3.75

bookish_withsky's review against another edition

3.0

LGBTQ, dragons, enemies to lovers. Those three things are enough to convince nearly anyone to pick the book up and I am here for it. The pacing could feel slow in the first half, but the world building and writing is pretty phenomenal. That being said, I don't know that the POVs felt super different or as if they were genuinely different people. That's okay, I still had a pretty good time. Very much so excited to read the next of the series.

seshat59's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

<u>Dragonfall</u> was okay. Its clever, brilliant parts are often muddled by its info-dumping, and at times, it can’t get out of its own way. But let me attempt to work through my thoughts. 

The story alternates between three main characters: Everen, the last male dragon who dives—or is pulled?—through a rip in his world into another; Arcady, a non-binary, gender-fluid thief who accidentally summoned him and wishes to prove that their grandfather was not the villain he’s remembered as; and Sorin, the priest assassin who took a vow of silence that she rarely fully honors (oops). The main world and culture approaches gender in a very inclusive way, referring to all individuals as they until one can introduce oneself and specify, which was an excellent aspect of world building. The book also shifts between these three perspectives, and each is told in a different person (first, third, and second), which I thought quite clever. I also liked how distinct each character’s voice was. 

Everen and Arcady are bonded, dragon and destined rider respectively, and Everen is to use his connection to Arcady to open a portal and readmit his dragon family. Long ago, humans banished dragons to their current toxic world, where the threat of a major volcanic eruption could spell their doom. The magic system for humans is based somehow on stealing dragon magic and binding it to themselves, leaving them prone to overuse and exhaust themselves, turning them into zombie-like creatures. 

Okay, just attempting to relay the plot is certainly clarifying what didn’t work for me. There’s just too much happening, and the author (is this their debut?) wasn’t quite skilled enough to weave it all together into something that fully works, but the potential is there. Despite Everen and Arcady’s enemies-to-lovers at cross-purposes arc, I wasn’t fully invested in their romance. The book was felt longer than its 350 pages, but in its slow burn romance, it didn’t have enough. I don’t know. 

As the plot thickened, I did enjoy this overall. Three stars is not a bad rating, not for me, but I did still want more from it. I’m wary of the sequel. This was quite hard for me to get into. Will the second book suffer these same problems—or worse, second book syndrome? Or will it be more polished with Lam’s increased experience?

I have until October to decide.