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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Pace slows down considerably from 1st book. A lot of time spent in frustrated waiting.
I definitely enjoyed the plot and pace of this. It had some really nice movement, and interesting cultural/political tensions. I also continue to adore Laurence and Temeraire! My only complaint is just a matter of personal preference
Spoiler
I liked the dynamic between dragons and aviators in book #1, so to have that set up so challenged by the Chinese dynamic/culture was oddly off putting. The book wants us to totally side with the Chinese treatment of dragons, but I had so thoroughly accepted the British treatment as right and perfectly moral that the about-face threw me. Somehow it feels very much like the backlash against having outdoor pets. But obviously I was erring in viewing the dragons TOO much like pets and not enough like people.
There's something deeply hilarious about establishing the British Air Force and all these British characters and then immediately pivoting to a situation and characters on another continent. But the relationship between Temeraire and Laurence is the through-line, and remains as central and emotionally resonant as ever.
The early books in this series do so much heavy lifting with Laurence's character -- he has to unpack his feelings on absolutely everything. Gender, race, loyalty, capitalism, dragon rights. And it's kind of beautiful to see how deeply he loves Temeraire and how much he is therefore willing to re-consider and un-learn because of that bond.
The early books in this series do so much heavy lifting with Laurence's character -- he has to unpack his feelings on absolutely everything. Gender, race, loyalty, capitalism, dragon rights. And it's kind of beautiful to see how deeply he loves Temeraire and how much he is therefore willing to re-consider and un-learn because of that bond.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, War
Minor: Animal death
That travel to China bit lasted wayyyyyyyy too long to be enjoyable. China was exciting though.
While still an enjoyable story full of great characters. It felt a bit more predictable then the first. Maybe because of the limited scene with half of the book taking place on a ship. But otherwise it was another wonderful story with great views from a dragons eyes.
These are such a guilty pleasure. This one had some issues with pacing, but I’ve already ordered the next installment so clearly it wasn’t too detrimental.