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A review by ballgownsandbooks
Miss Bennet's Dragon by M. Verant
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
As someone's who's read a LOT of online Austen fanfic, this felt so delightfully familiar! It definitely had its issues, and I would say it wasn't *quite* up to the standard I usually expect from a published book, but I still really enjoyed it overall!
The first two-thirds were a pretty faithful retelling, right down to a lot of the dialogue being Austen's own words, and I was really interested in the fantasy aspect and all the different types of draca! The changes it made to the original were all the things I get frustrated at in retellings usually too (Austen can get away with them but no one else seems to be able to!!): e.g. Mary has much more agency and she and Lizzy are much closer; and Lizzy gets suspicious of Wickham much earlier! The choice to make Lady Catherine own slave plantations in the Caribbean was an interesting one, too, though I do think it should have been explored a bit better if it was going to be included...
The last third takes a pretty sharp turn into full-on chosen-one-saving-the-world fantasy novel; from this point it's largely unrecognisable as Pride and Prejudice and almost feels like a different book altogether (Darcy in particular seems to develop an entirely new personality). I was intrigued enough by that point to stick with it and give it the benefit of the doubt, but I can definitely imagine it bothering me had I been in a different mood, and I can certainly see how it won't work for everyone!
So, although technically speaking it wasn't the best constructed book I've ever read, and it isn't something that will live in my feelings by any means, I did enjoy it for what it was, and I definitely will be reading the rest of the series!
The first two-thirds were a pretty faithful retelling, right down to a lot of the dialogue being Austen's own words, and I was really interested in the fantasy aspect and all the different types of draca! The changes it made to the original were all the things I get frustrated at in retellings usually too (Austen can get away with them but no one else seems to be able to!!): e.g. Mary has much more agency and she and Lizzy are much closer; and Lizzy gets suspicious of Wickham much earlier! The choice to make Lady Catherine own slave plantations in the Caribbean was an interesting one, too, though I do think it should have been explored a bit better if it was going to be included...
The last third takes a pretty sharp turn into full-on chosen-one-saving-the-world fantasy novel; from this point it's largely unrecognisable as Pride and Prejudice and almost feels like a different book altogether (Darcy in particular seems to develop an entirely new personality). I was intrigued enough by that point to stick with it and give it the benefit of the doubt, but I can definitely imagine it bothering me had I been in a different mood, and I can certainly see how it won't work for everyone!
So, although technically speaking it wasn't the best constructed book I've ever read, and it isn't something that will live in my feelings by any means, I did enjoy it for what it was, and I definitely will be reading the rest of the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide