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A review by columnclub
In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan
5.0
I absolutely love this series, but if I were going to be harsh I'd say it can be a little up and down. I found the first book to be quite slow, but the second (my personal favourite) is brilliant, the third is less exciting and this one - well. I thought at first that it would have similar problems to the first and third, but by the end it had thoroughly convinced me otherwise.
This book started out a little slow, and at points I was less interested in the political intrigue than I might have been. As with the third book, the plot was far more impressive once I'd got near to the end and it all started to come together. Reading about Isabella and Tom trying to busy themselves about a compound full of Scirling army men was much more interesting when you find out what the political situation really is, and the dragons themselves were much more fun to read about once they get into the desert and start to find them in the wild (though Lumpy captured my heart instantly). By the end, I loved this book; it got more interesting as it went along and I got so caught up that I read the last 200 pages all at once. The ending was the best part of all, and it felt like not only the book but the whole series had been leading up to that point, even if only in the background.
I have to say something about the romantic subplot, since it's affected the books for me... I think the romance across the books can be quite misleading, in that it seems to set up different paths and gets muddled in which one to follow. By the end of this novel, I loved Isabella and Suhail together; their marriage made me happy and seeing them acting as a proper couple and as a team was brilliant. But (controversial or not) I've never been able to stop hoping for Tom and Isabella. There are definitely moments of chemistry, which have to be deliberate, and there was something so endearing to me about how close they've become after the rocky beginnings. The name 'Lady Trent' itself was also misleading, since I was sure her second husband would have to be a Trent - but no, it's Suhail, and Trent comes from land, not a husband. If this was supposed to be a pleasant twist, it didn't work on me: part of the reason her relationship with Suhail didn't resonate with me so much is because it seemed to be set up as a doomed romance, rather than one to invest in. I, personally, hoped that it would be Tom who gained a title through peerage. But - it was not to be.
One of my favourite things about this book was the real insights into the world of the ancient Draconeans. This was all excellently done: the intrigue built around them is so sincere that even the driest academic successes or questions (like how exactly to translate the text found in the second book) are genuinely fascinating. Part of what makes this book such a great addition to the series is how well it imparted all the new information. It felt like a natural, but very exciting, progression. I also really liked the new insights into dragons themselves, and found the little twists both interesting and clever.
On the whole, this book maintains the greatest aspects of the previous: notably, how great Isabella is as a character; the relatable nuances of her and Tom's struggles with gender and class in a pseudo-Victorian world; and the interest and importance of the dragons themselves. In some areas, it goes above and beyond, especially in the latter half. It was great to see Isabella's brother Andrew involved, and to get an insight into the developing academic community. This book was a brilliant addition to the series, and has made me incredibly excited to read the final volume.
This book started out a little slow, and at points I was less interested in the political intrigue than I might have been. As with the third book, the plot was far more impressive once I'd got near to the end and it all started to come together. Reading about Isabella and Tom trying to busy themselves about a compound full of Scirling army men was much more interesting when you find out what the political situation really is, and the dragons themselves were much more fun to read about once they get into the desert and start to find them in the wild (though Lumpy captured my heart instantly). By the end, I loved this book; it got more interesting as it went along and I got so caught up that I read the last 200 pages all at once. The ending was the best part of all, and it felt like not only the book but the whole series had been leading up to that point, even if only in the background.
I have to say something about the romantic subplot, since it's affected the books for me...
One of my favourite things about this book was the real insights into the world of the ancient Draconeans. This was all excellently done: the intrigue built around them is so sincere that even the driest academic successes or questions (like how exactly to translate the text found in the second book) are genuinely fascinating. Part of what makes this book such a great addition to the series is how well it imparted all the new information. It felt like a natural, but very exciting, progression. I also really liked the new insights into dragons themselves, and found the little twists both interesting and clever.
On the whole, this book maintains the greatest aspects of the previous: notably, how great Isabella is as a character; the relatable nuances of her and Tom's struggles with gender and class in a pseudo-Victorian world; and the interest and importance of the dragons themselves. In some areas, it goes above and beyond, especially in the latter half. It was great to see Isabella's brother Andrew involved, and to get an insight into the developing academic community. This book was a brilliant addition to the series, and has made me incredibly excited to read the final volume.