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A review by queensplay
Dragonfall by L.R. Lam
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book. And while yes, the worldbuilding was vague sometimes (I still don't entirely know what the Strike is??), the characters more than make up for it. Because oh my god do I ever love Everen and Arcady together. They had so much tension, so much chemistry, I was kicking my feet most of the time. They stole the show left, right, and center. I wouldn't really call it an enemies to lovers, per say, simply because for me, enemies need to be enemies longer - like, villian x hero who have been fighting for a long time. Not someone you just met, hated for all of two chapters, and then become allies. Sorry. But I still did love the *dislike* in the beginning - it gave it flavour.
If you ignore the parts you don't understand, the world is very interesting. There is the priests and the drakines and all the other parts and pieces. And it kind of gives me a Ketterdam vibe, only lighter. It has the ports and the thieves, and the pawn shops. I loved the vibe this book was giving (I am very much a vibe person). And the hardcover came with a map AND a table of contents (😱😱), so bonus points for that.
I am slightly disappointed that this book didn't have a lot of looks or mentions of dragons. Yes, Everen is a dragon, and there is some mention of it, but there is very little of the actual dragons. It is focusing more on the characters and less on the dragon part.
I'm not sure what to think about Magnus as of yet....
And speaking of Magnus, I do think that Sorin could have gotten less pages and less thoughts. Because honestly, yes, she did give us insider information, but I probably could have gone without. It's no hate to her, personally, and I do love how she sometimes questions why, and she has her moments, I just don't think her pov was necessary to the book.
All in all, I still loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved the setting, and I love dragons. I was debating if I should have given this 4.5, with half a point getting taken off because of the vague explanations, or 5 with half a point added for Everen and Arcady and I chose 5. Because, in case I didn't mention it, I love them.
Thanks for coming to my pep talk!
If you ignore the parts you don't understand, the world is very interesting. There is the priests and the drakines and all the other parts and pieces. And it kind of gives me a Ketterdam vibe, only lighter. It has the ports and the thieves, and the pawn shops. I loved the vibe this book was giving (I am very much a vibe person). And the hardcover came with a map AND a table of contents (😱😱), so bonus points for that.
I am slightly disappointed that this book didn't have a lot of looks or mentions of dragons. Yes, Everen is a dragon, and there is some mention of it, but there is very little of the actual dragons. It is focusing more on the characters and less on the dragon part.
I'm not sure what to think about Magnus as of yet....
And speaking of Magnus, I do think that Sorin could have gotten less pages and less thoughts. Because honestly, yes, she did give us insider information, but I probably could have gone without. It's no hate to her, personally, and I do love how she sometimes questions why, and she has her moments, I just don't think her pov was necessary to the book.
All in all, I still loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved the setting, and I love dragons. I was debating if I should have given this 4.5, with half a point getting taken off because of the vague explanations, or 5 with half a point added for Everen and Arcady and I chose 5. Because, in case I didn't mention it, I love them.
Thanks for coming to my pep talk!