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I've never thought of myself as a reader who would get into a dragon fantasy. This was, admittedly, an assumption I made about myself not having read a ton of it, or fantasy in general. I think that may have been my general preference for contemporary novels mixed with my own perception about what stories were possibly left to tell about dragons in fiction. It's not like I actively hate them, it's just never been something that I sought out in books.
So imagine my surprise that I really sincerely enjoyed this book! I'm many years late to the party, which is why I'm grateful someone picked it for my online book club and I got to discuss it with real and true fans of this book and the genre in general. It wasn't a perfect read (what ever is?), but once it got its proverbial claws in me, it was tough to put it down. While I haven't read Naomi Novik's Temeraire dragon series, the sophisticated writing and pacing of this novel reminded me of her novel (which I have read), Uprooted.
The lore and world of this novel was so unique (to me at least) and felt very lived in — there's a lot of detail to pick up in the early stages of this book, but all of it served to make this world and characters feel very real. Sure, one could find parallels with real world conflicts and prejudices in the Southlands, but it didn't feel like I was being hammered over the head with metaphors about the human/dragon relations. So the messaging, while subtle, is really effective. This book is quite deeply steeped in the politics of its world, but it never felt like a slog. And Seraphina herself was a very fun heroine to follow. She's aware of both her strengths and limitations, and I appreciated her sarcasm and wit. It made her come alive in the pages, and made me want to root for her throughout the story. The musical aspect was really well done as well, and lent an extra bit of dimension to Seraphina and the way she sees the world, especially as she starts to come to terms with her true identity and what it means to be hiding it from the world.
Where I got a bit lost in this book was trying to keep track of everyone and their allegiances early on (oh, how I wish that glossary and cast of characters was in the FRONT of the book, not the back!) and so the thread of the plot got slightly muddled, but once the stakes of the story were clearer to me, I was very immersed. And while I know it isn't important to all readers, I did like the subtlety but persistence of the romantic subplot between Seraphina and Kiggs, which didn't feel just thrown in for the sake of it, but well-paced and satisfying by the end.
This is a book that may be even better the second time around — I imagine there are a lot of subtle things that I missed that would jump out upon rereading. Very glad that I gave this a chance, and given the great set up at the end, I'm curious to look into the sequel, Shadow Scale and some of the author's other works. And hey, soon I may be able to stop prefacing the fantasy I read by saying I'm not a fantasy reader — apparently, I actually enjoy them once I give them a fair shot!
So imagine my surprise that I really sincerely enjoyed this book! I'm many years late to the party, which is why I'm grateful someone picked it for my online book club and I got to discuss it with real and true fans of this book and the genre in general. It wasn't a perfect read (what ever is?), but once it got its proverbial claws in me, it was tough to put it down. While I haven't read Naomi Novik's Temeraire dragon series, the sophisticated writing and pacing of this novel reminded me of her novel (which I have read), Uprooted.
The lore and world of this novel was so unique (to me at least) and felt very lived in — there's a lot of detail to pick up in the early stages of this book, but all of it served to make this world and characters feel very real. Sure, one could find parallels with real world conflicts and prejudices in the Southlands, but it didn't feel like I was being hammered over the head with metaphors about the human/dragon relations. So the messaging, while subtle, is really effective. This book is quite deeply steeped in the politics of its world, but it never felt like a slog. And Seraphina herself was a very fun heroine to follow. She's aware of both her strengths and limitations, and I appreciated her sarcasm and wit. It made her come alive in the pages, and made me want to root for her throughout the story. The musical aspect was really well done as well, and lent an extra bit of dimension to Seraphina and the way she sees the world, especially as she starts to come to terms with her true identity and what it means to be hiding it from the world.
Where I got a bit lost in this book was trying to keep track of everyone and their allegiances early on (oh, how I wish that glossary and cast of characters was in the FRONT of the book, not the back!) and so the thread of the plot got slightly muddled, but once the stakes of the story were clearer to me, I was very immersed. And while I know it isn't important to all readers, I did like the subtlety but persistence of the romantic subplot between Seraphina and Kiggs, which didn't feel just thrown in for the sake of it, but well-paced and satisfying by the end.
This is a book that may be even better the second time around — I imagine there are a lot of subtle things that I missed that would jump out upon rereading. Very glad that I gave this a chance, and given the great set up at the end, I'm curious to look into the sequel, Shadow Scale and some of the author's other works. And hey, soon I may be able to stop prefacing the fantasy I read by saying I'm not a fantasy reader — apparently, I actually enjoy them once I give them a fair shot!