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A review by book_concierge
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
4.0
Audiobook narrated by Simon Vance
In Book two of this series, the Chinese have learned that the gift they were sending to Napoleon (an unhatched dragon’s egg) was intercepted by the British. Now a delegation arrives demanding the return of the Celestial dragon, which, by tradition, can only belong to a member of the royal family. But Capt Laurence is not about to turn Temeraire over; and the dragon does not want to be parted from his beloved Laurence. So the two travel to the Far East to plead their case. The voyage is long and there are several serious mishaps, but when they finally arrive at the court of the Chinese emperor, they find even more intrigue.
I was reluctant to read the first book – [b:His Majesty's Dragon|28876|His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1376392909s/28876.jpg|726205] – because “fantasy” is just not my preferred genre. But a friend whose opinion I trust persuaded me to give it a try, and I loved it. Now, I think I am hooked on the series.
Novik does a great job imagining a fantasy scenario where dragons are part of the Air Corps, while also keeping the reader in a (circa) 1801 time frame. The battle scenes are exciting, and the intrigue builds suspense. I really like the growing relationship between Temeraire and Capt Laurence. Temeraire is growing and maturing, and shows great loyalty to Laurence. They are truly a team, listening to one another’s point of view and weighing the pros and cons of a situation.
Simon Vance is marvelous voicing the audio book. He has great pacing and is able to “act” the scenes to heighten suspense or convey anger or compassion. And I love the voice he uses for Temeraire.
In Book two of this series, the Chinese have learned that the gift they were sending to Napoleon (an unhatched dragon’s egg) was intercepted by the British. Now a delegation arrives demanding the return of the Celestial dragon, which, by tradition, can only belong to a member of the royal family. But Capt Laurence is not about to turn Temeraire over; and the dragon does not want to be parted from his beloved Laurence. So the two travel to the Far East to plead their case. The voyage is long and there are several serious mishaps, but when they finally arrive at the court of the Chinese emperor, they find even more intrigue.
I was reluctant to read the first book – [b:His Majesty's Dragon|28876|His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1376392909s/28876.jpg|726205] – because “fantasy” is just not my preferred genre. But a friend whose opinion I trust persuaded me to give it a try, and I loved it. Now, I think I am hooked on the series.
Novik does a great job imagining a fantasy scenario where dragons are part of the Air Corps, while also keeping the reader in a (circa) 1801 time frame. The battle scenes are exciting, and the intrigue builds suspense. I really like the growing relationship between Temeraire and Capt Laurence. Temeraire is growing and maturing, and shows great loyalty to Laurence. They are truly a team, listening to one another’s point of view and weighing the pros and cons of a situation.
Simon Vance is marvelous voicing the audio book. He has great pacing and is able to “act” the scenes to heighten suspense or convey anger or compassion. And I love the voice he uses for Temeraire.