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A review by itsfreelancer
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
4.0
Here's what they don't tell you when you pick up the second of a series. It can go either way.
Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire are the darlings of England. They should be, since they made a total mess of Napoleon's dastardly plans.
Here's what you expect from a second book : more battles, strength of friendships, innocuous romance, nefarious schemes and dragon humour.
Here's what you get : a 400 page travelogue and pages upon pages of what people had for lunch or dinner.
I swore I cursed more than the illiterate seaman on a voyage that does nothing but tell you about the weather and how you're bored with the boring weather. There has been good moments. Some absolute gems aboard the ship fighting sea dragons and French frigates.
So here's the gist. Apparently our lovely dragon is a Chinese Celestial. That means it's only for the Chinese royalty and they want him back. Sans his rider. Yes, you can imagine the fury and consternation of our heroes. While Lawrence and Temeraire are absolutely fuming, the English government is shitting their pants in pleasing the Chinese for fear of their support to Napoleon. Bureaucratic bullshit.
So we have book 2, and 70 percent of it is hogwash. It's like a Famous Five book where they'll go to a picnic with people they don't like and the majority of the emphasis is on fooooooood. If you can get over that, the fun begins once you've reached Asia. Oh boy, Temeraire is in for a huge treat and a delightful shock. The pages flipped past, keeping me engrossed with every word and every snort, every swish of sword and the clank of the rifle.
Now for some personal input. And this really didn't click with me. Our Laurence has to bow and prostrate in front of Chinese Emperor as per their customs. This chagrins Laurence, along with the members of the East India Company stationed there. They felt it's insulting and they deserved more respect. Hah! I wonder why Laurence never thought how the East India Company was treating Indians when they invaded.
*end of personal musings*
This was a slow tale, albeit fun to read. I would have given this 3 and a half but I'm unabashedly in love with Temeraire.
I'm too invested now to stop. Onwards, to book 3
Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire are the darlings of England. They should be, since they made a total mess of Napoleon's dastardly plans.
Here's what you expect from a second book : more battles, strength of friendships, innocuous romance, nefarious schemes and dragon humour.
Here's what you get : a 400 page travelogue and pages upon pages of what people had for lunch or dinner.
I swore I cursed more than the illiterate seaman on a voyage that does nothing but tell you about the weather and how you're bored with the boring weather. There has been good moments. Some absolute gems aboard the ship fighting sea dragons and French frigates.
So here's the gist. Apparently our lovely dragon is a Chinese Celestial. That means it's only for the Chinese royalty and they want him back. Sans his rider. Yes, you can imagine the fury and consternation of our heroes. While Lawrence and Temeraire are absolutely fuming, the English government is shitting their pants in pleasing the Chinese for fear of their support to Napoleon. Bureaucratic bullshit.
So we have book 2, and 70 percent of it is hogwash. It's like a Famous Five book where they'll go to a picnic with people they don't like and the majority of the emphasis is on fooooooood. If you can get over that, the fun begins once you've reached Asia. Oh boy, Temeraire is in for a huge treat and a delightful shock. The pages flipped past, keeping me engrossed with every word and every snort, every swish of sword and the clank of the rifle.
Now for some personal input. And this really didn't click with me. Our Laurence has to bow and prostrate in front of Chinese Emperor as per their customs. This chagrins Laurence, along with the members of the East India Company stationed there. They felt it's insulting and they deserved more respect. Hah! I wonder why Laurence never thought how the East India Company was treating Indians when they invaded.
*end of personal musings*
This was a slow tale, albeit fun to read. I would have given this 3 and a half but I'm unabashedly in love with Temeraire.
I'm too invested now to stop. Onwards, to book 3