Paper Dragons: Fight for the Hidden Realm by Siobhan McDermott

Pages: 315

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 1st of February 2024 

An extraordinary destiny unfolds . . .

Twelve-year-old Zhi Ging has always been an outcast. Until she receives an invitation to Hok Woh, an underwater school that offers her the chance to become immortal, and to finally belong.

There, she battles in hair-raising boat races, meets ageshifting tutors and competes in thrilling trials.

But there are rumours of a growing dark force . . . and students who fail the trials are disappearing. Can Zhi Ging uncover the truth before it's too late?

What I Have to Say 

This book had everything I love in Children's books combined to make one beautiful book. It was comforting and relaxing to read while also taking me on a wonderous adventure to explore a new creative and imaginative fantasy world, which I fell in love with straight away. 

The thing I loved most was Hok Woh. The society of the Cyo B’Ahon was so interesting, having people who have attained immortality doing research and inducting others into their ranks. I loved the jellyfish that they used to communicate, because that seemed like a really cool idea. 

The only thing that was missing for me, was that I would have liked to see more of the paper dragons that are alluded to in the title. I'm sure we'll get to see more of what they are as Zhi Ging explores her magic more, but they were very lacking for a book with such an interesting title. 

That's my hope for the next book, which I will definitely be rushing out to buy! That and more Malo because I loved him so much. 

 

4.5 stars 

My thanks goes Netgalley and Hodder for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

Pages: 382 

Publisher: Atom 

Released: 16th of January 2024 

Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She's a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbours.

When she's forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn't expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon-or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.

As Faron's desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other's lives, as well as the fate of their world.

What I Have to Say 

So this was a really interesting book for many reasons. For one, it dealt with characters who had been chosen ones in their backstories. It showed a main character who had been chosen by the gods, gone to war and then come home along with a hidden queen who had discovered her heritage and been pushed onto the throne at a young age. It was really interesting that the author decided to have these things in the past and gave me echoings of a gifted child to disaster teenager storyline. 

It also felt at times very much like a queer Forth Wing. Which was fantastic because Queer and dragons is definitely the genre for me. I really enjoyed the complexity of Elara's relationship considering the bond that ties her to both the dragon and her love interest and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it develops in future books. 

This book was also such an easy read. I got caught up in the story so fast and both Elara and Faron's voices were easy to relate to. The politics was interesting and exciting and didn't bog down the plot one bit and I just really enjoyed the story as a whole. 

4.5 stars 

My thanks goes to Atom and Netgalley for providing me with this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Pages: 368 

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books 

Released: 14th of September 2023 

It was a very fine day, until something tried to eat him.

A boy called Christopher is visiting his reclusive grandfather when he witnesses an avalanche of mythical creatures come tearing down the hill. This is how Christopher learns that his grandfather is the guardian of one of the ways between the non-magical world and a place called the Archipelago, a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures we tell of in myth live and breed and thrive alongside humans. They have been protected from being discovered for thousands of years; now, terrifyingly, the protection has worn thin, and creatures are breaking through.

Then a girl, Mal, appears in Christopher's world. She is in possession of a flying coat, is being pursued by a killer and is herself in pursuit of a baby griffin. Mal, Christopher and the griffin embark on an urgent quest across the wild splendour of the Archipelago, where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder, to find the truth – with unimaginable consequences for both their worlds. Together the two must face the problem of power, and of knowledge, and of what love demands of us.

What I Have to Say 

What I love most about Katherine Rundell's writing is the characters. Mal is a wonderful, slightly feral child who cares deeply about the things that matter to her. Things like the Griffin who has become her companion. While I wish that there had been more from her perspective in the book, I enjoyed getting to know her from Christopher's point of view. The few scenes that were from her point of view were some of my favourite in the book. 

I loved all the descriptions of the creatures in through the story. It was nice to see the pieces about them at the start and then be reintroduced to them as we went along. I especially liked how alive they felt. This didn't feel like she was including the creatures just to bulk out the fantasy world or because she wanted to show off her creations. They felt necessary and important to the very core of the story and like I said, completely and utterly alive. 

There's a few bits that disappointed me, which I can't really go into without spoiling the book, but at least one of them, I think will have disappointed a lot of readers. If it weren't for those bits I would give this five stars. 

Read for inventive creatures and thrilling adventure. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Bloomsbury Children's Books and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

Pages: 384 

Publisher: Hodderscape 

Released: 29th of August 2023 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes comes a tale of two sisters - one as beautiful as the other is monstrous - who must fight to save each other when a betrothal contest gone wrong unleashes an evil that could sever their bond forever.

One must fall for the other to rise.

Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent's face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna-the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn't see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.

Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who's had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath - launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi's heart to its breaking point.

Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Helen of Troy, and Asian folklore, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.

What I Have to Say 

This book broke me. I thought that I would be okay. I knew how it ended from reading Six Crimson Cranes and The Dragon's Promise. I was prepared. Or at least I thought I was. In reality it was so intensely tragic. 

The thing I loved most about it was all the little nods to Six Crimson Cranes. The bowl that Vanna sleeps with over her breast to stop the light keeping her awake. Shiori's father coming to see Vanna and offering a crane sculpture. All of it made me so happy, because I loved Six Crimson Cranes so much. 

I was really worried it wouldn't live up to my expectations, but it did. It may not have been as perfect as Six Crimson Cranes, but it stood out as a book in it's own right and had the beautiful writing style that I've come to expect from Elizabeth Lim. I loved Channi's character, so different from Shiori, but still someone you could really like and root for. 

Honestly it was better than I ever could have hoped for a prequel. 

 

5 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodderscape for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (audiobook)

Pages: 646

Publisher: Piatkus 

Released: 2nd of May 2023 

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

What I Have to Say 

Aaaah. This book kept me up on many late nights. A disabled protagonist goes to murder school to learn how to ride and fight on the back of dragons! I loved the representation, I loved the tense scenes and the cliffhangers at the end of some of the chapters. And more than anything, I loved the moments that just make you go "What?!". It was gripping, entertaining and very emotional. 

I have to talk more about the representation in this book. Violet has some kind of chronic condition that she has from childhood. I'm not sure exactly what it's based on, but it effects her strength and muscles and means she's not as strong as the other riders. So she has to work about 4 times as hard as her classmates. It was the perfect balance of the realities of disabilities while still doing a plot that intense. I loved it. 

The audio was good. I really liked the voice actress who played Violet, but she didn't stand out much in my head. She did the job well and read the book, but I probably won't seek out other stuff read by her specifically. 

My only problem with this book is for a school where everyone's meant to be trying to kill one another, Violet wasn't actually attacked that much. It didn't feel as dangerous as we were being told. Other than that though, it was pretty perfect!! 

Definitely one to add to your to read lists!! 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Piatkus for providing me with this copy for review. 

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Pages: 448 

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton 

Released: 2nd May 2023 

Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the 'gods' remember, and they do not forgive.

Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact's magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.

The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely–body, mind, and soul–and then kill them.

Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter.

 What I Have to Say 

This was definitely the dragon book I wanted. I loved the plot and the way that the dragons were described, I loved the shape shifting, both the dragon's different forms and the shapeshifting that the humans could do with their magic. I loved the magic system and the dangers that come from it. I just loved everything. 

This book was so inclusive as well. Not only was one of the main characters genderfluid, but there was also mentions of hearing loss and a commonly known sign language as well. Not only that but I was intrigued by the honorific They pronoun and how no one's gender was assumed until they said it themselves! 

The plot was good. A nice heist and the run up to it, even though the emphasis was on the two main characters bonding. It could have been really boring, but the way it was written meant there was always some action to be had. 

If you like dragons and queer representation, look no further!! 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this copy for review. 

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

Pages: 880 

Publisher: Bloomsbury 

Released: 28th of February 2023 

The stunning, standalone prequel to the New York Times bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree.

Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.

To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.

The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.

When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.

Intricate and epic, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the world of A Priory of the Orange Tree, showing us a course of events that shaped it for generations to come. 

What I Have to Say 

It is an honour to review this book. The Priory of the Orange Tree means so much to me and getting to dive back into the world was a joy. I am so happy to get to share this experience with all of you. 

Though not as good as Priory (because what really could have been as good as Priory), A Day of Fallen Night is a beautifully written prequel. It picks up a lot of the same themes as Priory and takes  you straight back into this world. While I was a little slow to get into it (which I put down to the lack of dragons in the first half ) it soon picked up and reminded me what I loved about Priory, 

This book is an epic. It is long and detailed and you have to buckle yourself in for a big commitment. But while some books this size are long winded and honestly not worth the effort, that's not true for either Priory or A Day of Fallen Night. It is worth the commitment and doesn't feel nearly as long when you buckle in and get reading. 

My favourite parts, I think were the parts with Tunuva and Siyu. I loved seeing more about the Priory and what it was like in a time of peace. But I also really liked the bits with Glorian a lot and obviously the bits with Dumai and the dragons. It was nice that we had such a scope of storylines, with lots of themes to explore but it was also nice to see them connect together at the end. 

I would recommend reading Priory again first though. I didn't have time for a reread and though I did remember a lot of stuff as I went on, I got a little frustrated that I couldn't remember certain details. 

In short, this series is amazing but do reread before you get stuck in! 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with this copy for review. 

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Pages: 352

Publisher: Doubleday Books

Released: 3rd May 2022

Learn about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons...and change the world.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Seemingly for good. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new "sister" obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex's journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself.

What I Have to Say 

If there was anything the 1950s needed more of, it is definitely dragons. I loved this concept. It's an absolutely beautiful idea and the execution was fantastic. It showed the breaking down of societal boundaries as hundreds of thousands of perfect 50s housewives became big unruly creatures that society did not want. The idea of women, frustrated with their lots in life, turning into beautiful fire breathing creatures and destroying the homes, and often husbands, that kept them there was inspired. 

Alex was a great character, she was perfect to show the way society kept things quiet. As a child who witnessed everything and was kept quiet and shushed when she asked questions, she was able to tell us everything that happened at the time of the dragoning and after. I also adored Beatrice. She was an absolute gem and the perfect way to show the pressure to keep dragons from being talked about. 

I was also thrilled that the idea of trans dragons was mentioned. It was only a tiny bit and unfortunately there were no actual trans characters, but this book acknowledged and accepted that they would be involved in these events. I honestly expected the book to not mention them at all, so I was pleasantly surprised. I also felt there were parallels later in the book with transitioning and dragoning. 

It's also worth mentioning that this book is Sapphic! The main character is gay and though the romance was only a small part of the book, it was there and it made me very happy. 

My thanks go to Negalley and Bonnier Books UK for providing me with this copy for review. 

Caged Queen by Kristen Ciccarelli

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Gollancz

Released: 25th of September 2018 

Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished - until the day a terrible accident took Essie's life and trapped her soul in this world.

Dax - the heir to Firgaard's throne - was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa's people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she'd give him the army he needed if he made her queen.

Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax's promises go unfulfilled. Roa's people continue to suffer.

Then a chance to right every wrong arises - an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Relinquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.

What I Have to Say 

This series is truly something special. Every word of the writing is beautiful and lyrical and just perfect. Reading the Caged Queen was like sinking back into a world full of stories and dragons and the spirits of sisters trapped in the form of birds. 

As with The Last Namsara, there were parts of the book set into the present interspersed with small snippets of stories and flashbacks. The stories especially in both books are just the perfect way to share all sorts of things about the culture of the world. It was great to learn more about the outlander culture and how it differed from the culture in Firgaard. 

I loved Roa a lot. She seemed to flounder a lot more than Asha and she didn't make the best choices, but there was still something about her that I really liked. The way she clung to her sister and would do anything to save her was a motivation that I could really understand, so although a lot of her actions were ones I disagreed with, it was easy to see why she did what she did and like her anyway. 

There was one character in particular that really intrigued me by the end. I won't say who because of spoilers, but I would love to see more of this character in the future. There's a lot of things hidden away and a lot of secrets revealed at the end and I hope we see more of this character in the future. 

My thanks go to Gollancz for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Gollancz

Released: 12th of October 2017 

In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer.

These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her. 

What I Have to Say 

This book had everything stories, dragons, a rebellious and kick-ass main character. It was easy to get absorbed into the world and the beautiful, complex main character and her struggles. Asha was truly a beautiful character and it was really great to see her go through her journey and character dIevelopment as she started to do what was right and wrong. 

I'd also like to see more of this world. I feel like what we saw was almost the least interesting part of it, dragons aside. I want to see more of what the kingdom used to be and what it becomes after the events of the book. I want to see more of the other cultures in the book. I enjoyed the book so much, but I feel like there's so much more to see of this world. 

I definitely want to see more from this author and this beautiful fantasy world. 

My thanks go to Gollancz for providing me with this copy for review. 

Legion by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 384

Publisher: HQ

Released: 25th of April 2017 

Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone the love of a human and a former dragonslayer, at that. With ex-soldier Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against the dragon-slaying Order of St. George and her own twin brother Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known.

Talon is poised to take over the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who refuse to yield.

What I Have to Say 

I'm enjoying this series more than when I started it, but it still isn't my favourite Julie Kagawa series. She's doing really interesting things with the Talon organisation and the clone dragons. I'm especially liking the stuff with Dante. This book especially gave a lot of information on Dante's motivations. It makes sense now as to what he's doing and exactly why he's doing it. I wish he'd get out from Talon's claw, but I can understand his aims and why he thinks he's doing the right thing for both himself and Ember by doing what he's doing. 

The thing that's really holding me back from really adoring this series is the love triangle. I am so sick of love triangles in books. They never capture my interest as much as they seem to with everyone else. I thought that we could move on with it after what happened in the last book. And again I'm hoping that it will be put behind us after the things that happened in this book. I really hope so anyway. I just don't care which of them Ember ends up with, all I care about is whether they can defeat Talon and avoid being killed by St. George. 

The things with St. George have gotten really interesting in this book though. I can't say much without spoilers, but let's just say that I'm really curious to see what they do in the next book... 

My thanks go to HQ and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review.