His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

(Book 1 in the Temeraire series)
Genre: fantasy-- alternate history
Pages: 356 (paperback)
Recommended for: fans of fantasy and historical fantasy, and most especially, dragons

Synopsis: Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

My Take:

As a child, I was infamous for my obsession with dinosaurs.  As I got older, this fixation transformed into an unhealthy love for dragons, those most graceful, magnificent, and terrifyingly powerful draconian overlords of the sky.  While I love the Inheritance (Eragon) books and the appearances made by dragons in Harry Potter, the Temeraire has officially become my favorite literary dragon.


Will Laurence is a British navy officer with a gentleman-like disposition.  After his ship, the Reliant, captures a hatching dragon egg among the cargo of a French ship, Laurence quite accidentally becomes imprinted with the newborn dragon, whom he names Temeraire after a Royal Navy ship.  Thrust into the world of the aerial corps and the ranks of dragons, their captains, and the large crews who battle from dragonback, Laurence and Temeraire struggle to prove themselves among a class of soldiers quite different from the Navy, and whom are already prejudiced against them.  It cannot be said that this book is action-packed, per se, but what battles do rage between our British heroes and the French opposition, under an unseen Emperor Napoleon, are very well-written and definitely engaging.  Naomi Novik's writing style is wordy but refreshingly intelligent-- I felt like the dialogue was realistic to the time period, as were the characters' attitudes.  

The dragons themselves are fantastic.  Novik's portrayal of all the different species of dragons, from the mythical Chinese Imperials and Celestials to the enormous British Regal Coppers and Longwings-- a breed of dragons which only bond with female captains-- is very interesting and engaging.  It's incredibly cool to see some female dragon riders, too, despite the historical lack of involvement of women in military affairs in this era, and to learn of the history surrounding them and society's very tentative acceptance by them as warriors (most of the time they are forced to disguise their identity).  Laurence and Temeraire's relationship evolves so much and I liked seeing the bonds of affection and trust develop between them even as the plot twists in a way that, over and over again, threatens to separate the two of them against their will.  I completely recommend His Majesty's Dragon as well as its sequel, Throne of Jade, which I've just finished.


Premise: 5/5
Story/Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Overall Rating:

A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

Genre: epic fantasy
Published: 1996 by Spectra
Pages: 835 (Mass Market paperback)
Recommended for: most all readers, particularly those who aren't intimidated by the prospects of wading through this tome

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective wall. To the south, the King's powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King's new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens.

My Take:

I love epic fantasy.  The elves and dwarves, long-lost dragons and mages, evil overlords and swords with positively ridiculous names-- I confess to adoring 'em all.  What I can't stomach is poorly-executed epic fantasy... so thank the gods of the Seven Kingdoms that A Game of Thrones is one of the best fantasy epics I've ever read!  The usual fantasy cliches and archetypes are all present, but George RR Martin works wonders with material which, at first glance, seems like a scenario we've all read about before. 

I began this first book in the Song of Ice and Fire saga because the HBO series kept calling to me tantalizingly, with its ridiciously cool tagline "Winter is coming..." and released screenshots of lords and ladies garbed in medieval-esque attire.  I don't like to watch a movie before reading the book (so I can kept ticked off at everything the directors/ cast got wrong, of course), so I picked up a copy of A Game of Thrones at Walmart of all places.  Unfortunately, the series is no longer available on Demand to HBO subscribers, so I barely got to watch two episodes of the show-- but what I saw was fantastic, captivating, and impressively close to the book.  But this is a book blog, so onto the book...

A Game of Thrones has a large cast of characters, all members of various royal houses whom at the novel's beginning appear to be engaged in an uneasy peace.  But all too quickly subtle court politics and hidden treachery erupt into full-blown war-- both on and off the battlefield.  Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark of Winterfell is billed as the protagonist, but the book actually has many-- a dozen strands of third-person narrative intertwine throughout the novel.  Everyone seems to have their favorites, but I have to say I was flipping forward to see when Daenary-- the exiled Targaryen princess--'s next chapter was.  Though the world of the Seven Kingdoms is as sexist and womanizing as most epic fantasy settings are, I was pleased to find that we have quite a few strong, dynamic female characters here.  Arya, Lord Stark's young daughter, and his wife Catelyn are both clearly intelligent and bold women who defy the stereotypes of their time.  Of course, on the other hand we have Arya's sister Sansa (played by a very pretty and talented girl in the series, but am I the only one who wanted to slap her??) and the treacherous Queen Cersei.  The dwarf Tyrion Lannister has to be one of my favorite characters as well-- he's charmingly clever and rude, with the impertience of a man three times his size.  As for the specifics of the plot, I'm going to remain silent-- it has too many twists and turns for me to even attempt to provide a spoiler-free summary.

Being a history nerd, I noticed quite a few similarities between this "game of thrones" and the War of the Roses.  Like the House of Lancaster's historical ensigna being a red rose, and Lannister House's in the book being a scarlet lion.  Also, the Targaryen king before King Robert went mad before being murdered, like King Henry VI.  Another thing... the vanished race of people who live(d) in the northern woods are called "The Others".  I wonder if JJ Abrams and the LOST writers have read these books?

All in all, I encourage anyone who's been considering whether or not to read this book to go for it-- you won't regret reading any of the 800+ pages and, like me, you'll clamor for the sequel, A Clash of Kings.

Premise: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Overall Rating:

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Genre: YA fantasy
Pages: 323 (hardcover)
Published: September 2010
Recommended for: fantasy and paranormal romance fans, and especially Twilight fans

Synopsis:
A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love. 


Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide. 

My Take:


I expected to love Firelight, but ended up just liking it fairly well.  (There, that's the short review. :)  It wasn't the kind of book I get passionate about, or carry around and try to sneak into such unorthodox places as restaurants with fussy waiters or school Biology exams.  I read this book by the pool in Cancun, and it makes for a perfect beach read.  Lots of romance and enough action and conflict to keep you interested, but nothing that's going to make me wish there were more pages and stalk the author's website looking for extras.  I've read a lot of rave reviews by bloggers about this book and had high expectations, and maybe that's skewing my perspective.

Firelight has the formula for a great YA fantasy and paranormal romance: star-crossed love, a kick-ass heroine with a deadly secret, a love triangle, even a sibling (Jacinda's twin sister Tamra) who turns out to be more trouble than she's worth.  The mythology of the drakis (descendants of dragons who've evolved over time so that they can shift into human form at will) was cool, and I thought it was interesting how Jacinda was supposed to be able to 'surpress' her draki and eventually become entirely human.  We don't get to learn much about her pack of draki, but there's definitely more to the story there. All that said, the draki were a little reminiscent of other shapeshifting races like werewolves, etc, but different enough that it was okay.  The book opens really strong and kind of leaves you hanging at the end (typical first-in-a-fantasy-trilogy ending with the guy and girl left just clear of mortal peril).  I really like the cover-- the slit pupil of Jacinda's eye and the scales are really eye-catching.  Overall, I did a lot more liking on this book than loving, but I'd still recommend it to paranormal romance fans.  The basic story reminded me a lot of Twilight, and I think fans of the series would enjoy Firelight as well.

Cover: 5/5 

Premise: 4/5 

Plot: 3/5 

Characters: 3/5

Overall: 4/5

Review: Eon by Alison Goodman

 Rating: 5/5
Genre: YA fantasy 
Page Count: 531 (paperback) 
Published: December 2008, by Penguin Books
Alternate Titles: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, The Two Pearls of Wisdom, Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye...

Recommended for Fans of: Tamora Pierce, The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Author's Website: http://www.alisongoodman.com.au/


Synopsis: Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he’ll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragoneye, the human link to an energy dragon’s power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon’s affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. As tension builds and Eon’s desperate lie comes to light, readers won’t be able to stop turning the pages…

Dragons. A fantasy world and royal court in the style of Ancient China. And a girl who has spent so much time pretending to be a boy that she has almost forgotten her true self. Eon is part one of a fantasy epic spanning two installments-- the second book, Eona is yet to be released.

This book begins like so many others: a girl risking death by disguising herself as a boy, an under-dog heroine with everything to lose, and a complex fantasy world. But Eon quickly reveals itself to be so much more than just that. The characters reminded me of some of those from Tamora Pierce's books (ie The Lioness Quartet, Protector of the Small Quartet), in that there were a lot of them, but the author somehow managed to endow every character with personality and heart.  Eon(a) is a heroine who at first struck me as passive-- everything she is trying to accomplish is at the will of her master, a former Dragoneye-- but as the story wore on, she both won me over and proved that she's capable of choosing her own destiny. 

The story world is roughly based on the beliefs, settings, and traditions of Ancient China, especially the Chinese Zodiac-- each year and animal corresponds to one of the twelve mystical dragons.  The magic system is complex, and there were a few times I found myself flipping back through the pages to double-check some magical term.  The dragons themselves are a far cry from Saphira in Eragon (whom I love).  Dragoneye does not mean 'dragon rider'-- the Dragoneyes are powerful lords who are constantly involved in court politics and power struggles.  Eon(a) herself actually does not interact with the dragons as much as you might think, over the course of five hundred pages, but the moments when she does are mystical in a way that somehow transcends the words on the page. 

Another concept the story world borrows from Chinese Taoist belief is the concept of Yin and Yang, the feminine and the masculine.  I keep referring to Eon(a) as such because although she is a girl, she behaves, is treated as, and even thinks of herself as being male so frequently in the book that it was difficult even for the reader to think of her as female.  This reflects Eon(a)'s own confusion, because she also half-believes and accepts that she is a boy.  This book is a true gender-bender, and Eona is not the only character who seems to have a double identity, gender-wise.  Lady Dela is a courtier and friend of Eon(a)'s, and one of the most intriguing characters.  Lady Dela is friendly and scholarly and very wise to the ways of the court, and it is a while before Eona realizes that she's also a 'contraire'-- a woman's spirit born into a man's body.  Ryko, an eunuch, is Eon(a)'s loyal bodyguard and friend, and-- well, I'm giving nothing else away.  Suffice to say that in Eon, gender identity is a major theme and never manifests in the way that you expect. 

Altogether, I really loved Eon.  The book has gorgeous description and court intrigue, fascinating characters, an engrossing storyline... it is pretty much perfect.  My pet peeve for the novel is that it seems to have been released in just about every nation in the world-- and each edition seems to have a different title.  Of course, it doesn't affect the story at all, but it has to make for marketing hell.  I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and especially a beautiful and magically-realized story world.