Author: Angoleth

Genre: Fantasy

What I liked about this book:

There is a really engaging political drama hiding under all this dragon paint. Ruinar is an identifiable character, both in how young he is and some of the choices he has to make. I love his relationship with Cand and his wife, and his interactions and dynamic with his father are really fascinating.

I think you have something here.

What I did NOT like about this book:

My two biggest issues with this book are the age range it's intended for and the fact that it's being written about dragons.

This would make a great middle-grade reader if you either made the book much more serious or much LESS serious. Go the more-serious route and you get something akin to Harry Potter. Less serious is going to give you diary of a wimpy kid. Either works, but as it is right now it's straddling the line too much and feels like it's trying to be a YA or adult novel.

You could pull it in that direction too if you amped up the conflict and made the characters human beings. I love political dramas, and this has the scaffolding of one without any of the pieces necessary for it to truly be engaging for an adult. Age up Ruinar to 10 or 11 and tell an adult story through his lens--this has been done before, it's just difficult--and it would be a fun read.

Apart from that parts of the narrative didn't work for me because they were just far too description-y. Parts of it felt like an infodump as well. Never tell me a conversation or a training happened, take me through that conversation or training at least the first time it occurs.

Overall:

You have something here, but the book needs to pick what it is. Also, get a new cover.

Rating:

6/10. I enjoyed it but it can use an overhaul.