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Dragons and Skylines #3
Scales of Pearl
Magic meets military might, as dragons and humans fight for survival.
Praise for Feathers of Gold: "A unique urban fantasy setting and an entirely fresh perspective on tried and true fantasy tropes make both the series this book is starting and the author who wrote it one to watch in the future." - Heather G.
War has come, and with Pret’s visions of the future hitting a fiery end, everyone might be doomed. Grith has learned of her family’s destructive legacy, but will it prevent their apocalypse, or cause it? And while Lilith has escaped the Shadow Lord, GMI's new leader has other plans for her. At a time when the dragons need to be united, will these revelations bring them together, or destroy them?
Praise for Feathers of Gold: "A unique urban fantasy setting and an entirely fresh perspective on tried and true fantasy tropes make both the series this book is starting and the author who wrote it one to watch in the future." - Heather G.
War has come, and with Pret’s visions of the future hitting a fiery end, everyone might be doomed. Grith has learned of her family’s destructive legacy, but will it prevent their apocalypse, or cause it? And while Lilith has escaped the Shadow Lord, GMI's new leader has other plans for her. At a time when the dragons need to be united, will these revelations bring them together, or destroy them?
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 21, 2023
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Rowan Silver
6 books31 followersRowan Silver was hatched and raised in Austin, Texas, but as a writer and physicist, she has been lost in other worlds for a long, long time. Though Rowan hasn't yet found her way back, she has plenty of stories to tell: legends of mythic lands from long ago and sagas of worlds more familiar.
And there are sure to be dragons.
For updates on new books, you can find her and subscribe to her newsletter at https://www.rowansilver.com. She can be emailed at books@rowansilver.com
And there are sure to be dragons.
For updates on new books, you can find her and subscribe to her newsletter at https://www.rowansilver.com. She can be emailed at books@rowansilver.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 17, 2024
Woah.
It all comes down to this. An incredibly action-packed finale to a trilogy that was engaging enough for me to binge-read the whole series in a week.
One thing I've loved about this series, and in this book in particular, is the character development. I've watched everyone change and grow in ways you can feel and believe. By the end I can say I understand and care about pretty much every character we've gotten to know, whether feathery or scaley or humany. Everyone is different to who they were at the beginning. None of them have left me underwhelmed or unsatisfied, even if they ended up lost down the wrong path.
Something else I love is how tangible the feeling of doom and mortal peril is. The literal end of the world is upon us, and I was at the edge of my seat feeling how genuinely nobody knew whether they'd live to see the other side or not. The atmosphere and emotions were conveyed really effectively.
There are some things that led me to withholding the final star. More than once, I found myself having to consciously suspend my disbelief. There are moments where I'm thinking "how does this make sense?" or "this is farfetched enough to break my immersion," pertaining both to how magic works and the decisions the bad guys make. And I share some of the critiques others have posted about the ending: the momentum is building and building, and then boom! Forget about the climax. Time skip! The trope felt a little bit cheesy, but I really appreciate how
This series is very different to many things I've read before, but it has quickly rose up as one of my favourites.
It all comes down to this. An incredibly action-packed finale to a trilogy that was engaging enough for me to binge-read the whole series in a week.
One thing I've loved about this series, and in this book in particular, is the character development. I've watched everyone change and grow in ways you can feel and believe. By the end I can say I understand and care about pretty much every character we've gotten to know, whether feathery or scaley or humany. Everyone is different to who they were at the beginning. None of them have left me underwhelmed or unsatisfied, even if they ended up lost down the wrong path.
Something else I love is how tangible the feeling of doom and mortal peril is. The literal end of the world is upon us, and I was at the edge of my seat feeling how genuinely nobody knew whether they'd live to see the other side or not. The atmosphere and emotions were conveyed really effectively.
There are some things that led me to withholding the final star. More than once, I found myself having to consciously suspend my disbelief. There are moments where I'm thinking "how does this make sense?" or "this is farfetched enough to break my immersion," pertaining both to how magic works and the decisions the bad guys make. And I share some of the critiques others have posted about the ending: the momentum is building and building, and then boom! Forget about the climax. Time skip! The trope felt a little bit cheesy, but I really appreciate how
This series is very different to many things I've read before, but it has quickly rose up as one of my favourites.
September 3, 2025
I was an alpha reader for Scales of Pearl, and I haven't yet gotten my hands on a copy of the finished product (you do not want to know about my financial situation). Even in its roughest form, though, I thought Scales of Pearl was the best of the trilogy. The first book in this trilogy suffered from a relatively weak final act that didn't quite do a good enough job merging high-octane action with the plot development and character building that had been established prior to really work as it wanted to. Over the course of the second and third book, Rowan Silver has a go at the same style but manages to flesh it out far more, resulting in a far more cohesive story.
Scales of Pearl picks up directly where Eyes of Silver left off, and the two books compliment each other perfectly. Eyes of Silver was an exercise in mounting tensions and stakes, gradually developing a compex, high-stakes situation that has no easy answers, with characters struggling in ways that are interesting and relatable and themes of assimilation vs. liberation and the alienation of the modern world remaining centered in the foreground throughout. There were moments of payoff, of the tension exploding into action, but these moments only created more complications in the long run. Scales of Pearl, by contrast, is an explosive release of that tension. It takes us back to the high octane payoff and action of the second half of Feathers of Gold, only it keeps its characters and themes and stakes grounded far more effectively, making it the best of both worlds - its fun and satisfying, but it also keeps you caring about the heart of it all. It releases the tension in carefully controlled, ever escalating bursts, each one shaking the foundations of the world and characters more and more until the earth-shattering climax.
If you liked the first two books, you'll like this one too. It brings this fascinating story and the likeable characters within to a close in a way that feels genuinely earned and satisfying, in no small part because it acknowledges that there are no easy, simple answers to the questions it poses. A better world is possible for all of these characters, but it's one that had to be worked for, and it's one that will have to be discovered more and more every day. Despite everything, it's a hopeful conclusion that ushers the world into a new chapter, one that we might not see, but one that we can begin to imagine for ourselves.
Scales of Pearl picks up directly where Eyes of Silver left off, and the two books compliment each other perfectly. Eyes of Silver was an exercise in mounting tensions and stakes, gradually developing a compex, high-stakes situation that has no easy answers, with characters struggling in ways that are interesting and relatable and themes of assimilation vs. liberation and the alienation of the modern world remaining centered in the foreground throughout. There were moments of payoff, of the tension exploding into action, but these moments only created more complications in the long run. Scales of Pearl, by contrast, is an explosive release of that tension. It takes us back to the high octane payoff and action of the second half of Feathers of Gold, only it keeps its characters and themes and stakes grounded far more effectively, making it the best of both worlds - its fun and satisfying, but it also keeps you caring about the heart of it all. It releases the tension in carefully controlled, ever escalating bursts, each one shaking the foundations of the world and characters more and more until the earth-shattering climax.
If you liked the first two books, you'll like this one too. It brings this fascinating story and the likeable characters within to a close in a way that feels genuinely earned and satisfying, in no small part because it acknowledges that there are no easy, simple answers to the questions it poses. A better world is possible for all of these characters, but it's one that had to be worked for, and it's one that will have to be discovered more and more every day. Despite everything, it's a hopeful conclusion that ushers the world into a new chapter, one that we might not see, but one that we can begin to imagine for ourselves.
June 11, 2025
Scales of Pearl is a satisfactory finale for a great series, although one that didn’t manage to fully utilize its potential. It provides all the answers we need, but not necessarily in the way we want.
In particular, Scales of Pearl resolves two long-running narrative threads: the conflict between our protagonists and the evil shadowy corporation, and the human-dragon relations. Both conflicts reach their peak in Eyes of Silver, and both get a rather underwhelming resolution in Scales of Pearl.
The resolution of the first one (i.e. goodies vs baddies) feels a bit forced to me, although that might be subjective. It hinges on a narratively flimsy time paradox and involves the protagonists coming into possession of a certain mcguffin, which they then surrender to the antagonist for no other reason than giving the author an excuse to write a cool rescue scene (the resolution of which feels just as narratively flimsy as the time paradox).
The second narrative thread, however, is a solid example of a book failing to deliver on its previous promise. After spurring the readers’ imagination by asking, “Will humans and dragons manage to co-exist?” the story then completely fails to provide a satisfying answer, instead bashfully mumbling “nukes or something” and proceeding to resolve the entire thing off-screen.
That being said, Scales of Pearl contains all the elements that made other books in the series so great and carries on with their narrative decisions (which, yes, includes the staunch refusal to grant Ashley any character development). So, if you’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, you can confidently read this one without fearing that it will ruin the series for you. Just don’t expect it to outshine its predecessors. While Feathers of Gold and Eyes of Silver were an exhilarating flight, Scales of Pearl is a rocky landing.
In particular, Scales of Pearl resolves two long-running narrative threads: the conflict between our protagonists and the evil shadowy corporation, and the human-dragon relations. Both conflicts reach their peak in Eyes of Silver, and both get a rather underwhelming resolution in Scales of Pearl.
The resolution of the first one (i.e. goodies vs baddies) feels a bit forced to me, although that might be subjective. It hinges on a narratively flimsy time paradox and involves the protagonists coming into possession of a certain mcguffin, which they then surrender to the antagonist for no other reason than giving the author an excuse to write a cool rescue scene (the resolution of which feels just as narratively flimsy as the time paradox).
The second narrative thread, however, is a solid example of a book failing to deliver on its previous promise. After spurring the readers’ imagination by asking, “Will humans and dragons manage to co-exist?” the story then completely fails to provide a satisfying answer, instead bashfully mumbling “nukes or something” and proceeding to resolve the entire thing off-screen.
That being said, Scales of Pearl contains all the elements that made other books in the series so great and carries on with their narrative decisions (which, yes, includes the staunch refusal to grant Ashley any character development). So, if you’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, you can confidently read this one without fearing that it will ruin the series for you. Just don’t expect it to outshine its predecessors. While Feathers of Gold and Eyes of Silver were an exhilarating flight, Scales of Pearl is a rocky landing.
December 27, 2023
Scales of Pearl finishes the trilogy in style.
The last book in the trilogy is oftentimes where the author loses me, but not in this case. Scales of Pearl continues the strong form of the second book, improving on it in many ways.
The thing I find most impressive about this book are the protagonists. All of them are so different from each other with different worldviews, experiences and morals and yet they are all amazingly fleshed out that I'm struggeling to pick a favorite. Not just the old cast was great, but a character that has long been teased is even greater than I imagined. Arit had all the potential to just be an edgelord without much character aside from the quips he makes, but I'm pleasantly surprised that this is far from the case.
My main point of criticism from the last book — the way PoV was handled — was essentially fixed, with larger sections of a single PoV, before moving on to the next. This was much better for pacing and flow.
The plot, while not as insane or shocking as the second book, was still outstanding. Even if I guessed the big revelation of this book all the way back in the early stages of book 2.
I can't help but be a bit disappointed with the main villain and end of the book however. While the ending was not bad, the way it was handled made me feel like I missed some important events. I can't really go into much more detail without stepping into spoiler territory, but for both the ending and the eventual villain, I felt some depth was missing.
Overall I strongly recommend both this book and the entire trilogy. It was truly a joy to read and one of the best dragon stories I've consumed so far.
The last book in the trilogy is oftentimes where the author loses me, but not in this case. Scales of Pearl continues the strong form of the second book, improving on it in many ways.
The thing I find most impressive about this book are the protagonists. All of them are so different from each other with different worldviews, experiences and morals and yet they are all amazingly fleshed out that I'm struggeling to pick a favorite. Not just the old cast was great, but a character that has long been teased is even greater than I imagined. Arit had all the potential to just be an edgelord without much character aside from the quips he makes, but I'm pleasantly surprised that this is far from the case.
My main point of criticism from the last book — the way PoV was handled — was essentially fixed, with larger sections of a single PoV, before moving on to the next. This was much better for pacing and flow.
The plot, while not as insane or shocking as the second book, was still outstanding. Even if I guessed the big revelation of this book all the way back in the early stages of book 2.
I can't help but be a bit disappointed with the main villain and end of the book however. While the ending was not bad, the way it was handled made me feel like I missed some important events. I can't really go into much more detail without stepping into spoiler territory, but for both the ending and the eventual villain, I felt some depth was missing.
Overall I strongly recommend both this book and the entire trilogy. It was truly a joy to read and one of the best dragon stories I've consumed so far.
January 10, 2024
GMI's manipulation has borne fruit and events are deteriorating into a full blown war, dragons forced to choose between two evils find themselves refugees facing impending anihilation.
It will challenge their unity, the only obvious solutions coming at a harsh moral cost.
While all characters show interesting development going through these events, Arit was the one I really enjoyed the most with Lilith close second.
Far from the villain depicted hitherto, there are reasons behind his "unusual" trajectory and his badass taunting attitude hide their lot of painful secrets (and bring another light on some other character's deeds).
All in all, I have a soft spot for this sort of characters and both him and Lilith hit home in that regard.
Regarding the story and plot I had a good time, with no obvious turn of events, good surprises, and a nice writing giving each character their own personality.
Even if the end and conclusion go a bit quickly, the path towards it and the character development within were enjoyable.
It will challenge their unity, the only obvious solutions coming at a harsh moral cost.
While all characters show interesting development going through these events, Arit was the one I really enjoyed the most with Lilith close second.
Far from the villain depicted hitherto, there are reasons behind his "unusual" trajectory and his badass taunting attitude hide their lot of painful secrets (and bring another light on some other character's deeds).
All in all, I have a soft spot for this sort of characters and both him and Lilith hit home in that regard.
Regarding the story and plot I had a good time, with no obvious turn of events, good surprises, and a nice writing giving each character their own personality.
Even if the end and conclusion go a bit quickly, the path towards it and the character development within were enjoyable.
March 2, 2024
A really solid conclusion to the trilogy, while leaving itself open for more stories to come. I was glad there was a lot less screentime for Chris, who was absolutely my most frustrating part of earlier books in the series (though when he was around, he was still an annoying and largely ineffectual antagonist for me). Overall, and interesting and enjoyable read, especially when it was focused on the protagonists, rather than the antagonistic characters.
June 29, 2024
i love arit and lilith. i love that they're starting a new life together and i love their dynamic. those two were my favorite characters in this book by far :)
the ending was a little fast and the series definitely has its flaws when it comes to government functions and such, but the journey and characters were such a joy <3 i love this series. it was a fun ride!!
the ending was a little fast and the series definitely has its flaws when it comes to government functions and such, but the journey and characters were such a joy <3 i love this series. it was a fun ride!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2025
loved this entire series and this is overall a really good conclusion to the story
December 18, 2023
In general, I really liked this book. It was an epic, thrilling end to an amazing series. Unfortunately, though, the actual ending itself was bad, in my opinion. It felt rushed, with not enough attention to detail. In particular, the time skip near the end really killed the ending for me
I hope to see more in the future from this series and author. This world and lore has a lot of potential.
I hope to see more in the future from this series and author. This world and lore has a lot of potential.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews