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Shattered Kingdom Trilogy #1
Between Dragons and Their Wrath
Conquest long ago split the old kingdom of Paicha into city states, but there are those who seek to reunite the shattered realm—by force if necessary. Amidst the turmoil, three will find their destinies inextricably tangled.
Tesha, a glassblower’s apprentice, becomes a false tribute bride as part of a desperate political plot. In the enemy’s court, she’s perfectly placed to sabotage them, but her heart has other plans.
Naili is laundress to an eccentric alchemist, a job that has left her with strange new powers and a price on her head. When she joins the city’s underworld, she’ll have to choose between keeping her magic secret and changing the world.
And in the desolate Shield Mountains, sharp-shooting dragon rider Ashadi protects the cities from the monsters of the Iipao Sands beyond, but when an impossible shot pierces his dragon’s glass scales, he becomes the hunted one.
As war sweeps across the land, Tesha, Naili, and Ashadi must survive political enemies, long-buried secrets, and monsters both within and without.
Tesha, a glassblower’s apprentice, becomes a false tribute bride as part of a desperate political plot. In the enemy’s court, she’s perfectly placed to sabotage them, but her heart has other plans.
Naili is laundress to an eccentric alchemist, a job that has left her with strange new powers and a price on her head. When she joins the city’s underworld, she’ll have to choose between keeping her magic secret and changing the world.
And in the desolate Shield Mountains, sharp-shooting dragon rider Ashadi protects the cities from the monsters of the Iipao Sands beyond, but when an impossible shot pierces his dragon’s glass scales, he becomes the hunted one.
As war sweeps across the land, Tesha, Naili, and Ashadi must survive political enemies, long-buried secrets, and monsters both within and without.
443 pages, Hardcover
First published August 27, 2024
73 people are currently reading
13422 people want to read
About the author
Devin Madson
14 books562 followersDevin Madson is an Aurealis Award-winning fantasy author from Australia. After some sucky teenage years, she gave up reality and is now a dual-wielding rogue who works through every tiny side-quest and always ends up too over-powered for the final boss. Anything but zen, Devin subsists on tea and chocolate and so much fried zucchini she ought to have turned into one by now. Her fantasy novels come in all shades of grey and are populated with characters of questionable morals and a liking for witty banter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
dnf
August 25, 2024dnf @35% ..
i usually try so hard not to dnf arcs but im just not interested in anything going on in this one and im already on the edge of a reading slump. there seems to be more talking than dragons which is a big annoyance for me when that’s the main draw of why im reading it.
- many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
i usually try so hard not to dnf arcs but im just not interested in anything going on in this one and im already on the edge of a reading slump. there seems to be more talking than dragons which is a big annoyance for me when that’s the main draw of why im reading it.
- many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
November 25, 2024
My thanks to Orbit Books, Devin Madson and Netgalley.
I've been reading this book slowly for a few months now. I fully expected that I'd still be reading it for a few months after too.
Why keep track of a book that I probably won't like?
So, 3 or 4 months on this story revved up.
Dragons? Ridiculous.
.....
.....
Maybe not so much.
The last 45% of this story? Loved it.
I've been reading this book slowly for a few months now. I fully expected that I'd still be reading it for a few months after too.
Why keep track of a book that I probably won't like?
So, 3 or 4 months on this story revved up.
Dragons? Ridiculous.
.....
.....
Maybe not so much.
The last 45% of this story? Loved it.
September 8, 2024
Between Dragons and Their Wrath
by Devin Madson
Shattered Kingdom #1
Fantasy Politics
NetGalley ARC
Pub Date: Aug 27, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
Skipping the vote, the city is now under the control of the Lord Reacher, who promises to stop those attacking the mines and citizens.
Tesha, a glassblower's apprentice, fears Lord Reacher will destroy the city and its diverse cultures along with anyone who will not bow to his rule. Volunteering to become a false tribute bride to Reacher's younger brother, puts her within the household to destroy him.
Naili is a laundress to an alchemist, and she suddenly finds herself cursed with strange new abilities that have possibly already taken another's life. After the alchemist refuses to help, instead calling the law, Naili finds herself facing death or joining the underground, if she can pass their test.
And sent away by his father for disobeying, Ashadi is a dragon rider, there to protect the city from the monsters who live in The Sands, but someone shoots his dragon, an almost impossible feat because of the strength of the dragon's glass scales. He starts asking too many questions and finds himself betrayed.
As a major politically inspired story, along with gossip and being better than another, it did not start off with explaining things very well. At first, I had no clue why people were wearing veils, then about halfway through, it was to keep bugs out of their faces. And I also have no idea why they were wearing skirts, both men and women. I don't know if it was because of the heat, or if only a certain class wore them. I know those are little things, but the little things add up and can distract the reader from the important things. If they are doing it and it's different than our world, a little explaining goes a long way in developing the world and its people.
And with the politics, being the major plot point of this story, the blurb should have explained this. And also relating to the blurb... I have read two different versions, and while one majorly exaggerates the plot, the other jumps ahead in the story and stretches the characters' roles. Then there is the title of the book... Between Dragons and Their Wrath... Umm, the dragons only had a very minor role in this one (though maybe a bigger one in the next) and they weren't very mad.
This is also written in first person, for three different main characters. It was hard to follow at first because as one character was developing, the next chapter was a different person's view.
It's not a bad story, though the politics/royalty and backstabbing were boring, the twist was good, though not a big surprise. I think deep down I suspected it.
Will I read the next? If I can get it on the cheap.
A low...
3 Stars
by Devin Madson
Shattered Kingdom #1
Fantasy Politics
NetGalley ARC
Pub Date: Aug 27, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
Skipping the vote, the city is now under the control of the Lord Reacher, who promises to stop those attacking the mines and citizens.
Tesha, a glassblower's apprentice, fears Lord Reacher will destroy the city and its diverse cultures along with anyone who will not bow to his rule. Volunteering to become a false tribute bride to Reacher's younger brother, puts her within the household to destroy him.
Naili is a laundress to an alchemist, and she suddenly finds herself cursed with strange new abilities that have possibly already taken another's life. After the alchemist refuses to help, instead calling the law, Naili finds herself facing death or joining the underground, if she can pass their test.
And sent away by his father for disobeying, Ashadi is a dragon rider, there to protect the city from the monsters who live in The Sands, but someone shoots his dragon, an almost impossible feat because of the strength of the dragon's glass scales. He starts asking too many questions and finds himself betrayed.
As a major politically inspired story, along with gossip and being better than another, it did not start off with explaining things very well. At first, I had no clue why people were wearing veils, then about halfway through, it was to keep bugs out of their faces. And I also have no idea why they were wearing skirts, both men and women. I don't know if it was because of the heat, or if only a certain class wore them. I know those are little things, but the little things add up and can distract the reader from the important things. If they are doing it and it's different than our world, a little explaining goes a long way in developing the world and its people.
And with the politics, being the major plot point of this story, the blurb should have explained this. And also relating to the blurb... I have read two different versions, and while one majorly exaggerates the plot, the other jumps ahead in the story and stretches the characters' roles. Then there is the title of the book... Between Dragons and Their Wrath... Umm, the dragons only had a very minor role in this one (though maybe a bigger one in the next) and they weren't very mad.
This is also written in first person, for three different main characters. It was hard to follow at first because as one character was developing, the next chapter was a different person's view.
It's not a bad story, though the politics/royalty and backstabbing were boring, the twist was good, though not a big surprise. I think deep down I suspected it.
Will I read the next? If I can get it on the cheap.
A low...
3 Stars
July 14, 2024
One thing I love about Devin Madson's books is her meal scenes. You can count on mountains of intrigue, double-speak, emotional struggles, and narrowed stares whenever our cast sits down for a nosh. These scenes have elevated her Reborn Empire series, and they take center stage again in Between Dragons and Their Wrath. There are also many (many!) sex scenes, plant dysmorphia, something called an 'insult bride,' and freaking dragon riders with guns who chug psychedelic sludge before flying off into battle.
Just in case you're somehow still on the fence, Between Dragons and Their Wrath> follows three first-person POVs in three different regions of the Shattered Kingdom. Tesha is a glass smith and a freedom fighter, smart and driven, who becomes entangled with high society politics that quickly veers into life-or-death levels of intrigue. Ashadi is a handsome, smooth-talking noble who was banished to an unforgiving land and must constantly patrol under extreme circumstances. Naili is a laundress who faces harsh work conditions that lead to tragic, unexpected outcomes, and must pivot into a dangerous world of treachery in order to right those who were wronged.
All three characters have strong and distinct voices, and each chapter was an engaging thrill. Madson continues to write long chapters which feel like self-contained short stories. There's a ton of plot development with each visit with our protagonists, as well as strong character development -- every character is flawed to the point where you just want to strangle them while slapping your forehead -- which makes the read all the more fun and rewarding. An excellent supporting cast adds various love interests, interesting foils, and enough magic to enrich the lore with mystery and promise.
This book is serious fun. Madson has once again crafted a thrilling, layered world that lured me in from its opening pages all the way through its 'Did you have to end it THERE?' finale. Don't miss this one.
4.5 / 5 stars
Just in case you're somehow still on the fence, Between Dragons and Their Wrath> follows three first-person POVs in three different regions of the Shattered Kingdom. Tesha is a glass smith and a freedom fighter, smart and driven, who becomes entangled with high society politics that quickly veers into life-or-death levels of intrigue. Ashadi is a handsome, smooth-talking noble who was banished to an unforgiving land and must constantly patrol under extreme circumstances. Naili is a laundress who faces harsh work conditions that lead to tragic, unexpected outcomes, and must pivot into a dangerous world of treachery in order to right those who were wronged.
All three characters have strong and distinct voices, and each chapter was an engaging thrill. Madson continues to write long chapters which feel like self-contained short stories. There's a ton of plot development with each visit with our protagonists, as well as strong character development -- every character is flawed to the point where you just want to strangle them while slapping your forehead -- which makes the read all the more fun and rewarding. An excellent supporting cast adds various love interests, interesting foils, and enough magic to enrich the lore with mystery and promise.
This book is serious fun. Madson has once again crafted a thrilling, layered world that lured me in from its opening pages all the way through its 'Did you have to end it THERE?' finale. Don't miss this one.
4.5 / 5 stars
Want to read
April 19, 2024SCREAM!!
*runs around*
Holy shit! I found this on my Kindle and thought I must have pre-ordered it. I just realized IT'S NOT OUT YET! I WON THIS BOOK ON GOODREADS GIVEAWAY! FUCK YEA!
*runs around*
Holy shit! I found this on my Kindle and thought I must have pre-ordered it. I just realized IT'S NOT OUT YET! I WON THIS BOOK ON GOODREADS GIVEAWAY! FUCK YEA!
June 20, 2024
If you're looking for high fantasy, dragons and dragon riders, anti-colonialism/anti-imperialism, and spicy romance this book needs to be in your TBR! Stunning worldbuilding, intriguing characters, and fascinating political schemes with interwoven themes of anti-colonialism. This novel has multiple point of views with a diverse cast and plentiful LGBTQ+ representation. Each POV seems to contain it's own feel ranging from old western but with dragons, political games with forbidden romance, infecting plant-like powers and bio-horror, and much more which makes the story incredibly interesting! The novel ends on a cliff hanger which will leave readers buzzing with anticipation for the continuation of this fascinating story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in consideration of an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in consideration of an honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 1, 2024
Review originally on JamReads
Between Dragons and Their Wrath is the first book in the epic dark fantasy series The Shattered Kingdom, written by Devin Madson, and published by Orbit Books. An ambitious and intricate multi threaded story, with big political and romantic stakes, set in an incredible sand-sea world, glass-scaled dragons, plant magic and dangerous alchemy.
Madson introduces us to three really different POVs, throwing us into the complexity of the world and the schemes that are being played. The first will be Tesha, a glass smith apprentice who ends being involved into the high society politics as an insult bride, hoping to use her sharp mind and her cunning in order to help preserve the independency of her home. With her, Madson portraits the complex relationships between the noble families, their lifestyles, and how the kingdom shattered into different independent cities is coming to an end by conquest.
In the desolate Shield Mountains, Ashadi is a noble turned into dragonrider, part of that force that protects the cities from the monsters that appear from the Sands; however, when an impossible shot shatters one of his dragon's scales, it will unleash a chain of events that will make him the hunted, together with his assistant Mana. This run will also put him in the way to discover the secrets that are being hidden from most, and that only the natives of this land remember. Not only Madson uses this point of view to depict more about the creatures that threaten the cities, but also introduces an excellent discourse about how colonialism aims to erase the original culture of the place, while including an intense queer slow burning romance.
And finally, we have Naili, a laundress that ends being entangled in the criminal underworld; as a result of the experiments of her former employer, she ends developing plant magic, an ability that will put her between the rock and the wall, as she need to choose between using it to change the world and put a bullseye onto her head, or keeping a lower profile. A different way to see the world, showing us the ugliest aspects of the cities, how the lowborn people struggle to survive and become simply flesh in the hands of the powerful.
Madson masterfully ties together the three POVs, painting a complex story that spawns across the world, the power fights and the bigger threat that is coming from the outside; characters are well-fleshed, making difficult to not empathize with our characters and their struggles to play the role that the rest of the people are expecting from them.
The world-building is inventive and imaginative, shaped by Madson's Australian influences, with touches of steampunk, but also including excellent ideas such as the scaleglass and the plant based magic (Niali definitely is one of the highlights of the books). We have a world with a previous history that has driven the situation towards what we are reading, but also with fully fleshed relationships of power. And certainly, I loved the sand seas.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath is a promising first novel on a series, a read that will hook you and will make you crave for more of Madson's writing; I can't wait to continue reading The Shattered Kingdom, because all the elements needed for a memorable series have already been placed.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath is the first book in the epic dark fantasy series The Shattered Kingdom, written by Devin Madson, and published by Orbit Books. An ambitious and intricate multi threaded story, with big political and romantic stakes, set in an incredible sand-sea world, glass-scaled dragons, plant magic and dangerous alchemy.
Madson introduces us to three really different POVs, throwing us into the complexity of the world and the schemes that are being played. The first will be Tesha, a glass smith apprentice who ends being involved into the high society politics as an insult bride, hoping to use her sharp mind and her cunning in order to help preserve the independency of her home. With her, Madson portraits the complex relationships between the noble families, their lifestyles, and how the kingdom shattered into different independent cities is coming to an end by conquest.
In the desolate Shield Mountains, Ashadi is a noble turned into dragonrider, part of that force that protects the cities from the monsters that appear from the Sands; however, when an impossible shot shatters one of his dragon's scales, it will unleash a chain of events that will make him the hunted, together with his assistant Mana. This run will also put him in the way to discover the secrets that are being hidden from most, and that only the natives of this land remember. Not only Madson uses this point of view to depict more about the creatures that threaten the cities, but also introduces an excellent discourse about how colonialism aims to erase the original culture of the place, while including an intense queer slow burning romance.
And finally, we have Naili, a laundress that ends being entangled in the criminal underworld; as a result of the experiments of her former employer, she ends developing plant magic, an ability that will put her between the rock and the wall, as she need to choose between using it to change the world and put a bullseye onto her head, or keeping a lower profile. A different way to see the world, showing us the ugliest aspects of the cities, how the lowborn people struggle to survive and become simply flesh in the hands of the powerful.
Madson masterfully ties together the three POVs, painting a complex story that spawns across the world, the power fights and the bigger threat that is coming from the outside; characters are well-fleshed, making difficult to not empathize with our characters and their struggles to play the role that the rest of the people are expecting from them.
The world-building is inventive and imaginative, shaped by Madson's Australian influences, with touches of steampunk, but also including excellent ideas such as the scaleglass and the plant based magic (Niali definitely is one of the highlights of the books). We have a world with a previous history that has driven the situation towards what we are reading, but also with fully fleshed relationships of power. And certainly, I loved the sand seas.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath is a promising first novel on a series, a read that will hook you and will make you crave for more of Madson's writing; I can't wait to continue reading The Shattered Kingdom, because all the elements needed for a memorable series have already been placed.
September 29, 2024
3.0 Stars
This is an easy piece of epic fantasy. The characters and worldbuilding are a bit simplic for my tastes. I would this book to be similar to my experience with their previous series. The story is generally and easy to follow but lacks the complexity and depth that turns a series into a favourite. There is still a lot of potential here so I would continue on with the series.
I would recommend this one to readers looking for a new fantasy series and go in just wanting an straightforward, entertaining read.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
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This is an easy piece of epic fantasy. The characters and worldbuilding are a bit simplic for my tastes. I would this book to be similar to my experience with their previous series. The story is generally and easy to follow but lacks the complexity and depth that turns a series into a favourite. There is still a lot of potential here so I would continue on with the series.
I would recommend this one to readers looking for a new fantasy series and go in just wanting an straightforward, entertaining read.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
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August 23, 2024
This review was originally published on Before We Go Blog
Set in a stunningly epic queer-normative world of wild sand seas, glass-scaled dragons, dangerous alchemy, and infectious plant magic, Between Dragons and Their Wrath is an intricately woven fantasy tale that offers spine-tingling levels of political, romantic and sexual tension in spades.
Through the eyes of three refreshingly diverse and distinctly unique protagonists, we are thrown headfirst into this complex world with all its dangerous schemes and deadly secrets. Tesha is a sharp-witted apprentice glass smith turned insult bride who becomes embroiled in high society politics, Ashadi is a noble turned dragonrider who can mentally bond with his snarky dragon by using psychedelics, and Naili is a laundress turned gang member whose inexplicable new magic starts growing plants out of her body; they might not know it yet, but their fates are intricately intertwined, and they will have to fight monsters both within and without to reach their destiny.
As you might expect, Between Dragons and Their Wrath is quite the ambitious story with a lot of moving pieces to keep track of, yet somehow Madson manages the madness masterfully. While I can see how the multi-POV first person narration might scare some people off, I personally found that intimately character-driven storytelling to be a perfect grounding force throughout this increasingly wild trainwreck of a story (and I say that in the most loving way possible).
Each character pops off the page with personality and has a very distinct voice, so even though I initially struggled a bit to get a firm grip on their place (both socially and geographically) in this world, I quickly felt deeply invested in the hot mess that they call their daily lives. Their virtues and vices are on full display, and they can be terribly unlikable and irrational at times, but that only made them more frustratingly relatable and loveable to me. And I think this might be an unpopular opinion, but Naili was my favourite from the start, even with her occasionally inappropriate lusty and horny thoughts; the mystery and intrigue in her storyline just instantly grabbed me by the throat, and I ultimately loved her journey of growth (literally, I guess?) throughout this novel.
That is not to say that the other characters pale in comparison to her, and I truly never found myself wishing to get back to a different perspective. Tesha’s perspective gave such an intriguing (outsider’s) look into the cutthroat Emoran high society, while Ashadi’s POV blew open the world in terms of history and lore, both of which I was deeply fascinated by. The way that Madson balances and interweaves these characters’ internal conflicts with the larger external conflicts was so masterfully done, and I really appreciated the subtly powerful exploration of themes of imperialism, colonisation, classism, generational trauma and cultural identity through their personal (back)stories.
Not to mention, as someone who isn’t opposed to some good (queer) romance mixed into their fantasy, I was absolutely eating up the forbidden romances, mutual yearning, electrifying tension, and surprisingly explicit spicy scenes that pop up in each of the three perspectives. Between Dragons and Their Wrath is not a fantasy romance in the traditional sense, but it sure offers more than just a pulse-pounding battle climax, if you know what I mean.
Though speaking of the climax, I do have to admit that the unsatisfyingly abrupt ending gave me a bit of a whiplash, ultimately leaving me with more questions than answers. For a large part of the story I didn’t mind that I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark a bit, because so were the characters themselves, but I can’t deny that I was hoping for more convergence and resolution by the end of this first instalment.
Nevertheless, I had an absolute blast with this story, and I have to admit that the cliffhanger would absolutely have made me dive straight into book 2 if that had been available. See, this might not be a terribly action-packed or fast-paced narrative, but it’s just got a dangerously addictive level of simmering tension that makes the pages simply fly by. Madson’s wild imagination combined with their emotionally engaging storytelling and effortlessly witty prose kept me engrossed the entire way through, and you better bet I will be adding them to my ‘must-read’ authors list from now on.
In a weird way, this book felt like an exciting mix of all the best elements of M.A. Carrick’s Rook and Rose series, Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing, and Saara El-Arifi’s Ending Fire trilogy, while also being completely its own thing. If you are looking for a romantic political fantasy set in an undeniably cool and breathtakingly inventive world that continues to excite, delight, and freak you the fuck out with each new turn of the page, then I can’t recommend Between Dragons and Their Wrath highly enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Between Dragons and Their Wrath is scheduled for release on August 27th, 2024.
Set in a stunningly epic queer-normative world of wild sand seas, glass-scaled dragons, dangerous alchemy, and infectious plant magic, Between Dragons and Their Wrath is an intricately woven fantasy tale that offers spine-tingling levels of political, romantic and sexual tension in spades.
Through the eyes of three refreshingly diverse and distinctly unique protagonists, we are thrown headfirst into this complex world with all its dangerous schemes and deadly secrets. Tesha is a sharp-witted apprentice glass smith turned insult bride who becomes embroiled in high society politics, Ashadi is a noble turned dragonrider who can mentally bond with his snarky dragon by using psychedelics, and Naili is a laundress turned gang member whose inexplicable new magic starts growing plants out of her body; they might not know it yet, but their fates are intricately intertwined, and they will have to fight monsters both within and without to reach their destiny.
As you might expect, Between Dragons and Their Wrath is quite the ambitious story with a lot of moving pieces to keep track of, yet somehow Madson manages the madness masterfully. While I can see how the multi-POV first person narration might scare some people off, I personally found that intimately character-driven storytelling to be a perfect grounding force throughout this increasingly wild trainwreck of a story (and I say that in the most loving way possible).
Each character pops off the page with personality and has a very distinct voice, so even though I initially struggled a bit to get a firm grip on their place (both socially and geographically) in this world, I quickly felt deeply invested in the hot mess that they call their daily lives. Their virtues and vices are on full display, and they can be terribly unlikable and irrational at times, but that only made them more frustratingly relatable and loveable to me. And I think this might be an unpopular opinion, but Naili was my favourite from the start, even with her occasionally inappropriate lusty and horny thoughts; the mystery and intrigue in her storyline just instantly grabbed me by the throat, and I ultimately loved her journey of growth (literally, I guess?) throughout this novel.
That is not to say that the other characters pale in comparison to her, and I truly never found myself wishing to get back to a different perspective. Tesha’s perspective gave such an intriguing (outsider’s) look into the cutthroat Emoran high society, while Ashadi’s POV blew open the world in terms of history and lore, both of which I was deeply fascinated by. The way that Madson balances and interweaves these characters’ internal conflicts with the larger external conflicts was so masterfully done, and I really appreciated the subtly powerful exploration of themes of imperialism, colonisation, classism, generational trauma and cultural identity through their personal (back)stories.
Not to mention, as someone who isn’t opposed to some good (queer) romance mixed into their fantasy, I was absolutely eating up the forbidden romances, mutual yearning, electrifying tension, and surprisingly explicit spicy scenes that pop up in each of the three perspectives. Between Dragons and Their Wrath is not a fantasy romance in the traditional sense, but it sure offers more than just a pulse-pounding battle climax, if you know what I mean.
Though speaking of the climax, I do have to admit that the unsatisfyingly abrupt ending gave me a bit of a whiplash, ultimately leaving me with more questions than answers. For a large part of the story I didn’t mind that I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark a bit, because so were the characters themselves, but I can’t deny that I was hoping for more convergence and resolution by the end of this first instalment.
Nevertheless, I had an absolute blast with this story, and I have to admit that the cliffhanger would absolutely have made me dive straight into book 2 if that had been available. See, this might not be a terribly action-packed or fast-paced narrative, but it’s just got a dangerously addictive level of simmering tension that makes the pages simply fly by. Madson’s wild imagination combined with their emotionally engaging storytelling and effortlessly witty prose kept me engrossed the entire way through, and you better bet I will be adding them to my ‘must-read’ authors list from now on.
In a weird way, this book felt like an exciting mix of all the best elements of M.A. Carrick’s Rook and Rose series, Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing, and Saara El-Arifi’s Ending Fire trilogy, while also being completely its own thing. If you are looking for a romantic political fantasy set in an undeniably cool and breathtakingly inventive world that continues to excite, delight, and freak you the fuck out with each new turn of the page, then I can’t recommend Between Dragons and Their Wrath highly enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Between Dragons and Their Wrath is scheduled for release on August 27th, 2024.
August 22, 2024
Put the word "dragon" in a book title and I'm automatically interested, I really am that easy. So of course, with a title as cool as Between Dragons and their Wrath, I was intrigued by Devin Madson's new release. Sadly, the intrigue vanished rather quickly when I started reading.
I do think though that it's a perfect case of it's me, not the book.
The story is an interesting one, and the mystery that it slowly builds up to is exciting. It's what made me not dnf, because I really did want to find out what was going on. But other than that there is just nothing happening. The plot is meandering and at times nonexistent, the world building choppy and all over the place and the characters are mostly vexing or painfully mediocre.
Most of all I simply didn't vibe with the author's writing style, and the choice to have multiple pov and write them all in first person can work I'm sure, but it simply didn't for me. I don't think the book is necessarily badly written, I simply just don't like the style.
The characters are okay but honestly barely interesting, and there is a surprising focus on romance that I wasn't expecting based on the book description. This, at times, reads more like romantasy and the world building and character writing suffered from it. All of the three main characters think way too much about sex and romance than they should in the situation they're in, and Nailii especially was absolutely unbearable to read. There is a sex scene in her chapters that is so gratuitous and nonsensical that it's borderline offensive, I felt as if the author was pulling my leg. The romances themselves also didn't really make me feel anything at all. The only couple that had any kind of chemistry were Ashadi and Mana, but that's mostly because there was an attempt at exploring a master-servant-relationship with all its dark and toxic sides (though honestly that didn't last long and turned into simple miscommunication after a while). There was absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between Tesha and Uvao, and Naili lost me in her first chapter with that weird oversexualizing of every woman that exists within like two miles of her.
The world also feels incredibly small due to decisions to connect basically all the important characters to each other in often unnecessary ways, and every time such a connection is revealed it feels like it was supposed to be some clever plot twist. It's not, it just made me feel like there are about ten people at most living in this world.
Basically, this series starter has some very cool ideas, it gets bonus points for its queer protagonists, but the rest of it just wasn't for me at all. Also there are barely any dragons in it, though admittedly the mystery surrounding them and the monsters inhabiting the harsh deserts of this world is the one thing that really shines. Ashadi's dragon is also the best character of the book and she's only in like, three chapters or so.
I do hope others will enjoy this book more, but I personally won't be continuing this series.
Many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the arc!
I do think though that it's a perfect case of it's me, not the book.
The story is an interesting one, and the mystery that it slowly builds up to is exciting. It's what made me not dnf, because I really did want to find out what was going on. But other than that there is just nothing happening. The plot is meandering and at times nonexistent, the world building choppy and all over the place and the characters are mostly vexing or painfully mediocre.
Most of all I simply didn't vibe with the author's writing style, and the choice to have multiple pov and write them all in first person can work I'm sure, but it simply didn't for me. I don't think the book is necessarily badly written, I simply just don't like the style.
The characters are okay but honestly barely interesting, and there is a surprising focus on romance that I wasn't expecting based on the book description. This, at times, reads more like romantasy and the world building and character writing suffered from it. All of the three main characters think way too much about sex and romance than they should in the situation they're in, and Nailii especially was absolutely unbearable to read. There is a sex scene in her chapters that is so gratuitous and nonsensical that it's borderline offensive, I felt as if the author was pulling my leg. The romances themselves also didn't really make me feel anything at all. The only couple that had any kind of chemistry were Ashadi and Mana, but that's mostly because there was an attempt at exploring a master-servant-relationship with all its dark and toxic sides (though honestly that didn't last long and turned into simple miscommunication after a while). There was absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between Tesha and Uvao, and Naili lost me in her first chapter with that weird oversexualizing of every woman that exists within like two miles of her.
The world also feels incredibly small due to decisions to connect basically all the important characters to each other in often unnecessary ways, and every time such a connection is revealed it feels like it was supposed to be some clever plot twist. It's not, it just made me feel like there are about ten people at most living in this world.
Basically, this series starter has some very cool ideas, it gets bonus points for its queer protagonists, but the rest of it just wasn't for me at all. Also there are barely any dragons in it, though admittedly the mystery surrounding them and the monsters inhabiting the harsh deserts of this world is the one thing that really shines. Ashadi's dragon is also the best character of the book and she's only in like, three chapters or so.
I do hope others will enjoy this book more, but I personally won't be continuing this series.
Many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the arc!
August 5, 2024
DNF for this one
Between Dragons and their Wrath is delightfully written, but struggles with a weird identity crisis. The book is played up like a traditional fantasy with wonderful character engaging in absolutely stellar moving parts. Sadly, they all have love interests, and any time romance is mentioned, the books immediately nosedives to a low effort instalove romantasy. The tone switching is extremely weird and ultimately ruins the story. Romantasy fans might enjoy this one, as its far more complex than a normal romantasy but still manages to meet the mark on a lot of the tropes
Between Dragons and their Wrath is delightfully written, but struggles with a weird identity crisis. The book is played up like a traditional fantasy with wonderful character engaging in absolutely stellar moving parts. Sadly, they all have love interests, and any time romance is mentioned, the books immediately nosedives to a low effort instalove romantasy. The tone switching is extremely weird and ultimately ruins the story. Romantasy fans might enjoy this one, as its far more complex than a normal romantasy but still manages to meet the mark on a lot of the tropes
May 25, 2024
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the arc! Hmm, I am ambivalent about my feelings for this book. The concepts, set-up, themes, and uniqueness of this book is on point, but I have mixed feelings about the execution.
The negatives:
Multi-pov in first person…is a choice. It’s very nice to be so in these characters’ heads, but through first person there was a learning curve on who is narrating, and overall I think third person would have worked much better with this story.
The characters made some decisions that just made no fucking sense. At one point, an mc gets called a slur by someone, and what does she do? She lets the bitch eat her out. Like what???? If I was in the mc’s position I would simply choose violence. There’s a lot of horniness in this book in general, which don’t get me wrong, I like heat. Heat and spice is fun, but I feel like we lost the plot here, with just how horny these characters were, and the decisions they sometimes made. It broke the immersion for me, and often pissed me off. They all had a jobs to do. But again, instead of the plot, it just focused on how down bad these idiots were. It was just not what I thought it was. Yet, on the bright side, because these characters were a mess, the plot was at times unpredictable, which is nice. Some main and important twists I caught early on though.
The middle section did drag a little. With some complaints I mentioned earlier, I did have to slog through 100ish pages of characters just being off their rockers. I did consider dnfing, but I’m glad I stuck it through.
The positives:
As I mentioned earlier, the concepts and set-ups were very unique and interesting. There are guns, dragons, a citadel, ostentatious wealth, wealth inequality, girls turning into plants, a mysterious alchemist, seemingly indestructible glass that’s VERY rare and plays a huge role in the wars and invasions occurring, lovely clay houses, Roman-like baths, gangs, a rotten underbelly to a certain city, lots of cities and the cultures that come with them, as well as different groups of people that lead to interesting themes and dynamics. There’s a lot to work with here. This also lends itself to some wonderful descriptions that really take you there.
The themes in this book do add a lot to the story. They’re what stick out the most to me, actually. The themes of colonialism, imperialism, racism, and generational trauma are fascinating to read about. We have indigenous groups and communes, the diaspora experience, and the clash of these cultures with those who oppress them. I also loved the theme of the importance of gossip and secrets. Gossip and information can be dissidence, and power, and a tool for survival. I haven’t read a book with this theme that is as present in the story as this one. I need this theme explored more in fantasy literature. The political intrigue was intriguing, and it was fabulous.
By the end of this book, I was satisfied enough with the mcs storylines. While some twists were predictable, I enjoyed them nonetheless. The end recaptured my attention after dragging through the middle portion of this book. I will likely read the second book in this series, as I feel it has promise with the way things were set up. May these bitches tear the entire thing down.
In all, while there were some glaring issues and issues that would usually lead to me dnfing a book, other elements allowed me to finish what I started. Once again, I’m glad I did. I’ll be anticipating the second book in this series, but tentatively. 3.5, rounded up.
The negatives:
Multi-pov in first person…is a choice. It’s very nice to be so in these characters’ heads, but through first person there was a learning curve on who is narrating, and overall I think third person would have worked much better with this story.
The characters made some decisions that just made no fucking sense. At one point, an mc gets called a slur by someone, and what does she do? She lets the bitch eat her out. Like what???? If I was in the mc’s position I would simply choose violence. There’s a lot of horniness in this book in general, which don’t get me wrong, I like heat. Heat and spice is fun, but I feel like we lost the plot here, with just how horny these characters were, and the decisions they sometimes made. It broke the immersion for me, and often pissed me off. They all had a jobs to do. But again, instead of the plot, it just focused on how down bad these idiots were. It was just not what I thought it was. Yet, on the bright side, because these characters were a mess, the plot was at times unpredictable, which is nice. Some main and important twists I caught early on though.
The middle section did drag a little. With some complaints I mentioned earlier, I did have to slog through 100ish pages of characters just being off their rockers. I did consider dnfing, but I’m glad I stuck it through.
The positives:
As I mentioned earlier, the concepts and set-ups were very unique and interesting. There are guns, dragons, a citadel, ostentatious wealth, wealth inequality, girls turning into plants, a mysterious alchemist, seemingly indestructible glass that’s VERY rare and plays a huge role in the wars and invasions occurring, lovely clay houses, Roman-like baths, gangs, a rotten underbelly to a certain city, lots of cities and the cultures that come with them, as well as different groups of people that lead to interesting themes and dynamics. There’s a lot to work with here. This also lends itself to some wonderful descriptions that really take you there.
The themes in this book do add a lot to the story. They’re what stick out the most to me, actually. The themes of colonialism, imperialism, racism, and generational trauma are fascinating to read about. We have indigenous groups and communes, the diaspora experience, and the clash of these cultures with those who oppress them. I also loved the theme of the importance of gossip and secrets. Gossip and information can be dissidence, and power, and a tool for survival. I haven’t read a book with this theme that is as present in the story as this one. I need this theme explored more in fantasy literature. The political intrigue was intriguing, and it was fabulous.
By the end of this book, I was satisfied enough with the mcs storylines. While some twists were predictable, I enjoyed them nonetheless. The end recaptured my attention after dragging through the middle portion of this book. I will likely read the second book in this series, as I feel it has promise with the way things were set up. May these bitches tear the entire thing down.
In all, while there were some glaring issues and issues that would usually lead to me dnfing a book, other elements allowed me to finish what I started. Once again, I’m glad I did. I’ll be anticipating the second book in this series, but tentatively. 3.5, rounded up.
August 29, 2024
Like the other Devin Madson books I have read, this was very digestible. She writes in a way that makes it very hard to tear yourself away from. You just want to sit and gorge yourself on her prose. Her prose....this was definitely a Madson book. Her trademark rated R sass was on full display here.
This was a completely different world with a completely different feel than her last series (counting the trilogy and quadrilogy as one). While the other series boasted a very Asian-inspired setting, this series brings us to an Arabian-inspired world with so much life breathed into the 443 pages of this novel. The lore and culture were never flat out stated, but instead were revealed naturally throughout the plot. Loved that.
In typical Madson style, we had 3 POVs. Each unique and up to their own part of the overarching story. Two of them I found to be captivating and felt a bond with. One of those two was also easily my favorite. The third was harder for me to get attached to, as their arc was something I have encountered and not been big on in other media. Never enough to dislike this character, though. I am excited for what will come next for these characters and for this world.
This was a completely different world with a completely different feel than her last series (counting the trilogy and quadrilogy as one). While the other series boasted a very Asian-inspired setting, this series brings us to an Arabian-inspired world with so much life breathed into the 443 pages of this novel. The lore and culture were never flat out stated, but instead were revealed naturally throughout the plot. Loved that.
In typical Madson style, we had 3 POVs. Each unique and up to their own part of the overarching story. Two of them I found to be captivating and felt a bond with. One of those two was also easily my favorite. The third was harder for me to get attached to, as their arc was something I have encountered and not been big on in other media. Never enough to dislike this character, though. I am excited for what will come next for these characters and for this world.
Want to read
August 2, 2024Wasn't a fan of Madson's The Reborn Empire, but I'm willing to give this one a try
October 21, 2024
I received this book for free from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath is a bit of a challenge for me to rate. While I liked the novel, it was misrepresented by the synopsis, suffered from pacing issues, and felt mainly like a setup for the sequel. Even more tragically, there were very few of the eponymous dragons. That being said, there was enough political intrigue, mystery, and new ideas to keep me invested in the book.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath has some really cool concepts. There's some unique ideas at play here, like girls sprouting plants and magical abilities, dragon riders being conscripted and forced to consume drugs in order to talk to their dragons, scale piercing bullets, and dread alchemists. Unfortunately a lot of the execution here is a misfire, as the novel dedicates a lot of page space to less interesting things. For instance, there's probably less than ten minutes dedicated to dragons in the entire book, let alone their wrath. Despite the odd priorities of the book and the lulls in the action, it only made me more compelled to get the next interesting scene where something more was uncovered.
Unfortunately, the reveals are few and far apart, with the world-building being rather vague. However, I think a lot of this is purposeful in order to keep things mysterious for certain discoveries. Regardless, there is a lot at stake politically and also on another front, which requires dragon riders to keep monsters at bay. Each of the narrators are in great positions to comment on different aspects of the mysterious events at play. Tesh infiltrates a high profile family as an insult bride and an assassin. Ashadi is the eldest son of the same noble family, exiled to life as a dragon rider for daring to go against the grain of his family. And Naili is a laundress for an alchemist who starts developing powers of her own after exposure to the alchemist's experiments.
Regrettably, I didn't particularly like any of these characters. Out of all of them, I found Tesh to be the most relatable. However, her backstory was way too vague—she's super patriotic, which is why she decided to dump her secretly noble boyfriend, infiltrate the upper class, become an insult bride (a concept that is frustratingly never really given much explanation), with the goal of assassinating the most powerful man in the realm, but we never learn from where this patriotic zeal of hers stems. This seems like a pretty fundamental thing to establish about a character willing to risk her life for a cause. Without any kind of tragic backstory, it's harder to feel a connection. And with her primary personality trait being loyalty to her country, it's a little off-putting when she suddenly develops a conscience and questioning her actions towards the people she swore were her enemies.
Another issue I had with the characters is that everyone, male and female, thinks with their nether regions. Nobody has any restraint. It's hard to sympathize with them when they choose to throw caution to the winds over and over again. And these scenes feel very out of place, such as a thief suddenly getting bent over by the very person from whom they're stealing. I'm not here to shame anyone for their interests, but I'm baffled by these scenes and their purpose. They don't add anything to the plot and, in fact, usually interrupt them. It gets very tedious reading about the urges of the characters all of the time, especially Naili who seems to be dying at all times due to her insatiable thirst for anything with a pulse. I could not fathom if these scenes are supposed to be edgy or hot, but they're honestly more bewildering than anything else. Time and place, people, (and maybe not with the very same people who actively trying to hurt the character in question).
Despite these weird scenes, I really enjoyed watching the different worlds of the characters slowly collide over the course of Between Dragons and their Wrath. It was very cool to see the ripple effects of one character’s actions reach the others, even if they didn't meet each other in person. The build up of them all meeting creates quite a lot of tension and curiosity, so I'm looking forward to the characters actually physically meeting up in future entries of the series. And since the novel ended with a rather big reveal about the world itself and there's clearly a lot more going on then what even the characters know, I'm excited to see where it all goes in future entries of the series.
I would recommend Between Dragons and Their Wrath to readers who can adjust their expectations without being too annoyed, as the blurb and marketing for the novel seem to be purposefully misleading. If readers can go into the novel looking for a fantasy novel filled mostly with political intrigue and very little action or actual dragons, they will be more likely to enjoy it.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath is a bit of a challenge for me to rate. While I liked the novel, it was misrepresented by the synopsis, suffered from pacing issues, and felt mainly like a setup for the sequel. Even more tragically, there were very few of the eponymous dragons. That being said, there was enough political intrigue, mystery, and new ideas to keep me invested in the book.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath has some really cool concepts. There's some unique ideas at play here, like girls sprouting plants and magical abilities, dragon riders being conscripted and forced to consume drugs in order to talk to their dragons, scale piercing bullets, and dread alchemists. Unfortunately a lot of the execution here is a misfire, as the novel dedicates a lot of page space to less interesting things. For instance, there's probably less than ten minutes dedicated to dragons in the entire book, let alone their wrath. Despite the odd priorities of the book and the lulls in the action, it only made me more compelled to get the next interesting scene where something more was uncovered.
"Agreeing to this plan of theirs gets me right into the heart of Emora, into the reacher's family. From there I can tear them all down."
Unfortunately, the reveals are few and far apart, with the world-building being rather vague. However, I think a lot of this is purposeful in order to keep things mysterious for certain discoveries. Regardless, there is a lot at stake politically and also on another front, which requires dragon riders to keep monsters at bay. Each of the narrators are in great positions to comment on different aspects of the mysterious events at play. Tesh infiltrates a high profile family as an insult bride and an assassin. Ashadi is the eldest son of the same noble family, exiled to life as a dragon rider for daring to go against the grain of his family. And Naili is a laundress for an alchemist who starts developing powers of her own after exposure to the alchemist's experiments.
"But around here answers are earned, not given."
Regrettably, I didn't particularly like any of these characters. Out of all of them, I found Tesh to be the most relatable. However, her backstory was way too vague—she's super patriotic, which is why she decided to dump her secretly noble boyfriend, infiltrate the upper class, become an insult bride (a concept that is frustratingly never really given much explanation), with the goal of assassinating the most powerful man in the realm, but we never learn from where this patriotic zeal of hers stems. This seems like a pretty fundamental thing to establish about a character willing to risk her life for a cause. Without any kind of tragic backstory, it's harder to feel a connection. And with her primary personality trait being loyalty to her country, it's a little off-putting when she suddenly develops a conscience and questioning her actions towards the people she swore were her enemies.
Another issue I had with the characters is that everyone, male and female, thinks with their nether regions. Nobody has any restraint. It's hard to sympathize with them when they choose to throw caution to the winds over and over again. And these scenes feel very out of place, such as a thief suddenly getting bent over by the very person from whom they're stealing. I'm not here to shame anyone for their interests, but I'm baffled by these scenes and their purpose. They don't add anything to the plot and, in fact, usually interrupt them. It gets very tedious reading about the urges of the characters all of the time, especially Naili who seems to be dying at all times due to her insatiable thirst for anything with a pulse. I could not fathom if these scenes are supposed to be edgy or hot, but they're honestly more bewildering than anything else. Time and place, people, (and maybe not with the very same people who actively trying to hurt the character in question).
"Still a dreamer, huh. You cannot fix this, Nai, just like you cannot fix this city or this world. This is the world we live in, and this is the world we'll die in. You just have to pick how you want to live. Or die."
Despite these weird scenes, I really enjoyed watching the different worlds of the characters slowly collide over the course of Between Dragons and their Wrath. It was very cool to see the ripple effects of one character’s actions reach the others, even if they didn't meet each other in person. The build up of them all meeting creates quite a lot of tension and curiosity, so I'm looking forward to the characters actually physically meeting up in future entries of the series. And since the novel ended with a rather big reveal about the world itself and there's clearly a lot more going on then what even the characters know, I'm excited to see where it all goes in future entries of the series.
I would recommend Between Dragons and Their Wrath to readers who can adjust their expectations without being too annoyed, as the blurb and marketing for the novel seem to be purposefully misleading. If readers can go into the novel looking for a fantasy novel filled mostly with political intrigue and very little action or actual dragons, they will be more likely to enjoy it.
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November 17, 2024
Between Dragons and Their Wrath by Devin Madson is a queer epic fantasy that held me hostage from page one.
I absolutely loved the characters from the start, with a women working in a glass blowers workshop, a dragon rider, and a laundry maid with sudden strange plant magic creeping up.
All three of them felt so real, they walked off the page and into the real world, or at least it felt like that to me. Non of them are heroes or villains, they all have their strengths and weaknesses, their virtues and vices.
The world building was equally amazing, with different cultures, politics, drugs enabling speaking to dragons, science, poisons, magic and much more.
The plot was nice and twisty, with betrayals and loyalties as well as plenty of backstabbing, blackmail and spys everywhere. Trust no one, but find allies. Sounds fun right? I know I'd not survive a single week, luckily the characters are way better adjusted than me.
It's definitely an epic fantasy with spicy scenes though, do not expect a romance or romantasy, or you'll be disappointed.
The world is queer normative, and there's plenty of m/m and f/f attraction, with a few rather spicy scenes. Especially one of the female characters is rather horny, and keeps getting distracted by pretty bodies.
If you follow my review, you know I usually despise most romance (tropes) and sex scenes in my books, as most of them feel badly written to me. The ones in here I didn't mind, as they didn't follow the annoying tropes, and the sex scenes were straight forward, no "plowing the fields" or exploding beds.
My only tiny niggle is the end being rather abrupt, and so I felt like there should have been a bit more. I seriously can't wait for the next book!
I absolutely loved the characters from the start, with a women working in a glass blowers workshop, a dragon rider, and a laundry maid with sudden strange plant magic creeping up.
All three of them felt so real, they walked off the page and into the real world, or at least it felt like that to me. Non of them are heroes or villains, they all have their strengths and weaknesses, their virtues and vices.
The world building was equally amazing, with different cultures, politics, drugs enabling speaking to dragons, science, poisons, magic and much more.
The plot was nice and twisty, with betrayals and loyalties as well as plenty of backstabbing, blackmail and spys everywhere. Trust no one, but find allies. Sounds fun right? I know I'd not survive a single week, luckily the characters are way better adjusted than me.
It's definitely an epic fantasy with spicy scenes though, do not expect a romance or romantasy, or you'll be disappointed.
The world is queer normative, and there's plenty of m/m and f/f attraction, with a few rather spicy scenes. Especially one of the female characters is rather horny, and keeps getting distracted by pretty bodies.
If you follow my review, you know I usually despise most romance (tropes) and sex scenes in my books, as most of them feel badly written to me. The ones in here I didn't mind, as they didn't follow the annoying tropes, and the sex scenes were straight forward, no "plowing the fields" or exploding beds.
My only tiny niggle is the end being rather abrupt, and so I felt like there should have been a bit more. I seriously can't wait for the next book!
June 11, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of Between Dragons and Their Wrath
I had a lot of fun with this book! I actually liked all the POVs and characters. I'm not normally a huge fan of first person with different POVs but I felt like the author did it well. They were all fully fleshed out and interesting. You could tell that they were all connected somehow and we were starting to see how the different POVs connected towards the end. I liked reading Ash and Mana's relationship. Although, I was a bit frustrated that their lack of a real relationship was build on miscommunication. Hoping that it's just a really slow burn. I could see something potentially brewing with Naili and Iiberi. The one relationship I didn't love was Uvao and Tesha. We didn't get a ton of back story on what happened to them and then it felt like a lot of pining without being connected to his character or past. I did start to like Tesha with Kiren, but I'm really worried about being attached because something is telling me that he has a larger part in the war.
Some things I liked: There were really cool glass dragons that you could talk to by drinking basically poison. There was alchemy and people that grew plants on their skin. There was court politics, an arranged marriage, and a LOT of trauma. The book commented on topics like colonization, classes/hierarchies, war, and racism. The world building was a bit intense but well done. It felt like there were ten different mysteries to solve but I have confidence that they will all wrap up well in the next book and it was set up in a way that was intriguing.
The book felt both fast and slow paced but in a way that kept me interested. However, my one major complaint was the ending was very abrupt. I actually told a friend that this book was either going to be four or five stars depending on the ending because it was getting really exciting. But then it just ended in the middle of the excitement and you didn't find out how everything connected. I understand leaving readers on a cliffhanger for the next book. But, the pacing definitely felt off and it led to me being disappointed at the end. Also, I wish that the dragons took a bigger role in the book... I really liked Shuala and I would have liked to see her and Ash interact more.
However, the rest of the book makes up for the end and I will definitely continue with the next book. I'm really excited to see how it all comes together. Overall, 4 stars!
I had a lot of fun with this book! I actually liked all the POVs and characters. I'm not normally a huge fan of first person with different POVs but I felt like the author did it well. They were all fully fleshed out and interesting. You could tell that they were all connected somehow and we were starting to see how the different POVs connected towards the end. I liked reading Ash and Mana's relationship. Although, I was a bit frustrated that their lack of a real relationship was build on miscommunication. Hoping that it's just a really slow burn. I could see something potentially brewing with Naili and Iiberi. The one relationship I didn't love was Uvao and Tesha. We didn't get a ton of back story on what happened to them and then it felt like a lot of pining without being connected to his character or past. I did start to like Tesha with Kiren, but I'm really worried about being attached because something is telling me that he has a larger part in the war.
Some things I liked: There were really cool glass dragons that you could talk to by drinking basically poison. There was alchemy and people that grew plants on their skin. There was court politics, an arranged marriage, and a LOT of trauma. The book commented on topics like colonization, classes/hierarchies, war, and racism. The world building was a bit intense but well done. It felt like there were ten different mysteries to solve but I have confidence that they will all wrap up well in the next book and it was set up in a way that was intriguing.
The book felt both fast and slow paced but in a way that kept me interested. However, my one major complaint was the ending was very abrupt. I actually told a friend that this book was either going to be four or five stars depending on the ending because it was getting really exciting. But then it just ended in the middle of the excitement and you didn't find out how everything connected. I understand leaving readers on a cliffhanger for the next book. But, the pacing definitely felt off and it led to me being disappointed at the end. Also, I wish that the dragons took a bigger role in the book... I really liked Shuala and I would have liked to see her and Ash interact more.
However, the rest of the book makes up for the end and I will definitely continue with the next book. I'm really excited to see how it all comes together. Overall, 4 stars!
August 23, 2024
the most memorable thing about this is them using demure. the book itself wasn't very demure though. it had too little dragons but too much insta-love. nothing really happened in the book. it constantly felt like a bucket full of water, just waiting to overflow, but the final drop never came.
August 18, 2024
This book was quite.. interesting. By the end of the book, I found myself going back to the synopsis with one question in mind- What was that?
The synopsis sounds so promising - a divided kingdom, a tribute bride, poison-making, magic, ruthless gangs, monsters, dragon riders, and of course, dragons. Unfortunately, this book did not dive deep into any of that. It focused mainly on the divided kingdom, but in a very mild manner- there are mentions of war but no first-hand action of the war, no uprising, only talks of it, basically none of the action and suspense we usually get when we travel into other divided kingdoms. We have a tribute bride who spends half the book practicing mannerisms, and the other half wishing her master was there to teach her about poisons. She mentions poisons quite a bit and in her current role as an infiltrator, she is heavily reliant upon it, however, when the poison comes into play, it is very, very brief. It was along the lines of "He took another sip, turned blue, yelled, then fell." Very uneventful.
I was also excited for the magic, but that too was very lackluster. One day, Naili finds out she, along with the other laundresses, have powers, unsure of how they came about, but can only assume it was the alchemist's doing. Naili gets tricked by another laundress into going to meet the alchemist, where the laundress later kidnaps her and brings her to a gang, which she is later initiated into. That all sounds great on paper, but the execution was done poorly. How and what goes on in between all of that are just little filler details - too much for such little action. The magic could have been great, however Naili only used it once, and it was to basically play Jack from Jack & the Beanstalk & shimmy down a plant. Once again, very unexciting. Naili spends half her time in the book picking flowers off her arms, and the other half lusting over everyone she lays eyes on. After she is forced to enter the gang, you would have thought some action would have happened there, but it remained flat. I'm not even sure where Naili's story ended to be honest- it wasn't quite memorable.
Most of the book centered around Ash, a dragon rider, who we know rides a dragon. (Dragon riding, divided lands, war, monsters.. great.) But he's ridden his dragon twice in the book - once when we first meet him (no action), and the second time when his dragon is pierced through her scales. We don't get any real edge-of-your-seat dragon action however. It felt like Ash was joy-riding on his dragon, viewing the ground from above, and then his dragon (whom he spoke to by the way, although all she did was insult him), was shot. And then the dragon disappears and we have no more of the dragon for the remainder of the book up until the very last paragraphs.This would have been alright, had this not happened in the first half of the book. Most of Ash's storyline is centered around his watcher. He has a crush on him but he's questioning his potential role in his life because of his nobility.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. It felt like I was listening to a very, very, very long backstory or introduction. A 15-hr long introduction to be exact, while waiting for it to get good. There was no action, and I found it difficult to find a climax or suspense from each POV. The way the book ended was also very uneventful and flat, and when I was done, I was left feeling disappointed. After completing the book and gathering my thoughts, I read over the synopsis again, as well as the title and studied the cover. Unfortunately, my feelings remained - everything inside did not deliver what the outside seemed to promise.
I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
The synopsis sounds so promising - a divided kingdom, a tribute bride, poison-making, magic, ruthless gangs, monsters, dragon riders, and of course, dragons. Unfortunately, this book did not dive deep into any of that. It focused mainly on the divided kingdom, but in a very mild manner- there are mentions of war but no first-hand action of the war, no uprising, only talks of it, basically none of the action and suspense we usually get when we travel into other divided kingdoms. We have a tribute bride who spends half the book practicing mannerisms, and the other half wishing her master was there to teach her about poisons. She mentions poisons quite a bit and in her current role as an infiltrator, she is heavily reliant upon it, however, when the poison comes into play, it is very, very brief. It was along the lines of "He took another sip, turned blue, yelled, then fell." Very uneventful.
I was also excited for the magic, but that too was very lackluster. One day, Naili finds out she, along with the other laundresses, have powers, unsure of how they came about, but can only assume it was the alchemist's doing. Naili gets tricked by another laundress into going to meet the alchemist, where the laundress later kidnaps her and brings her to a gang, which she is later initiated into. That all sounds great on paper, but the execution was done poorly. How and what goes on in between all of that are just little filler details - too much for such little action. The magic could have been great, however Naili only used it once, and it was to basically play Jack from Jack & the Beanstalk & shimmy down a plant. Once again, very unexciting. Naili spends half her time in the book picking flowers off her arms, and the other half lusting over everyone she lays eyes on. After she is forced to enter the gang, you would have thought some action would have happened there, but it remained flat. I'm not even sure where Naili's story ended to be honest- it wasn't quite memorable.
Most of the book centered around Ash, a dragon rider, who we know rides a dragon. (Dragon riding, divided lands, war, monsters.. great.) But he's ridden his dragon twice in the book - once when we first meet him (no action), and the second time when his dragon is pierced through her scales. We don't get any real edge-of-your-seat dragon action however. It felt like Ash was joy-riding on his dragon, viewing the ground from above, and then his dragon (whom he spoke to by the way, although all she did was insult him), was shot. And then the dragon disappears and we have no more of the dragon for the remainder of the book up until the very last paragraphs.This would have been alright, had this not happened in the first half of the book. Most of Ash's storyline is centered around his watcher. He has a crush on him but he's questioning his potential role in his life because of his nobility.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. It felt like I was listening to a very, very, very long backstory or introduction. A 15-hr long introduction to be exact, while waiting for it to get good. There was no action, and I found it difficult to find a climax or suspense from each POV. The way the book ended was also very uneventful and flat, and when I was done, I was left feeling disappointed. After completing the book and gathering my thoughts, I read over the synopsis again, as well as the title and studied the cover. Unfortunately, my feelings remained - everything inside did not deliver what the outside seemed to promise.
I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
July 24, 2024
Rating: 4 stars
OH BOY okay wow.
So, as is the theme for my reviews of ARCs so far, I won't be giving any spoilers even under spoiler warnings. I'll try to take you on the journey I went through reading this book.
I won't lie, it starts off slow. I got half way through the first chapter and I didn't like the writing, I didn't feel connected to the story, and I was concerned I'd have to read the entirety of a book I really didn't like. I'm already a much bigger fan of third person than I am first person, and so I was not looking forward to the rest of this.
BUT then chapter two started. I still wasn't wholly convinced, but the writing itself seemed to improve exponentially, and I found myself a little more hooked than I was before, but still a little apprehensive.
Then the third chapter came along and all bets were off. I LOVED this book. I expected this to be maybe a 3 star at best, but the more I read, the more I wanted to know.
It's got dragons, secrets, politics, spies. Everything I really love in a novel. I do also have to appreciate the sheer amount of queerness in this book. Often authors will include one, maybe two side characters as "token gays", but this book was SO queer it made my little gay heart sing. I loved the worldbuilding in the end too, despite a shakey start.
I do also really appreciate the fact that the main characters were all competent, but not "chosen ones". Their skills were realistic, they weren't prone to very obvious bad decisions, and they felt like real people instead of 2D cutouts.
What made this a 4 star read instead of 5 for me is the ending. I won't give anything away, but it wasn't my favourite way to end a story. I understand why it was done, and realistically I don't think it could've been done any other way with the enormity of the story being told, but it's still not my personal preference. That being said, I will absolutely be reading the next one and however many more come out after that. It's well worth a read. I had a lot of fun with it, there were some really cool concepts explored, and it's really gay. All positives in my book.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an ARC for this book!
OH BOY okay wow.
So, as is the theme for my reviews of ARCs so far, I won't be giving any spoilers even under spoiler warnings. I'll try to take you on the journey I went through reading this book.
I won't lie, it starts off slow. I got half way through the first chapter and I didn't like the writing, I didn't feel connected to the story, and I was concerned I'd have to read the entirety of a book I really didn't like. I'm already a much bigger fan of third person than I am first person, and so I was not looking forward to the rest of this.
BUT then chapter two started. I still wasn't wholly convinced, but the writing itself seemed to improve exponentially, and I found myself a little more hooked than I was before, but still a little apprehensive.
Then the third chapter came along and all bets were off. I LOVED this book. I expected this to be maybe a 3 star at best, but the more I read, the more I wanted to know.
It's got dragons, secrets, politics, spies. Everything I really love in a novel. I do also have to appreciate the sheer amount of queerness in this book. Often authors will include one, maybe two side characters as "token gays", but this book was SO queer it made my little gay heart sing. I loved the worldbuilding in the end too, despite a shakey start.
I do also really appreciate the fact that the main characters were all competent, but not "chosen ones". Their skills were realistic, they weren't prone to very obvious bad decisions, and they felt like real people instead of 2D cutouts.
What made this a 4 star read instead of 5 for me is the ending. I won't give anything away, but it wasn't my favourite way to end a story. I understand why it was done, and realistically I don't think it could've been done any other way with the enormity of the story being told, but it's still not my personal preference. That being said, I will absolutely be reading the next one and however many more come out after that. It's well worth a read. I had a lot of fun with it, there were some really cool concepts explored, and it's really gay. All positives in my book.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an ARC for this book!
August 19, 2024
Such a well-written and immersive epic fantasy!
Lately, it’s difficult to find fantasy novels that aren’t just popular booktok tropes mashed together into a semi-coherent novel, but Beween Dragons and Their Wrath really impressed me. Sure, there are tropes, but they’re incorporated pretty well in this novel.
I loved how the audiobook has three different narrators for each POV character. I honestly wasn’t expecting that, but it definitely made for better listening. Each character was written well with their own quirks and traits, and imo the audiobook narrators did really well in distinguishing all of them apart.
This wasn’t a 5 star read for me because there were a lot of lulls to the point where it became hard to pay attention. This is a book with A LOT of politicking, which isn’t always easy to keep my attention. If that’s your thing, then you might like this.
While I didn’t really care about Tesha’s undercover rags to riches storyline, I did like the dragon riders and Ash’s quest to understand the world, along with his relationship to his dragon. I also liked Naili’s discovery of her plant powers, and her imbalanced relationship with her boss. (I can’t say no to forbidden romances lol)
I’ll definitely pick up the sequel to this one!
Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this arc.
Lately, it’s difficult to find fantasy novels that aren’t just popular booktok tropes mashed together into a semi-coherent novel, but Beween Dragons and Their Wrath really impressed me. Sure, there are tropes, but they’re incorporated pretty well in this novel.
I loved how the audiobook has three different narrators for each POV character. I honestly wasn’t expecting that, but it definitely made for better listening. Each character was written well with their own quirks and traits, and imo the audiobook narrators did really well in distinguishing all of them apart.
This wasn’t a 5 star read for me because there were a lot of lulls to the point where it became hard to pay attention. This is a book with A LOT of politicking, which isn’t always easy to keep my attention. If that’s your thing, then you might like this.
While I didn’t really care about Tesha’s undercover rags to riches storyline, I did like the dragon riders and Ash’s quest to understand the world, along with his relationship to his dragon. I also liked Naili’s discovery of her plant powers, and her imbalanced relationship with her boss. (I can’t say no to forbidden romances lol)
I’ll definitely pick up the sequel to this one!
Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this arc.
August 17, 2024
Between Dragons and their Wrath is the first book in The Shattered Kingdom series.
Initially you are thrown right in the middle of the story and I’ll admit I had a hard time getting into it because of that. It took me a bit to figure out what was going on, but once I did, I was hooked.
The story follows three main characters (all told from a first person point-of-view), each from different social backgrounds trying to navigate this world full of political intrigue and secrets. Even though they did not interact with each other, it was interesting to see how they were all connected. Just when you’re starting to get answers, it does end with an abrupt cliffhanger!
I truly only had two grievances with the book. The first, that the dragons weren’t as prominent as I was hoping. (The dragon that we DO meet is easily my favorite character though.) The second is that most of the spicy scenes felt so out of place within the story. One character in particular honestly needed to be put in Horny Jail.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and will absolutely be reading the next in the series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Initially you are thrown right in the middle of the story and I’ll admit I had a hard time getting into it because of that. It took me a bit to figure out what was going on, but once I did, I was hooked.
The story follows three main characters (all told from a first person point-of-view), each from different social backgrounds trying to navigate this world full of political intrigue and secrets. Even though they did not interact with each other, it was interesting to see how they were all connected. Just when you’re starting to get answers, it does end with an abrupt cliffhanger!
I truly only had two grievances with the book. The first, that the dragons weren’t as prominent as I was hoping. (The dragon that we DO meet is easily my favorite character though.) The second is that most of the spicy scenes felt so out of place within the story. One character in particular honestly needed to be put in Horny Jail.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book and will absolutely be reading the next in the series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2024
HAD TO WAIT FOUR MONTHS FOR THE LIBRARY TO GET THIS AND ITS SO GOOD
September 8, 2024
First quarter or third or so was SO GREAT, but the book got weaker and weaker. Almost nothing actually happens, the political intrigue is so dull, and the sex scenes are so bad
Rtc
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
Highlights
~one dragon, no wrath
~politics that make no sense
~the blurb is a lie
Well, that sucked.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath starts very strong, in a world that seems fascinating, with glass dragons fighting off monsters on the regular to protect cities joined by glass roads. But it all goes downhill pretty fast.
Mostly because the book focuses on all the wrong things. It’s clear that there’s a lot of cool worldbuilding here, but we see barely any of it, because instead of exploring the colonised population, the strange people fighting alongside the monsters in the desert, or the alleged almost-invaders who are behaving very strangely… Instead of any of that, the only culture we get a good look at are the Regency British stand-ins, and that is just MADDENING.
An example: in the very first chapter, we learn that Apaians don’t have marriage in their culture. Two people tying themselves together exclusively is, apparently, something that’s leaking in from the ruling Emorrans.
!!! I am so interested!!! What’s a commune in this setting? What’s a care group? What does this culture do in place of/instead of marriage? What is the alternative to family? You don’t have families? Please explain!
Spoiler: it is not explained. The no-families thing is mentioned again near the end of the book, but not once is it explained, and I still have no clue what a care group is or how Apaians arrange things without any kind of marriage.
(And I mean – one of our Apaian MCs has a brother who is the love interest of another MC. They use the same surname, call each other family. So…? Were they raised somewhere that had adopted Emorran ideas of family? Or are they not actually blood-related and something else is going on? What???)
The whole book is like this: sprinkled with incredibly intriguing tidbits or hints that are never explained, never mind expanded on or explored. Even details the whole book hinges on – like the concept of an ‘insult bride’ – are just hand-waved. I genuinely couldn’t believe how much of what was interesting and/or FREAKING IMPORTANT was just glossed over.
Okay, wait. You’re telling me that YOU – the conspirators – passing off a commoner as a noble for the purpose of a treaty-marriage…makes the guy who wants the treaty look bad? Instead of making the noble family who pretends the commoner is their daughter? Why aren’t THEY the ones who look bad? How does that work? Why does it even matter who marries who to seal a treaty when there is no monarchy? Why is there ANY marriage to seal a treaty when no monarchies are involved? Why wouldn’t people think it was the conspirators who’d done wrong, when the substitution becomes public knowledge? Huh???
This is chapter one. The fate of all the cities could hinge on this treaty. And in the 439 pages Between Dragons and Their Wrath is on my Kindle, we’re never told why an insult bride is a thing in this culture, why it has any meaning at all, or how or why exactly it would ruin anyone but the people pulling one over on their elected president-person (the Reacher).
Madson does this with plot too, by the way. The number of times we had events described or summarised for us after the fact instead of having them on-page was UNBELIEVABLE! Particularly with the political intrigue parts; don’t go expecting glittering balls full of people politicking, because those are all skipped over. Don’t expect to see how the wedding night of the insult bride goes, despite what exactly happens being INCREDIBLY PLOT-RELEVANT – we’ll hear the all-important Thing summarised the morning after instead. The story another MC is told about the true origin of the dragons and the world-changing history that’s been buried? Told off-page – we don’t hear a single word if it.
WHY IS THIS LIKE THIS???
The blurb is almost painfully misleading on every count. Tesha – our insult bride – her city isn’t conquered, it accepts a treaty, one most of its politicians seem to want. Naili doesn’t join a rebellion; she joins a criminal gang, not to change the world but out of desperation, having nowhere else to go. Ash does absolutely ZERO protecting of ‘his’ dragon – who we barely see; I think she’s bodily in one chapter, and speaks telepathically in one other, right at the end. There are no dragon hunters. In fact, for a book with dragons in the title, there is an appalling scarcity of them. I’d call the title+blurb combo extremely false advertising.
Even leaving aside the blurb (which after all is not written by or under the control of the author)…nothing really happens in this book. We follow Tesha, Naili, and Ash in alternating chapters, and for the first few chapters of each POV, things are happening…and then they just stop. And drag. And go nowhere. Tesha sits around fretting. Naili performs one (1) burglary. Ash…honestly, everything after Ash left the Citadel of the dragonriders (which happens far too soon) is a vague blur for me, none of it has stayed in my memory, which should tell you everything you need to know. All three get truly terrible sex scenes (which I’ll expand on in a moment). But there’s no character development, no relationship development, no action, no exploration. Just…mehness. Up until the last chapter of each character’s POV, all three of which end on Big! Dramatic!! Cliffhangers!!! because of course they do; it’s a last-ditch attempt to get us interested in what’s going on again, enough to make us want to pick up book two, and friends, I will not be doing that.
(It might have been better if there were fewer POVs – maybe the one or ones that were kept would get more room to breathe and develop. As it was, I think the need to alternate chapters meant that nobody had time for actual plot. It’s as if Between Dragons and Their Wrath was actually a third of its length; this book is functionally three novellas stuck together, and not only do they not overlap each other’s stories, but they are really, really boring novellas.)
I don’t usually comment upon sex scenes in my reviews – I’m not super interested in them, and most of the books I read don’t have super explicit ones. But I have to comment on these, because they are so fucking bad.
In Tesha’s sex scene (each POV character gets just one, remember), she and her ex-boyfriend fuck right before/after her wedding (I can’t remember which, and I do not care), and it would be…fine…except for Tesha saying ‘Please don’t’ TWICE and said ex going ahead anyway. That hit me in all the wrong ways, and I actually didn’t touch the book again for weeks after reading that part. It probably goes without saying that I was also really pissed off that it is 2024 and we still get sex scenes that don’t care about consent, but which we’re totally supposed to approve of anyway. It’s supposed to be hot!
Spoiler: it really isn’t.
Naili’s sex scene is…honestly bizarre: she apparently went house-breaking without any underwear, because after breaking in, she gets finger-fucked on a table by a woman she hates who hates her back, and there is no mention of underwear being removed or pushed aside to make room for said finger-fucking. There’s also an attempt at dagger-at-your-throat kink, but it’s so rushed it falls very flat.
Ash’s sex scene is the one that had me calling up my friend in publishing, asking if there’s a writing version of intimacy coordinators and do editors keep any on staff, because. What. Besides giving no explanation for why Ash’s love interest is suddenly on board with them getting it on, despite having ignored Ash’s feelings for a good while at this point, Madson also manages to lose track of a cigarette. Which is kind of a big deal, because the making out starts with one character holding it in their teeth, with the lit end in his mouth, offering it to the other that way. You know, so the other guy will have to kiss him to smoke it. And then they are making out. Apparently without setting aside the cigarette.
Can you imagine the burns?!
Perhaps the underwear and cigarette will appear in the published version of the book; I read an arc, after all, and those have typos and things in them sometimes. But that still means Madson originally wrote the scenes as I read them, and hi, I hate all of it. It certainly doesn’t help that the prose is very dull the whole way through the book; there’s certainly no sensual description that might lend itself well to writing sex.
I was so, so excited for this book. I loved the first few chapters. But it’s not what I was led to believe it was, and what it actually is is monotonous and frustrating. It’s not a dragon book, never mind a dragon-rider book. It’s not an intrigue book. It’s not a revolution book. Everything interesting was barely touched on or kicked off-page entirely; too much that was important was kept off-page. I have no idea what the point of this story was, when it deliberately avoids all the cool bits and does nothing with its characters or its world. It certainly wasn’t entertaining – just infuriating.
Go ahead and skip this one – we all deserve better.
Rtc
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
Highlights
~one dragon, no wrath
~politics that make no sense
~the blurb is a lie
Well, that sucked.
Between Dragons and Their Wrath starts very strong, in a world that seems fascinating, with glass dragons fighting off monsters on the regular to protect cities joined by glass roads. But it all goes downhill pretty fast.
Mostly because the book focuses on all the wrong things. It’s clear that there’s a lot of cool worldbuilding here, but we see barely any of it, because instead of exploring the colonised population, the strange people fighting alongside the monsters in the desert, or the alleged almost-invaders who are behaving very strangely… Instead of any of that, the only culture we get a good look at are the Regency British stand-ins, and that is just MADDENING.
An example: in the very first chapter, we learn that Apaians don’t have marriage in their culture. Two people tying themselves together exclusively is, apparently, something that’s leaking in from the ruling Emorrans.
“Marriage? Family?” I all but spat the words. “You know as well as I do how dangerous those customs are to our communes and care groups.”
!!! I am so interested!!! What’s a commune in this setting? What’s a care group? What does this culture do in place of/instead of marriage? What is the alternative to family? You don’t have families? Please explain!
Spoiler: it is not explained. The no-families thing is mentioned again near the end of the book, but not once is it explained, and I still have no clue what a care group is or how Apaians arrange things without any kind of marriage.
(And I mean – one of our Apaian MCs has a brother who is the love interest of another MC. They use the same surname, call each other family. So…? Were they raised somewhere that had adopted Emorran ideas of family? Or are they not actually blood-related and something else is going on? What???)
The whole book is like this: sprinkled with incredibly intriguing tidbits or hints that are never explained, never mind expanded on or explored. Even details the whole book hinges on – like the concept of an ‘insult bride’ – are just hand-waved. I genuinely couldn’t believe how much of what was interesting and/or FREAKING IMPORTANT was just glossed over.
The substitution of a commoner in place of a high-born marriage candidate.”
…
A few solemn, thoughtful nods met this, but I’d missed the part that made it all make sense. “But what will it achieve?” I asked. “It sounds like it will just make Reacher Sormei look bad.”
“Looking bad is political death in Emora,”
Okay, wait. You’re telling me that YOU – the conspirators – passing off a commoner as a noble for the purpose of a treaty-marriage…makes the guy who wants the treaty look bad? Instead of making the noble family who pretends the commoner is their daughter? Why aren’t THEY the ones who look bad? How does that work? Why does it even matter who marries who to seal a treaty when there is no monarchy? Why is there ANY marriage to seal a treaty when no monarchies are involved? Why wouldn’t people think it was the conspirators who’d done wrong, when the substitution becomes public knowledge? Huh???
This is chapter one. The fate of all the cities could hinge on this treaty. And in the 439 pages Between Dragons and Their Wrath is on my Kindle, we’re never told why an insult bride is a thing in this culture, why it has any meaning at all, or how or why exactly it would ruin anyone but the people pulling one over on their elected president-person (the Reacher).
Madson does this with plot too, by the way. The number of times we had events described or summarised for us after the fact instead of having them on-page was UNBELIEVABLE! Particularly with the political intrigue parts; don’t go expecting glittering balls full of people politicking, because those are all skipped over. Don’t expect to see how the wedding night of the insult bride goes, despite what exactly happens being INCREDIBLY PLOT-RELEVANT – we’ll hear the all-important Thing summarised the morning after instead. The story another MC is told about the true origin of the dragons and the world-changing history that’s been buried? Told off-page – we don’t hear a single word if it.
WHY IS THIS LIKE THIS???
The blurb is almost painfully misleading on every count. Tesha – our insult bride – her city isn’t conquered, it accepts a treaty, one most of its politicians seem to want. Naili doesn’t join a rebellion; she joins a criminal gang, not to change the world but out of desperation, having nowhere else to go. Ash does absolutely ZERO protecting of ‘his’ dragon – who we barely see; I think she’s bodily in one chapter, and speaks telepathically in one other, right at the end. There are no dragon hunters. In fact, for a book with dragons in the title, there is an appalling scarcity of them. I’d call the title+blurb combo extremely false advertising.
Even leaving aside the blurb (which after all is not written by or under the control of the author)…nothing really happens in this book. We follow Tesha, Naili, and Ash in alternating chapters, and for the first few chapters of each POV, things are happening…and then they just stop. And drag. And go nowhere. Tesha sits around fretting. Naili performs one (1) burglary. Ash…honestly, everything after Ash left the Citadel of the dragonriders (which happens far too soon) is a vague blur for me, none of it has stayed in my memory, which should tell you everything you need to know. All three get truly terrible sex scenes (which I’ll expand on in a moment). But there’s no character development, no relationship development, no action, no exploration. Just…mehness. Up until the last chapter of each character’s POV, all three of which end on Big! Dramatic!! Cliffhangers!!! because of course they do; it’s a last-ditch attempt to get us interested in what’s going on again, enough to make us want to pick up book two, and friends, I will not be doing that.
(It might have been better if there were fewer POVs – maybe the one or ones that were kept would get more room to breathe and develop. As it was, I think the need to alternate chapters meant that nobody had time for actual plot. It’s as if Between Dragons and Their Wrath was actually a third of its length; this book is functionally three novellas stuck together, and not only do they not overlap each other’s stories, but they are really, really boring novellas.)
I don’t usually comment upon sex scenes in my reviews – I’m not super interested in them, and most of the books I read don’t have super explicit ones. But I have to comment on these, because they are so fucking bad.
In Tesha’s sex scene (each POV character gets just one, remember), she and her ex-boyfriend fuck right before/after her wedding (I can’t remember which, and I do not care), and it would be…fine…except for Tesha saying ‘Please don’t’ TWICE and said ex going ahead anyway. That hit me in all the wrong ways, and I actually didn’t touch the book again for weeks after reading that part. It probably goes without saying that I was also really pissed off that it is 2024 and we still get sex scenes that don’t care about consent, but which we’re totally supposed to approve of anyway. It’s supposed to be hot!
Spoiler: it really isn’t.
Naili’s sex scene is…honestly bizarre: she apparently went house-breaking without any underwear, because after breaking in, she gets finger-fucked on a table by a woman she hates who hates her back, and there is no mention of underwear being removed or pushed aside to make room for said finger-fucking. There’s also an attempt at dagger-at-your-throat kink, but it’s so rushed it falls very flat.
Ash’s sex scene is the one that had me calling up my friend in publishing, asking if there’s a writing version of intimacy coordinators and do editors keep any on staff, because. What. Besides giving no explanation for why Ash’s love interest is suddenly on board with them getting it on, despite having ignored Ash’s feelings for a good while at this point, Madson also manages to lose track of a cigarette. Which is kind of a big deal, because the making out starts with one character holding it in their teeth, with the lit end in his mouth, offering it to the other that way. You know, so the other guy will have to kiss him to smoke it. And then they are making out. Apparently without setting aside the cigarette.
Can you imagine the burns?!
Perhaps the underwear and cigarette will appear in the published version of the book; I read an arc, after all, and those have typos and things in them sometimes. But that still means Madson originally wrote the scenes as I read them, and hi, I hate all of it. It certainly doesn’t help that the prose is very dull the whole way through the book; there’s certainly no sensual description that might lend itself well to writing sex.
I was so, so excited for this book. I loved the first few chapters. But it’s not what I was led to believe it was, and what it actually is is monotonous and frustrating. It’s not a dragon book, never mind a dragon-rider book. It’s not an intrigue book. It’s not a revolution book. Everything interesting was barely touched on or kicked off-page entirely; too much that was important was kept off-page. I have no idea what the point of this story was, when it deliberately avoids all the cool bits and does nothing with its characters or its world. It certainly wasn’t entertaining – just infuriating.
Go ahead and skip this one – we all deserve better.
August 9, 2024
4.5 rounded up. Breathtakingly accomplished. At first, whilst enjoying the ride, I had no idea where the book was going - it seemed like three quite different stories - but as they drew closer together I was enthralled by the depth of the world building and the political machinations. Featuring:
Dragons and drugged up dragon riders!
mysterious monsters in the beyond!
sandships!
Politics, treachery, secrets!
a sexy gay evil alchemist!
plant magic!
A woman undercover in a household in an arranged marriage!
Loads of queer yearning!
Commentary about colonisation, racism and classicism!
Dragons and drugged up dragon riders!
mysterious monsters in the beyond!
sandships!
Politics, treachery, secrets!
a sexy gay evil alchemist!
plant magic!
A woman undercover in a household in an arranged marriage!
Loads of queer yearning!
Commentary about colonisation, racism and classicism!
September 7, 2024
Ok first of all this ends in a cliffhanger so as I was finally getting into the book the narration ended and I was in my car going what??! No!
I think the next book in these series may be a little easier to get into now that all the characters have been differentiated.
This book does have a lot going on. Politics, dragons, poison, oppression, insult brides………
Go into it knowing it will probably take until the halfway point to get your attention and figure out what is happening.
Not a bad book at all, just very heavy, long and with multiple POVS.
I received a ALC from NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
I think the next book in these series may be a little easier to get into now that all the characters have been differentiated.
This book does have a lot going on. Politics, dragons, poison, oppression, insult brides………
Go into it knowing it will probably take until the halfway point to get your attention and figure out what is happening.
Not a bad book at all, just very heavy, long and with multiple POVS.
I received a ALC from NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
August 27, 2024
Thanks to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
4.5/5
Now this was a story I was happy to get lost in! Of course, with 'dragon" in the title that immediately grabbed my attention and then to get handed crazy plant magic and political shenanigans, I am all in on that. The story is told through 3 POV's, each distinctly different that introduces us to all the levels of society and all the problems that the characters are facing at the moment. Naili is a laundress for a reclusive alchemist who suddenly finds she has access to strange powers over plants but if she can't learn to control it, it may end up killing her. Tesha is an apprentice in a glass blowers' shop who finds herself in a My Fair Lady type of situation that puts her completely out of her element. And finally, there is Ash, a lord who lost his status as heir and was sent to become a dragon rider and protect the region from danger.
The world created here has so many wonderful layers and as you spend time with each character you learn the history and what the challenges are that has set the region on the brink of war. Getting to see everything from high society dinners to the criminal underbelly of the cities and how dangerous the job of the dragons and their riders is. Each of the characters feels fully rounded out and I just adored the relationship between Ash and Mana, I for sure need more of this please. And a snarky dragon who puts you in your place.......loved Shu so much!! And while I knew that eventually our characters would need to come together somehow, I liked that it hasn't been rushed and there is still so much that can happen that might keep them apart. All of the politics, backstabbing, betrayals and secrets upon secrets is delicious and the Reacher is a character that you love to hate. So many wonderful layers here and am so looking forward to what comes next.
I listened to the audiobook, and it was just terrific!! There is a different narrator for each POV and they all do a fantastic job inhabiting their character and giving each such a distinct voice. I definitely recommend not only the story but also the audio if that is how you choose to read this story. Looking forward to what Devin has in store for these characters going forward!!
4.5/5
Now this was a story I was happy to get lost in! Of course, with 'dragon" in the title that immediately grabbed my attention and then to get handed crazy plant magic and political shenanigans, I am all in on that. The story is told through 3 POV's, each distinctly different that introduces us to all the levels of society and all the problems that the characters are facing at the moment. Naili is a laundress for a reclusive alchemist who suddenly finds she has access to strange powers over plants but if she can't learn to control it, it may end up killing her. Tesha is an apprentice in a glass blowers' shop who finds herself in a My Fair Lady type of situation that puts her completely out of her element. And finally, there is Ash, a lord who lost his status as heir and was sent to become a dragon rider and protect the region from danger.
The world created here has so many wonderful layers and as you spend time with each character you learn the history and what the challenges are that has set the region on the brink of war. Getting to see everything from high society dinners to the criminal underbelly of the cities and how dangerous the job of the dragons and their riders is. Each of the characters feels fully rounded out and I just adored the relationship between Ash and Mana, I for sure need more of this please. And a snarky dragon who puts you in your place.......loved Shu so much!! And while I knew that eventually our characters would need to come together somehow, I liked that it hasn't been rushed and there is still so much that can happen that might keep them apart. All of the politics, backstabbing, betrayals and secrets upon secrets is delicious and the Reacher is a character that you love to hate. So many wonderful layers here and am so looking forward to what comes next.
I listened to the audiobook, and it was just terrific!! There is a different narrator for each POV and they all do a fantastic job inhabiting their character and giving each such a distinct voice. I definitely recommend not only the story but also the audio if that is how you choose to read this story. Looking forward to what Devin has in store for these characters going forward!!
August 14, 2024
I think I have settled on 3.5 stars. This took me a while to get into. For the first few chapters I had a really hard time staying invested in what was going on (which was really not much). I didn't find any of the characters immediately likable, I wasn't sure if the writing was working for me, and the chapters were soooo long. But eventually, we got there, and I found myself wrapped up in all of the political intrigue and conspiracies.
There are lots of moving pieces, and connections being made at all times, which I loved and ultimately ate up. Honestly, while I was reading it, I was disappointed that the second book isn't out because there is no way I am capable of remembering all of the plot-lines and details which I think is definitely a positive. I feel like the best stories are layered and complex and difficult to summarize so this book definitely checked that box for me. Tesha's character and POV were probably my favorite, I was devouring the tension and secrets and danger in her story. Ashadi is our dragon rider, and while there honestly isn't a huge focus on the dragons in this book, I enjoyed his storyline and his relationship with Mana. Naili was probably my least favorite, but she grew on me a lot and her POVs got more interesting as the book progressed. Her initial chapters just really threw me off, I'm not afraid of some smut or on page sexy thoughts but she's obnoxiously horny (to the point that it's a little uncomfy) and I just didn't love being in her head lol. Once her storyline actually had a plot, it got a lot easier to not cringe when I saw her name at the top of a new chapter.
I actually loved the ending, but it's a frustrating one. It felt like all of these revelations are dumped on the reader at the very end, and I was sitting there with a million unanswered questions. Frustrating but effective because now I want to read the next book immediately even though this one just came out so I will not be able to do that anytime soon I'm sure... Definitely hoping for more monsters and dragons and all of the good stuff in Book 2.
There are lots of moving pieces, and connections being made at all times, which I loved and ultimately ate up. Honestly, while I was reading it, I was disappointed that the second book isn't out because there is no way I am capable of remembering all of the plot-lines and details which I think is definitely a positive. I feel like the best stories are layered and complex and difficult to summarize so this book definitely checked that box for me. Tesha's character and POV were probably my favorite, I was devouring the tension and secrets and danger in her story. Ashadi is our dragon rider, and while there honestly isn't a huge focus on the dragons in this book, I enjoyed his storyline and his relationship with Mana. Naili was probably my least favorite, but she grew on me a lot and her POVs got more interesting as the book progressed. Her initial chapters just really threw me off, I'm not afraid of some smut or on page sexy thoughts but she's obnoxiously horny (to the point that it's a little uncomfy) and I just didn't love being in her head lol. Once her storyline actually had a plot, it got a lot easier to not cringe when I saw her name at the top of a new chapter.
I actually loved the ending, but it's a frustrating one. It felt like all of these revelations are dumped on the reader at the very end, and I was sitting there with a million unanswered questions. Frustrating but effective because now I want to read the next book immediately even though this one just came out so I will not be able to do that anytime soon I'm sure... Definitely hoping for more monsters and dragons and all of the good stuff in Book 2.
September 11, 2024
3.75/5 stars
An epic fantasy with tons of politics and romance.
In this book we follow 3 POV's set on seemingly different quests throughout the kingdom. One a tribute bride. One who gains magic and is learning what to make of it. One a dragon rider separated from his dragon.
What I really enjoyed about this book:
- The writing. This book was written so uniquely compared to other fantasy novels I have read. It was darker, less emotional and felt like I was transported into the age the novel was set in.
- The characters. I was interested in each of their storylines, struggles and romance sub plots.
- The mystery aspect in this book kept me intrigued, making me want to continue reading. Honestly once I got to about 25% into the book I couldn't put it down.
Things that did not quite work for me:
- I had to keep asking myself what the point of all of it was. Yes there was plot BUT I felt we didn't advance in the story very much for how long the book actually was.
- All politics and no action. (or at least no epic scenes you expect from high fantasy). Which made some things in the book feel pointless and drawn out.
- The lack of dragons in this book. You actually forget that this book even has dragons half way through!
Overall this book took me a while to get into but once I connected to the characters I really started to enjoy my time and couldn't put the book down. I did feel like the book was setting the grounds for future instalments that will consist of more character development and action which makes me excited to continue on with the series. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys heavier political fantasies but also to people who enjoy romance in their fantasy (as each POV has a love interest that is talked about often)
Many thanks to Netgalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review
An epic fantasy with tons of politics and romance.
In this book we follow 3 POV's set on seemingly different quests throughout the kingdom. One a tribute bride. One who gains magic and is learning what to make of it. One a dragon rider separated from his dragon.
What I really enjoyed about this book:
- The writing. This book was written so uniquely compared to other fantasy novels I have read. It was darker, less emotional and felt like I was transported into the age the novel was set in.
- The characters. I was interested in each of their storylines, struggles and romance sub plots.
- The mystery aspect in this book kept me intrigued, making me want to continue reading. Honestly once I got to about 25% into the book I couldn't put it down.
Things that did not quite work for me:
- I had to keep asking myself what the point of all of it was. Yes there was plot BUT I felt we didn't advance in the story very much for how long the book actually was.
- All politics and no action. (or at least no epic scenes you expect from high fantasy). Which made some things in the book feel pointless and drawn out.
- The lack of dragons in this book. You actually forget that this book even has dragons half way through!
Overall this book took me a while to get into but once I connected to the characters I really started to enjoy my time and couldn't put the book down. I did feel like the book was setting the grounds for future instalments that will consist of more character development and action which makes me excited to continue on with the series. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys heavier political fantasies but also to people who enjoy romance in their fantasy (as each POV has a love interest that is talked about often)
Many thanks to Netgalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review
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