Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia. It was my choice to read and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
Wow, it was incredible. This is the first book I've read by Frost Kay. After I saw this gorgeous cover revealed through a Book of Matches Media cover reveal Instagram tour, I knew I needed to read it and I was so excited to be chosen for the ARC reader team.
I was hooked from the beginning and will be so excited to read book 2, any other books in the series, and everything else written by Frost Kay.
With a Dragon book both in the title and in the description, you never know how many actual interactions with dragons you will get. I was happy with the amount of dragon interaction. It wasn't too much to overshadow the characters or too little that makes you wonder why the word is in the title and synopsis. Also, I loved that the Elves are ruthless, I am more intrigued with Fantasy that has this element of danger. I was surprised multiple times throughout the plot which is important to me and makes me like a book more.
I recommend it to readers who love fantasy with a determined, fearless heroine, kingdom politics & intrigue/warring nations, dragons, betrayal/royal coups, and well-written action sequences.
On the Book of Matches Media email that ARC readers receive, the comparable authors/books are: From Blood and Ash, A Deal with the Elf King, The Bridge Kingdom. Out of those I've read From Blood and Ash and The Bridge Kingdom. Court of Dragons is WAY better than From Blood and Ash and when I read the synopsis it did remind me of The Bridge Kingdom but in actually reading, there are a lot of differences. Still, I can see the inspiration while reading but, it's different enough that I wasn't frustrated by the aspects I found similar.
Disability Representation: MC’s little sister--neurodivergent (autism?) representation.