What do you think?
Rate this book
Dragons and Skylines #1
Feathers of Gold
After her parents go missing, Grith, a young dragon used to a simple life of hunting and reading, is forced to take a job at a magical tech company in the middle of LA. Yet, hiding her nature is all but impossible: once taking a human shape is no longer an option, Grith must confront her dragon instincts, and finds that the job she's accepted is far more dangerous than anything she could have imagined. The fate of the city depends on whether Grith decides to stand with humans — or apart from them.
344 pages, Paperback
Published September 3, 2022
47 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Rowan Silver
6 books31 followersRowan Silver was hatched and raised in Austin, Texas, but as a writer and physicist, she has been lost in other worlds for a long, long time. Though Rowan hasn't yet found her way back, she has plenty of stories to tell: legends of mythic lands from long ago and sagas of worlds more familiar.
And there are sure to be dragons.
For updates on new books, you can find her and subscribe to her newsletter at https://www.rowansilver.com. She can be emailed at books@rowansilver.com
And there are sure to be dragons.
For updates on new books, you can find her and subscribe to her newsletter at https://www.rowansilver.com. She can be emailed at books@rowansilver.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 13, 2022
Good paced story with a rather balanced plot crescendo, beginning almost mundane (or as mundane as a dragon trying to blend in as a human can be), then building up tension and expectations as the plot unveils. The writing is fluid and comfortable to read.
The xenofiction aspect is especially emphasized, whereas many books in the category have their characters exhibit various levels of anthropomorphic behaviour and thought, here the alien pov of the dragon is very marked, even while Grith walks (or scrambles on all fours like a drunken when trying) as a human.
About shapeshifting, while I tend to dread it, for it is often used as a convenience and the characters mere humans disguised in other forms, this is not the case here. On the contrary, it is well leveraged to stress the difference of the character with the awkward and out-of-place moments that don't fail to happen.
Those differences are also as many opportunities to demonstrate the misplaced or cruel reactions they can elicit from others; something we're unfortunately familiar with in most societies of our mundane world.
Magic and its lore are well described and integrated in the world and its varied creatures, yet there is still a lot to guess or infer (and some teasing) as for its source and history.
The conclusion of the book, while not an abrupt cliffhanger, leaves a lot of space for the sequel and there is .
The xenofiction aspect is especially emphasized, whereas many books in the category have their characters exhibit various levels of anthropomorphic behaviour and thought, here the alien pov of the dragon is very marked, even while Grith walks (or scrambles on all fours like a drunken when trying) as a human.
About shapeshifting, while I tend to dread it, for it is often used as a convenience and the characters mere humans disguised in other forms, this is not the case here. On the contrary, it is well leveraged to stress the difference of the character with the awkward and out-of-place moments that don't fail to happen.
Those differences are also as many opportunities to demonstrate the misplaced or cruel reactions they can elicit from others; something we're unfortunately familiar with in most societies of our mundane world.
Magic and its lore are well described and integrated in the world and its varied creatures, yet there is still a lot to guess or infer (and some teasing) as for its source and history.
The conclusion of the book, while not an abrupt cliffhanger, leaves a lot of space for the sequel and there is .
September 3, 2025
I’ve mentioned before that of all the various dragon-related tropes, perhaps my least favorite (or one therof) is the trope of shape-shifting. I mentioned in my reviews of Dragon Source and Dragon Bound that while I enjoyed those books, it was in spite of them containing a trope that I ultimately dislike. Feathers of Gold is a largely different beast – it is the only book I’ve ever read that I’ve enjoyed because of its use of this trope.
I had the pleasure of reading the beta version of this book, and the author is a person that I consider a friend, so this review may be slightly biased, but I also try and be fairly honest as well. Rowan has said to me on multiple occasions that despite the protagonist, Grith, taking a human form, she wanted the reader to be able to instantaneously identify them as a dragon. In this regard, she absolutely succeeded. Feathers of Gold takes place in a contemporary alternate universe in which dragons, wizards and other magical creatures all exist but live in hiding under the noses of regular, ordinary humans. Dragons live in bubble realms; pocket dimensions that overlay our own world and are directly accessible from it that allow dragons to possess wide swaths of unmarred territory without being discovered or bothered by humans. When Grith’s parents go missing, she finds herself needing to survive on her own, and that means finding shimmer; precious metals that dragons consume to replenish the magic that keeps them alive and functional. For this reason, she is forced to take a human form and work a human job (well, a wizard job, but still). There is not a single moment of her time spent in human form that she doesn’t feel like a fish out of water, from the opening surreal slapstick routine of her trying to simply walk down the street without knowing how a human body works to the constant cultural and instinctual barriers that separate human from dragon. It’s an extremely fresh take, and it’s such a joy to read that I actually found myself wishing this book spent more time with her in human form rather than less.
Feathers of Gold has a remarkably polished and accessible writing style reminiscent of YA xenofiction like Wings of Fire and Lazy Scales (at times almost feeling like a strange lovechild between the two) but it’s a very different entity altogether, being much more adult oriented in both its themes (the existential wear and tear of working a full time job complete with sexism and casual bigotry in the workplace stands out as one such example) and other content (some characters employ vulgar language and sexually-charged banter, though it never gets too explicit). I get the sense that this dynamic will turn off some readers looking for something different, but for readers like me who are receptive to that sort of thing, this book has a wealth of interesting ideas and subversions beneath the surface. A unique urban fantasy setting and an entirely fresh perspective on tried and true fantasy tropes make both the series this book is starting and the author who wrote it one to watch in the future.
If I had to say what Feathers of Gold is about, really, it’s about diversity and the ways in which everyone and everything is different, but how those differences are things to embrace, not things to fear. Grith starts off looking down on humans as a sort of forbidden prey species, but through spending time with them and getting to know them begins to see them as just as equal to her as any other dragon. The humans and wizards she meets often fear her at first, but mostly that’s because of the ways in which she is different from them. Just because someone could do you harm doesn’t mean that they will, and trusting each other not to is the basis of forming healthy relationships that make the world a better.
It’s also about the ways in which our contemporary society forces us to hide ourselves. Grith is forced to deny her draconity in the most literal way possible in order to fit in with human society in order to get what she needs to live. So too in the real world do people of different cultures and races, different viewpoints, and especially neurodivergent and queer people have to hide their differences and force themselves into narrow boxes in order to get work and survive. Our world is oppressive in a way that runs far deeper than visible authoritarian violence. It asks us to sacrifice our identities and souls for food, water and shelter.
It certainly isn’t a perfect book, and I do have to be honest about its flaws. I don’t want to spend too much time on them however as they’re largely first book issues that I’ve seen improved upon plenty of times by plenty of new authors, and serve less as a disappointment and more as a point of excitement; if Rowan is already this good, I can wait to see what her third or her fifth or her eighth book will look like. That being said, this book has some pretty glaring pacing issues, particularly in the second act as the plot starts jumping around much too quickly. Characters sometimes think directly about their problems in a way that feels inorganic, and as someone who’s currently working through the beta of this book’s sequel this one feels restrained in a way that’s less about subtle storytelling and more about the author still feeling nervous around the spotlight. Again, though, these are all classic first book problems, and while they’re enough to bump this book in particular down to four stars, they aren’t enough to prevent me from enjoying this book or being incredibly excited about this author’s future.
I urge anyone who finds the blurb interesting to pick this up. It’s a fun and engaging read from an author who shows genuine promise, and it’d be a shame for this to fly completely under the radar when she has so much more to give.
I had the pleasure of reading the beta version of this book, and the author is a person that I consider a friend, so this review may be slightly biased, but I also try and be fairly honest as well. Rowan has said to me on multiple occasions that despite the protagonist, Grith, taking a human form, she wanted the reader to be able to instantaneously identify them as a dragon. In this regard, she absolutely succeeded. Feathers of Gold takes place in a contemporary alternate universe in which dragons, wizards and other magical creatures all exist but live in hiding under the noses of regular, ordinary humans. Dragons live in bubble realms; pocket dimensions that overlay our own world and are directly accessible from it that allow dragons to possess wide swaths of unmarred territory without being discovered or bothered by humans. When Grith’s parents go missing, she finds herself needing to survive on her own, and that means finding shimmer; precious metals that dragons consume to replenish the magic that keeps them alive and functional. For this reason, she is forced to take a human form and work a human job (well, a wizard job, but still). There is not a single moment of her time spent in human form that she doesn’t feel like a fish out of water, from the opening surreal slapstick routine of her trying to simply walk down the street without knowing how a human body works to the constant cultural and instinctual barriers that separate human from dragon. It’s an extremely fresh take, and it’s such a joy to read that I actually found myself wishing this book spent more time with her in human form rather than less.
Feathers of Gold has a remarkably polished and accessible writing style reminiscent of YA xenofiction like Wings of Fire and Lazy Scales (at times almost feeling like a strange lovechild between the two) but it’s a very different entity altogether, being much more adult oriented in both its themes (the existential wear and tear of working a full time job complete with sexism and casual bigotry in the workplace stands out as one such example) and other content (some characters employ vulgar language and sexually-charged banter, though it never gets too explicit). I get the sense that this dynamic will turn off some readers looking for something different, but for readers like me who are receptive to that sort of thing, this book has a wealth of interesting ideas and subversions beneath the surface. A unique urban fantasy setting and an entirely fresh perspective on tried and true fantasy tropes make both the series this book is starting and the author who wrote it one to watch in the future.
If I had to say what Feathers of Gold is about, really, it’s about diversity and the ways in which everyone and everything is different, but how those differences are things to embrace, not things to fear. Grith starts off looking down on humans as a sort of forbidden prey species, but through spending time with them and getting to know them begins to see them as just as equal to her as any other dragon. The humans and wizards she meets often fear her at first, but mostly that’s because of the ways in which she is different from them. Just because someone could do you harm doesn’t mean that they will, and trusting each other not to is the basis of forming healthy relationships that make the world a better.
It’s also about the ways in which our contemporary society forces us to hide ourselves. Grith is forced to deny her draconity in the most literal way possible in order to fit in with human society in order to get what she needs to live. So too in the real world do people of different cultures and races, different viewpoints, and especially neurodivergent and queer people have to hide their differences and force themselves into narrow boxes in order to get work and survive. Our world is oppressive in a way that runs far deeper than visible authoritarian violence. It asks us to sacrifice our identities and souls for food, water and shelter.
It certainly isn’t a perfect book, and I do have to be honest about its flaws. I don’t want to spend too much time on them however as they’re largely first book issues that I’ve seen improved upon plenty of times by plenty of new authors, and serve less as a disappointment and more as a point of excitement; if Rowan is already this good, I can wait to see what her third or her fifth or her eighth book will look like. That being said, this book has some pretty glaring pacing issues, particularly in the second act as the plot starts jumping around much too quickly. Characters sometimes think directly about their problems in a way that feels inorganic, and as someone who’s currently working through the beta of this book’s sequel this one feels restrained in a way that’s less about subtle storytelling and more about the author still feeling nervous around the spotlight. Again, though, these are all classic first book problems, and while they’re enough to bump this book in particular down to four stars, they aren’t enough to prevent me from enjoying this book or being incredibly excited about this author’s future.
I urge anyone who finds the blurb interesting to pick this up. It’s a fun and engaging read from an author who shows genuine promise, and it’d be a shame for this to fly completely under the radar when she has so much more to give.
March 19, 2023
Interesting take on magic and magical creatures on modern Earth
A young dragon finds employment in Los Angeles to earn the necessary resources for the upkeep of her home and hoard. However, in a world of mundanes--humans without magic--fantastical creatures like herself aren't exactly welcome. The existence of magic and the creatures must be kept secret on pain of death. To that end, the dragon suppresses her identity and takes on a human form, but it's only a matter of time before a secret slips out...
Although shapeshifting is a plot element, Feathers of Gold never fails to remind me that the shapeshifted human is a dragon through and through. It was entertaining to read about the protagonist's innate characteristics slipping through her human veil occasionally to elicit various reactions from other characters.
The story convincingly establishes a modern Earth setting in which magic and magical creatures could exist unnoticed by normal humans, and the reader is immersed in the perspective of one such creature trying to earn an income. Her misadventure through LA has been enjoyable to read, and I look forward to seeing more of her tale in the next book.
A young dragon finds employment in Los Angeles to earn the necessary resources for the upkeep of her home and hoard. However, in a world of mundanes--humans without magic--fantastical creatures like herself aren't exactly welcome. The existence of magic and the creatures must be kept secret on pain of death. To that end, the dragon suppresses her identity and takes on a human form, but it's only a matter of time before a secret slips out...
Although shapeshifting is a plot element, Feathers of Gold never fails to remind me that the shapeshifted human is a dragon through and through. It was entertaining to read about the protagonist's innate characteristics slipping through her human veil occasionally to elicit various reactions from other characters.
The story convincingly establishes a modern Earth setting in which magic and magical creatures could exist unnoticed by normal humans, and the reader is immersed in the perspective of one such creature trying to earn an income. Her misadventure through LA has been enjoyable to read, and I look forward to seeing more of her tale in the next book.
August 17, 2022
I'm a beta reader for this book, and I'm loving it. To simply put, the story is like 'Age of Fire' but in a modern setting and fantastical like 'Dragon Rider' but all in dragon POV. A great mash elements into one great book, perfect for a dragon-focused reader such as myself.
November 19, 2022
A really fascinating book that leans in hard to the draconic nature of the main character - at no point did Grith feel like a human pretending to be a dragon (very much felt like the reverse most of the time!)
An interesting plot and some great worldbuilding - I get the feeling there's a lot more to explore in future books.
Some frustrating characters, but always those who you were meant to be annoyed by.
An interesting plot and some great worldbuilding - I get the feeling there's a lot more to explore in future books.
Some frustrating characters, but always those who you were meant to be annoyed by.
May 14, 2023
Very pleasant story of a dragoness Grith who to save her home must get out of her comfort zone and to go into human city to get a job.
It’s no easy task because Grith didn’t bother herself much with research on how human society works and also - those pesky humans smell so tasty. This results in frequent hilarious situations. Of course not everything goes according to plan.
Looking eagerly for a sequel book.
It’s no easy task because Grith didn’t bother herself much with research on how human society works and also - those pesky humans smell so tasty. This results in frequent hilarious situations. Of course not everything goes according to plan.
Looking eagerly for a sequel book.
August 17, 2022
I was beta reader of the book and I consider the author a friend of mine.
I am also the artist of the book cover and will be the artist for the other books in the series.
When you read this book from Grith's perspective you know you read it from a dragon's perspective. The main character, a feathery dragon lady, is forced to leave the sanctuary of her bubble-realmed hoard to work in the big city for money. What she needs to buy magical components. To do this, she has to shape shift into a human and hates every second of it, not even knowing how being a human works. This will escalate a few times. And not even her human-fan cousin dragon can help her.
The author really manages to paint a picture of her troubles force-fitted into this human shape, no tail, no heightened sense of smell, no scales, walking on two leg, and her relief whenever she can turn back and fly freely.
One of my favorite things in this books is the so called "Key", a safe-house for non-mundane fantasy creatures that I still sometimes daydream about visiting. I also really love the owners. I feel like this will be an elemental part of the future of this world building.
Also, yeah. Wizards are jerks, one of my favorite tropes.
From time to time a few jokes miss their target and I think the author was a bit careful at some points and didn't write their dragon lady as they wanted, probably to not scare off the average reader, but I really thought at some points
This book is for you if you:
- love dragons
- hate arrogant wizards
- want to read about oversized dragon keyboards
- want a comfort read, an easy to read book
- some tense action packed scenes
I am also the artist of the book cover and will be the artist for the other books in the series.
When you read this book from Grith's perspective you know you read it from a dragon's perspective. The main character, a feathery dragon lady, is forced to leave the sanctuary of her bubble-realmed hoard to work in the big city for money. What she needs to buy magical components. To do this, she has to shape shift into a human and hates every second of it, not even knowing how being a human works. This will escalate a few times. And not even her human-fan cousin dragon can help her.
The author really manages to paint a picture of her troubles force-fitted into this human shape, no tail, no heightened sense of smell, no scales, walking on two leg, and her relief whenever she can turn back and fly freely.
One of my favorite things in this books is the so called "Key", a safe-house for non-mundane fantasy creatures that I still sometimes daydream about visiting. I also really love the owners. I feel like this will be an elemental part of the future of this world building.
Also, yeah. Wizards are jerks, one of my favorite tropes.
From time to time a few jokes miss their target and I think the author was a bit careful at some points and didn't write their dragon lady as they wanted, probably to not scare off the average reader, but I really thought at some points
This book is for you if you:
- love dragons
- hate arrogant wizards
- want to read about oversized dragon keyboards
- want a comfort read, an easy to read book
- some tense action packed scenes
December 12, 2023
Feathers of Gold is the story about Grith, a young dragoness who is forced by circumstances to work for a magical tech company run by wizards, all while needing to conceal her true nature to the normal, non-magical people of LA.
I was initially worried about this aspect of the book as 'dragons' in transformation stories often end up being essentially humans with a cool powerup almost never use. I am very happy to say that this is not the case here. It is abundantly clear that Grith and her way of thinking is alien and different than that of the typical human character. In fact a lot of the humor and conflict in this story arises from Griths inability to act like a human, which is refreshing.
The absolute best part of the book for me was everything to do with the magical tech company and the complex relationship it, and particularly her co-worker Chris, has with Grith. Dragons are feared, not just by non-wizards, but also by the wizards working for the company. This results in her needing to conform to their rules and her having to hide who and what she truly is. This can draw a lot of real world parallels and makes for a nice take home message that hits close to my own heart.
Overall its a great book and I can't wait to read the sequals.
I was initially worried about this aspect of the book as 'dragons' in transformation stories often end up being essentially humans with a cool powerup almost never use. I am very happy to say that this is not the case here. It is abundantly clear that Grith and her way of thinking is alien and different than that of the typical human character. In fact a lot of the humor and conflict in this story arises from Griths inability to act like a human, which is refreshing.
The absolute best part of the book for me was everything to do with the magical tech company and the complex relationship it, and particularly her co-worker Chris, has with Grith. Dragons are feared, not just by non-wizards, but also by the wizards working for the company. This results in her needing to conform to their rules and her having to hide who and what she truly is. This can draw a lot of real world parallels and makes for a nice take home message that hits close to my own heart.
Overall its a great book and I can't wait to read the sequals.
November 11, 2022
I thought this was a fun story, and it only took me a small handful of days to read. While I’ve read quite a bit of urban fantasy before, this was the first time encountering it from a dragon’s point of view, so the main character’s interpretation of the magical and non magical world was very unique. While the first half of the book was pretty slow, by the end I was reading quickly to find out what happened next. There were quite a few things hinted at for future stories, and I expect I’ll continue the series.
A 3.5 from me, though I typically like to round up. There were several typos but for the most part it didn’t detract from the story. A fun, easy to read book if you like urban fantasy and especially dragons!
A 3.5 from me, though I typically like to round up. There were several typos but for the most part it didn’t detract from the story. A fun, easy to read book if you like urban fantasy and especially dragons!
June 17, 2023
It's a fairly well-written story, that manages to avoid many tropes with shapeshifting, which is quite nice. Alas, while the writing is fine, I wasn't a fan of worldbuilding and the character didn't click with me either. It is fine for a light read, if you don't think too hard about it.
I would recommend this story to a draconic literature fans, though probably to a younger audience.
I would recommend this story to a draconic literature fans, though probably to a younger audience.
October 10, 2024
Feathers of Gold is a fresh look at the urban world through the eyes of a dragon.
I immediately fell in love with protagonist Grith. Even as she navigates the mundane streets of LA in a human body, the way she thinks and experiences the world is tangibly dragon in an unsanitized way that I can't get enough of. At the same time, she isn't a boring stereotypical dragon--she is a young but wise wyrm who will lick your face and nerd out about a good library (which I personally respect!). We also meet dorky and noble Pret. In this book he is only a secondary character, but something about him is captivating to me, and I am very interested to see more from him in future books.
The premise of the story is real and relatable, touching on themes of corporate greed and workplace woes, the feeling of being judged for who you are, and scenes of bigotry that effectively make you cringe. As the book progresses, it moves from this familiar place to somewhere more foreign, a sort of unlikely band of misfits joining together on a magical quest to save the world.
The story did begin to alienate me a little as it progressed. I am not generally a fan of magic mechanics in which the reader has no grasp of what the boundaries or limits of magical ability are. Things just start happening and I'm just there, unable to feel immersed in this world that all the characters understand but I myself do not. For all I know, a wizard might next snap their fingers and destroy the planet, or turn all dragons into chickens, and I would be forced to suspend my disbelief and go with it. This combined with the "evil group seeking world domination just because" trope isn't my favourite.
Despite that critique, I think the story ended up in an interesting place. I am very curious to see how things progress in the next book!
I immediately fell in love with protagonist Grith. Even as she navigates the mundane streets of LA in a human body, the way she thinks and experiences the world is tangibly dragon in an unsanitized way that I can't get enough of. At the same time, she isn't a boring stereotypical dragon--she is a young but wise wyrm who will lick your face and nerd out about a good library (which I personally respect!). We also meet dorky and noble Pret. In this book he is only a secondary character, but something about him is captivating to me, and I am very interested to see more from him in future books.
The premise of the story is real and relatable, touching on themes of corporate greed and workplace woes, the feeling of being judged for who you are, and scenes of bigotry that effectively make you cringe. As the book progresses, it moves from this familiar place to somewhere more foreign, a sort of unlikely band of misfits joining together on a magical quest to save the world.
The story did begin to alienate me a little as it progressed. I am not generally a fan of magic mechanics in which the reader has no grasp of what the boundaries or limits of magical ability are. Things just start happening and I'm just there, unable to feel immersed in this world that all the characters understand but I myself do not. For all I know, a wizard might next snap their fingers and destroy the planet, or turn all dragons into chickens, and I would be forced to suspend my disbelief and go with it. This combined with the "evil group seeking world domination just because" trope isn't my favourite.
Despite that critique, I think the story ended up in an interesting place. I am very curious to see how things progress in the next book!
October 15, 2024
For some reason I had thought this was more slice of life, and had put off reading it until I saw more recommendations, so in case anyone else mirrored my strange mistake, I shall clarify: this book is an actionful fantasy adventure with a humorous streak and a likeable and definitely dragon main character.
The book stands in its own right, but it also address certain fantasy tropes. To give one example, many books have a dragon capable of shapeshifting who spends most of the book in human form, and thus can feel like merely a human-with-a-supposed-cool-factor more than a dragon. Grith is very much not that. From the moment you see her struggling to walk down the street on two legs, to the odd ways she tries to use human objects like chairs and dishware, to her obliviousness to human social norms, it's clear she's not comfortable in human form, and will take her first chance to be her proper self again (which she does).
The book was an engaging read from start to finish; I had to keep myself from reading it all the day I got it because I wanted it to last.
I mentioned above this book has a humorous streak, and so does the series in fact, though it has darker moments too. The humor isn't due to any surreality or absurd randomness, but arises from the characters' traits. This is precisely the kind of humor I find appealing in a book. (I should say though that Dragons and Skylines isn't a comedy series, in case I've made it sound like it.)
I've got more to say about book 2, but who knows when I'll get around to leaving a review.
The book stands in its own right, but it also address certain fantasy tropes. To give one example, many books have a dragon capable of shapeshifting who spends most of the book in human form, and thus can feel like merely a human-with-a-supposed-cool-factor more than a dragon. Grith is very much not that. From the moment you see her struggling to walk down the street on two legs, to the odd ways she tries to use human objects like chairs and dishware, to her obliviousness to human social norms, it's clear she's not comfortable in human form, and will take her first chance to be her proper self again (which she does).
The book was an engaging read from start to finish; I had to keep myself from reading it all the day I got it because I wanted it to last.
I mentioned above this book has a humorous streak, and so does the series in fact, though it has darker moments too. The humor isn't due to any surreality or absurd randomness, but arises from the characters' traits. This is precisely the kind of humor I find appealing in a book. (I should say though that Dragons and Skylines isn't a comedy series, in case I've made it sound like it.)
I've got more to say about book 2, but who knows when I'll get around to leaving a review.
June 25, 2023
Offering a fresh take on many beloved aspects of dragon stories, this book opens with a visceral and endearing portrayal of shapeshifting—from dragon to human. Even better, the perspective of the dragon, Grith, remains distinctly non-human while offering insights on everything from sexism to corporate culture. For a debut novel, the worldbuilding is masterfully constructed around comparisons to two (or more) dragon cultures, languages, and magical proclivities. The fish-out-of-water perspective allows casual observations on human biases and assumptions while demonstrating the benefits of diversity and community in a magical version of modern LA (complete with all-species tea shop/bar and magical library!). Best of all, a sequel just came out!
January 9, 2025
Great zenofiction writing, even pacing, very fresh world building with the urban fantasy (can’t believe a couple dragons use smartphones lol). I especially found Grith’s dialogue to be amusing and well written (from her being a dragon with no prior concept on human social cues and conversation skills). Only downside I would say is that the fight scenes need less of the fancy writing for clarity’s sake and for a faster pace. I love great fight scenes, but felt like I kept having to read over the same paragraph multiple times to figure out what was going on. This book was funny and interesting overall, I am definitely enjoying it and will continue reading the series!
April 22, 2024
Absolutely amazing. This (in my case) was a book that was randomly recommended on Reddit, and now I've found myself absorbed in it, the rest of the trilogy, the other unreleased book in the series, the Discord, and Twitter. It's a combo of Western (classic European), Eastern (Asian), Southern (feathered, the main protags of this particular trilogy)), and Northern (furred) dragons, whats not to love?
The author is also very kind, both on the Discord server and her Twitter (I'm not calling it "X").
It's also very fun to theorize about instead of doing Spanish homework.
The author is also very kind, both on the Discord server and her Twitter (I'm not calling it "X").
It's also very fun to theorize about instead of doing Spanish homework.
August 18, 2024
3.5/5 :3
September 2, 2024
Sweet.
Themes of being a minority
Themes of being a minority
November 17, 2025
Ew, victim blaming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2025
Preamble because I wrote this directly after I finished the book and realized exactly what it was and how much time I had wasted on this. If you're a furry, feminst or love WoF, you will more than likely love this. To the author, if you wanted to "make readers understand what having species dysphoria feels like," you might have made it first person instead of third person.
Everyone is paper thin and everyone lacks basic thinking. Literally just save your money or credits because this is not worth it. The setting is interesting, magic creatures having to struggle to find places to fit into human society, threat of death if they are seen, secrecy held above everything. Where it goes completely wrong are the characters and just the plot overall.
Grith is not a good character. She's just not. She's so naïve that it just hurts hearing her interact with anyone. At first it was cute, but as it went on, there was no improvement, and at the end, she's giving quips and other statements that would fit in a marvel movie. I legitimately wondered if the author had her placed on the spectrum because of how she acted. She doesn't like loud noises, doesn't like crowds, doesn't like to be touched and constantly misses social cues or fails to learn from things around her. She constantly thinks or comments about how humans are prey and she wouldn't mind eating one if they were dead(eating a human already dead is legally fine), and there are issues with the character development situations that literally have no build up. "Oh I like books, so I don't want to hurt these books that have been turned into creatures," "Oh, maybe humans really are as smart as dragons and should be considered as sentient as them." Just weak writing.
Ashley is the worst character in the book, in just about any book that comes to mind. She is so awful that I almost DNF several times. She is so full of hate, malice, and she's a radical feminist. She has such a hate for the Chris that she actively tries to get him gone by any means necessary, even asking Grith to eat him given her flexibility on the matter. I'll detail how dirty she does Chris at the end of his paragraph.
Chris is the only character in this work that makes any sense, he's the only one that you can step into his shoes and feel why he did the things he did. Mind you, he never did anything evil, he is helpful from the moment he appears. The worse thing he did was ignore some stuff she said when he was working with her. Throughout the entire work, he is nothing but nice for her, caring for her safety and saves both Grith's and Ashley's life MULTIPLE times while being greatly injured and defending the group against a member of an elite wizard corps. By the end, he still tries to stop them from defeating the big bad because he genuinely cares for Grith and doesn't want her to be killed by a being who, from every point of view has already won and is immensely powerful. For his troubles, Ashley totally lays him out and BRANDS a CURSE on him. She places a LIFELONG CURSE on him for daring to try and save people from certain death. Like without him, a good portion of the work wouldn't have even happened, they wouldn't have found a kidnapped fae without his magic that literally drains him of his life. He does so much for Grith and gets nothing in return apart from pain and suffering. Would you like to know why?
Because this book is femslop. Every human and wizard male is evil or incompliant, every female non-wizard is strong and resilient. That is no exaggeration. Ashley makes the comment that she couldn't pick between the BBEG wizard or the current president, the BBEG who wants to behead the mayor of LA and has deaths quads of wizard backed police go around threatening to fire into crowds of protesters and who are enforcing martial law and curfew.
Another thing I recalled while I was writing this were the male allies that show up to be support characters and are rewarded by Grith giving them a feather from herself. A feather, which has the power to give them wizard powers if they should choose to do so, to (A) a tour guide that she talked to for three minutes about stars and (B) a bouncer who initially denies Ashley entrance to a nightclub because he thinks she is underage and that Grith BRIBES to gain entrance. Like these people have less than a page of interaction with her and she gives them a feather, and never even considers giving one to Chris, even though he has gone out of his way to ensure her safety or tries and teaches her how to fit in/act in society. It's just disgusting how dirty Chris was done, even when the things he was dragging his feet over totally come true in the end. I was wishing until Chris was BRANDED that he would show up and be like, "Hey, I'm sorry that I turned you in and I'm here to help fix what I did wrong. I was scared out of my mind and thought what I was doing was the right thing, but since I discovered the world domination plot, I just can't sit back."
I've never had a work make me this angry before.
Everyone is paper thin and everyone lacks basic thinking. Literally just save your money or credits because this is not worth it. The setting is interesting, magic creatures having to struggle to find places to fit into human society, threat of death if they are seen, secrecy held above everything. Where it goes completely wrong are the characters and just the plot overall.
Grith is not a good character. She's just not. She's so naïve that it just hurts hearing her interact with anyone. At first it was cute, but as it went on, there was no improvement, and at the end, she's giving quips and other statements that would fit in a marvel movie. I legitimately wondered if the author had her placed on the spectrum because of how she acted. She doesn't like loud noises, doesn't like crowds, doesn't like to be touched and constantly misses social cues or fails to learn from things around her. She constantly thinks or comments about how humans are prey and she wouldn't mind eating one if they were dead(eating a human already dead is legally fine), and there are issues with the character development situations that literally have no build up. "Oh I like books, so I don't want to hurt these books that have been turned into creatures," "Oh, maybe humans really are as smart as dragons and should be considered as sentient as them." Just weak writing.
Ashley is the worst character in the book, in just about any book that comes to mind. She is so awful that I almost DNF several times. She is so full of hate, malice, and she's a radical feminist. She has such a hate for the Chris that she actively tries to get him gone by any means necessary, even asking Grith to eat him given her flexibility on the matter. I'll detail how dirty she does Chris at the end of his paragraph.
Chris is the only character in this work that makes any sense, he's the only one that you can step into his shoes and feel why he did the things he did. Mind you, he never did anything evil, he is helpful from the moment he appears. The worse thing he did was ignore some stuff she said when he was working with her. Throughout the entire work, he is nothing but nice for her, caring for her safety and saves both Grith's and Ashley's life MULTIPLE times while being greatly injured and defending the group against a member of an elite wizard corps. By the end, he still tries to stop them from defeating the big bad because he genuinely cares for Grith and doesn't want her to be killed by a being who, from every point of view has already won and is immensely powerful. For his troubles, Ashley totally lays him out and BRANDS a CURSE on him. She places a LIFELONG CURSE on him for daring to try and save people from certain death. Like without him, a good portion of the work wouldn't have even happened, they wouldn't have found a kidnapped fae without his magic that literally drains him of his life. He does so much for Grith and gets nothing in return apart from pain and suffering. Would you like to know why?
Because this book is femslop. Every human and wizard male is evil or incompliant, every female non-wizard is strong and resilient. That is no exaggeration. Ashley makes the comment that she couldn't pick between the BBEG wizard or the current president, the BBEG who wants to behead the mayor of LA and has deaths quads of wizard backed police go around threatening to fire into crowds of protesters and who are enforcing martial law and curfew.
Another thing I recalled while I was writing this were the male allies that show up to be support characters and are rewarded by Grith giving them a feather from herself. A feather, which has the power to give them wizard powers if they should choose to do so, to (A) a tour guide that she talked to for three minutes about stars and (B) a bouncer who initially denies Ashley entrance to a nightclub because he thinks she is underage and that Grith BRIBES to gain entrance. Like these people have less than a page of interaction with her and she gives them a feather, and never even considers giving one to Chris, even though he has gone out of his way to ensure her safety or tries and teaches her how to fit in/act in society. It's just disgusting how dirty Chris was done, even when the things he was dragging his feet over totally come true in the end. I was wishing until Chris was BRANDED that he would show up and be like, "Hey, I'm sorry that I turned you in and I'm here to help fix what I did wrong. I was scared out of my mind and thought what I was doing was the right thing, but since I discovered the world domination plot, I just can't sit back."
I've never had a work make me this angry before.
July 23, 2025
Feathers of Gold is about someone being forced to fit into a world that disdains and fears its/her existence. A world that wants to twist her and twist her until she conforms.
The dragons in this series are neither mindless animals and mounts nor mere metaphors; they're fleshed out characters with wants and dreams of their own. Little details come in measured amounts to give flesh and blood to the magic of the world. There is a constant, strong contrast between the perceptions of Grith, the protagonist, and the perceptions of humans, from appropriate behaviour to just consequences and even what sorts of smells make a person comfortable to speak with (there's a great passage about this that I shall not spoil).
They're frustrating at times though. Most of the characters in the book have unfortunately un-nuanced views.
I'm not a dragonkin, but you don't have to be one to feel the palpable distress and discomfort that Grith experiences in the urban jungle.
On Grith: It/she is a fun character. While not human, she's quite relatable, both because of the issues she faces—big fish, small pond, bigger sea—and because of her charmingly simple, yet not necessarily wrong, initial views on or reactions to, topics like employment.
The prose is difficult to describe. It's mostly easy to read, yet it has a non-human edge; the narration is draconic, and Grith's thoughts sound like a dragon's as much as her dialogue does. I know prose well, but I can't pin down how this book does it.
The last third's pacing speeds up too much too soon. The middle sags.
That said, if you like intelligent dragons, give Feathers of Gold a shot.
The dragons in this series are neither mindless animals and mounts nor mere metaphors; they're fleshed out characters with wants and dreams of their own. Little details come in measured amounts to give flesh and blood to the magic of the world. There is a constant, strong contrast between the perceptions of Grith, the protagonist, and the perceptions of humans, from appropriate behaviour to just consequences and even what sorts of smells make a person comfortable to speak with (there's a great passage about this that I shall not spoil).
They're frustrating at times though. Most of the characters in the book have unfortunately un-nuanced views.
I'm not a dragonkin, but you don't have to be one to feel the palpable distress and discomfort that Grith experiences in the urban jungle.
On Grith: It/she is a fun character. While not human, she's quite relatable, both because of the issues she faces—big fish, small pond, bigger sea—and because of her charmingly simple, yet not necessarily wrong, initial views on or reactions to, topics like employment.
The prose is difficult to describe. It's mostly easy to read, yet it has a non-human edge; the narration is draconic, and Grith's thoughts sound like a dragon's as much as her dialogue does. I know prose well, but I can't pin down how this book does it.
The last third's pacing speeds up too much too soon. The middle sags.
That said, if you like intelligent dragons, give Feathers of Gold a shot.
June 7, 2024
Great premise, well executed - a story line that is surprisingly rare to find.
Also, love how Grith keeps contemplating how she shouldn't eat humans and why.
Also, love how Grith keeps contemplating how she shouldn't eat humans and why.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews