[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Ace in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
When Ileth was seven, she met a dragon named Agrath and a dragoneer named Annis. Ileth was at the well to gather water for the “orphan lodge” where she lived. She was immediately drawn to Agrath. Annis even invited Ileth to sit on him. And most amazing of all, Annis told her when she was 14 and old enough to apprentice, she should come to the Serpentine and ask for her so she, too, could become a dragoneer.
And that’s exactly what Ileth does. Only, she arrives at the Serpentine after the gate has been closed and all the apprentices have been accepted. Annis and Agrath were both killed in the war, so Ileth has no sponsor to get her inside. She has no invitation or “name” that would grant her access. But her determination eventually attracts the attention of the Master of Novices who agrees to let her in the door. But she’ll have to work very hard if she hopes to stay at the Serpentine and eventually become a dragoneer.
Review
This is Ileth’s story of her early days at the Serpentine – her friends, her enemies, her adventures, her failures, and her triumphs. There’s a full story arc, but there’s not really a clear problem to solve or one trial to overcome. This is her journey during her novice season. I struggle with books like this because I just don’t know what goal I am reading towards. This made a long book feel that much longer to me.
Thankfully, there was Ileth. I loved her. And that redeemed some of the factors that might have caused me to leave this one unfinished. I was attached to this determined, kind, bright girl, and I wanted to see what happened to her. (There’s a LOT.)
There’s one big twist in the end that shook things up a bit. And the fall out of that will likely be a big plot factor for the next book. I enjoyed the surprise and the race to the end of the book. But this is really just the start of Ileth’s journey to become a dragoneer.
Fantasy fans who enjoy a story with good character development as the focus should check this one out. I enjoyed the dragon pieces, especially Ileth’s relationship with one particular dragon in the story, but the focus here is really on Ileth. (Trigger Warning: assault)