cbr17bingo – culture (of dragons)
This was a solid but not fantastic read. I enjoyed the story, it kept me engaged and wanting to know what would happen, but it has some clear weaknesses. It’s set in an alternate 1923 in England, where humans and dragons co-exist. There are some clearly dystopian elements, like a codified class system, and parts of the book hit very close to home considering current events in the United States. Main character Vivien’s (Viv’s) parents are arrested as rebels, and after Viv commits a crime to save them, she is sent to Bletchley Park as part of a secret governmental war effort, with a promise that her family will be released if she performs well.
This brings me to my first criticism. Most of the people involved in this effort are around Viv’s age, and like Viv they have been coerced to be there. All of them are very smart or skilled in some way, like Viv who speaks multiple dragon and human languages and another character who is brilliant at chess. But why are kids doing this? Surely there must be adults who not only have the skills but also more experienced and can be just as easily coerced (e.g., Viv’s parents, perhaps). When we are finally given an explanation about 70% into the book, it’s only a partial one. This leaves me feeling like the answer is supposed to be “Well, it’s a YA novel,” and even though I am not the target demographic for this book, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect more. Other YA books have managed it.
I also found the novel to be somewhat predictable, and Viv is a flawed and frustrating character. Some of her selfishness is understandable, and the length of time it takes her to come around to a different viewpoint is not unrealistic; however, her decisions are still maddening and could make a reader rather shouty.
None of this is to say I didn’t like the book. The linguistic aspect and world-building related to dragons was interesting. The book slows down almost too much in the middle but somewhat makes up for that with the discussion of dragon languages and dialects. For the most part, the plot moved along and kept my interest. I ultimately gave it 3.5 stars, rounded down. I recommend it if you like YA fantasy books, love language or dragons, and don’t mind frustrating characters or inadequately explained plot points. There is a sequel that comes out in January, and I’m interested enough to read it but not make it a priority.