Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Grouping two more re-reads together, with no thematic connection

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase

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Re-read, October 2022: I cannot fully explain why I had the need to re-read this novel, the start of a promising but eventually disappointing series of alt-history books that asked the question, what if Napoleonic wars but also dragons? A decent part was this intense desire to re-read the part of the novel where Laurence realizes that a number of dragons that the UK relies upon for its aerial might insist on having female captains, and is forced to reconcile that fact with his posh […]

Give me a dragon now!

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

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Uprooted and Spinning Silver were two of the best books that I read last year, and they left me wanting more Naomi Novik. When I didn’t immediately purchase her new book this year, amazon offered me a collection of her first three Temeraire novels for $3. Obviously, I bought it.  The series starts with His Majesty’s Dragon, which is a kind of weird title since His Majesty has lots of dragons. In this alternate history, dragons exist and are used for warfare. It’s the early […]

Made me excited for the rest of the series. Also ruined my review streak. #CBRBingo – Green

Throne of Jade (Temeraire, #2) by Naomi Novik

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I read this book in APRIL. I don’t know what it is about this series, but when I read the first book, it also took me  f o r e v e r  and also ruined my review momentum. I don’t know why! It was perfectly enjoyable, aside from some dragging in the middle. I think I might have to switch to audio on this series, even though I own the first four books in hard copy. I just cannot with them for some reason! […]

History and travel: bingo two for two in a series (#History/Schmistory & Travel)

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) by Naomi Novik

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I’m pretty behind on Bingo, so trying to catch up before it ends! Some quick reviews of two entries in a series I’ve been reading this year, both on audiobook: Temeraire (AKA His Majesty’s Dragon) and Throne of Jade, by Naomi Novik. Temeraire fits the History/Schmistory square, since it’s set in an alternate history, and Throne of Jade satisfies the requirements for Travel. This was the series Novik was known for before she delved into folklore fantasy with Uprooted and Spinning Silver. They’re difficult to compare, as […]

I finally tackle the Temeraire series (four months ago). #CBRBingo – And So It Begins

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1) by Naomi Novik

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This is why I never DNF books. Well, that and the OCD (legit, not just using it facetiously). I had a hard time getting into this (I’ve had a hard time getting into several books the last couple of months–my brain is not wanting to cooperate with me). It took me what felt like weeks to get past the first thirty pages. And it’s not like what was there was bad, I just couldn’t engage myself in it for some reason. Novik styles the book […]

How he trained his dragon

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Captain Will Laurence has spent his life in the Navy, and expects it to continue that way. However, being currently embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars, that life soon comes to an end – but not through death. Instead, having captured a French ship, Captain Laurence’s ship takes its cargo as a prize…a large dragon’s egg, whose inhabitant decides upon hatching that Captain Laurence will do nicely for a handler. In this alternate history, dragons that aren’t paired with handlers tend to go feral, therefore losing […]



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