Between Dragons and their Wrath by Devin Madson

Synopsis

From Aurealis Award‑nominated author Devin Madson comes a new rip-roaring epic fantasy full of dragons, alchemical magic, and forbidden romance that unfolds as three people in a shattered empire become entangled in a looming revolution.The old kingdom of Paicha has been split into city states, but there are those who seek to reunite the shattered realm-by force if necessary. Amidst the turmoil there are three who will find their destinies inextricably tangled. Tesha is a glassblower’s apprentice who becomes a tribute bride when her city is conquered by the south. In the enemy’s court, she’s perfectly placed to sabotage them, but her heart has other plans. Naili is a laundress in the house of an eccentric alchemist who is awakening to strange new powers. When radicals approach her, she faces a choice between keeping her magic to herself and using it to change the world. And in the desolate Shield Mountains, dragon rider Ash protects the cities from the monsters in the Iipao sands beyond. But, soon he’ll have to learn how to protect his dragon when hunters unlock the secret to killing them. As war sweeps across the land, Tesha, Naili, and Ash must fight for survival against political enemies, dragon hunters, and monsters both within and without. Praise for Devin ‘This is a tale that hits all the right spots. Imaginative world-building, a pace that builds perfectly to a heart-pounding finale and captivating, believable characters. There’s a lot to love here. Highly recommended’ John Gwynn, author of Shadow of the Gods‘Breathtakingly triumphant . . . it has become one of my favourite books of all time . . . a gripping, evocative hurricane of emotions that constantly took my breath away’ Petrik Leo, Novel Notions

Review

3 to 4 stars depending on the character I was reading about

First I would like to thank Orbit Books for sending a finished copy my way!

Between Dragons and their Wrath is told from three point of Views  (POV): Tesha, Naili and Ashadi.

I loved the world building with dragons, sand beasts and commune, the topics developed in this story like colonialism, social fight. The material used in armour was very original. One of the character slowly morphing into something akin to a flower was horrifying and fascinating at the same time.

The political tension and intrigue was very interesting to follow, and that’s something unusual for me as I often don’t care for this in books.

The villains were great villains and I am still wondering who is the true baddie;

BUT

I have one major complaint: the horniness.

Especially Naili’s.

She was obsessed with thoughts of sex from the very first chapters! And that was disconcerting and very off putting. I can’t say it’s smut but she seemed to have nearly one thing on her mind or at least, let her be derailed from very concerning events at the sight of a pretty face.

Luckily, this all went better later on in the book.

If I fell into Tesha’s story very easily (my favorite character), and liked Ashadi as well (I wanted to know what happened to his dragon, Shu) , Naili as you have guessed took me a long time to love.

But as the plot thickens, dangers multiply and some secrets are unveiled I found myself reading faster, gripped by the story. The ending left me wanting to hold the sequel right now!

Thanks for reading.

Sophie