Review:
I’ve already finished this whole series and found it to be really unique with a lot of interesting and cool aspects, but I’m going to focus this review on the first book.
What I Liked:
– An interesting version of dragons! Humanoid, but not shifters. They have colorful skin (some red, some blue, some green), sharp canines, pointed ears, slit pupils, and talons. They also have magic that can do various different things. Speaking of which…
– A really cool dragon magic system! What magic a dragon can do depends on which magical organs they’ve ended up with. Magic in the ears gives them the ability to hear extra well and to create links with others that allow them to talk over great distances. Magic in the eyes allows them a kind of mind control over others when they make eye contact. Magic in the hands gives them the ability to create illusions. That sort of thing. That’s why the Fenthri harvest dragon organs and there’s a whole illegal organ trade—they undergo surgery to replace their own organs with those of dragons, creating chimeras. But the magic has a limit; using too much magic will cause organ failure, and putting too many dragon organs into a Fenthri will cause them to lose control of themselves. I’d never seen magic linked to organs before, so that very cool to me.
– Overall a good story so far. Solid plot. Solid premise. Interesting world. But I didn’t appreciate just how interesting and unique the world was until I got to the second book.
What I Disliked:
– I didn’t really connect to the characters yet, although I still thought they were well-written.
– There were four POVs, but I was really only interested in Arianna’s and Cvareh’s.
– I wasn’t sure how I felt about the romance. Arianna was literally going to kill Cvareh, just for being a dragon, and she constantly threatened him. And then he was into her without any of that really being addressed. I found the progression of the feelings believable enough as they spent more time together, just also maybe a little concerning. So I had mixed feelings about it upon finishing this book even though I came to love it over the course of the series.
Overall:
I’m glad I finally gave this a try! It turned out to be a great series with a really interesting portrayal of dragons and a unique world, and although the first book wasn’t my favorite in the series, it was a solid start to the story.
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes a different take on dragons, unique fantasy worlds, enemies-to-lovers romance, and stories of rebellion.
More Books in the Series:
Book Review: The Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga Book 1) by Elise Kova
Book Review: The Dragons of Nova (Loom Saga Book 2) by Elise Kova
Book Review: The Rebels of Gold (Loom Saga Book 3) by Elise Kova
This sounds really unique, although the words “magic in their organs” makes me uncomfortable for some reason!
Lol it’s not as bad as it sounds? 😂 It is really unique though!
That is definitely a unique magic system! And humanoid dragons too that are not shifters. It’s amazing to me, too, how few dragon stories I read considering I love dragons. Weird. Anyway… love the cover as well. I’ve always thought these had neat covers whenever I see ’em.
So unique! And I loved having non-shifter humanoid dragons. I have significantly upped my dragon book count over the past couple months lol, but I haven’t read that many either. I love these covers too!
I’ve read the first two books in this series! I agree that I actually really liked the steampunk kind of world and this unique take on dragons and their magic system. I was sooo intrigued by all of that that I totally overlooked the oddities of the romance xD But you make a good point about that! I also was someone who was only interesting in Cvareh and Arianna’s perspectives and not the rest of them. I especially struggled in book two because there were more POVs I didn’t care about 😛 I really loved Cvareh and could relate to him but I struggled to relate to Arianna so I see what you mean… Wonderful review!
It’s a super cool portrayal and magic system! I’ve never seen anything else like it. Lol there was a lot to take in, I can see how the oddity of the romance could be missed. I never ended up really connecting with Ari either, and Cvareh was my favorite too. Thanks!
I hadn’t read these books, but I read Kova’s Air Awakens series, which I loved. Sorry it wasn’t stronger for you, but at least you didn’t regret it, and well, dragons.
I’m glad to hear her other series is good too!
I’m glad to hear this series turned out to be a good one. I’ve had the first book on my TBR for ages but had actually forgotten about it. I still need to finish her Air Awakens series too.
It’s a good series, hopefully you’ll get a chance to try it someday 🙂
I’ve still not finished this series (I read the first book and forgot about it, story of my life) but I remember liking the concept. It was different with some interesting characters and I had hope that you’d learn more of the world of dragons in the next book. I really need to get back and read this series.
You should! That does seem to be the story of your life, haha. You do learn more about the dragons and their world in the next one 🙂
This sounds like something I might like. And I’ve had it on my radar for a while. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It has a lot of unique stuff! I hope you like it!
The dragons and the magic system sounds very cool and unique. i don’t think I ever heard of magic linked to organs before. It sounds like the world building is very well done and thought out.
That’s too bad you didn’t fully connect the characters yet in this book, i hope that got better in future books. And I can see why you weren’t sure about the romance in this book, but that’s good you ended up liking it in later books. I usually like multiple point of views, but it’s a shame when you’re only interested in some of them. Great review!
It really was unique!
I did end up liking the characters and the romance more in the next books. But I still had some POVs I liked more than others. Multiple POVs can be tricky! Thanks 🙂
This author has been on my radar for years and I still haven’t managed to read the Air Awakens books. This one DEFINITELY sounds like it’s up my alley though with the dragons and all! I must try to get around to these… Adding to my TBR.
I don’t know about her other books, but I definitely recommend these!