Dragonfall: A MAGICAL SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER! (The Dragon Scales Trilogy)

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It would have been easy to kill you, especially if I had still been in my dragon form. A simple swipe of talons. A snap of teeth. Plus I love tension and sexual energy and that stuff is riveting between Arcady and Everen. I- ugh. No spoilers, but it's my favorite kind of spice. I was literally reading parts with bated breath. So first let’s talk about what didn’t work for me, which is not a lot but they still need to be mentioned. The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely – -body, mind, and soul – and then kill them. Lam's Dragonfall is a powerful all-new imagining of dragons and humans and the wild magic burning between them, set in a divided world as brilliantly original as it is convincing. With striking, beautiful prose and characters that will own your heart, this book - and those to follow in the trilogy - are must-reads ― Julie E. Czerneda, author of the Night’s Edge series

What about "seeing what others couldn't" (whatever that means) made him dangerous? We never find out. Speaking of characters: I loved them. Arcady and Everen are my absolute favorites. My favorite chapters might have been Everen's because I like him and I also like the way he talks about Arcady. Cassia is my third favorite because she is a dragon and a lot of her stuff has to do with Everen as well. Cassia chapters always make me feel like I need to put on my detective hat to connect threads. Sorin was my least favorite, but I do still like her. It's more because I personally have less interest in her acolyte archetype than the others, so it has nothing to do with the writing and everything to do with me. The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely--body, mind, and soul—and then kill them.

New in Series

The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely–body, mind, and soul–and then kill them. Admittedly, I found the writing style a little challenging at first. It took me longer than usual to fully immerse myself in the story, but by around 20% in, I started to feel the magic of the writing. Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Dragonfall. This review expresses my honest opinions.

The topiary had been carved into the shapes of mythical animals…" - What kind? Does this world have the same mythical creatures as ours? There is a lot of this sort of fill-in-the-blank description. This line occurs while the characters are at a ball. The only thing described in any detail is the food. If it was possible, Arcady lives an even bleaker life than Everen, suffering is a constant in her world. She grows up an orphan, making her living as a thief after suffering a horrendous event in her youth. The start of Dragonfall sees her stealing a powerful artifact from the body of the Plaguebringer, the most despised man in Lumet’s history, in an attempt to get revenge on the world that has wronged her. What she doesn’t realise is that her actions are the trigger to an even more significant event, with her spell dragging Everen through the Veil and into the human world. Things you may want to know: This is the first book of a trilogy, but it does have a satisfying ending while leaving the door open for more. Long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm in the first in this magical new epic fantasy trilogy from a bestselling authorLong ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive.Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact’s magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely–body, mind, and soul–and then kill them.Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter. Dragonfall (The Dragon Scales Trilogy, #1) by L.R. Lam – eBook Details This story is set in a world where dragons have been banished to a different and harsh world. (Hm. I think it's not a spoiler if you discover that in the first chapter.)I've been excited about this since it was announced (as I've read almost everything else from this author, and I love dragons) so I was thrilled my ARC request was approved. and I was right to be excited! I love a good long fantasy epic and this delivered on all fronts: multiple POVs, interesting world building, engaging characters, a building plot, twists and turns... all resulting in a solid first book setting up for more. that's not to say a lot of things are left unresolved, but that while the Big Events in this book were tied up, there is definitely more to come, and I'm excited for it. So when thief Arcady casts a spell to steal a powerful artefact and accidentally traps Everen – the last male dragon – in the human world, the consequences are deadly. Sometimes I feel like I'll never read a good book again. Sometimes I have to settle for an "it was ok" one. Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the 'gods' remember, and they do not forgive. A romance featuring a sexy dragon, stabbing, and kissing—what’s not to love?”—Aliette de Bodard, award-winning author of A Fire Born of Exile

The characters in the book are so well written, and I mean really well written. We get to see what they're thinking and feeling, and I absolutely adored Arcady and Everen. However, the side characters are equally excellent, and I hope we get to see more of them as the series progresses. I especially appreciated the gender fluid main character and the fantastic conversations and discussions about gender in this book. It's kind of dumb that everyone in Arcady's city is identified by a stone carved with a unique seal given to them at birth. What happens if you lose it? Arcady says at one point they are warded against theft, yet their original one is stolen at the end. Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Now their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the 'gods' remember, and they do not forgive. Basically, I did the old adage of "write the book you'd really like to read," and I hope you might enjoy it too. Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive.

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Ammil, the former last male dragon, went crazy hundreds of years prior. Is he still alive? Called it! How old is Everen? How was Everen conceived? It turns out the dragons reproduce asexually and the temperature determines sex. If that's the case, why does it matter that Everen is male? Arcady is a thief. Their family fell out of favor and their grandparent was held responsible for creating a plague. Their plan is to steal enough money so they can go to magic school and work their way up the social ladder under a false identity. They want to look for evidence their grandparent was innocent. Meanwhile, Sorin’s part of the story is told in the third person, and the same is true for the other two characters whose perspectives briefly appear. We’re thrilled to reveal the cover of bestselling author L.R. Lam’s new epic fantasy, Dragonfall, coming in May 2023 from DAW / Astra. Long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm in the first book of this riveting trilogy. Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the “gods” remember, and they do not forgive…

The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely–body, mind, and soul—and then kill them. Same with "handspan of years." Handspan is a measure of distance, not time. Is it meant to be five years? Other things you will find here that may be exactly what you love in a fantasy. Strong characters of any/all genders. A reluctant romance. Assassins. Thieves. Magical artifacts that are sought after. A disease that can doom you to being an outcast. Ethical dilemmas. Strong friendships. The premise for Dragonfall immediately grabbed me. We are introduced to a world in which dragons have been banished to a dark, dying home after being betrayed by humans. The twist? So much time has passed since this betrayal that humans now worship dragons as gods – even though their deities want nothing more than to return to the world and wreak a terrible revenge on humanity. If there’s one word to sum up the worlds depicted in Dragonfall, it’s bleak. On one hand, we have the dragons living in a world that is basically a smoking ruin, one volcanic eruption away from destruction. On the other hand, we have Lumet, the human nation where much of the story is based. Poverty is rife, the rich hoard magic and wealth, and the nation is still recovering after being devastated by a deadly plague called the Strike. Dragons have never been so sexy. Lam's triumphant return to fantasy strikes the perfect balance between romance, action, high stakes heists, and betrayal, in a richly imagined world that's brimming with magic and heart. You can't help but fall for this book.”—Kate Dylan, author of Mindwalker

However, that detailed writing didn't hold up its charm for long. One of my biggest complaints about the overall narrative, in fact, is precisely that it's too detailed, in a not useful way. I love a story with good worldbuilding, but lengthy descriptions and good worldbuilding aren't the same things. One can write paragraphs and paragraphs about the soft carpets or green plants in a house, but that doesn't tell me anything unique about the world (unless you can make those carpets and plants special, of course, but that wasn't the case here). Most of the descriptions in this book were generic and unmemorable. With the exception of a few cryptic terms and some emphasis on gender inclusiveness (more on that later), it was hard to tell this world apart from any other medieval-esque fantasy setting that's been beaten to death. Everen Emberclaw is a dragon. A young adult of his kind, son of the dragon queen and brother to said queen’s heir, he is also the only male dragon, and possibly the last one. Male dragons are seers, expected to prophesy and help guide their people along the correctly fated paths, but Everen doesn’t have visions, and Vere Celene, his island home, is suffering severe ecological decline. Soon, the eruption of a nearby volcano may render it entirely uninhabitable, and wipe out the dragons entirely. When Everen reads a prophecy that he thinks tells him what he should do, he flies through a rip between worlds— Lam’s Dragonfall is a powerful all-new imagining of dragons and humans and the wild magic burning between them, set in a divided world as brilliantly original as it is convincing. With striking, beautiful prose and characters that will own your heart, this book—and those to follow in the trilogy—are must-reads.”—Julie E. Czerneda, author of the Night’s Edge series On the human world, society is very stratified, with some people existing as untouchable beggars, others in a merchant class and an aristocracy. And, of course, the usual complement of thieves, con artists and murderers. But within that society, people are free to declare and express their genders as they wish. Your social status, however, is fixed to your identity at birth, so there is very little upward mobility, but lots of opportunities to move down. This is an interesting social setting for a fantasy, and one I haven't seen before. Dragonfall, the first book in L.R Lam’s The Dragon Scale Trilogy, is a slow burn, full of angst, moral dilemmas and emotionally damaged characters. When it all comes together, it culminates in an exciting opening to a series with a lot of potential.