I really wanted to love this book. The premise is super interesting (hence the 2 stars instead of 1). Last male dragon in the world needs to save his dragon planet from eventual destruction and take their land back through the fulfilment of a prophecy? Yes, please! However, within the first few chapters the dragon thing kinda disappears because he ends up trapped in a "preterit" form, which was never fully explained so I can only imagine it as a somewhat humanoid / unevolved dragon. The language confused me. There were words that were never defined - maire, paire, taire, which you eventually figure out through context but with the lack of definitions this was really off putting initially. I had to DNF at 52% because this was moving at a snail's pace and the "love story" was less of true love and more of a planned manipulation to enhance the "bond" (this will make sense if you read it). I didn't like the manipulative aspect or how disingenuous it was. I didn't really feel anything for any of the characters and they didn't have any truly defined personalities. The plot was slow and had a really boring reason behind it (steal expensive thing to make lots of money to avenge one's family name... But go to school first). I'm not sure if this is a debut novel for this author but it reads like one. Overall very disappointing and nothing pulls you in to keep reading. I hate dnf-ing and have only done it a few times in my life. I usually try to push through it to see to the end, but this just wasn't for me. I hope you all have a better experience!

Thank you netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

At outset, I was struggling with the multiple POVs, gradually I managed to get adapt to the writing style.

It's set in a outstanding world building with dragons! AND the eccentric magic systems is what intrigued me the most, not to mention the enemies-to-lovers (which is the "I was supposed to betray you" trope ugh) + queer representation.

Once, the humans and dragons lived together peacefully in the land until the day humans betrayed and exiled dragons.
Leaving a group of outcasted dragon hiding and surviving in a corner of the world. But when Everen-a dragon was forced back to the human land as a consequence of a spell, he has to gain the trust of Arcady-a thief, human and outcast, to complete the bond in order to save his family.

A very interesting take on dragons, humans and magic, and what happens when the three intersect. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Some things are left for the reader to interpret early on, but I had no trouble following along. I applaud the nonbinary representation but felt some of the passages explaining it were clunky and unnecessary. I found the way the 2 countries built up their respective lore about dragons to be very interesting--very different views of the same events and how time has changed the meanings. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgally and DAW Publishing for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dragonfall is a fun fantasy book that is the start of a series about a human and a dragon from two different worlds that bond, ruining plans for their own species. Everen by way of a spell spoken by Arcady, ends up on the human side of the veil. The rest of the dragons left behind see this as the perfect opportunity to break out of the prison of their land, which is dying. In Arcady’s lands the dragons are viewed as relics of the past and gods. But their return would upend those in power, both in wealth and influence. And meanwhile, the partial bond between Everen and Arcady leaves them both more than a little testy. Everen increasingly feels conflicted about the role the dragons expect him to play in opening the veil for them, and Arcady reluctantly recruits Everen into the world of thievery as he tries to pull off the ultimate score that would allow him to go to school and educate himself enough to leave. The story is fun and the dynamic of the relationship between Everen and Arcady is enjoyable. The story tends to drag some. I read an advance copy in digital format and was surprised when I found out the story was only 400 pages long. I like the diversity among the human characters, but I also felt like Arcady’s motivations tended to be muddled and complicated. I felt like it would have been tighter if it had been more focused on clearing his grandfather’s name. And as the book is part of a series, the ending wraps up much of the events of the book, but leaves other things open-ended to have a starting point for the next book. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed this story!! I have always been obsessed with Dragons, so having this book in the POV of the dragon was a really cool perspective! Can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy, the cover is beautiful!
Thank you so much for sending met he ARC of Dragonfall!!

4.5 stars, hot damn!

Let me tell you one thing that’s going to make you read this book even before you read this review: It’s queer enemies-to-lovers with dragons.
Bonus point: It also has the “I’m supposed to kill you but now I’m in love with you” trope too.

All right, back to the review.

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 INFO-DUMPING
This book, like many other fantasy books, fell victim to this. The first few chapters were ONLY written for info-dumping. Not only that but they were also way too confusing. I felt like an idiot, and I am an idiot most of the time, but believe me when I say even Einstein would roll in his grave trying to understand what was happening. I get that it is needed to set the world and the scene but it could’ve been written better. I’m glad they were short though.

THE MAGIC SYSTEM
Now now, I rather enjoyed the magic system but it could’ve been explained and explored way better. It has been three days since I finished this book and looking back at it, I can’t tell you a single thing about the magic system or how it worked. And it’s not because it was insignificant, it just took a backseat in this book when it had so much potential.

THE WRITING STYLE
It was different from most of the writing styles I’ve seen through the years. It was fascinating but it was dragging A LOT sometimes that I found myself skimming more than I’d like to admit. There is a thin line between poetic and “get to the point ffs” and this book played jump rope with it.

And that’s about it. Now let’s get back to how much I loved this book.

THE WRITING STYLE, AGAIN
Yes, the writing style gets two mentions in this review because I’m having a love-hate relationship with it. I already explained why I hated it, now let me tell you why I loved it. It was unique and reading most chapters felt like watching a painting being made if that makes sense. I also did enjoy how the chapters were handled. This book has dual-POV, triple if you count the assassin girl who likes to pop up from time to time. I saw some reviews not liking this, specifically not liking how Everen’s chapters felt like letters to Arcady, and do not listen to those reviews because it all ties together. I promise you will love it in the end. You will cry but you will love it.

THE ENDING
Speaking off, THAT ENDING?! I need the next book now. It is not up for debate. I hate how I can’t talk about it since I’m trying to keep this review spoiler-free but come on man. Leaving us hanging like this must be a hate crime.

THE ROMANCE
Without giving a lot away, I just wanna say I can kill or be killed for Arcady and Everen. They have a hold on my heart none can break. Their banter, longing, and overall interactions got to me right from the start. They were oblivious to how much of a simp they were for one another and it was honestly adorable. Again, I NEED MORE.

So in the end, stop reading this review and go read this book. If you know me, you do know I hardly ever like books or leave positive reviews since being an asshole is more fun but I honestly can’t find anything to hate about this book.

Writing: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
World Building: 5/5
Plot: 4/5

Warnings: Language

Themes: Fantasy, Adventure

Dragonfall is about a thief who steals an artifact that triggers a dragon to come threw the veil and they must learn to work together to fullfill their destinies. The world building was my favorite part of the story. The dragons, magic system and lore was so much fun to read. Arcady and Everen were the perfect adventure duo. I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

This book is great for anyone who loves magic, dragons and characters who fight for what they want.

I received a free copy of this book and am leaving an honest review.

This is like a solid 3.5. It was a nice introduction to a new fantasy world, but it didn't necessarily stand out. It was a fine, enjoyable read, but when it ended I didn't feel any great loss.

This follows a dragon trapped in a human world, who is bonded to the human that unintentionally drew him there. There is magic and some romance and politics, and, pleasantly, there was a moment when it became a heist novel. Which is a win. On the other hand, the secondary point of view characters did not feel like they added much to the plot, and some of the driving motivations in the book felt weak and contrived.

TLDR, you should pick this up if you're in the mood for a new fantasy world that feels like traditional fantasy (but with queer characters).

Drama, desire, desperation and dragons… the beginning of something that at times had a BIT TOO MUCH sniveling for me. 🫣

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Thieves and Dragons
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: L.R Lam
𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿: DAW
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿: The Strike
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Normal
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Novel
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Fantasy
3.8/𝟱

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Unfolding fantasy world
~ Gender conceptualization & discussions
~ Boy love (if you likey)
~ Dragons with society
~ Interesting diseases & mysteries
~ LOADS of corrupt ppl (if you likey)

Arcardy lives a life that needs to be changed. Cheated by the wealthiest out of an inheritance of magic & monies, due to the supposed ‘evils’ of the past, they attempt to regain the honour due their grandpapi by establishing themselves at the prestigious academy. To do so, they will need to do one last job with the thieves they betrayed, a merchant friend & bonded to a dragon prince with a mission to kill.

🪷🦖 A slow building relationship between a dragon & a gender fluid thief, living in a world where sickness causes permanent damage & using too much magic can turn you into a zombie-like creature. Although this love form is not my cookie, the enemy to lovers, forced proximity, forbidden love & hide-my-terrible-defects tropes were well done. There’s heavy attraction & slight heat, if that’s your thing.

✨𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

🌱THE MEH
~ first non-pale warm honey brown human & it’s a fat teak skinned woman? 😔🤦 sigh
~ the story & events unfolded a bit too slowly
~ more of the worlds could have been fleshed out, I felt somewhat trapped 🤔 This should improve with the other books though

♡🌱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲 ;)

I was excited by the premise of this book, but at times it could be hard to follow. I feel that there was a large gap in the history of howe we got to where this book takes place. That may be remedied by later books, but I had a hard time being largely invested and wanted to know more about the before. I did like the character of Arcady and how the author builds a world where gender is not something a person is defined by. I also really loved the character of Larkin and I hope we hear from her again later.
I found myself skimming over large parts of the story to get to more action, there was a lot of internal dialogue that seemed to drag. However, I did enjoy this book overall and will likely ready the rest of the books when they come out.

I went into this story originally because of one thing. Dragons. But this fantasy story has much more to it than simply dragons. L.R. Lam has woven a world that stands out, a unique magic system and queer representation I have not seen before.

Everen is a dragon, the last male dragon of his kind on a dying world where all dragons have been cast out to by humans. Arcady is a thief and the grandchild of the one they call the plaguebringer. Driven by their determination to prove the title false and leave their hard life behind. One fateful night Everen is thrust through the veil into the land dragon's once called home by a spell. Where he finds himself half-bonded to Arcady. Everen must hide who he is, Dragons thought to be myth and Gods in this world, and find a way to earn Arcady's trust to complete the bond all while fighting the engrained hatred all dragon's have of humans. For the only way he knows for Dragon's to escape their dying world and come home is to steal Arcady's magic through the bond and then end him, only then can the veil be torn open and the Dragon's can be free.

We are introduced in the beginning of this book to Everen's POV, which is written uniquely, unlike the other POV's in this story Everen is talking to someone. The rest of the POV's lean to a more traditional third person writing style but the transition is not hard though a bit jarring at first. By the end of the book you get a clearer picture as to why this is written in such a unique way.

I struggled at first with the world building, the lack of translation for the made up language used in the beginning of the book for spells and felt dropped in the middle of this world without a clue, much like Everen was, which I assume is the point but was still a struggle.

Overall, I think Dragonfall is a great introduction to a unique fantasy series that has some surprising twists and turns, particularly at the conclusion of the story. The magic system is entirely unique with humans possessing "stolen magic" that could very well drive them to madness, subplots that could lead to political intrigue, and many worlds still yet to explore. It was also a breath of fresh air to find a fantasy book that let the relationship between Everen and Arcady feel natural, be a subtler plot to the story and help the character development rather than being the main plot point of their developments.

This is definitely a series worth following to see how much farther it can go.

Thank you to DAW and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book, but unfortunately I DNF-ed it at @39%.

The premise of this book is pretty interesting and it's probably why I kept on reading it for so long. I've always loved prophecies and dragons and everything this book probably has but I will never see. But something about the writing style just made me lose focus and eventually interest in this. On one hand, you have the character speaking in first person but on the other, the character referring to the other as "you". It makes for a very confusing time reading.

4.5 stars!
The first chapter instantly grabbed my attention and never let go. This is a multi-pov book, however most of the chapters center around Everen and Arcady, with a bit of Sorin in between. There are a couple of other characters that have their own chapters show up, but it's mainly Everen and Arcady. Everen's chapters are written in second person pov while the rest are third person pov (at least that's what I remember) and I think I love second person pov. The pov narration shift might not be for everyone though, but remember that it's mostly Everen's chapters that are second person.

Spoiler territory ahead!

Everen is the last male dragon that has been born and is foretold to save his kind, the world they currently live in is Vere Celene, a harsh and volcanic place. Arcady is a genderfluid character and they are the first genderfluid character that I've had the pleasure of reading about. Everen's first meeting with Arcady results in a half bond that both of them are both are not too happy about. They must both navigate around each other and the world in order to break the bond (or in Everen's case, complete the bond). I loved that this book had a heist that our characters were working up towards and it was interesting to see how it would work with the magic that the characters of this world possess. There were a few fantasy words that I had trouble understanding and I wished they were explained a bit more.
I loved reading about how Everen's and Arcady's relationship grew, as both were hesitant towards each other and Everen as a dragon was grown up hating humans. The world building is interesting with the way the magic works in this fantasy world. I will definitely be picking up the sequel, especially after that ending!

I am declining to review since I found that this title was not a good fit for us, and I don't like writing negative reviews. Best of luck with this book!

Dragonfall
By L.R. Lam

This book is one that got better as it progressed. I had a bit of a hard time getting into one of the main narrative voices at first. But eventually I was invested in each of them. The three main characters each had a unique voice and story and I thought the author wove it all together nicely. This is an enemies to lovers journey which I’m not usually a big fan of, but since the enemy aspect was a little… generalized(?) it didn’t bug me as much. I thought the ending was great!

Here’s some buzz words for you: enemies to lovers, gender fluid, DRAGONS, gender inclusivity, heist, magic, thief, assassin

Dragons. Gender-fluid main characters. Queer relationships. It is safe to say that Dragonfall by L.R. Lam might be the most inclusive high fantasy book of 2023. If that isn’t enough to sell you on this book, then the vibrant characters and fantastical world-building will.

Dragonfall by L. R. Lam is an adult high fantasy novel that presents a world where dragons and humans once co-inhibited. Long ago, dragons would bestow knowledge and wisdom to their human companions, however, one day, humans turned their back on them and betrayed the dragons. The dragons vow revenge on their betrayers, but were trapped in their world, stopped by a magical barrier. Many years pass, humans have forgotten about dragons, viewing them as mythical creatures.

Arcady is an orphan thief, trying to make a living in Vatra. Everen is the only male dragon alive, destined to destroy the human world. Everen has one mission, to convince Arcady to trust him enough to steal their life to set all dragons free to wretch havoc on the human world and complete their revenge. The two find themselves in a dangerous entanglement with a pull to one another that they can’t resist.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc of this book so that I can share my unbiased review of the book.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇
Plot
Dragonfall is told through three perspectives: Everen, the last male dragon destined to take revenge on the humans for betraying dragonkind, Arcady, an orphan thief with a dangerous relic, and Suran, a quiet assassin with a heart of gold. Each person has a different agenda, but they are tied together when a long-lost artifact is found.

The story unfolded naturally, describing the history between the dragons and humans which drives the story’s plot line while learning room for curiosity for future books. L.R. Lam did a fantastic job at creating believable stakes for each character which explained the motivation for their action. My only concern was that the pacing slowed down in the middle, due to character and world-building, but the ending was enticing.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Characters
The strongest point of this book was that each main character felt unique to their own. In each point-of-view switch, the voices of each character are distinct. I was expecting the point-of-view of just the two main love interests, but we got a glimpse into four characters. Suran, is a trained assassin that is loyal to the church. From her point-of-view, we see the perspective of the church and its motive for acquiring dragon antiques. We also get a peek into a mysterious fourth character, which I won’t be discussing since it would be a spoiler.

Multiple POV books are challenging because it requires that the writer has an understanding of every character, their drives, thoughts, and mindset. If the writer is not intimately aware of all the facets of their character, the book can risk sounding monotonous throughout the story. Lam shows great dedication in understanding and describing their characters, making each of them compelling and loveable.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

World-Building
For those experienced with the fantasy genre and the world-building process, this high fantasy world-building shouldn’t be too hard to grasp with its familiar elements. Newer fantasy fans might have trouble with the first 100 pages of the book that builds up the world.

Lam does a smart move of introducing Everen, the last male dragon, into the new world of Vatra. As Everen travels to this new world and uncovers its traditions and customs, the readers are experiencing it for the first time. As Everen learns, the readers learn, so the world-building is not as daunting with a main character that is also unfamiliar with the world.

As an adult fantasy, this fantasy world introduces the beautiful and majestic side of the world as well as its dirty and grimy under-city. In this world, dragon-human relationships were a thing of the past, and dragons are regarded as mythical creatures. Humans are not aware of the existence of dragons or that they are responsible for their banishment in an alternate world.

Lam’s world-building is honest and realistic. The world is parallel to real life, with unique touches of magic, history, and culture. The world is not so whimsical that it is unbelievable, but it is also not bland enough that it cannot be an escape from our real world.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Writing Style
L. R. Lam’s writing could be described as descriptive yet realistic. There are fantasy books that are whimsical and magical. That is not the case here. Lam’s writing creates a world that is rich but real. There is magic and dragons, but not without the consequences of both. There is an understanding in the writing that the element of fantasy cannot exist without a thorough acceptance of its positive and negative impacts. I appreciate how well-developed Lam’s writing is and how much thought was put into conceptualizing the book and the world.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Romance
If you are reading this book and expecting it to have an epic romance that drives the story of this book, you would be half-wrong. Yes, there is a queer star-crossed forbidden romance that pervades every element of the story, but it doesn’t overshadow the book. Arcady is an orphan thief, trying to make a living in Vatra. Everen is the last male dragon, who broke through the veil between the human and dragon world. The two are tied to one another and their love can only end with betrayal or the death of the human world. With so much at stake, the two still cannot deny their attraction to one another.

As the reader watches these two fall in love, you can feel the tension and the angst that comes with forbidden romance. The characters understand the stakes at hand and in turn, so do the readers. That’s what makes the romance so compelling and addictive. With their romance, there is such an unconditional understanding and acceptance that provides a strong foundation for their relationship.

If you enjoy angsty, slow-burn romance, check out the one in this book.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

L. R. Lam’s book Dragonfall was a great start to my reading year. It positions itself as one of the most inclusive fantasy books of the year with not only a gender-fluid main character, but also a queer main romance. Although Dragonfall is the first book in a trilogy, it stages a fantastical world that is ready to be explored. You can expect me to continue reading on with the series.

If you enjoy high fantasy with found family, forbidden romance, and complex world and characters, check out Dragonfall by L.R. Lam, the first in The Dragon Scale trilogy, releasing May 2, 2023.

First of all I would like to thank the publisher and the author for sending me the ARC copy of “Dragonfall” by L.R. Lam.

Our story is set in Vatra from where dragons where banished by humans, who stole their magic. Different centuries after humans worship Dragons like gods, ignoring the real truth.
In the meantime, on Vere Celene, Everen the last dragon male wants desperately save his own kind through fulfilling a strange prophecy.
Arcady is a human thief with a painful past, who wants desperately revenge. During the night of Locked Tombs they connect with the dragons' world and start an uncomplete bond with Everen.
Suddenly he finds himself in the human world searching for the human that brought him to.
For fulfilling the prophecy he must bond with Arcady completely and then kill them.

I have been in love with the world created by the author as soon as I started my reading. Vatra is full of magic, creatures, gods. Particularly I liked the idea that everyone can be whoever wants. I mean all the characters can choose to be a he, she or any (like our protagonist Arcady) and I found very useful the explanation through a character of the book of Vatra society.
Every character is well described and they seem to come to life with their actions and decisions. I really liked also the way in which the bonf between Everen and Arcady develops and tightens more and more everyday.
The narration is quite inclusive thanks to the point of view in first person of Arcady and Everen. Everything felt almost real.
Also, I found interesting the way in which the POV of Everen was written, like a sort of confession to Arcady. Even though they couldn't read it.
The ending was quite painful to read for me, I mean I hope I will read about the second book very very soon. I need it. Such a plot twist in the ending is like a dagger in the hearts of readers.

My favourite character is Everen, as you know I love dragons in every shape. He is strong, devoted to family but he becomes attached to Arcady during the way. And this could be a real problem.

I enjoyed a lot reading this book, it was a wonderful and intriguing voyage in old legends and magic. I have the feeling this would be one of the best book of the year.

I suggest this book to fantasy readers that love dragons and magicians. Perfect for Targaryen fans.

My teen provided this review:
Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns to regain his power and fulfill his destiny. He trusts a thief, but the farther they go the more they lose trust. This story is interesting and the first few chapters pulled me in. It keeps going to amaze me. The ending lacked the excitement I was hoping for.

Dragonfall was a unique take on the popular fantasy trope of bonds between human dragon rider and dragons. The relationship between Arcady and Everen is a slow burn enemies to lovers, and their relationship development really drives the book along. As they slowly learn to trust each other, the two plan a heist bringing characters and stories from their pasts to the forefront. I did struggle a bit with the perspective, as the narrator often addresses the reader as you, as well as the world-building which became clearer as I read on, but was confusing and difficult to initially immerse myself in.

Sadly, I can't finish the book, it's just not for me. I really liked the start, when the MC describes what it's like to fly. For that and for the world building I've seen so far I'm giving it 2 stars, because I did like the world building. But there are parts during the dragon MC chapters where he talks about a second human character in second person singular when describing what the character does that felt weird and creepy.