I’ll start off by saying this was my first time reading a book about Dragons. Based off of the blurb The book seemed Interesting enough for me to want to read it. I’ll be honest and say I did not like it at first, the first 100 pages seemed to drag and I felt lost. A lot of terminology was thrown at me at once and it took me a while to figure out what the words meant. Usually I don’t have a problem with made up terms and terminologies but because of the stark difference between what I have been used to I found myself being confused and reading back a lot. That being said after I had fully grasped the terms the book did become a lot more enjoyable to read. I’m usually not a fan of multiple POVs but in this case it was done well enough that I found myself not hating any of the different characters POVs. I realized I enjoyed reading both Everen and Arcadys thoughts about each other and did not prefer one more over the other. This book was about 400 pages and it did not feel like it dragged at any point. The world building is beautiful and I liked the different representations in genders without there being negative stigmas. There was a brief encounter with a s*x worker that I enjoyed because the author didn’t make the characters work seem dirty and something to be ashamed of. I really appreciate the ages of the characters as well although this book is YA the characters are of adult age even if just barely. It makes it a lot more enjoyable knowing your reading about adults and not 16yr olds that have absent neglectful parents we never here from. My favorite trope is a good old slow burn and man this one did burn slow but I feel that makes a newfound love much more real and enjoyable. If your debating whether to dive head first to this new book I say take the plunge and you’ll be surprised to find something you quite weren’t expecting.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC - I was really excited to get into this book having read False Hearts and Shattered Minds - False Hearts is one of my favourite books.

If you've read those then this is a totally different offering from Lam, I also read a lot of fantasy, so I can cope with Dragons and magic systems. Sadly I didnt think the magic system was explained all that well, and didnt really connect with any of the main characters.

The book is written from the different characters point of view, I did find myself waiting to be rid of the Dragon POV and being relieved when it was back to the Human. Those chapters just flowed a lot better.

My biggest issue with the novel is the clear 'Gender Agenda', I dont think it needed to be set out at the beginning in such a rigid way, almost as if the reader wasn't credited wnough to be able to deal with non-binary characters. It was a bit like being hit in the face with a sledge hammer and schooled in gender identity before being able to continue with the story. I don't think the over explaining was necessary. The characters are gender fluid - get over it, I can understand that from using the pronouns - huge paragraphs on gender not required!

I wanted to love this story, but I just found it slow to get to the plot, certain things were over explained and other things (magic system, prophecies) were under explained.

I sadly won't be reading the others in the series based on this one.

I was extremely happy when my request for this eARC was approved - many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley! I enjoyed the Seven Devils duology a lot and knowing that this book from one of the authors would also feature dragons - how could I not want to read it as soon as possible?

In Arcady’s world, dragons are gods, even though they were banished to another world a long time ago. Everen is the last male dragon and destined to bring the dragons back on their own world. He manages to pierce the Veil between worlds, although he loses some of his magic and forms an unbreakable bond with the human thief Arcady. Neither are happy to be bound to a stranger they don’t trust, but are now forced to work with if they want to succeed in their conflicting goals.

I have to admit that I usually stay away from books with enemies-to-lovers romances. Considering the author, the dragons, the heists, and the queer-inclusivity, though, I decided to give this book a shot and am very happy about that decision. The relationship between Arcady and Everen is not at all cliché; it feels genuine and complicated and I ended up enjoying it a lot.

The entire book is a fantastic and entertaining read. It checks all the boxes I have for epic fantasy books: intriguing worldbuilding (although the magic system wasn’t explained in detail, I still enjoyed the glimpses we got and hope to learn more in the sequels), the aforementioned heists, a genderqueer protagonist, the classic trope of prophecy and fate, an interesting quirk in the writing style for Everen’s chapters. I loved that he uses the second person and tells his story to Arcady, which adds another level of fictionality. I wonder if the later books will use this set-up for unreliable narrators, which would be really cool.

Both protagonists and the occasional viewpoint of Sorin, an assassin priest who is also involved, felt real and believable. Arcady and Everen are always suspicious of each other, they make mistakes and have flaws, but I could simply not decide who I wanted more to get their happy end. After all, it is made clear very early on, that a happy end for both of them is not achievable. The ending still came as a surprise and felt entirely suitable. I am now dying to read the sequel!

This book is perfect for readers who like the more classical approach to fantasy. It also suits readers looking for fresh stories that don’t rely on every stereotype in existence (even if it contains a few tropes, they don’t feel like a repetition of every fantasy book ever). The story is complex, gripping and emotional. And did I mention it has dragons? I can only recommend it with my entire heart!

Thank you Netgalley and DAW Books for sending me a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Everen is the last surviving male dragon and is destined to save his kind. One day he falls through the Veil into human world. He meets and accidentally bonds with Arcady, a human thief. To fulfil his destiny, Everen needs to fully bond with Arcady.

I’m rating this book 2,5 stars because I really liked the premise, but I personally couldn’t really connect to the story or the main characters. The beginning of the story was amazing, but it slowed down pretty quickly. I think the main issue of this book is the writing style. The main characters’ chapters are written as if one of Everen or Arcady are describing memories to the reader. I personally had trouble keeping my attention to the story because of the perspective. The chapters of supporting characters were written from a third person perspective and I found those chapters more interesting.

I couldn't really tell where I would fall on the scale of liking this. Turns out, I didn't fall on the scale at all, I fell off of the scale: I did not like this, hah. I liked the idea of a world where your gender isn't just assumed for your outward markers. Something similar was done in The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, and I liked seeing that in play here as well. I also thought that the magic system having consequences for using your magic too much or too quickly was interesting, too--I feel like in a lot of YA fantasy with magic there aren't often tangible consequences like that. Where the story lost me was the structure and the writing. The two perspectives felt like parts of two different books--they were written and formatted so differently that switching perspectives was not only jarring but completely shattered my immersion in the story. The romance was also a bit....overdone? I would have loved less of the ooey-gooey lovey-ness and a bit more action and plot. Even a good romantic fantasy needs a bit of plot and action to keep it going forward. Overall, not terrible but not...for me. Loved the concept as it was pitched but the execution was a miss. 2 stars for the gender and magic systems.

A fantasy book about dragons? Yes, please!

Told from two alternating points of view, Dragonfall is one of the better dragon books I've read. For me, it's up there with The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda. Arcady's chapters are told in third person, whereas Everen's chapters are told in first person. The first person POV worked for me, but may not be the case for everyone. There's also occasionally a third point of view.

Everen is the last male dragon, prophesied to save his kind from the dying land humans banished them to. Arcady is an orphaned thief who is determined to find out the truth behind the death of the Plaguebringer. When she steals a powerful artifact her path collides with Everen's. There begins a slow burn enemies to lovers to enemies dynamic. I admit I shipped them quite early on. I mean, the quips? The relationship development? So good!

The writing style wasn't my favourite, although I did get used to it after a while. The magic system could have been better explained and even though the world was interesting it needed more exploring. Hopefully, there will be more world building in the sequel.

All in all, a great read. The wait for book two is going to be painful!

To be honest, I was extremely and pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I was worried based on the synopsis, that the story would spin out of control because it seemed like a fantasy book tackling something big. However, it was quite the opposite experience and, in fact, the fantastical concepts it promotes are what you hope for when picking up a book. It's an epic fantasy with incredible world building and characters that are written with careful development. I really enjoyed the side characters and always love when a book doesn't just focus on the main protagonist(s) the entire plot. The magic is completely unique and like nothing I've ever read before. The two main POVs, Arcady and Everen, play off of each other so well and have a bit of anti-hero that you have to love. As weird as it sounds, Arcady and Everen were such a cool ship and the slow burn was everything! They had such a complex bond and the progression of their relationship is so well-written. I even really enjoyed the addition of the third POV, Sorin. It never felt like too many characters and made the collision of all the characters in the end more worthwhile. The ending was full of plot twists and leaves you hanging on the end of your seat...I cannot believe I'll have to wait for the next book to come out. It's definitely a trilogy I am excited to keep up with.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to read in exchange for this review.

<blockquote> I did not tell you that any magic you took from me, I would take back from you, and more. I would take everything. </blockquote>

Dragonfall is one of those books that I just don't think was written for me. It follows a dragon Everen who is stuck in a humanoid body who is on a mission to restore his kind after humanity betrayed them, a girl named Arcady whose grandfather was killed for being the creator of a series of plagues. I did really find the gender system interesting, but also a bit challenging. I like the idea of a world where your gender isn't just automatically assumed and it's impolite to do so. I also really enjoyed the magic system and what happens if you burn through your magic too quickly; it was really a cool concept and I think quite realistic that magic would be finite like any other source of energy. My biggest complaint is the way it's written not only from differing perspectives, but also to different audiences. I know that probably doesn't make much sense so I'm going to try again. I hated how Everen's portions were written like a diary to Arcady. It really was difficult to get into the flow of the story because Arcady's perspective isn't written the same way that his is. It's also super heavy on the lovey dovey and I'd have preferred a little more adventure than romance, but if you like romantic fantasy, this is probably one you will enjoy.

DNF at 40%
I really wanted to love this book. But the excecution just wasn't for me, I didn't engage with the writing style, none of the characters was likeable or memorable in some way that help me to continue with the reading. So decided to DNF it because I wasn't ejoying the story at all.

2.5 stars rounded to three just because the idea is really good, it was just me that didn't felt my way through the book.

Dragonfall is one of those books that I really wanted to connect with, but just couldn't.
I did not finish this one, due to the fact that the story feels like telling the reader what is happening and it feels jarred up at some places.
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It has a beautiful cover. Love the cover as I'm a cover snob, but the story I'm afraid was just not for me. The writing is really great, the concept grabbed me completely, but it just didn't pull me in as much as I wanted to.
Thanks to Netgalley for my arc. I wished I loved it more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was pleasantly surprised, it took me a bit to get into it, but once I did I was hooked. I enjoyed the representation and the world building was very well done. Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

Thank you so much L R Lam and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been really itching for a book with more dragons in it lately and I definitely got it with this one!

Arcady is a brave, tough thief who’s really going through it pretty much the entirety of this story.

Everen is the last male dragon, and in his own way he’s really going through it too.

With a whole bunch of side characters and a lot of trouble for everyone involved this will take you from confusion to pain for the characters, to joy, to screaming “I KNEW IT!” To yourself (or maybe everyone around you too)

This was a fun read with a lot of world building and a lot of attention to detail from the author.

This is the first book in a new trilogy following Arcady and Everen. Arcady is a thief with a secret looking to pull one last heist to fund a new life and right an old wrong. Everen is the last male dragon foretold to save his kind. Arcady and Everen are tied together through a spell. Each has their own interests at heart, but as they start working together, their bond could harm both of their worlds.
✨
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I was hooked on this story from the first few pages. I particularly loved getting the viewpoint from Everen as he adjusts to being human but also getting his perspective of what it’s like to be a dragon. He details what it’s like to fly, and you can imagine everything he’s experiencing. The world building is incredibly well done and well thought out. There’s a remarkable descriptiveness to the story. I also really enjoyed studying how Arcady’s mind worked as he plotted out his heist. It was reminiscent of Kaz Brekker planning various escapades in the Grishaverse. Also, I have to take a minute to mention the cover art. It’s one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve seen in a while. All in all, this has me wishing book 2 was at my fingertips, so I could continue Arcady and Everen’s story.
✨
✨
The only complaint I have is that the the story seemed to lose momentum at times, particularly with Sorin’s POV. For much of the story I didn’t understand her tie in other than giving insight to the Order of the Dragons. However, if you’re like me, hang in there. It all makes sense by the end.
✨
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Book Editions Shown: eARC provided by netgalley and DAW in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

I wanted to love this book. It hit all the fantasy sweet spots with dragons and magic. The world is fairly well developed,. I enjoyed the gender system but using They/Them as honorifics took a little getting used to.

I didn't really connect well with Arcady until nearly the end of the book and wish they would have explained more of what exactly starvelings are. The romance between dragon and human was a little eh for me, but some may like that.
The cliffhanger at the end with Everen could be interesting but it took so long for me to really get into the book that I'm unsure I would continue the series.

I was expecting this book to be so good based on the description but it just wasn’t. The build up just took too long and there wasn’t really a plot until the last like 100 pages. There needed to be more explanation of the world. Like what is a preterit, what’s the whole dragon prophecy/plan. The ending was great but it just doesn’t make up for how boring the rest of it was. I’m not sure why the author didn’t put the like heist planning earlier, like around page 100. It took me so long to get through this that I’m going to read the next book, despite the cliffhanger.

Four friends have stolen aboard the Titanic. They're after the Rubaiyat - a book inlaid with priceless jewels. Josefa is a charismatic thief, Hinnah a daring acrobat, Violet an outstanding actress and Emilie a talented artist.

It is Josefa's plan, but she needs all of their skills. Despite their very different backgrounds, in a world of first-class passengers and suspicious crew members, the girls must work together to pull off the heist of their lives.

Sadly, this is the first NetGalley ARC I’ve received that sounded fascinating but I wasn’t able to finish it. I just couldn’t get into it. Even though I understand how the use of flowery language for the dragon’s perspective is a great differentiation tool, I just found that it took me out of the story instead.

I wanted to like this book so badly. I really did. The concept was fantastic and I loved the queer representation. But it ultimately was lackluster in its execution.

There were first some aspects that were simply not my taste, that mainly being the use of 2nd person in one particular narrative. It felt entirely unnecessary and was a very odd choice. That one narrative was written as though the character was writing a letter to the other, but yet the other wasn’t doing it back, making it so disjointed. The writing style felt lackluster to me and made it hard to relate to the happenings. I also was kind of put off by the seeming pandemic that they discuss having happened - I’m still quite uncomfortable with pandemics and my readings.

I also, genuinely, disliked one of the characters (Everen). I know there was a certain level of that being intentional (I think…), but I just found there were very little redeeming qualities. I liked Arcady, but their character wasn’t very complex either. Yes, they had wants and needs, but they didn’t seem to have a very clear streamlined goal that we felt we were successfully moving towards.

I do think that some would enjoy this book, especially if they are okay with some of the things I mentioned above, so I won’t say it’s plain bad, I just think it’s down to taste.

Thank you to DAW for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whew. I don't even know how to start this review except by saying I LOVED this book so, so much. The world building is incredible. We don't get a heap of detail of the human world and the dragon realm (Vere Celene), but we do see hints of a larger society and magic system that I'm sure will be explored more in the sequels. The romance arc was super slow burn, but incredibly well executed, and Everen was a swoony male lead. The other MC, Arcady, a scrappy thief, was easy to root for - their character was so nuanced with a complex backstory which made me as a reader understand their motivations. And the found family aspect was just lovely.

Plus, L.R. Lam's writing is just so beautifully evocative - there were so many sentences I read twice just to savour them. I enjoyed this read so much and cannot wait for the sequel.

DNF at 20%

an amazing premise but ultimately flat executions.

i knew this book wasn't going to work out for me from very early on. i couldn't connect with anything that was thrown at me and it was a chore to to keep on reading. my problem lied in the book as a whole -- i didn't care if any of it was going to get better.

i may or may not get back to this but queer sff readers should still find something worth their while here.