This is a dark fantasy; I wouldn’t say this is like any other dragon novel I’ve read recently. If you enjoy reading tales rife with pain, betrayal and mandatory suspicion, then this one is for you.

The entire book has a gruesome feel. Don’t read this if you want to be happy. There is political unrest and many a ‘false’ religion. Everyone seems lost. It feels like quite a parallel to our present reality.

The world itself is highly inventive with a unique culture built upon two distinguishing factors:
1) a multitude of novel languages: one universal tongue that melds original phrases with odd words from the english language, and then other local tongues vaguely described through unfathomable sounds
2) a harsh society relying entirely on subservience

To me, the characters serve as fodder for the plot. No one is guaranteed safety or survival & nobody is truly acting upon their own free will. One side effect of the latter is pages upon pages of book characters repeatedly referring to each other as slaves.

I reckon this is meant to call attention to the powerlessness of these “empowered” beings & their superiors. However, I feel that this continuous repetition causes the use of such a challenging word to lose meaningfulness. It becomes unnecessarily jarring once understand the world that has been built. Besides this, the writing is hilarious.

Although this book requires focused attention (because of how fast paced the plot is and how nuanced the world building is) if you’re into Game Of Thrones, or the like, it is worth a read.

I personally, don’t enjoy being led on or having my heartbroken. I hate watching characters I love suffer. And I enjoy going into great detail re: the lives of my characters and their goings on. So this is ultimately a personal problem. Lovers of dark humor, carry on.

This is another book where I enjoyed the world and the plot more than the characters — well, more than the human characters. Avrea is a slave, captured when she was a child and then sold to the dragon riding cavalry of the empire where she has been turned into a super human being, with greater strength, stamina, resistances and tolerances, and given a dragon to ride. She’s loyal to her Empire because she has nothing else to turn to, and is, in her own way, kind to the girls like herself who are brought in.

There are wonderful moments of world building, such as how almost all the riders are female because of their lighter weight, and the men who are dragon riders are usually scrawny and unwanted extra children of noble houses — who are officers, because the girls (all slaves) can’t be trusted to be in charge of themselves. There’s a lot of work done to show how the dragons work, how the humans have taken advantage of them, how the rider and dragon relationship works … and not much done about character work beyond the dragons.

Now, to be fair, the dragons are the highlight of the book, so it’s nice to see them given the bulk of attention, but Avrea is just … there. So are the other women, the slaves, and her commander. And this is a problem when it comes to the romance because Avrea isn’t enough of a character for me to be that interested in, and the guy the author decided to have her be in love with hasn’t really done anything to encourage this. It’s so out of left field with zero build up in the text and no tension at all.

One moment they’re officer and soldier, the next, she’s in love for … reasons. And the reasons almost work, but there wasn’t enough focus on the characters for me to really be able to get behind the pair of them as a couple. However, this is the first book in the series and, as such, has to do a lot of world building and plot work; maybe the second book will be more character focused. Since I’ll be starting the second book this weekend, I’ll be sure to let you know when I review it!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC.

This exciting book follows along two very unique young girls. This first shows us how she met and bonded with her Dragon after the horrifying murder of her village. The second shows us years later her meeting and bonding with another Dragon while being taught by the first woman.

This is a an amazing book! I mean, who wouldn't want to be a dragon rider? Being able to ride a dragon, and living on the top of a mountain with all you fellow female dragon riders! It
s super cool. Avrea, our FMC, is so badass who takes everything in stride, and is very logical, does what needs to be done, and her observational skills and ingenuity saves people. What a hell of a (dragon) ride this book is.

The side characters are unique and the worldbuilding interesting.

Except, this story has more than one moral dilemma/downsides than there are upsides to being a dragon rider aka an askenzar. To become an askenzar the oppressing regime you live under slaughter your entire village and take the survivers as slaves. A few are sent to have their body forced through a grueling process that that makes them stronger and hardier so the girls (men are to heavy) can ride dragons. It kills many though. But, hey they are slaves, so them dying is less like squatting flies, I guess. Being a dragon rider is to be slave soldier. The whole slave thing made me really uncomfortable, I really liked Avrea but I can't stand behind her reasoning:

"No, there is no real choice. I'm stuck with the cause whose imperfections I know. And in that, how much does my life differ from that of any other person?"

Putting aside how the slavery aspect of the story, since it is part of the story and the storytelling, I'll definitely read the next one to see what happens next. Hopefully it will be addressed in the future (I'm hoping it will be a trilogy/series and not a duology. It has so much potential that I can't wait to read the next one. Also because of those whiplash plot twists I did not see coming...

I recommend it to other fantasy readers, maybe even fans of dark fantasy romance, since they already read stuff that makes me uncomfortable.

3.75 stars rounded up.

Captured and made a slave at a young age, instead of working in the kitchens or cleaning, girl is changed and trained to be a fearsome dragon rider. With her wise-ass dragon and the help of her commander and a few other slaves, she lands herself in serious monkey poop. Literally. Mysterious are unravelled and old foes return in this epidural adventure.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley. My goodness, this is certainly one of the best stories I've read in a wee while. This is certainly more fantasy than my usual romantasy, but this was a wild trip!

I really really enjoyed all the world building throughout this story, and there are still so many components yet to be revealed. We get to see the world through the eyes of the FMC, a highly trained and indoctrinated dragon riding slave, which is very novel and exciting. The story was engaging, the characters interesting and the dragons exceedingly funny.

Next please!

Dragonslave - Dominique Glass
Book 1 of Dragonslave

Dragonslave by Dominique Glass is a fantasy novel that combines elements of adventure, magic, and intrigue - and of course, DRAGONS!

The story revolves around a young protagonist, avrea, who is thrust into a world of ancient dragons, powerful sorcery, and political conflict after being captured as a young child, forced into enslavement and trained - through “The Process” - as a dragon-riding soldier.

Avrea must navigate complex relationships, internal struggles, and the dark mysteries surrounding their existence. As Avrea journey unfolds, they confront difficult choices about loyalty, identity, and the moral implications of their actions.

The novel blends high-stakes action with deeper themes of personal growth and the nature of power. Its intricate (and admittedly somewhat confusing) world-building, alongside the development of rich, multifaceted characters, creates a captivating narrative that explores the costs of war, the bond between humans and dragons, and the consequences of tampering with forces beyond one’s control.

The dragons - namely Vlavios and Bombidilios - made this story for me.
I have long loved dragons for being “sassy” but the dragons in this story take it to next level and I was often laughing out loud at some of their quips.
The story itself has great promise but I did find it very confusing to understand initially - the first few chapters involve a lot of jumping about and there are a LOT of complicated names (of both people and places) but i believe there will be a lot more development in the next books in the series.

Side note: I believe this has been promoted as a Romantasy but this book is 98% fantasy - im not complaining! - and 2% romance. AKA spice is non existent so don’t get your hopes up!
Avrea has had a very complicated up bringing and relationships are very distorted - with “comfort slaves” used to tend to, er, basic needs - and I think having a load of sex thrown in there would have taken away from the story.

A very solid start to the series with unique characters that I am very excited to read more about in the next book(s).

A young girl forced to become a slave to the empire. A slave that rides dragons! This book checks all the boxes with action, suspense, treachery, sisterhood, and love. Great start to a series. I can’t wait for the next books.

Avrea is a young girl when her village is sacked, she’s taken in as a very special type of slave and put through the paces to become a fierce dragon riding soldier.

There’s a lot of politics, twists and turns in this book. The dragons are very very amusing - their superiority complex and humour shining through at most interactions.

I enjoyed the plot, I enjoyed the characters too although I felt that there lacked growth or development in the case of Avrea and some of the other key women.

The romance that blooms towards the end, I really didn’t see grow as much as I would have liked. It sort of hit unexpected and then was forgotten. This could have been developed a bit more but appreciate this is not marketed as a romance novel.

For me, whilst the story was good, I felt there was a lot of unnecessary words and elements of repetition. It’s for these reasons that I rate the book 3 out of 5.

Thank you Net Galley & Victory Editing for the E-Arc Copy what a gem this book is!

Dragonslave what a fabulous read! It took me a while to get into, the author introduces a lot of characters and a mixture of languages which was difficult to wrap my head around, once I got it though, it was great. The beginning had these flashbacks from the past, and I wish these continued throughout the story as I felt this added something extra to the narrative and I hoped that past and present would come together and resolve itself. Having said that, I wasn't disappointed with the overall story and appreciate this is book one, so this style could come into play later on.

This book is heavily focused on politics, military ranking, slavery and of course dragons. Though the Dragons played a smaller role in the book, Dominique wrote the individual personalities of the dragons exceptionally well, and it shone through beautifully.

Our FMC was a strong female lead, and I loved the different scenarios she was faced with and how this was all resolved. The Line 'And if the truth be told, I’ve never trusted anyone as much as myself' is so poignant and I adored the context in which this was written.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and am already looking forward to book 2!

“And if the truth be told, I’ve never trusted anyone as much as myself”

Not bad at all!!! To be fair, when a book is about dragons and dragon riders, and when those dragon riders are soldiers with a particular strength, it’s hard for me not to be interested. Add political intrigue and a soldier (Avrea) who reminded me very much of Daenerys Targaryen and you have a very good match!! I have to be honest, I took a bit to get into it because I needed to figure out who was whom and what they wanted and which language they spoke (first book in a fantasy series stuff) but when I did, I never put it down. And when another intriguing character coming from nowhere … I was interested !!! It surprised me a lot and turned out like nothing I had expected (not the I am complaining). But the best thing was the fact that it was action packed and quite fast pace so there was no moment of calmness or stagnation!!! I wonder what the characters will have to face next, since it left off after such a cliffhanger!!

“Curb your lying tongue, dragon. Tack polishing is over. We have a mission to fly”

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing and author Dominique Glass for this eARC

So before I start my review let me just say this. I know Romantasy is the new it genre but for the love of all that is holy stop marketing everything as romantasy when it clearly is not!!

Now on to my actual review

I had some trouble getting into the book, mostly because the writing style is not my favourite and it took some getting used to. Not to say the writing is bad, it absolutely is not! It’s great writing, just not my personal preferred style. I do admit that the battle scenes were amazing and the author for sure knows what they are doing.
I absolutely loved the cranky/sarcastic dragons so much! Their scenes were so much fun to read!
The plot was pretty standard for a fantasy novel and there were no big surprises or twists.

Our FMC Avrea is strong and capable and I can’t wait to see how her character develops over the course of the series - she has so much potential!

I have to stress though again - this is NOT a romantasy, no matter how it’s marketed!! Except for some subtle hints, there is NO romance until the 94% mark and even then it’s only one short scene.
It’s a great start to a fantasy series and I can’t wait for the next book!

For fans of "Novice Dragoneer" and not "Fourth Wing."

When I read the synopsis of the book I was expecting a fantasy that was heavy on the romance and light on the politics. I found the opposite to be true, and honestly I think the story was better for it. This rich fantasy world felt so real, with attention paid to the intricacies of the unique cultures and ethnic groups and robust detail of the political structure and empire life. The story was full of twists and turns, and I found my self gasping at the subtly unveiled revelations all the way up to the end.

What I thought was a hindrance to this novel was the romance. I came in expecting more of one, and while I didn't mind that it wasn't the forefront of the plot, I could understand where other readers might be challenged by that switch up. A more nuanced relationship with this "dangerously attractive" childhood friend could have developed the story much better. In general, some of the relationships felt a little too underdeveloped. We're told that the other dragon rider are like family to Avrea, but really only see her interact with one to any great length.

While I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the final reveals, at the end I wasn't sure what to think about the conclusion of the first book. There's a whole lot more world for this book to develop, but I was left with a sensation of "for what?" Avrea is a complicated and conflicted character and I think some more internal reflection would help the reader connect with her and understand more what her own goals are in the midst of a very imperfect world.

All in all, if you are looking for a robust political intrigue fantasy, this is absolutely worth the read! It lays the groundwork for what, hopefully, will be an engaging fantasy series.

I give this book a 2.8/5 stars.

Whilst I enjoyed certain aspects of this book, I found it hard to read at times. This wasn't heavy on the romance however, I don't think it needed to be. This story had a lot of intriguing elements but unfortunately I found it difficult to follow.

I loved the dragons, especially their ability to communicate with humans—their humorous dialogue was enjoyable. The FMC was a great character and I would like to see more of her. I enjoyed the many plot twists and backstabbing throughout the book.

If you love dragons, plot twists and politics, you'll enjoy this book!

I really struggled with this book. I ended up DNFing.

The POV was hard to keep up with and I was having trouble figuring out who was who and what was actually going on. I just found it super hard to follow.

The concept is promising and I may try again at a later time. As of right now though. I couldn’t do it.

This book was hard for me to review. While I did enjoy a lot about I was bored. I really enjoyed the challenges that the main character was a force to deal with, Vlavios was great( witty and amusing). The twists and turns were good but I was just a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong it is definitely worth reading but not sure I will continue.

Dragonslave is book one in the Dragonslave series by Dominique Glass.
I can’t wait to see where series goes.
An excellent epic fantasy romance story.
The character development was awesome.
I was surprised by how much I truly enjoyed reading this book.
I can’t wait for book two.

This was a strong start to the Dragonslave series, it had that element that I wanted from this type of book. The characters had that element that I wanted and was glad everything was perfect for the story. Dominique Glass has a strong style and great concept for characters. I’m excited to read more in this series and from Dominique Glass.

If you love a high fantasy with dragons, politics, and twists that come up almost every chapter! This definitely give me Game Of Throne vibes, for all the fans out there. And you are left on a major cliffhanger!

Thank you Netgalley, author, publisher for the eARC.

My rating is 3.5. Although I felt bored at times reading this book, I really enjoyed many parts. I love a book about dragons, and the fact that they speak to humans is a bonus. I loved Vlavios and his whit and humor throughout the book. I also loved the twists and turns throughout the book, and the political aspects of backstabbing and the fight to find who was actual in control at any given time.

My favorite part of this book was the challenges that the main character was a force to reckon with, and a very strong female lead. I wish there was more spice, and I also wish that I knew more about what happens after the cliffhanger at the end!

To be honest I found this book to be rather dense, as in thick, with language. At times it feels like it is trying to tell so much background knowledge for this brand new world that the story itself gets a little lost. It was not an easy read and I think a glossary of terms and ranks would have been helpful. Interesting story but hard to follow.