🐉 Am I glad I read it? Eh, I guess?

Tordotcom rarely lets me down with its SFF novellas, and with a premise like that and a cover like that, I was thrilled to read this book. Alas, it did not live up to my hopes for it. I think the key issue for me is that the novella didn't deliver enough on any one thing to make up for its other weaknesses. The plot itself was straightforward and the big reveal predictable (which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing!), but Yeva also lacks character development and the romance lacks depth.

So, as a dragon-hunting knight story or as a forbidden love story between a knight and a Girl-King, I didn't have any big feelings about this novella. What I did enjoy it as, however, is a story about a mixed race character who was thrust into the militarized, imperialistic culture of one parent's nation without understanding and coming to find a home in that of the other parent's culture instead.

I ended up reading this via audiobook, and narrator Nancy Wu worked wonders on this story, giving our masked knight MC a sense of humanity and depth of emotion that the story didn't do on its own. I highly recommend reading this via audiobook.

Unequivocally, the best part of this book is the cover; give that artist/cover designer a raise, stat. Which is a bummer because I know that Neon Yang can write some banger fantasy novellas.

🐉 Rating: 🤷🏼‍♀️ (it was fine; 3.5 stars rounded down)

Thank you to Tordotcom and Netgalley for the advance copy of this title, which is out now.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a beautifully written tale about the dragon-slaying knight Yeva, who has spent her life hiding her true self and becoming a weapon for her empire, as she sent into the neighboring kingdom in search of a deadly dragon threat. Yea not only finds herself drawn in by the alluring Girl-King Sookhee, but also rediscovers herself and who she is outside of being a knight of the Sun Empire. Neon Yang's writing is engaging and lyrical, and Yeva's character development was excellently done, especially as we see her fight sliding back into old habits of obedience and conformity. I wold definitely read a full-length novel in this world.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor books for this eARC of Neon Yang’s fantastic novella, Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After slaying her first dragon at thirteen years old, Yeva is whisked off to the capital to learn how to hone her powers under the care of her father's brother. Years later, as the mysterious and always masked guildknight, Yeva is sent to her mother’s homeland to see if the rumors are true—if there really are dragons in Quanbao. Yeva is unsure of what to make of any of the things she finds in Quanbao—least of all Lady Sookhee, the monarch of Quanbao. What shall she do?

This is a fantastic fantasy novella! Yeva is a top-tier main character who spends a lot of time pondering the big questions like where she is supposed to fit within these worlds she finds herself thrust into? One minute she’s a child, the next she’s a dragon hunter. Once she understands being a dragon hunter, she is sent off to be a makeshift diplomat. What will she become next? So many people have decided who she is and who she should be. There are stories about her, she's something of a legend because no one really knows who she is. So now that it is finally for her to decide, so who will she choose to be? There are also questions about the systems of power that Yeva works under because the culture of her father's homeland and the culture of her mother's homeland are very different. Yeva can't help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up more closely intertwined between the two worlds.

I would recommend this novella to anyone who likes fantasy stories that ask readers to question how much truth of a story actually makes it into a legend.

5 out of 5 stars

i've learned that i love novellas (or maybe this one is a short novel??), it's an ideal form for a tight story with personal, emotional stakes that keep me totally glued. this really checks all those boxes! the story follows Yeva, a mixed-race dragon-slaying knight who feels so out of place that she never removes her armor, embarking on a one-woman mission to investigate rumors of a hidden dragon in the neighboring kingdom. slowly, painfully, everything she knows and believes is turned on its head as she grows closer to the seemingly frail young "girl-king" of this land, Sookhee. the way Yang keeps us so solidly in Yeva's POV, even though as readers we can put together the clues she's missing, is so clever! the way the tension mounts and the stakes heighten and the inevitable crisis breaks is like a storm, it blew through me and left me nourished and also a little bit of a wreck.

this is the kind of story where the journey is the most important. i could see where it was going early on, but finding out HOW we were going to get there, and how Yeva would react, and whether things would end happily or tragically, was such a joy. i adored Yeva's quiet competence and her deep, learned discomfort with her own body and with being seen and known. she was so compelling. Sookhee's mysteriousness, her kindness, her forwardness, also all delighted me! i do wish i had felt a little more of their chemistry—i think it's necessarily dampened by Yeva's perspective, because she's very out of touch with her own feelings and needs and that's a bit part of her charm for me. but i was rooting for her, and for them, all the way through!

it's hard to talk about a book this short without getting too deep into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say that i found it a gripping, emotional, deeply satisfying read.

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced readers copy!

i really liked yeva and sookhee!! however i just personally wasn’t able to fully connect to this story or characters until the very end of the book but i really liked how it all wrapped up!

Yes.
Hell yes.

Masked guildknight of Mithrandon, Yeva, killed her first dragon at thirteen. Shipped off to train further, she’s now a legendary dragon hunter and removed from her hometown but also feels isolated in her role. She’s sent as an ambassador to Quanbao, where they revere and worship dragons, may even be harboring one that will need slaying. In the girl king Lady Sookhee, Yeva finds someone she longs to open up to, but her duty demands that dragons be slayed, wherever they reside. She’ll have a tough choice to make if she finds the rumored dragon in Quanbao.

What a stunning novella! It’s super character-driven (which you don’t always get in novellas), but the plot still moves at a good pace. Even the side characters had depth, which made the world feel really full and believable. The writing is beautiful and poetic, and the world-building is packed with mythology, magic, and meaning.

I mean, what more could I possibly ask for?

It flew by so fast, I wanted more. That's my only gripe. I wanted more!

Thank you for approving my request!

When Yeva was 13, she slew her first dragon, a small creature that managed to corner her sister in the kitchen of their rural home. Soon after, she was sent to the capital city to become a guildknight, an elite force dedicated to eradicating dragons from Mithrandon. When she arrives, she's treated differently and finds that the only way to feel safe is to constantly wear her armor, including her golden mask, when in the presence of others, eventually becoming a legend in Mithrandon. When she's sent on a fact-finding mission to the dragon-worshipping kingdom of Quanbao, Yeva quickly learns that the armor that made her comfortable is now a barrier to fitting in, something she must do if she's to build a relationship with Lady Sookhee, the girl-king of Quanbao.

This short novel feels very much like a fairy tale in that it's somehow both epic and self-contained in a fully realized world that's both familiar and magically strange. I loved Yeva's growth and self-discovery, as well as the relationship she builds with Lady Sookhee. An excellent fantasy, perfect for someone who enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree but would like a shorter read.

What an amazing novella! This story makes such good use of its time. The worldbuilding is phenomenal and a setting I would enjoy coming back to. Yeva is an interesting and dynamic character.

An excellent weekend read for those looking for fantastic settings, romance, strong fem characters, and the optimism of second chances.

I wanted to spend more time with this story and the realm! Really hoping there's a second installment that explains some of the origins of the magic and the mysterious mother. The romance felt a smidgen rushed, but it was very tender and sweet. There weren't any real surprises with the twists or reveals, which was fine. I did really enjoy the healing journey and coming-back-to-self the main character has.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Neon Yang
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 + 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: Ebook, 121 pages by Tor

★★★

💌 First of all, I would like to thank @NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in exchange for a honest review. I requested this ebook because the title was really intriguing, and I loved the cover of the book.

📖 Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a queer, Asian-inspired and adult novella in which we follow Yeva, a famous dragon hunter as she must seduce Lady Sookhee in order to understand what secrets she is hiding.

🔥 The blurb is selling this novella as perfect for the fans of She Who Became The Sun, and I could not agree more! The writing style is really similar and gives the book a very serious tone. It is also selling this as perfect for The Mandalorian fans, but I have not seen anything from this universe or the Star Wars one, so I can not tell you if this part is accurate or not.
The plot was interesting and very well executed, and I did not really have the feeling that I was reading while reading this book. (Does it make sense?) Instead, I was under the impression that someone else was telling me about an ancient legend, and I really enjoyed that aspect. I also really like the vibes (lady knight, tea, politics, dragons…), and they fit really well with the worldbuilding.
My only regret is that I did not really have time to form a bond with the characters because of the shortness of the novella.
I still highly recommend this book if you like Asian fantasy.

Yeva was thirteen when she killed a dragon and was sworn to the ranks of the Emperor's guildknights. Never having removed her armour in public since earning it, she is sent to the neighbouring kingdom of Quanbao to discover if they are harboring a dragon, and if so, to do her duty. But armour cracks and whose duty will Yeva stand by?

This is a lovely queer romance with dragons and a wee bit of Bluebeard – how could I not love it? This reads like a newly discovered fairy tale and I was enraptured by it.

Recommended for older teens and up.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Neon Yang always has really interesting world building and I love to see what their mind will come up with. This idea, unfortunately, missed for me. It read like it was supposed to be a character study, but the style of writing was very impersonal and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I loved the idea of a dragon hunter but there was so much that got skipped around on that I never really felt like we did get to know Yeva as closely as a character driven book would suggest.

I really enjoyed this novella. It was a bit of a pallet cleanser for me. There weren't many twists (I anticipated pretty much what would happen from the start) but it was a well-written and thought-provoking story. If you want depth and philosophical discussion to come of it, you can definitely get that, but you can also just enjoy it as a story about things not always being what they seem and a girl falling in love.

This was described as a sapphic lady knight story with The Mandalorian vibes, so obviously I had to pick it up. It’s a novella—so pretty short—but I devoured it.

It’s super character-driven (which you don’t always get in novellas), but the plot still moves at a good pace. Even the side characters had depth, which made the world feel really full and believable. The writing is beautiful and poetic, and the worldbuilding is packed with mythology, magic, and meaning.

It touches on some big themes—gender, duty, identity, colonization, and more—but it doesn’t feel preachy or heavy.

I really loved the relationship that builds between the main character and the king (yes, it’s sapphic—the king is a “girl king,” don’t worry). The twist was a little predictable, but honestly, getting there was so satisfying I didn’t mind at all.

Easy five stars from me. Highly recommend if you’re into fantasy, dragons, lady knights, or strong sapphic leads.

This was a nice quick and cozy read! It was interesting to read this shorter narrative about a strong FMC, high-action backstory, but have it also be cozy. I liked the author’s writing style and it pulls you in immediately. It’s the perfect book if you want to curl up on the couch on a rainy afternoon and finish a book in one sitting.

Really loved this short novel. Very much enjoyed the plot and characters! Wish it was longer though.

Thank you for the chance to read this!

As usual with some novellas, I struggle with how short they are and how the plot goes so quickly. I feel like I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and I had so many questions about why these different empires were enemies. I did like the dragon aspect, but that was about it.

This was much more character driven than I expected for a fantasy novella, but Yeva was such a great character I would have happily spent 1000 pages with her.

Imagine a queer Mandalorian in an Asian inspired fantasy world instead of space. The vibes were immaculate. The writing was beautiful and poetic, and the dragon mythology was perfectly incorporated. It explored themes of duty, loyalty, challenging one’s prejudices, and identity. I did find some of the twists a bit obvious, but it didn’t take away from the flow or my enjoyment of the story.

Overall it was a short but really fun fantasy. This was my first time reading Neon Yang, but I will definitely be checking out their other work next time I’m in the mood for fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an e copy of this book. All the thoughts and opinions in this review are my own

3.75⭐️

This was written so beautifully. Neon Yang writes like an artist paints which is normally amazing, but was a little too much for this short of a novella. I felt like it was harder to connect to the story and the characters, despite how intriguing the premise was.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for sending this egalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Masked guildknight of Mithrandon, Yeva, killed her first dragon at thirteen. Shipped off to train further, she’s now a legendary dragon hunter and removed from her hometown but also feels isolated in her role. She’s sent as an ambassador to Quanbao, where they revere and worship dragons, may even be harboring one that will need slaying. In the girl king Lady Sookhee, Yeva finds someone she longs to open up to, but her duty demands that dragons be slayed, wherever they reside. She’ll have a tough choice to make if she finds the rumored dragon in Quanbao.

Almost immediately, this gave me Mandolorian vibes. And it’s queer? Winwin. I liked the relationship building, not only between Yeva and Sookhee but between Yeva and a lady who knew her mother, a loner building community is great for arcs. I saw the twist coming, but the twist wasn’t the point. It was about Yeva’s journey and character arc, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.