Katherine

I enjoyed this one quite a lot, once I got past the slower beginning. I like that the series has broken away somewhat from the formula it was following in the first few books. The characters of this series are written so well, and I love following along with them. 

Overall this book was just... fine. Since it's in a fairytale format you could see most things coming a mile away. The ending isn't exactly surprising. There are some really sweet character moments, but then those are blindsided by weirdly brutal and graphic moments. Fairy tales were originally very dark, so it makes sense that this book would be dark in moments, but it just felt jarring when it happened since most of the book is very whimsical. It makes for a strange reading experience. 

Wow. So tws for this book? All of them. Not even kidding. I read the most graphic and horrific chapter I have ever read in this book. 

I have a hard time rating this book. It gets 5 stars because it did what it wanted to do extremely well. But it's not an enjoyable read. I don't mean because the plot is boring, it's badly written, anything like that. In fact it's extremely hard to put down and written well. But what this book wants to do and what it does well is show the horrors of war. The danger of seeing your enemies as less than human. The futility of revenge and anger and how it makes everything worse in the end. You may hate the main character but you can track along with her mindset and why she makes the decisions she does. 

It's a rough read. Every violent tw I can thing of happens in this book. It does not hold back. But if you can stomach the gruesomeness, it's very successful at it's points. Don't read this expecting a light hearted military fantasy. Read this expecting to cover your face or mouth with one hand, turning the page with another, and reading with one eye between your fingers. 

Empire of Ivory: 4.5/5 stars
This has been the best Temeraire book since the first one! I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book and the ending!!! AHHHH. It's always hard to review books in the middle of a series, but this one is definitely a strong entry in the series itself. 

The Dragon Republic: 4.25 stars. This one is tricky to rate. On one hand, the first half of the book felt quite stagnant, like we weren't really going anywhere. But on the other hand, the second half of the book is fantastic. I was certainly frustrated with Rin throughout most of the book, but part of what makes this series so enjoyable is the complexity of the characters. Overall I feel that perhaps it could've been shortened some and I would've had an amazing time. Still a good read though, with lots of themes and ideas being introduced. Same trigger warnings as the first book, but it's not quite as graphic and intense as that one.