Dragon Weather

This book was recommended to me as part of a “blind date with a book” exchange. I knew nothing about it going in, and it is not the type of book I would normally pick out for myself. Because of this, I was a little hesitant giving this book a chance.

However, I'm really glad that I did! After the first 50 or so pages, the book really hit its stride. I'd describe this book as a rise-to-power revenge story, almost like The Count of Monte Cristo + dragons. The author knows how to use pacing to keep the story briskly moving along, so there are no dull moments.

The pacing can almost be too quick at times, with multiple changes of scene and nearly 7 years passing in this story - all within the first hundred pages. With some books, this would be a turn-off, since that type of rapid pacing can really detract from character growth and fail to provide a window into what the main character is thinking. LWE manages to avoid this, and I was very satisfied with the protagonists development and decisions.

For being such a fast-paced book, there are quite a few opportunities to reflect on choices made by the main character throughout the story. Moral questions that initially seem black and white turn out to be relatively complex and not easily resolved.

Finally, one of the best parts of the story is its unique take on dragons. Granted, I have not read a lot of stories with dragons before (most of my experience comes from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series). That being said, the story quickly establishes that dragons are intelligent creatures that have warred with humanity through the years. Beyond that, the species is shrouded in mystery for most of the novel. As the author slowly teases more information, you begin to realize you are in for a treat.

Overall, Dragon Weather was a great read! It's not a sprawling epic, but it does not try to be. It is a refreshing and fun story with characters you love to root for and hate.