If you listened to our A Shadow in the Ember (by Jennifer Armentrout) recap (available here!), then you’ve gleaned that I, Ava, am a little…
If you listened to our A Shadow in the Ember (by Jennifer Armentrout) recap (available here!), then you’ve gleaned that I, Ava, am a little (a lot) obsessed with our scaly friends, the dragons. Did I put “dragon” at the top of my Christmas wishlist for three years when I was a child? Yes, yes, I did, and sadly, my parents could only deliver the fictional version. Which is good news for everyone reading this, because if you’re looking for more dragon content to satiate you between now and the next Flesh and Fire installment, I’ve got you covered.
A classic, and definitely the series that shaped my childhood. For a book that was written by a 15-year old, it’s phenomenal; it has all the intricate worldbuilding that Tolkien fans will enjoy, an archetypal hero’s journey, and, of course, dragons. The thing that stands out the most to me, looking back on these books, is how incredible Saphira is: she’s vain, proud, and, despite her youth, an absolute sass-basket (but, like, elevated sass). She really owns the fact that she’s better than everyone, and it’s never not entertaining. These books are long (!), but they’re worth it just for the joy that is Saphira.
This is such a throw-back to my paranormal-YA days. It popped up recently on my Goodreads and I was struck with the memories of how OBSESSED I was with these books. The quick and dirty is that dragons have developed the ability to shapeshift into humans, which gives them the ability to blend into human society in order to avoid the persecution of the Order of St. George, which has been hunting them since forever. Ember must prove her ability to live out a life as a “normal teenager” in order to prove that she can work for the draconic government, Talon, and all the while she’s being hunted by St. George soldier Garrett – this book has everything you could want from the side of YA that is Gossip Girl (teenage house parties, first dates, two hot dude to choose from, a sassy brother) and everything you could want from dragons (in our world): secret flights, whoops-I-just-charred-my-kitchen-table, fight scenes, and more. If you’re looking for a quick read that’s a little lighter than something like, say, the Guild Hunter series, definitely check these out. (Also – yes, there is romance!)
I always think of Red Rising fans when I think of these books – they are SO good and SO underrated. An African (Xhosa) inspired fantasy, these books follow Tau on his journey to become the greatest warrior who ever lived…all so he can get revenge on those who slaughtered the people he loved. I loved this book because it really does toggle the line between hero and villain (Tau is such a great blend of both). Romance lovers will be happy because there is some light steam + romance, and more so in the second book. The found-family trope is quite prominent in this series, as Tau gets closer to the men in his legion (it’s called a “scale,” to stick with the dragon theme), and even though it’s a gore-fest, military-packed fantasy, there are definitely some hilarious moments, and, like I said, Tau is fascinating. If you’re not yet sold, let me sweeten the deal: the primary “soldiers” in this matriarchal (!) society are women who have the power to call down dragons. I KNOW. It’s epic and brutal and glorious – a must-read for my epic fantasy fans.
FML I must really love you, Fandomtastic Fam. If you watched my 2021 summer Instagram stories, you know how I feel about Ruby Dixon’s books – to put it succinctly (and kindly, tbh), they’re not for me. It’s possible I cried out of sheer despair while listening to the audiobooks. But. Some people really enjoy that kind of thing, so this one’s for you: Amy is bored of being sequestered by her sister and, despite the fact that the shapeshifting dragons (drakoni) are a little insane and also dragons, she really wants one to claim her as his mate – not yet sold? She attracts the drakoni by throwing her underwear out her window, so one will pick up on her scent 🙂 And they say that romance is dead. Enter: Rast, who is a drakoni, male, and obsessed with Amy’s underwear (and, later, Amy herself). I can confirm that there are indeed dragons in this book, and that’s really all I can say about it without cringing – but if you wind up enjoying these, no worries! This is actually the fourth book in a series of ten (and counting).
