Book Review: His Majesty's Dragon

I have to admit I was not expecting much from this series. I really love dragons! But dragons fighting in a war as a part of the British aerial corps, working together with the British navy to fight off a French invasion led by none other than Napoleon?! I was convinced it cannot possibly work. Except that it does! It really does!!!

It is different, original, action packed and heart-warming all at the same time. And it looks more or less like this:

Temeraire by LemonVampire Watch Fan Art / Digital Art / Painting & Airbrushing / Books & Novels

The story will keep you glued to the seat till you reach the end and leave you wanting for more.

It all starts with Navy captain Will Laurence discovering an unhatched dragon egg on board of a captured French frigate. As dragons are extremely valuable creatures, they have to be harnessed as soon as they hatch. And as fate will have it, despite his love for the navy and reluctance to join the despised Aerial Corps, Lawrence ends up being chosen by the dragon as his handler and has his whole life irrevocably turned upside down. Temeraire, as Lawrence chooses to name him, is a wonderful creature that caught my heart from the very first moment he hatched. His charming personality and his gentleness slowly turn Lawrence’s resentment toward him into a genuine affection that further develops into a bond so strong that neither would be happy without the other.
Together, Lawrence and Temeraire join the Aerial Corps and learn how to fly alongside other dragons and riders in aerial battles to repel the French invasion.

The dragons are brilliant! Their personalities differ just as those of humans. The kindness a huge 10 ton beast displays towards a simpler one of his kind makes you want to be a better person yourself. The gentleness and care they have towards their riders is so sweet! The unconditional love between rider and dragon makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.

And the riders themselves, Novik made them so wonderfully human that you can easily pick one or the other to identify with. They are all faulty but still good, with certain exceptions of course. Lawrence is by far my favourite with his old-school ways and manners: a gentleman through and through!

The descriptions of different breeds and their characteristics are exceptional, the author making it very clear how every type of dragon looks so you can even picture them while reading.

Dragon Breeds Size Refrence by Shadowind on deviantART #temeraire

I have to admit I had some problems understanding the battle rigging so I checked it out. For those of you who’ve also wondered, this is how it should go:

Maximus - Regal Copper - Color by DanielGovar on deviantART. Naomi Novik's Temeraire series

The aerial battle scenes were brilliant. Extremely detailed and on the point, they were masterfully rendered. Not every author would be able to pull something like that off. Novik made me see how the dragons move, how they turn or twist or hover and even made my heart stop for a little while expecting Temeraire to be hit. I found it pretty easy to imagine Lily’s formation and follow her through drills and action.

I can safely say this is one of the finest books I ever read. The writing style is wonderful! The plot original! And the dragons fantastic! If the sequels are just the same, it will be one of my top 5 favourite series.

If you love dragons or sweet reads that make you feel mushy, this is just the book for you! I highly recommend it.

Buddy read with the Dragon Corps from FBR.