Book Review: Dragonmeat

A captivating epic fantasy prequel novella from SFINCS 1 finalist, Angela Boord.

Dragonmeat is another of the books from the first SFINCS competition that I have been meaning to read for a long time. Initially I thought it was going to be a bit longer than the previous two I’ve read, but the book ended while I was still at 75% on the Kindle, and this is because the first chapter of Fortune’s Fool, the first novel in the Eterean Empire series, is included at the back as a teaser, which is nice. So it turns out that Dragonmeat is roughly a similar length to A Sorrow Named Joy, and Shattered Spirits.

Blurb

Dragonmeat is poison. But what if you’re starving?

Peri will do anything to keep her chronically ill father alive in a city that's starving to death. Using her now useless scholarly talents to research thievery, she’s become a highly successful food thief—small, ordinary—invisible. In Medeas, gripped in the iron fist of its mad governor, ravaged by dragons, hiding is a way of life.

Then her stealing triggers a riot, and a mysterious stranger steps in to save her. Frost has food and he’s willing to share his secret...but talking to him might be the most dangerous thing Peri’s ever done. How can she find the courage to leave her safe shadows and take a stand when her father’s life hangs in the balance?

Review

I very much enjoyed Dragonmeat. The story was engaging and the characters of Peri and Frost were fantastic. The book is written in first person from Peri’s perspective as she struggles stealing food to ensure her sick father doesn’t starve. Then the stranger, Frost, comes in with an intriguing offer, piling on the uncertainty. It was really compelling stuff, diving deep into Peri’s indecision.

The worldbuilding here is really good. I like the twist on the dragons and the way that magic is handled. The city felt alive and lived-in in the midst of its suffering.

I will say that some of the action scenes were a little unclear, and Peri’s moral struggle also felt like it resolved a bit too quickly. But overall the pacing was solid and there was a good mix of action and introspection, and we get a lot of good background that’s weaved in smoothly.

The ending I felt came a bit soon and left many unanswered questions. Personally I would have liked to have seen the revolution that Peri and Frost were preparing for come to pass, as such I’m not sure it stands on its own as well as the other novellas I’ve read. It’s great seasoning for the main series, though, and I’m certainly intrigued enough to continue reading! I’d love to see a sequel to this specific book, and as the cover has a 1 and sub-series title of Dragons of Eterea, I imagine that’s on the cards. All of this is a roundabout way of saying: I want more of this.