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tamarant4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
You can make your way by your own wits and claws, while I must always be dependent upon some male to protect me. Wits I may have, but claws I am without, and while hands are useful for writing and fine work they are no use in a battle. [p. 63]
Patriarch Bon Agornin dies, and his children gather at the deathbed to distribute his wealth amongst themselves. Penn the cleric hears his father's confession; eldest sister Berend and her husband Daverak take more than their share; Avan, enraged by Berend and Daverak's behaviour, mounts a legal case against them; Selendra is compromised by another cleric, Frelt; and Haner is dispatched to live with Berend and Daverak, away from her beloved Selendra and the only home she's ever known.
So far, so Victorian. Walton acknowledges a debt to Trollope, and adds that 'this novel is the result of wondering what a world would be like…if the axioms of the sentimental Victorian novel were inescapable laws of biology'. Bon Agornin and his children are dragons; the wealth to which Berend and Daverak help themselves is the flesh of his body (dragons only grow when they devour another dragon); and Selendra's 'compromise' happens when Frelt gets close enough to trigger a full-body blush, traditionally linked to marriage.
This is an entertaining comedy of manners, with doomed romances, buried treasure, disapproving mothers and loyal servants: and the darker sides of those elements, sexism and class privilege, oppression, servitude, snobbery, and (unlike Trollope) cannibalism. Set against this, there's a strong thread of radical thought, as Selendra in particular begins to question why the servant class must have their wings bound and be denied dragon-flesh. Selendra is probably my favourite character, though Sebeth (Avan's lover, lower-class and 'no maiden... head to toe an even eggshell pink') has a poignant and fascinating history, and a very satisfactory resolution.
Yes, there are humans (the loathed Yarge) but they are mentioned only in passing, apart from one scene at the end of the novel with an Ambassador. The focus remains on the dragons, with their railways and their hats, their legal and physical conflicts, and -- as the last line of the novel tells us -- 'the comfort of gentle hypocrisy'. A delightful pastiche with some thoughtful world-building.
I have owned this novel for over a decade: I read it as part of my 'Down in the Cellar' self-challenge, which riffs on the metaphor of to-be-read pile as wine-cellar rather than to-do list. I enjoyed it a great deal, and can't say whether I regret having ignored it for so long, or whether I'm glad to have read it at a time when it granted me some much-needed uplift.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
tamara_joy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity and Miscarriage
am3y0's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cannibalism, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
I read this novel as a fantasy satire. "Pride and Prejudice and Cannibalism", if you will. This world is entirely dragon-centric, fashioned after a Georgian-era society, replete with court and aristocracy decorum. It is still a delightful and unique romp in an alternate universe with genteel (and still quite savage) dragon kind. While some characters are better developed than others, the book falls short of answering all questions by the end, leaving the reader wanting more.sarahmelized_onions's review
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
innocuus's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Slavery
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Blood, and War
econsidine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A classic Victorian-style social drama about a high society family in turmoil after the death of their patriarch leaves them in disagreement over their inheritance.
Except that everyone is a dragon and the inheritance dispute is mainly over who gets to eat what part, and how much, of their father's body.
It's the rare combo of a top-notch premise and flawless execution. And the dragons canonically wear hats.
Except that everyone is a dragon and the inheritance dispute is mainly over who gets to eat what part, and how much, of their father's body.
It's the rare combo of a top-notch premise and flawless execution. And the dragons canonically wear hats.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Trafficking, Grief, and Sexual harassment
ghostlyprose's review
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
no other world has feel as intriguing and inviting as jo walton's tooth and claw for me. wish there were other books in this universe.
the subtlety of old customs, as told by a janeaustenesque narrator, carried by a high society of dragons not only works as a firm structure for the well written cast of characters, it also leads the reader to a slow understanding of how everything work. mostly.
actually, no. i've got more questions than answers but in a good way.
can i have more, please?
also, let felin say fuck.
the subtlety of old customs, as told by a janeaustenesque narrator, carried by a high society of dragons not only works as a firm structure for the well written cast of characters, it also leads the reader to a slow understanding of how everything work. mostly.
actually, no. i've got more questions than answers but in a good way.
can i have more, please?
also, let felin say fuck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Rape
carrieclothwright's review against another edition
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love this book. It does deliver on the promise of "Jane Austen, but with dragons". It is about love, romance, marriage, societal convention, families, inheritance, social position, legal machinations, codes of honor, but... with dragons.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism
cindywho's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Sexual harassment
yogomagpie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this story. The characters, the lore, the drama. However, the pacing felt rushed after about 2/3 through. The ending consisted of several abrupt moments of resolution, wrapped up in a bullet point-like way. A couple endings were a little outrageous, and makes me wonder what was the point of worrying over the previous 300 pages. Despite the ending, I enjoyed the book and do recommend it to Fantasy and Victorian lovers as well as Wings of Fire fans. I’ll be on the lookout for Walton’s other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Cannibalism, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape