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A review by bookwormpersephone
Serpents of Sky and Flame by Rebecca F. Kenney
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"We are creatures of sky and flame, and once our fire has died, we return to the air."
4.5 ⭐s
Fourth Wing except the dragon gets the girl... well, it's a bit more complicated than that.
Serylla as a captive princess wasn't as feisty as many people had expected of her, and honestly? It's a breath of fresh air. I've read so many "fiesty" characters that ended up either as annoying as nails on a chalkboard or just straight-up mean-spirited. Serylla having a heart and empathy towards her captor just supports her inner monologue of not being "cunning enough" for the inner politics and machinations of the palace. Otherwise, she would have had a train of thought like Jessiva, one of the captives, who wanted to start an uprising. And that's okay. We also stan a Queen with enough emotional intelligence to understand her enemy is grieving as hard as she was.
Kyreagan was also not what I expected. He's just a kind cinammon roll that feels so much more deeply than everyone else. He suffers from anxiety and panic attacks frequently, overthinks a lot, is not good with words, and just overall trying his best. For a dragon, he seems more human than any of the human characters. Sure, he might be a mighty dragon 5x the size of Serylla or more, but in his POv we discover his dragon form makes him <i>feel</i> strong, like armor. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being the captive of the villain in the 2nd book and Serylla is the one to save him.
The story is not as complicated as it seems. It flows easily, and the lore inserts were scattered around chapters so it's not a huge info dump at the beginning, which I am grateful for. All female dragons get offed, male dragons get bibidi-bobidi-boo'ed by an enchantress, attain human form for around 8 hours, mate with human captives, and go back to being a dragon afterward. This puts a strain on the more serious problems, like the lineage of dragons and how "halflings" will affect the future, but also sets up multiple stories for the books. I'm excited about what Rebecca has in store for Varex and Rothkuri.
The spice score for this is high... 5 🌶️/ 5🌶️. Breeding kink + primal play??? *chef's kiss*
Be forewarned, this book ends in a cliffhanger (at least, leaves Serylla hanging in a certain dragon's claws...) but the author assured us part 2 is not far from its release!
Thank you Author Rebecca Kenney for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
4.5 ⭐s
Fourth Wing except the dragon gets the girl... well, it's a bit more complicated than that.
Serylla as a captive princess wasn't as feisty as many people had expected of her, and honestly? It's a breath of fresh air. I've read so many "fiesty" characters that ended up either as annoying as nails on a chalkboard or just straight-up mean-spirited. Serylla having a heart and empathy towards her captor just supports her inner monologue of not being "cunning enough" for the inner politics and machinations of the palace. Otherwise, she would have had a train of thought like Jessiva, one of the captives, who wanted to start an uprising. And that's okay. We also stan a Queen with enough emotional intelligence to understand her enemy is grieving as hard as she was.
Kyreagan was also not what I expected. He's just a kind cinammon roll that feels so much more deeply than everyone else. He suffers from anxiety and panic attacks frequently, overthinks a lot, is not good with words, and just overall trying his best. For a dragon, he seems more human than any of the human characters. Sure, he might be a mighty dragon 5x the size of Serylla or more, but in his POv we discover his dragon form makes him <i>feel</i> strong, like armor. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being the captive of the villain in the 2nd book and Serylla is the one to save him.
The story is not as complicated as it seems. It flows easily, and the lore inserts were scattered around chapters so it's not a huge info dump at the beginning, which I am grateful for. All female dragons get offed, male dragons get bibidi-bobidi-boo'ed by an enchantress, attain human form for around 8 hours, mate with human captives, and go back to being a dragon afterward. This puts a strain on the more serious problems, like the lineage of dragons and how "halflings" will affect the future, but also sets up multiple stories for the books. I'm excited about what Rebecca has in store for Varex and Rothkuri.
The spice score for this is high... 5 🌶️/ 5🌶️. Breeding kink + primal play??? *chef's kiss*
Be forewarned, this book ends in a cliffhanger (at least, leaves Serylla hanging in a certain dragon's claws...) but the author assured us part 2 is not far from its release!
Thank you Author Rebecca Kenney for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death