A review by kslphd0131
Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

adventurous 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? Yes

3.0

Once I got into it, I enjoyed the thief-centric story. There's some interesting world building, particularly in relation to the marginalisation of the struck, the victims of the magical plague. Some elements of the writing are a bit clunky -- although at the conclusion the rationale for it becomes clear, I didn't feel that the second person voice for Everen worked very well. And the use of they/them is interesting (including the idea of thinking in capitals for the honorific), but other than the class element, not very well theorised or worked out in terms of other elements of a gender-fluid society (which is more than just pronouns). One senses that Lam is seeking to do something with gender more fundamentally in this book but that aspect feels quite muddled, at least at this stage of the trilogy.