A review by leighmillonig
Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik

adventurous emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This book was a bit uneven for me in terms of plot, but it had some of the best character development of the series. I loved how it worked in a retrospective look at the whole series into the core narrative, with Lawrence's amnesia storyline forcing him to look back on the past eight years and grapple with the decisions he made – 

when he ultimately decides to once again choose Temeraire and the Aerial Corps, and even makes peace with his decision to commit treason because it was the right thing to do, it brings his character's arc to a very satisfying conclusion and

sets up the dramatic conclusion to the series in the final book. (Also, I really liked that

it was a meeting with Tharkay, and not Temeraire, that triggered Lawrence's memory. It was just a bit of a subversion of tropes which was nice, and also underlined how Tharkay and Lawrence's relationship evolved from mutual distrust and even animosity to being such deep and trusted friends

.)