A review by howdyhoward
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

4.0

I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this, the parts that weren't about battling and war as explicitly. I don't know why I picked up a war book knowing I don't like battle scenes and can't stomach war generally. This series overall definitely won't be for me so I won't continue. Which is rather unfortunate because I love Temeraire and Laurence. They love each other so damn much it made me giggle multiple times. The dragons of this world have such complex emotional depth, and unlike humans they feel their emotions openly and make them known. Which is why it was so devastating to realize that one of the purposes of war dragons was to try to kill opposing war dragons (who ostensibly have just as much love for their captains and depth of personhood). Not that humans killing each other isn't horrifying emotionally, but the fact that these beasts are being used by armies against each other is a lot to take in. If you are sensitive to animal cruelty in books like I am, maybe skip this one. I can tell Naomi Novik is a very skilled writer and storyteller. The first chapter was a masterclass in setting up relationships and character motivations. There was a death in the later parts of this book that is one of the most heartbreaking I've read in a long time. I'm learning what I like in fantasy and this had a lot to like, it just also had a lot of war which I didn't care for. I think the rest of the series will focus more on the war and battles now that Temeraire is mostly done with his training, so it doesn't make sense for me to continue. Also if the rest of the books have as devastating moments as this one does I am not emotionally prepared to experience that eight more times.
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