Consorting with Dragons

It was very cute. I thought the romance was sweet if a bit lacking. Jasen was an absolute joy of a MC tho so it was worth it. Even though this is the expanded version there were a few things that were mentioned, like the one time the dragon spoke words in Jasen's mind even though that was supposed to be impossible, that were not explored/explained even though they felt important. 

My main incentive to read this was [a:Philip Alces 9831282 Philip Alces https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s narration and sweet reviews from GR friends. It seemed like a detour from my usual reads, but it turns out that it's more like a throwback to my former reads. The story takes place in an AU where dragons have forged a connection with humans, bringing order and balance. It's reminiscent of the better regencies of yore, complete with court intrigues that parallel the marriage mart of the ton, a debutant (in this case aspirant consort) who is “different”, feisty, and blindingly beautiful. Despite all his ‘deficiencies' Jasen has a heart of gold, isn't coy about sex or his affections. I liked that. Also Jasen has long red hair. I'm a sucker for reds. I liked this story in general and was glad of a respite from all the doom and gloom. The cover alone is uplifting.

This book definitely seemed like something I might like, but some of the negative reviews I'd seen dampened my enthusiasm. I'm glad to say I enjoyed it a lot!I would guess the author has probably written or read fanfic, but I definitely don't say that to insult her or this book. For one thing, she never uses epithets (and rarely proper names) when two or more characters with the same pronouns are present, yet it's never confusing! More significantly, this book delves deeply into the characters' emotional states. Since we're mostly in Jasen's PoV, and he's a fairly self-involved guy, it's his feelings we're mostly dealing with. He's reasonably open-minded, though, so the fish-out-of-water vibe of an outsider at a royal court is usually a lot of fun. He does spend a lot of the book disoriented and unsure of himself, but it was never boring to read about.I'd say the central theme is Jasen's coming of age, which is really him coming to realize that he has to live his life, even without the guarantee of success. In addition to that theme, the whole concept of the consorts going to training and then competing for suitors feels a little juvenile. Jasen is 20, but he isn't worldly wise at all, even at the end of the story. The sex is non-explicit, also, so I can recommend this book to YA readers. Again, though, I don't mean that classification as an insult, just an observation. Unfortunately, the pairing of Jasen with Rilvor, who is about 30 years old, a ruler of a kingdom (or empire, really), and a father of four children, didn't really work for me. They didn't feel like they were at the same place in life at all, which can make for a good romance, but something was lacking for me here. More character development for Rilvor may have helped me appreciate them as a couple. I didn't feel like Rilvor's own inner conflict regarding his wife's death was dealt with to my satisfaction, although I understand why Jasen felt okay with it. The worldbuilding, with the dragons and their relationship with humans, was very interesting, but not as detailed as I would've preferred. I really like the idea that both Rilvor and Tasenred wanted Jasen, in different ways. I absolutely loved Risyda, as well as Polina's character arc. I hope there will be a book or short story about them. This book has a number of interesting side characters, and the plot gives them all room to be flawed and human. There is no actual villain, which I thought was an impressive feat in a fairy-tale-ish story. I believed that Adwig really was concerned with the safety of the realm, even if I didn't like his methods.This book reminded me somewhat of a few others, especially [b:The High King's Golden Tongue 25902535 The High King's Golden Tongue (Tales of the High Court, #1) Megan Derr https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436805757s/25902535.jpg 47453880] and [b:Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 8017244 Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 (Lord of the White Hell, #1) Ginn Hale https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1270983929s/8017244.jpg 12582432], because all three are mainly about an outsider diving into a life among nobles. But all three books stand on their own merits. I'd say this one is more personal than the others, in that Jasen's daily experiences and his emotional state are the most important things happening in the book, rather than dramatic plot events. I like an intimate book of this kind sometimes. I think the world really was at stake, but it wasn't the most upfront thing happening in the story.Overall, this is very good, and I'll gladly read more by this author.