Review: House of Dragons

House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited for it, and it did not disappoint.

Despite the fact that it wasn't at all what I thought it would be.

THE PLOT sees five outcasts (and their dragons) called to compete against one another in a set of trials, the outcome of which will decide the new emperor.

So since I love a good motley crew, let's start with who they are and how I feel about them!

EMILIA, aka THE LIAR
Emilia was an easy fave, because she's a book nerd who values knowledge above all else. She's been collecting information on the trials for years, and she's always the one to ask, 'why?' But she also has a deadly secret that will likely get her killed if it comes out. Which made me a bit sad, because it's a pretty epic secret. I really enjoyed her development, and the way she's insatiably curious about everything. But she's also willing to do what it takes to win, because she knows all the good she can do if she's chosen to rule.

LUCIAN, aka THE DREAMY ONE SOLDIER
Ah, Lucian. He's the warrior who doesn't want to be a warrior any more because killing innocent people did some major psychological damage. He's sworn to never pick up a sword again which can be damn inconvenient when all you need is a hero with a sword. Because he is 100% hero material. He's likable, cares about others, and just wants to do right by the world. Bless him. He's also got a soft spot for our girl Emilia and I am THERE for that beautiful friendship. He's constantly trying to be the sidekick when we all know he's the natural leader of this group of misfits.

VESPIR, aka THE SERVANT
Vespir has spent her life bowing to nobles, and now she's up against a bunch to become the most powerful person in the Empire. Thankfully she has a handy knowledge of all things dragon and a knack for getting all the gossip so she's still a contender. She's a bit cowed from years of being treated as worthless but she's not a doormat - she's got that little spark of fire that's just waiting to ignite. I like that she knows her chances are next to nothing, but she's still going to give it her everything anyway.

AJAX, aka THE THIEF
Now this is a kid who was dealt a rough hand. He's a runt from a rather large litter and is not much to look at, so naturally the boy has some major self esteem issues. He's looking at this competition as the chance he's waited for to finally make people notice him, and he's not above all kinds of devious deeds to get what he wants. He's a total weasel of a human being but he's also desperately lonely. His dragon is probably the best though so it all balances out. I enjoyed his sneakiness, and that he spends the entire book talking about how much he wants to be emperor. He's not ashamed of craving power, and I kinda liked that there was no blatant reformation for him - we just learn to love him for all of his weasel flaws. Not that I really loved him. Dude is a superficial jerk.

HYPERIA, aka THE MURDERER
Okay this girl is an ice cold queen. She's all about honour and tradition but she also has a really messed up idea of what constitutes honour. She's happy to murder her way to the throne because she's convinced she's the one destined to rule it. She was probably my favourite character in terms of how she was written, because there's so much to her. She's determined and focused and convinced that she's better than everyone else, but she's not proud. She doesn't let pride stop her from admitting her faults, and she's keen for a fair challenge. She's also a total feminist so even though she seems kinda evil it's hard not to root for her when she's standing up to scumbags who believe women are just toys for men to play and barter with. She's scary as hell and completely psycho, but she's got her own (albeit messed up) code that she's determined to stick to.

THE DRAGONS
Emilia's dragon, Chara, doesn't rate much; nor does Lucian's dragon, Tyche. They're there, but they're not really making themselves known. Whereas Karina, Vespir's dragon, is a tiny thing who is a brilliant flyer, thanks to the bond she shares with Vespir, and Hyperia's dragon, Aufidius is a complete psychopath just like his rider. But the true hero of the dragons is Dog.

Dog is a dragon who behaves like a dog, so he stole my heart pretty early on. Because Ajax was a runt in his family, they were getting pretty scarce on premium dragons so Dog is far from. But his heart is solid gold and he has so much love for Ajax that you just wanna hug him. He's playful and cheeky and everyone calls him dumb and stupid but its said with affection because how could you ever hate something so innocent? Dog is a hero among dragons, idiot or not.

THE TRIALS
I was definitely expecting bloody battles and epic chases and intriguing puzzles but this wasn't like that at all! But I wasn't disappointed, because the trials serve as the means for our characters to get to know one another better. Yes, they're all in it for themselves, but they're also good people at their cores and they're mostly doing it for the right reasons (except maybe Ajax). So there's not really a bloodthirsty element with them trying to destroy one another - they're all just trying to get the job done.

I think the hardest part of the trials was the ambiguity of the 'Great Dragon' who is allegedly in charge of the whole thing. He's represented by two disciples - a priest and priestess who seem cold, unfriendly, and a little like they're making things up as they go.

THE VIBE
I just really loved how this story unfolded. Yes, they're all misfits, but this story doesn't dwell on that, preferring to focus on their strengths and ambitions. You can tell there's a darkness lurking underneath the trials and that things are not quite right, so even while we happily enjoy the trials playing out, you know there's something epic in store. There's a puzzle here to work out, only we don't have any of the pieces yet.

It's quite brutal in places, but then it softens, so it's hard to get a proper read on the tone. It does feel quite dark overall but the characters are very real and so the mood feels real, too. There are light moments when they're smiling and laughing, but when violence comes it's rather nasty. I think I enjoyed the unpredictability of it - you never knew what was going to happen next.

Most of all, I loved the characterisation. These are not cardboard cut outs at all - they have their own hopes and fears and are quite clearly driven by them. They behave as their character dictates, but they are multi-faceted as well. I found them all very believable.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
This book promises dragons and it delivers dragons, but it also serves up five kids who have been thrust into an unexpected situation and are just trying to make the most of it. While there's a lot of fun to be had in this novel, it definitely feels like it's setting us up for some pretty epic action in books to come. But now that we've gotten to know these characters, I'm really looking forward to them coming into their own in the next book and delivering chaos, destruction and magic.

Fingers crossed!

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