Book Review: His Majesty's Dragon

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Finally! I've finished the book. Sorry it took me forever but with class ending and other things going on it was hard for me to find time to read. I'll make sure that I have them out a little sooner the next time. Anyway..on to the review

 

Title: His Majesty's Dragon (Book 1 of the Temeraire Series)

Author: Naomi Novik

 

Characters:

Captain William Laurence- the main character of the story. He is a naval captain who is content with his life. He especially looks down on those that serve in the Aerial Corps (with dragons) and dreads the initial responsibility when it is thrust upon him accidentally. He soon develops not only a strong bond with Temeraire, but a respect for aerial combat and proves to be intsrumental in the war.

 

Temeraire- the strong-willed and intelligent dragon that hatched on Laurence's ship. He demonstrates amazing growth and ability in his first several months of life. He see the differences between himself and the other dragons and is curious as to the reasons why that is, which he expresses to Laurence. Other than intelligence, he doesn't show any other ability during most of the book (like poison spitting or fire breathing).

 

Setting: During the Napolenic Era, in a world where dragons are commonplace and bred for battle.

 

Plot: Cpt. Laurence captures a French frigate that happens to be carrying a rare Chinese dragon egg. As the Chinese are considered the greatest breeders in the world, it becomes a commodity to the British. Despite Laurence's best wishes, the hatched dragon, which he names Temeraire, imprints to him and he becomes his dragonrider. Together they embark on a journey to train and learn more about the ins and outs of dragon warfare under the looming threat of Napoleon, who has his own dragons and is ready to conquer the world.

 

Overview: I loved this story! Laurence and Temeraire had such great chemistry and I loved their relationship together. I did have difficult imagining the way the dragons were used for war, but the vivid descriptions always kept me interested. There was a great range of characters in this story, both likable and not. I felt very strongly alongside Laurence and definitely got angry at some parts of the story that he could hardly compose himself. I always found myself looking forward to reading more of the story and absolutely cannot wait until I get the next book in the series.

 

FanGirl Rating: 4/5 Stars