"Epic alternative history fused with fantasy adventure and excellent dragons!"
January 2025 Debut of the Month
This remarkable debut and series opener is set in an alternate 1923 where dragons and humans coexist after a Peace Agreement ended their war, but the human regime is authoritarian, with strict class divisions and a rebellion is brewing.
Vivien Featherswallow, our narrator fluent in “three human languages and six dragon tongues”, plans to follow the rules, secure an internship as a Draconic Translator and make sure her sister never has to risk growing up third class. However, everything changes when her parents get arrested for being in the resistance and with her sister missing, she is forcibly recruited to Bletchley Park to join a bunch of misfits working as codebreakers deciphering the rebel dragon’s secret language. If she succeeds, her family goes home; if she fails, they die.
This is a wonderfully immersive fantasy with vivid detail about the history, cultural, and political background of this world and a credible imperfect heroine who grows and develops as she realises her faith in the status quo is misguided. Viv finds redemption, a tantalising hint of romance and uncovers the fascinating truth about dragons, who are as intriguing and multifaceted as the human characters, with similarly engaging rivalries, secrets and friendships.
Genuinely thrilling and original, I have no doubt at all that there will be many readers, like me, waiting for the next instalment and learning more about this fascinating world and what happens to the characters we are now thoroughly invested in.
