House of Dragons
The House of Dragons series, Book 1
Jessica Cluess
Random House
Fiction, YA Fantasy
Themes: Bonded Companions, Cutthroat Competitions, Diversity, Dragons, Epics, Girl Power, Magic Workers, Religious Themes, Thieves
****
Description
The Etrusian empire was founded on order, enforced by steel and dragonfire as it banished all chaos magic from the land. To this day, it continues its endless wars
of expansion to bring the whole world under its banner, lest chaos and disorder ever rise again. The five great noble Houses keep dragons as mounts and companions
against the day they might be summoned to compete for the crown. The eldest royal children are born and bred for this opportunity, when the Great Dragon calls them
and they face the fourfold challenges to either take the throne or be executed as unworthy. Thus shall the forces of order, and the Etrusian empire itself, always
stand strong.
When the old emperor at last dies, one member of each house is called... only something has gone terribly wrong. It is not the eldest, nor the strongest, who are
summoned, but five of the least-likely candidates, runts and outcasts and byblows. But when the Great Dragon has spoken, not even the priests dare contradict His will.
Now an illegitimate thief boy, a girl with a terrible magical secret, a warrior son who has sworn off violence, a servant girl with not a drop of noble blood, and a young
woman whose desperation for the crown leads her to a bloody act of betrayal before even setting foot among the other challengers will face the greatest test of their
lives - and uncover the greatest treachery at the very heart of their empire.
Review
Set in a magical world vaguely reminiscent of classical Europe, House of Dragons melds elements of The Dragonriders of Pern and The Hunger
Games with a touch of The Breakfast Club for an exciting fantasy adventure. The characters start off a little flat and familiar, but gain some depth as
the story moves on, even if their voices sometimes feel a little more modern American than one might expect from a fantasy world; the thief boy Ajax in particular would
not be out of place in a contemporary urban fantasy, somewhat jarring when set against other characters who feel more firmly rooted in their setting. Still, they clash
and mesh in interesting, sometimes unexpected ways, alliances and rivalries forming and breaking as the challenges unfold and other enemies come to light. I liked
Cluess's take on dragons, which borrow from other bonded-dragon tales (particularly Pern) to become integral parts of the tale and not just tagalongs added for ambience
(as some dragons can be.) The story moves at a decent pace with a few surprises, though even the twists I saw coming played out well. The ending stumbles slightly, first
when a major backslide sets up the climax, and again as it invokes a time-honored trope-bordering-on-cliche to kick off a series, but I still enjoyed it far more than I
didn't.
As a closing note, this was the first time I've read an advance reader copy before the actual book release, if only because it came in a "mystery box" of fantasy titles
I ordered from Penguin Random House for their VirtualCon.