Kova has done it again and delivered me a book that has touched me to the core. Even better than the last, with a different taste entirely, our favorite heroes encounter even more obstacles taking them on a journey that will not only reveal their inner secrets but shake the very foundation of the world.

I devoured this book in a day like a dragon winning it's first duel and tasting the sweet alluring smell of blood. The world sweeps you up into the very heights of Nova and drops you in this colorful world of mirrors, illusions, and beauty. Reading this book was like getting back together with old friends. We cozy into our old jokes and settle into the comfort of familiarity, but that same restless spirit lurks beneath the surface, threatening to take us on an altogether new journey. The same gorgeous writing coupled with the lush world building caresses our senses in an altogether new setting – amongst the beauty of Nova.

The characters take on new life, both in the clouds and on the ground. They struggle to assert their identity, to maintain their strength, and fight for what they love. What I found in this book is that my love of Arianna and her tender heart is as strong as ever. Also there’s no way I could forget mentioning my love for the extremely quirky and ridiculously lovable Cvareh. While my fierce loyalty to supporting Florence is as streadfast, even though she can take care of herself. However, I found myself falling in love with the side characters, Petra, Cain, and even some who find themselves at odds with the very heroes I would go to battle for.

I missed the interaction between Ari and Flo,but this book isn’t about getting the band back together – it’s much more. This book is about trying and testing, and growing in a way that demands a little blood. We see all our favorites, and more, embroiled not only in a plot against their enemy, the Dragon King, but also against themselves – inner demons that will test the very boundaries of their identity. In many ways this book gave me a glimpse of what I wanted and then relished in dashing my hope to the rocks of Loom.

Going into complete fan girl mode, I could have only predicted that my heart would be dashed to the very depths of Loom itself, only to be brought back again to life – Kova style. And this book isn’t devoid of themes either, much like the first. While you can definitely read the book as a straight forward revenge, revolution, war book, there is a simmering commentary on society. When our world is not black and white, when atrocities are committed on both sides, how can we imagine our future? What line do we tightrope across to avoid falling into their same traps?

But I'll be back, because the plot has only thickened to gold. Kova has woven an elaborate plot that will change the world they live in forever. And this book is full of questions, not only about the plot and the future of Loom/Nova, but also about our beloved characters: who do they want to be and what world will their bombs and magic fashion into being? Full of intrigue, subterfuge, and tension this book keeps you in the edges of your toes and luckily you can already pre-order the next, I know I have.

This is a review for the second book in the ‘Alchemists of Loom’ Trilogy and, as such, spoilers for book one will abound.

When I read ‘The Alchemists of Loom’ last year, it was actually the first of Elise’s books that I had ever read. Oh, how times have changed…

I can remember falling in love with the world of Loom, so dark and exciting and original, with its complicated Guild system and video game worthy mechanics. There’s always the worry when you find a book which is so fresh and different, that the second book will not be able to live up to the standards of the first. Thankfully, that is far from the case in ‘The Dragons of Nova’. If anything, Elise has stepped up her game with book two. It is a dream of a sequel.

So, without further ado, let’s get ourselves reacquainted with the world of Loom.

Ari is a chimaera, a Fenthri who has been spliced with multiple dragons parts to gain their magical properties. The events of book one saw our heroine leave Dortam, where she was the infamous thief ‘The White Wraith’, in the company of her apprentice, Florence, and a man who should, by all accounts, be her enemy, the Dragon Cvareh. The only thing keeping them together? The promise of a boon if she gets the errant Dragon to the distant Alchemists Guild.

But the journey was far from simple. Ari finds herself chased by the vicious Riders of the Dragon King, and, perhaps more harrowingly, by her own past. For in a world where chimaeras rot from the inside out under the taint of dragon magic, Ari is not. She is a perfect chimaera, every dragons greatest fear, and she must stop at nothing to avoid that information from spreading. Life is complicated further by her burgeoning emotions for Cvareh, a man she should feel nothing but hate for, and her distaste that her feelings are far from that.

‘The Dragons of Nova’ opens with Ari joining Cvareh on a journey to the Dragon land of Nova, floating islands hanging in the sky above the desolation of Loom. There they are to meet with his sister Petra, in the understanding that it is in both of their interests for the Dragon King to fall. There is, over all, the question of the Philosopher’s Box, the key component in the creation of a perfect Chimaera. How much does Ari know about their construction? And how much of that knowledge about the box, and herself, is she willing to share with her Dragon allies?

Down on Loom, Florence continues her work with the Alchemists Guild, very aware that, once again, she is an outsider in the Guilds and they will always put their lives before her own. Sent on a journey via train to the Harvester’s Guild, Florence becomes intimately acquainted with all facets of monstrosity; the monsters of Loom, and the monsters in humanity. Things are changing on Loom, and our top-hatted Raven-turned-Revolver has a first row seat for the action.

It is very hard to not just keyboard smash when writing this review. SO much happens in this book and my reaction is very much simply the emoji, 😱. Oh, you are truly lulled into a false sense of security by the end of book one. No-one is safe, no-one is secure in ‘TDON’. Our characters are truly trying to navigate violent rapids in a bathtub!

Ari, our protagonist, is mistrust and pride incarnate. Unwilling to accept help, partly because she has been so burned by her part, but also because she’s just the sort of person who would rather walk on hot coals than fall upon the generosity of another. Stubborn, capricious, difficult to love and let herself be loved, I, nevertheless, adore her. Driven by logic, yet coming to appreciate the ‘beauty as its own reward’ culture of Nova, we see so much growth in Ari during the book, both magically and personally. She’s also canonically attracted to more than one gender! Praise be for bisexual or pansexual protagonists in fantasy novels! They’re about as rare as white tigers, and it fills my little bi heart with joy to see myself represented in my favourite genre.

Ari is not the only character to undergo significant development throughout the novel. Florence, who had potentially been my least favourite of the main characters in book one, truly came into her own in ‘TDON’. ‘Tiny girl with a big gun’ is, in my opinion, one of the best tropes to come out of video games, and it’s a joy to see Florence actually be allowed to flourish without Ari being their to ‘save’ her before she gets a chance to save herself. Watching Florence come to a better understanding of herself and her place in the world was honestly one of the most exciting parts of the book. There were a couple of decisions that Florence made during the story that left me so shocked and impressed that I actually laughed out loud.

We see a lot more of Nova in this book, spending more than half of the page time above the cloud line. It’s a real treat to get to see more of the floating islands, with their environment and culture that is so different to that of Loom. Where Loom is built for function, the architecture of Nova is engineered for beauty and form. Cvareh seems a lot more comfortable and confident amongst the culture of his people, and we definitely see a different side to him, that of his sister’s second in command. Privy to his sister’s machinations and quest to return their family to power, there is a very political side to this story, exploring the social hierarchy of Nova and the implications of each and every act within their culture. Politics, I hear you groan, but do not fear, this isn’t a dry story of meetings, but politics that happens in the fighting pit and the gossip houses. The world building is far too interesting to ever let the politics get onerous.

Without spoiling anything, I will say that the events of the story and the ending truly do set the series up for an enormous conclusion. There’s bloody violence, betrayal, assassination and ‘Game of Thrones’-esque political maneuverings. It truly is beautifully and exquisitely satisfying (and painful).

The famous line from Robbie Burns’ ‘To a Mouse’ comes to mind at this moment:

‘the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, gang aft a-gley’.

We truly have been set up for suffering. It’s going to be a painful old wait for book three!

Many thanks to Keymaster Press for a copy in return for an honest review.

Congrats to Elise Kova on another great story!
The Dragons of Nova is a great and solid sequel to The Alchemists of Loom, we continue to find out more information about this world where the story takes place and also more about the place where the dragons live, Nova; so of course the world building expands and Elise doesn't disappoint.

The book starts right after where the first one ended, so you know Cvareh and Arianna are going to Nova. She needs to be sure if she can trust the dragons, specifically Cvareh and her kin but that trip will also put our characters in difficult positions, secrets from the past will be revealed and then there's also their own feelings, so you know this is gonna be complicated. It was great to know more information about Ari's past, there's some interesting twists to the story and personally I truly enjoyed to read about how her relationship with Cvareh continues to unfold.

You also have some new POV's in this book, I won't say which they are to avoid spoilers buy they add to the story and it also lets you know what their motivations are, to get a bigger picture of it all.
And speaking of other characters I was also a fan of Florence on this book; it's great to see how she's gaining confidence and becoming quite a force to be reckoned it.

I will say The Dragons of Nova has a slower pace than the first book, there isn't as much action but rather intrigue and a bit of politics but I while I did miss some of the fights this wasn't boring, Elise's writing and the story kept me engaged and by the time the book ends I was wishing I had the third book because that one's gonna intense!! I cant wait!!
Completely recommended!!

Even better that the first book TDN, is an excellent sequel on Elise Kova's new fantasy series! Following straight from the events of the first book, Cvareh and Arianna arrive at the world of Nova, which resides above the mountains.
Falling into the politics of the Houses Arianna will have to find out about the traitor, fight to stay alive as also settle her feelings for Cvareh.

On the other hand, back in Loom, Florence tries to make the rebelion more active but there are differences and difficulties ahead. Not to mention hidden secrets and revelations for the Harvester Guld.

I enjoyed the world-building! It felt like I was transported into a high fantasy anime with colors and music on the background. I enjoyed the multiple POVs from all the characters, both good and evil, not to mention that I enjoyed Cvareh the most! Depsite the pace being a little slower than the first book, this one gave more detail to the character arcs and also a good setting for the third book, which I fear that will have far more tragic moments than this one!

Recommended if a good steampunk, hight fantasy setting is your flavor of reading! ;)

surprisingly, i was a little disappointed by this book. i really enjoyed the alchemists of loom, the world building and character development was amazing. however, the dragons of nova lacked that. there was a lot of character/chapter changes which made it hard to connect with the characters and really get into the story. it was as if i was reading the book but i didn't get into it. it's really weird because i usually love all of elise kova's works.

my biggest issue with the dragons of nova was definitely the chapter/pov changes. there were some characters that i couldn't remember from the first book, some that i didn't even like, and others where the storyline was just plain boring. i'm really not a fan of books with too many main characters. like, 2 or 3 is good, or stay first person so the reader doesn't get confused.

i absolutely loved the friendship between florence and arianna during the alchemists of loom, however we don't get any of that whatsoever in the dragons of nova. definitely a big disappointment. also, i didn't connect with florence as much as i had in the first book. maybe it's a reading slump, maybe it's the book. who knows.

although i loved the alchemists of loom, i don't think i'll like the rest of this series if it's going to be written like the dragons of nova was. it was a little too confusing and slow for my liking, but i've heard many good things about it. i wish i could've liked this book more as it was one of my most anticipated books.

ARC provided by Keymaster Press in exchange for an honest review.

1.) The Alchemists of Loom ★★★★

“She was Arianna the Rivet. She was the White Wraith. And she would not scream.”

I devoured this book in one day and one night. It was so whimsical and fantastic, but kept true to its steampunk roots. This book even surpasses The Alchemists of Loom tremendously, and you guys know I loved that. Like, this series is so under-hyped, but is so outstanding. It's unique, so very creative, beautifully written, completely captivating, and so very addicting.

If you guys are looking for a different kind of fantasy that sits right between YA and NA, please give this a shot. It for sure is mature YA, because this book does have sexy time, but it's not explicit or anything like that, but it is important to mention if that's something you're not comfortable with. But also don't go into this expecting A Court of Mist and Fury's sex scenes, but go into this knowing that it is an older YA book with mature themes that are amazingly written.

“But desire and love and forever were all separate mistresses.”

Book one, The Alchemists of Loom, mostly centers on the world of Loom and seeing how the people are pretty much slaves to the Dragons on Nova. Well, in this book we spend most of our time on Nova and we are able to see how many of the Dragons are not happy with the current ruler. It truly is desperate times for one Dragon house, and our main character, Ari, from Loom might be the only answer to save them.

So, this is book two in a series, but I will do my best to give a little summary, and a big breakdown, that doesn't give away too much, but still gives you a feel for this amazing world. This world that Elise Kova has built is so very intricate, detailed, and has some of the best world-building I've ever read in my life. Honestly, she amazes me and I'm not sure how she has done it, but at this point I'd read anything and everything by her.

There are Two Worlds, Separated by Clouds:
➽ Loom - The main setting of The Alchemists of Loom, and is home to Fenthri and Chimeras and their five guilds.
➽ Nova: The main setting of this book (we do get one amazing perspective on Loom in this book) and the Dragon homeland that is inhabited by three Dragon Houses.

There are Three Main Characters:
➽ Florence - Young Fenthri, whose story-line showcases what's going on in the heart of the guilds.
➽ Arianna/Ari - The main character, who is made up of nothing short of magic. She's strong, she's feared, she's opening bi-sexual on the page, and she's amazing.
➽ Cvareh - A Dragon in House Xin, who is trying to change the Dragon's hierarchy, while also owing Ari a boon of her choosing!


There are Three Races:
➽ Fenthri - Grey, black, white, the weakest of the three races, and have tattoos on their face depicting what guild they belong to.
➽ Dragon - A vast array of colors, very primal, can regrow most things from their bodies, have magical abilities, enslaved Loom and sees Fenthri as servants.
➽ Chimera - Fenthri with Dragon blood and/or organs. They are made by Alchemists, and are very strong.


The Three Dragon Houses:
➽ Rok - Red Dragons! Strongest house, and the Dragon King's House.
➽ Tam - Green Dragons! Second strongest house, and very aligned with House Rok.
➽ Xin - Blue Dragons! Weakest house.


The Five Guilds of Loom:
➽ Alchemists - Developed Chimeras, and the only guild to not be under the Dragon King's thumb.
➽ Rivets - Specializes in refining processes in steel mines and applications for gold.
➽ Revolvers - Explores all the uses for guns and explosives!
➽ Harvesters - Supplies all the bare materials to all the other guilds.
➽ Ravens - Moves people and goods all around Loom.

The Fenthri population is completely controlled on Loom, and these five guilds are something that is forced onto you at birth, without choice. It doesn't matter that you'd be better fit as an Alchemist, if you are chosen to be a Raven. You are given two tests, which you must pass or you will die, then you are branded with a face tattoo according with the guild are you in, and then you will work in alignment with the rest of the guilds granting the Dragons of Nova's demands.

This sparks an amazing discussion about who we are forced to be and who we truly are when we are able to accept ourselves for who we are. Florence, a Fenthri who is Ari's assistant, and who has completely won over my heart, has struggled with this her entire life. Her points of view were so amazing and so heartwarming and watching her grow and accept is one of the most beautiful storylines I've ever been blessed enough to read.

“Her value extended far beyond the marking on her cheek.”

There is also another very important discussion on how we see certain races as superior and how we build stereotypes and prejudices off of it. Not to get too political here, but this is a pretty close to home parallel for me, and I'd support any book that makes people think twice about judging others off their skin color or other physical characteristics that are unlike their own.

The other discussion statement that I love that this series makes is how women are the strongest force on any planet. This book has some strong female characters that are constantly represented amazingly. Ari is a wrecking force that I would never want to mess with. She continually shows how strong she is, while never having to prove her worth to anyone. Someone like Ari is so important for young girls to be reading about. She knows her limits, and will tell others when she is within them, she never backs down, while still acknowledging her mistakes, she loves and fights selflessly, and does all of this while not being that perfect cookie-cutter YA heroine.

“She bent before no man, woman, king, or queen—and most certainly no Dragon.”

This book has everything: political intrigue, romance, death duels, betrayals, gunslinging, technology, magic, and freakin' dragons! Like I said, it is for sure mature YA, with darker themes and some sexual content, but I feel like this is truly a unique gift to the YA genre.

Book three, The Rebels of Gold, comes out in December of this year and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

“For Loom, there is nothing she wouldn’t do.”ARC provided by Keymaster Press in exchange for an honest review.

1.) The Alchemists of Loom ★★★★

“She was Arianna the Rivet. She was the White Wraith. And she would not scream.”

I devoured this book in one day and one night. It was so whimsical and fantastic, but kept true to its steampunk roots. This book even surpasses The Alchemists of Loom tremendously, and you guys know I loved that. Like, this series is so under-hyped, but is so outstanding. It's unique, so very creative, beautifully written, completely captivating, and so very addicting.

If you guys are looking for a different kind of fantasy that sits right between YA and NA, please give this a shot. It for sure is mature YA, because this book does have sexy time, but it's not explicit or anything like that, but it is important to mention if that's something you're not comfortable with. But also don't go into this expecting A Court of Mist and Fury's sex scenes, but go into this knowing that it is an older YA book with mature themes that are amazingly written.

“But desire and love and forever were all separate mistresses.”

Book one, The Alchemists of Loom, mostly centers on the world of Loom and seeing how the people are pretty much slaves to the Dragons on Nova. Well, in this book we spend most of our time on Nova and we are able to see how many of the Dragons are not happy with the current ruler. It truly is desperate times for one Dragon house, and our main character, Ari, from Loom might be the only answer to save them.

So, this is book two in a series, but I will do my best to give a little summary, and a big breakdown, that doesn't give away too much, but still gives you a feel for this amazing world. This world that Elise Kova has built is so very intricate, detailed, and has some of the best world-building I've ever read in my life. Honestly, she amazes me and I'm not sure how she has done it, but at this point I'd read anything and everything by her.

There are Two Worlds, Separated by Clouds:
➽ Loom - The main setting of The Alchemists of Loom, and is home to Fenthri and Chimeras and their five guilds.
➽ Nova: The main setting of this book (we do get one amazing perspective on Loom in this book) and the Dragon homeland that is inhabited by three Dragon Houses.

There are Three Main Characters:
➽ Florence - Young Fenthri, whose story-line showcases what's going on in the heart of the guilds.
➽ Arianna/Ari - The main character, who is made up of nothing short of magic. She's strong, she's feared, she's opening bi-sexual on the page, and she's amazing.
➽ Cvareh - A Dragon in House Xin, who is trying to change the Dragon's hierarchy, while also owing Ari a boon of her choosing!


There are Three Races:
➽ Fenthri - Grey, black, white, the weakest of the three races, and have tattoos on their face depicting what guild they belong to.
➽ Dragon - A vast array of colors, very primal, can regrow most things from their bodies, have magical abilities, enslaved Loom and sees Fenthri as servants.
➽ Chimera - Fenthri with Dragon blood and/or organs. They are made by Alchemists, and are very strong.


The Three Dragon Houses:
➽ Rok - Red Dragons! Strongest house, and the Dragon King's House.
➽ Tam - Green Dragons! Second strongest house, and very aligned with House Rok.
➽ Xin - Blue Dragons! Weakest house.


The Five Guilds of Loom:
➽ Alchemists - Developed Chimeras, and the only guild to not be under the Dragon King's thumb.
➽ Rivets - Specializes in refining processes in steel mines and applications for gold.
➽ Revolvers - Explores all the uses for guns and explosives!
➽ Harvesters - Supplies all the bare materials to all the other guilds.
➽ Ravens - Moves people and goods all around Loom.

The Fenthri population is completely controlled on Loom, and these five guilds are something that is forced onto you at birth, without choice. It doesn't matter that you'd be better fit as an Alchemist, if you are chosen to be a Raven. You are given two tests, which you must pass or you will die, then you are branded with a face tattoo according with the guild are you in, and then you will work in alignment with the rest of the guilds granting the Dragons of Nova's demands.

This sparks an amazing discussion about who we are forced to be and who we truly are when we are able to accept ourselves for who we are. Florence, a Fenthri who is Ari's assistant, and who has completely won over my heart, has struggled with this her entire life. Her points of view were so amazing and so heartwarming and watching her grow and accept is one of the most beautiful storylines I've ever been blessed enough to read.

“Her value extended far beyond the marking on her cheek.”

There is also another very important discussion on how we see certain races as superior and how we build stereotypes and prejudices off of it. Not to get too political here, but this is a pretty close to home parallel for me, and I'd support any book that makes people think twice about judging others off their skin color or other physical characteristics that are unlike their own.

The other discussion statement that I love that this series makes is how women are the strongest force on any planet. This book has some strong female characters that are constantly represented amazingly. Ari is a wrecking force that I would never want to mess with. She continually shows how strong she is, while never having to prove her worth to anyone. Someone like Ari is so important for young girls to be reading about. She knows her limits, and will tell others when she is within them, she never backs down, while still acknowledging her mistakes, she loves and fights selflessly, and does all of this while not being that perfect cookie-cutter YA heroine.

“She bent before no man, woman, king, or queen—and most certainly no Dragon.”

This book has everything: political intrigue, romance, death duels, betrayals, gunslinging, technology, magic, and freakin' dragons! Like I said, it is for sure mature YA, with darker themes and some sexual content, but I feel like this is truly a unique gift to the YA genre.

Book three, The Rebels of Gold, comes out in December of this year and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

“For Loom, there is nothing she wouldn’t do.”

Woooow, Elise Kova does it yet again with this followup to The Alchemists of Loom. This book has it ALL--romance, action, political intrigue, and plot twist after plot twist. It's definitely a sequel that rides off the high of book one and manages to be so much MORE. No second book syndrome here!

I love what Elise Kova does and I was more than happy to have this book before it release.

I think what I like most about this book is his universe, after discovering Loom, we are in Nova. The Dragons's lifestyle is very different from the one in Loom. Luxury is present, beauty is what is most important and "Things are not always as they seem" represents the atmosphere of this world since each person shows a facade while the political games are at the heart of the inhabitants's lives. I was delighted to discover this world, to see the ruthless played to reach power or to keep it.

For our characters, I think Florence is the character that evolves the most, she grows and becomes independent, she knows her strengths and use it, I liked this evolution. However, I find Ariana very passive, she is stuck on Nova and can not really act, while she was independent and fighting on Loom, I found her more withdrawn and as a result she seems to lose some strength . Cvareh is back in his element, and we discover a new facade of him, but he keeps his kindness and his desire to help his relatives, although his relationship with Ariana will complicate everything.

As for the plot, this book suffers from the syndrome of the second novel, the plot is slowed down a bit to redistribute the cards before the final in book three. That did not stop me from having a good time, but I was perhaps a little less in the story compared to the first novel. However, the universe is just as interesting, the action is still present and I had a good time with the characters. It is a solid continuation that will please the readers of the first volume.