3.5 stars
I haven't read the main trilogy yet, but after reading this short story I can say that I am really curious and that I hope to start the series really soon!
The story is short, but it leaves you wanting more, the worldbuilding is magical and interesting. I need to know more about it, because it is complex and so full of interesting things! And the characters were intriguing. I think that you would have enjoyed them more if you have read the main trilogy beforehand, but they are intriguing, they seem quite complex, real and a great, even if original and with some issues, couple. So yeah, I need more and I need it now!!!

Thuan brings his husband Asmodeus home for the Lunar New Year expecting some awkward family reunions and a great deal of feasting. Instead, to Asmodeus’ great interest and delight, they come across a murdered corpse. Thuan is significantly less enthusiastic about this development than his husband but agrees to be pulled into the murder investigation in order to protect his family against a coup.

Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders is a Vietnamese inspired fantasy that takes place after the third book in Dominion of the Fallen, though it’s easy to read as a standalone as I myself did. Aliette de Bodard struck an excellent balance of writing an easy entry point to the series while also referencing worldbuilding aspects and past occurrences that (I assume) serve as Easter eggs for those who have read the previous trilogy and as a motivation to do so for those (like me) who have not.

The only major thing I felt I was missing in reading this as a standalone is the manner of the relationship between Thuan and Asmodeus. (Did they marry for love or politics? How long have they been together?) But this only made me more intrigued by their interactions. Thuan and Asmodeus fall under the adage of “opposites attract,” one being a bookish dragon prince and the other rather stabby fallen angel. Their snarky disagreements and distrustfulness are underlain with loyalty and concern, and this dynamic was made even more entertaining by de Bodard’s skill with dialogue.

This novella has a steady pace but not a great deal of suspense considering that mystery is central to the plot. To me, the consequences of failing to solve the mystery felt a bit abstract, primarily impacting a lot of people that we’ve never met rather than our protagonists. Yet, I was impressed by the subtlety of right and wrong that was brought to light through the investigation. As Thuan and Asmodeus encounter a number of different perspectives, they realize just how delicate a balance the court is maintaining, and that more than one side has a valid grievance.

If you have yet to read Dominion of the Fallen, this 80-page novella is great way to try out de Bodard’s writing before committing to a full novel. It’s also a great read if you’re not interested the trilogy but do feel up for a delightful murder mystery interspersed with romance and political intrigue.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the heck out of this novella! I'm going to be honest. I haven't read the series that this novella belongs to but I was assured that it could standalone. And while I think it did a good job of that, I feel like I could have appreciated it more if I'd read the original series. I still loved it a lot though!

I found the worldbuilding and characters in this to be intriguing! It was nice reading a story set around an established married couple especially since their dynamic can be summed up as the murder husband and the bookish one. Want to take a guess about who saves the day?

The mystery was intriguing and filled with murder which I'm kind of here for. I immediately went and bought the first book of the trilogy after finishing this novella because I have an unholy need to learn more about this world as well as Asmodeus and Thuan and House Hawthorn. This story just upended my reading plans and I'm not even mad about it.

For some reason I haven’t yet read the Dominion of the Fallen series, starting with The House of Shattered Wings, despite it having been on my TBR for some time. I mean, Fallen angels and a post-apocalyptic war in Paris between great Houses led by said angels? Sign me up!

Having read and enjoyed the earlier short story, Children of Thorns, Children of Water (also from NetGalley, thanks!), I jumped at the chance to read this latest short, despite being set after book three. It can be read as a standalone, although I imagine there would be huge amounts more to understand if you were keeping up with the series. For instance, where the Dragons came into it all…!

Ooh, but they were great! We’re not talking Game of Thrones-style beasts, but more the Chinese kind of dragons, who can shape-shift into human form. And, indeed, form relationships with Fallen angels…!

Of Dragons… takes place when Thuan takes his husband, Asmodeus, back home to the underwater kingdom of the Seine for the Lunar New Year. It isn’t long before a corpse kicks off an investigation into … well, I suppose I should leave the rest to the reader ;)

Despite having little context, I didn’t struggle to understand the story – although it does act as a teaser into what must be a much, much bigger story and world. I’m not sure if we’ve seen much of the Dragon kingdom(s?) prior to this, but it was such a gorgeously created world, even in under a hundred pages. It feels alien and magical, and steeped in rich history. The mystery of the story is wrapped up well, but the world-building is the real joy.

Now, excuse me while I bump book one much, much higher up the TBR mountain!

Well... I love this so much. I haven't read the Dominion of the Fallen series but I've gone straight out to get it. This novella is fabulous and you don't have to have read the series to understand what is going on. And gosh, so much is going on. The language and scene setting is so beautifully described, that when I think back on the worldbuilding I just see magnificent colors! I don't know how the author Aliette De Bodard does it but is it simply stunning. And this - a murder mystery full of political intrigue, spies, and machinations of royalty and status with fantasy elements and dragons is right up my alley and I love it. In fact, I got to the end and was annoyed it was a novella because I wanted to keep reading! I recommend it highly. (Now I'm off to read the series!)

2.5 stars. I'd been meaning to try this author for a while since her name keeps cropping up in my favourite genres.

Unfortunately this novella tying into an existing series was perhaps not the best kind of introduction. I've not read any of the Dominion of the Fallen books but had hoped this might stand on its own well enough to whet my appetite; turns out I found most of it pretty inaccessible if not actively confusing. (Looking at other reviews, though, there seem to be plenty of first-time readers who did not have this issue, so this might well just be me).

There were things I enjoyed, for sure - the Vietnamese-inspired world-building is fascinating and the descriptions lush and evocative. The underwater empire setting was weird but gorgeous, and I liked the hints we got of the alternative magical Paris that is the main characters' usual abode. There's also some unique magic floating around.

There were, however, aspects of the world-building I struggled with - the main characters are a fallen angel and a prince who is a dragon shifter? Who can partially shift so you see both the dragon and the human? And the dragon has... antlers? And all the other characters are also shifters into either dragons or aquatic animals, including... crabs and dolphins and orcas? But, y'know, human. IDK, anytime the shifting came into play, I just really struggled with what the hell I was meant to be picturing and ended up with some pretty bizarre visuals. (She's a crab! She's a woman! Both! Simultaneously! Picture more crab! Yikes, no, less crab... ok, try just, like, a human with some carapace? And pincers? No, that looks bonkers. Try picturing them both, maybe? Sort of overlapping faintly? Great, now I have a headache.)

I also did not find the characters themselves or their connection particularly accessible - they sure seem like interesting people but I forever felt like I was missing all the context for their relationship or why certain actions and behaviours were meaningful. As a result, none of the intrigue and danger of the court schemes seemed to have particularly high stakes because I simply didn't feel invested enough. I understand that is a risk with reading a novella set in an existing world but I did feel it could have done a much better job drawing in newbies.

I do want to try this author again but next time I'll maybe start at the beginning.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another murder mystery by Aliette de Bodard? Especially set during Tet and featuring one of my favorite knife-stabby heroes? Yes, please. This is set after the end of the trilogy, though I read this without having read the last book (oops). The characters and enough background is given, though, that this could easily be read as a standalone if you’re just here for the murder plot.

“His only assets were a resourceful thief who wasn’t supposed to be his retainer, and a husband whose ideas of getting things done was finding someone to hurt.”


Thuan just wants to enjoy – or at least survive – his trip home for Tet with his husband Asmodeus. But when he’s dragged into a plot against his Second Aunt, the empress, can the bookish one keep the stabby one from whisking them away before he can save the dynasty?

“Poor sweet dragon prince. I’m finding this rather exciting, but you’re angry and terrified, aren’t you?”


I love the Viet-influenced underwater dragon kingdom and how quickly (this is an 80 page novella!) the author managed to sketch out the various political intrigues going on in the palace along with their involved characters. Thuan’s grandmother, who thinks Asmodeus is a sweetheart, is reason enough to read this novella. It’s also worth noting that while the main couple is obviously gay, many of the side characters are also queer. It does get dark, as court intrigues often have more far-reaching and tragic fallout than those ensconced in the palaces care about. And that’s without noting that Asmodeus himself, as a Fallen angel, is very much into the whole pain/torture/domination thing. Thuan knows that his family and his kingdom aren’t perfect – he’s lived through it, after all – but having those things pointed out to him by Asmodeus is still grating.

Overall, I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Aliette de Bodard, and this is no exception. It definitely makes me want to jump in to a reread of Dominion of the Fallen.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

At the end of this brilliant novella I knew I had to read the rest of the series because I wanted to read other stories involving this great characters and this amazing world.
Everything is perfect: the pace, the plot, the world building and the characters.
Even if it's part of a series I throughly enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I definitely had hoped to start the Dominion of the Fallen series last month before I got to this novella, but I’ve been in a very unfortunate reading slump for a while now. But I’m thankful I was able to finish this one and it being short and interesting definitely helped.

While I’m completely unfamiliar with the Parisian world of the original trilogy, I didn’t feel very lost in this new dragon realm. The descriptions of the world as well as the different kinds of creatures who exist here, as well as the seamless integration of Viet culture was all very beautifully done and it’s definitely one reason I’m looking forward to reading more of the author’s works. While the resolution of the murder mystery itself didn’t take very long, the author managed to keep the stakes very high despite the low page count and I enjoyed it.

But the best part was definitely the way the characters interacted with each other. Thuan is a dragon prince who married out and had some unpleasant experiences in court before, but he is still a kind, bookish soul and feels loyal towards his family. He is also an idealist and wishes to do things the right way, even if they are not always practical. That’s why his ruthless fallen angel husband Asmodeus is perfectly complementary with his much more pragmatic outlook and absolute certainty in protecting what’s his. The relationship dynamics between them is fascinating and the dialogue/banter is just a delight to read and I just kept wishing that we would get a much more longer version of their story. The other character who is written very well is the Empress Dowager (Thuan’s grandmother) and even contemplating what she and Asmodeus might do if they team up sends shudders down my spine, but I’m sure it’ll be a very fun but murderous story.

Overall, this was a fun murder mystery novella that works well as a stand-alone but definitely leaves you wanting to know more about this world as well as the characters. It’s a good mix of banter, court intrigue and protocols as well as some subtle commentary about the need for rooting out corruption and changing the existing status quo when it’s not working for the people. I hope I get out of my slump completely very soon so that I can get started with the original trilogy. And I would recommend it to anyone who is finding it hard these days to read big fantasy books but still want to experience a new world in few pages.

"Ten thousand victories, a single harmony"

Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders is set in the world of Dominion of the Fallen, and it's a short novelette, which I literally read in one sitting.
I haven;t read the trilogy, but it said it's a standalone, so I decided to give it a try. Plus the fact it's set in a Vietnamese- inspired world / we don't get many of those in the genre / completely convinced me.
Granted- you don't need to have read the books to get into that one, but I'm sure it'll give you more understanding of the relationship between the characters if you have.
Speaking of characters- now I know who the words "kissing, sarcasm and stabbing" in the blurb were referring to .
Asmodeus - you scare me, yet I'm very intrigued by you.
To the extent that I really, really wanted to know how the two main characters got to the point where they are now.

The world is very rich, imaginative, and all that threatens to become confusing, considering the length of the book, but it definitely wasn't.
I'm interested in more from the author.
I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in a face-paced read with a pinch of court intrigue, politics and magic.
Oh, and dragons.

Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders is set in Aliette de Bodard's Dominion of the Fallen universe, but it's really apart from the main plot (at least as far as the first two books go -- I haven't read the third, yet). It's a standalone, so you don't need to have read the series, but it may enhance things a little bit and crack open the motivations of the main characters a little more. It follows Thuan and Asmodeus, rulers of Hawthorn House, on a visit to Thuan's family -- a dragon court in a Vietnamese style, rather than the post-apocalyptic Paris that the main series focuses on. Thuan is a bookish sweetie; Asmodeus is a sadistic murderer. They love each other very much. Do they trust each other? Rather less.

It's a rather fascinating pairing, as it happens: they have very different outlooks, and different motivations -- their interests and their aims don't always align. It makes for an interesting tension between the two and within the story, which involves a murder at court which Thuan must unravel, to prevent his dynasty from being unseated from the throne.

I found it all really enjoyable, particularly in the exploration of the balance and tension between them. For me, as someone who has read part of the main series, it's also an opportunity to see a bit more of the world, but I don't think that's a requirement. The traditional mystery of the dead body itself isn't much of one, really; the question is not so much whodunnit, or even howdunnit or whydunnit, but a question of how Thuan will use it to unpick the greater issue of the attack on his family.

And let's face it, there are just some really great lines. I love Asmodeus as a "sweet, murderous delight", in particular.

This is the first book by this author that I have read, and I must say I really enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and well developed, the pace was fabulous, and the premise of the story was unique. After this I will be reading more by this author.

When I got approved for the new stabby stabby angel daddy novella by Aliette de Bodard, I was elated. It's gay, there's murder, Nan wants great grandkids - there's literally nothing not to like.

Asmodeus will forever be the kind of person who will stab first and ask questions later kind of guy. He's immortal and a bit set in his ways. He can be persuaded to stab you and ask questions simultaneously, but really, you wouldn't want that. Horrible experience. You can ask all the corpses of the people he's buried, they really didn't enjoy it.

Thuan is my sweet little cinnamon roll. Forever worried about perception of strength and angering people. He's adorable, but in no way meek. He didn't marry his murderhusband because he was a pushover. This man will absolute annihilate you, he'll just have you thinking that's it for the best you're no longer breathing or in power.

*sigh*

I love them.

And I really enjoyed this book.

WE HAVE POLITICS. AND MORE POLITICS. AND POLITICS. Ugh. It gets to me. It's like drugs, but so much better for you. One hint of a political, deep dive into fantasy society with murder and romance and I'm hooked. IV drip right into the vein. No questions asked. Gimme.

The best thing about this novella though is that if people buy it (and you should) we'll get more😍

Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders was a brilliant little novella. Despite technically being part of a larger series, it functioned very well as a standalone, touching on concepts from the previous novels while also providing a plot that stood independently.

The story follows our protagonist, the Vietnamese dragon prince Thuan and his prickly, amoral Fallen Angel husband, Asmodeus. The pair have returned to the palace of Thuan's childhood to celebrate Lunar New year, and are immediately beset by a twisted web of court intrigue spurred by the mysterious murder of a palace resident.

The action is well-paced and balanced with delightful character interludes--Asmodeu's having tense tea with his in-laws, Thuan reminiscing about his childhood in the magnificent underwater palace. The world-building, as is usual in Bodard's work--is unparalleled, as she blends together Vietnamese mythology, oceanic imagery, and original ideas to create a setting that bursts with life despite the short length of the story. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Asmodeus and Thuan-- though they could stand for some relationship counseling at times. I'm a sucker for relationship where one of the pair is kind and thoughtful and bookish the other is more "stab first, ask questions later" but still fiercely protective of their significant other.

I was also struck by meaning both implicit and explicit captured in such few pages--Thuan's cognitive dissonance regarding his culture and upbringing in the face of injustice, Van's bravery despite the horror of her situation, even Asmodeus--sadistic and an awful menace to his enemies in the best of times--is unshakable in purporting the importance of consent and protecting his dependents. All together I found Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders to be a pleasantly unexpected read that has motivated me to pick up the first 'Dominion of the Fallen' novel as soon as possible in order to return to this fascinating world.

Synopsis: Lunar New Year festival is approaching in the domain of the Vietnamese dragons. Dragon prince Thuan and his Fallen Angel husband Asmodeus come to this underwater realm to celebrate with the High Court family. Instead, they get entangled in a murder investigation and in the court intrigues.

“An investigation? Into matters of disloyalty? With powers to ignore the constraints of the law?” Asmodeus looked like a child who’d just been handed a red envelope full of unexpected money. “I stand corrected. This might be rather less boring a stay than I’d thought.”

Review: This spinoff of Bodard's Dominion of the Fallen trilogy is a standalone novella. I haven't read the novels, but another spinoff novelette, The Death of Aiguillon, back in 2015, as well as several other of her short stories in different settings. Bodard never let me down so far, and this novella is not only promising but indeed very satisfying. The plot line is interesting and comes to a fine conclusion. The ever nearly exploding, sarcastic, loyal, and dark Asmodeus remembers me of Amazon's series Lucifer. Although I'm not a fan of romance fantasy, his queer relationship with his opposite character Thuran is quite entertaining; I'm just somewhat unsure if I'd qualify it as gay, because they are not really males, right? The author's beautiful prose draws me into the stunning Vietnamese setting with court extravagances and byzanthine rules. The story discussed also deeper themes like abuse of power, justice, and loyalty which gave me something more on the way than just the plot - this adds an additional star to the otherwise good story.

A delightful, entertaining story, which I highly recommend.

Set in the same world as her Dominion of the Fallen trilogy, a world filled with Fallen angels and dragons, I was all too eager to read another story in this magical, gothic Paris, especially when it’s about two unlike husbands tackling a murder investigation.

And what a delightful tale of a bookish dragon prince, and his murderous husband it turned out to be. I’m always here for more married couples, and Thuan and Asmodeus’ dynamics had me grinning from ear to ear. There’s just nothing that beats that kind of relationship, especially the hard-edged, brutal-seeming guy being all protective over his husband, ready to just grab him and run back home. Also: trouble at court and (kind of) outsiders having to navigate the politics while trying to solve a murder, made even better if one of the husbands has to keep the other from murdering someone as well? Right up my alley.

Of Dragons, Feats and Murders is yet another great novella by one of my favorite authors. Stabbing, swoon-worthy kissing and banter in a Vietnamese inspired world, this novella has everything I need.

I’ve never read this author before, and this novella was my first foray into her works. I have to admit that as I haven’t read the others in this series it was a little difficult at first to figure out the character dynamics and the world. However, once I did, I became invested in the story. The writing struck me as almost lyrical and sort of reminded me of the era of Downtown Abbey even though it doesn’t take place in that era. I am intrigued enough I do want to start the series from the beginning to see how everyone got to this point. Nice writing, interesting characters, and an engaging world equal a great book. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Je remercie NetGalley pour l’opportunité de recevoir ce livre.

Je commence par avertir les personnes en quête de romance de s’abstenir si c’est la seule chose recherchée. En effet, nous avons un couple déjà établi, Tuhan et Asmodeus qui n’ont plus a se prouver leur amour et donc ne prend que 5% à peine du livre.

Ceci mis à part, même si je dois avouer que j’étais venue pour un peu de romance quand même, ce livre est plutôt bien mais n’a pas été un coup de coeur du tout. Je pense que cela vient surtout du fait que c’est un tome 3,5 d’une trilogie de Fantasy qui est plutôt dense. Donc je me suis un peu perdue dans les noms, d’origine asiatique, mais aussi dans l’arbre généalogique de Tuhan.

En revanche, l’intrigue était plutôt bien tenue et tenait la route, même s’il y a eu pas mal de longueurs et d'incompréhensions de ma part...

En résumer, j’ai bien aimé ce livre, mais sans plus car je n’ai pas réussi à entrer dans l’univers.

Maëë

This is definitely a book you have to read the rest of the series for. I, unfortunately, had not. It was generally enjoyable without the context, I suppose, but I spent most of the time extremely lost and there were questions I had that were just not answered. I assume they are addressed in other books. It was well written, but I would definitely say don't read unless you've read the rest!

I received a copy of this book, thank you to the publisher and author, in exchange for a fair an honest review.

This book had an awesome title and I was attracted to the story because of it. This was my first book by this author, and consequently, this particular universe she has built. The first thing you will notice is what will be a change of pace for most fans of the genre, Vietnamese names for characters mixed in with dragons. This book is a novella, but Aliette de Bodard is known for this length of story and executes it well. I appreciated the craft of the story, which is a bit of a murder mystery. If you imagine Naomi Novik's Temeraire series crossed with Sherlock Holmes, that was the vibe I got from this. That said, I am more a fan of fantasy then mystery, but there were elements of that here too. This book could be a good entry point into this author, as it was for me. Though it didn't hit my sweet spot, I liked the characters and the story, and think anyone who likes both mystery and fantasy should check this out.