Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Rating: 3.5 stars
Rep: m/m relationship, Vietnamese mc.

"Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders" is my second Aliette de Bodard read, the first being "In the Vanishers Palace" and it's safe to say that she writes highly intriguing books with the best premises! This novel features a bookish dragon and his morally grey fallen angel husband as they solve a murder.

I haven't read the previous books in this series, though I know you can read this as a stand-alone, and while it does work on its own, I think I would've liked this a lot more if I'd read the previous books as I was a bit confused at times.

Things I liked:
-I adore books that feature established relationships. While the relationship between Thuan & Asmodeus wasn't what I was expecting, I still loved their characters nonetheless.
-Queernorm world! m/m and f/f relationships were mentioned so casually, no homophobia whatsoever.
-This is advertised as "High Gothic meets C-drama in a Vietnamese inspired world" and I think that's brilliant and sums it up perfectly.

Things I wasn't a fan of:
-The writing style wasn't really for me at times, as this is under 100 pages I should've got through it in under 2 hours but this one ended up taking me a while.
-While I really liked Thuan & Asmodeus as individuals, I'm not sure I liked their relationship, it's hard to gauge when they were snapping and fighting with each other for most of the book.


Overall, I highly recommend this novella if you like morally grey, diverse characters, Vietnamese inspired fantasy and a gripping plot!

This is a wonderful little novella especially if you are interested in dipping your toe in this series or any series by Aliette de Bodard. The court intrigue and underwater world is amazing to behold and I feel like de Bodard’s world building is absolutely one of her strengths as well as characterization. It’s also so lovely to read and effortlessly queer story with queer main characters as well as secondary characters. So many fantasy novels are default straight and there’s one queer character thrown in as an afterthought but this series it’s almost the opposite. More queernormative fantasy romance please! Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a delightful short read - there was an intriguing murder mystery, and I love the world Aliette has created. It was also great to see more of the relationship between Thuan and Asmodeus, who is still as loveable as ever. I really enjoyed reading this.

I have not read the Dominion of the Fallen series, I requested this ARC because I read The Teamaster and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard and was very impressed by it.
I think this is perfectly readable even if you have not read the trilogy before. The characters are vivid and believable, the dragon court and its mystery engaging.
I think I want to pick up all the other books in this series now.

Thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

So... a gay dragon, a gay fallen angel and a crab lady walk into a room...

This was a very fun murder mystery novella, rife with interesting political and Vietnamese cultural references. I will definitely be reading the other books involving the Diplomatic Husband and the Stabby Husband.

Well, this was a delight. I admit I didn't get far in The House of Shattered Wings because I had started it without realizing that it was essentially post-apocalyptic sci-fi, while the blurb had made me expect something more fantasy-ish.

Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders can easily be read without knowing the main books, and it actually felt very different to me. It's not set in the post-apocalyptic of House of Shattered Wings but in a Vietnamese-inspired empire where the apocalypse clearly hasn't stopped the scheming and backstabbing at court. And who doesn't enjoy some backstabbing? Well, clearly someone was a fan of it in the non-metaphorical sense, which is why there's a dead body lying around. And dragon prince Thuan and his husband Asmodeus (who himself considers stabbing a reasonable approach to problem-solving but holds himself back because he knows Thuan is not a fan) have to find out whodunit. And they do while navigating through court politics, doing some amusing squabbling with each other...and saving a damsel in distress, which admittedly was all a bit much (especially for a novella that's more on the short side). I admit that at times I almost lost sight of the main mystery. But that didn't really stop me from enjoying it (what can I say? The squabbling was really amusing. Also dragons).

My Rating : 3.75🌟
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Kindle/ Netgalley/ June2020
Thank you so much Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
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This book follows our main characters Thuan and Asmodeous where they try to uncover a killing and try to navigate the politics of the contrast courts.
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First, I loved that name and the cover and I requested the book without realising this was a novella and that too for a trilogy. But I didn't feel that once I started reading the book. It would have given me more insight to the characters and their personalities if I have read the trilogy, but I was still able to grasp the situation and the characters had their own unique personality to them. I loved the way they co trast and compliment each other and how they work.
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Second, I absolutely loved the politics and the way the dialogues were written with an underlying meaning and how Thuan tried so very hard to keep his high spirited husband at bay! It was funny yet I felt bad for him ! Asmodeous is a strong, sarcastic yet a dominating character and I loved his presence. The subtle way(That means not so subtle😂) the characters interacted with their surprise guest was hilarious!
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Coming to the story line and pacing, I loved the setting of the story in this novella. Thuan getting to see his old home, Asmodeous trying to fit in, and Thuan realizing his worth because of his husband. It's so heartwarming! It was steadily paced, and I finished this book in a single sitting!
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Overall, this book had everything I wanted, dragons, shifters, magic, royal politics, head strong husbands, annoying decision making, established relationship, kidnapping and a rescue by the prince charming ! I'm definitely going to read the trilogy now that I've read the novella!

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. I was so excited to re-immerse myself in the Dominion of the Fallen world, and Thuan and Asmodeus’s relationship remains a prickly delight. This novella takes them to the dragon kingdom to investigate a murder mystery during Lunar New Year. I adored seeing Asmodeus bond with the Empress over their love of murdering, while Thuan desperately tries to hold things together in a diplomatic manner. I’m thrilled that Aliette de Bodard has continued writing in this universe, and I think it would be an enjoyable read even if one hadn’t read the trilogy.

Sometimes, you just need the good shit, straight into your veins. And kids, after *gestures vaguely at 2020 at large*, this was a genuine dose of sunshine. Having to go to the extended family for the holidays (in this case, Vietnamese New Year) is always interesting and awkward. Even more so, in this case, when you and your husband are roped into solving a murder and there’s hella court intrigue. And throw in the fact that our two main characters are a lawful good dragon prince and his fallen angel chaotic neutral husband, and you have a fantastic time in your hands. Asmodeus and Thuan have always been one of the surprise dark horses of the larger series they’re from (Dominion of the Fallen), so to see them get the spotlight here is fantastic. And even if you don’t know the larger series they’re from, you can drop in with only this and decide whether to go read the larger series. (You absolutely should, btw.) this is a novella, so the read goes fairly quick, but you’ll be smiling and occasionally straight up punching the air with the mood it sets. Plus, just a straight up good murder mystery.

Treat yourself. You deserve it.

This was so much fun! Definitely one of those gems I'm delighted to have received as an ARC, because I never would have picked it up otherwise and now I have a new author and series to devour. It was a tangle at first, with so many Vietnamese names, clothing styles, etc, and the complex political structure and rules, but once I got that sorted in my head I was fully immersed. The sheer inventiveness was a delight: a turn-of-the-century Paris decaying after a magic war, a likewise-mildewing Vietnamese dragon kingdom under the Seine, a dangerous and sarcastic fallen angel and his bookish dragon prince husband, and a murder mystery that threatens the ruling family.

Will review on amazon and b&n on publish date

Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders is a novella as fun as its title is long. While short, I enjoyed it. I haven't read the series that this novella is attached to, but I was assured this was standalone by people I trust. It is true, this is standalone. However, I do feel like I would have gotten more out of it had I already been attached to the characters and knew their story. So I am thinking of reading the rest of the series as a result.

Thuan, also known as the bookish husband, cares about family, and he has brought his husband with him to meet his family on the Lunar New Year. His husband, Asmodeus, also known as the stabby husband, isn't really into this but is willing to play along. Until a corpse shows up outside their rooms. Then Asmodeus finds the entire thing incredibly interesting as he goes off trying to solve who did it, while Thuan is left trying to play diplomat in a nest full of vipers. Which he doesn't care for.

I enjoyed this because the relationship dynamic between the two characters was different than I expected it to be. The political machinations helped, and I liked the final message they had, too. This was an entertaining murder mystery romance political machination book with sarcasm. It has made me curious about the rest of the series.

ARC received from the publisher on Netgalley. This did not affect my review.

So charming! This novella has 3 things that could be put into a triangle to summon me:

-An Asian-inspired fantasy world
-A murder mystery
-A tense m/m romance

I haven't read the main trilogy but this novella is meant to be a standalone anyway. What intrigues me the most is the relationship between our protagonists Thuan and Asmodeus. Thuan is a quiet, bookish man who believes in doing the right thing; but he's been married off to a foreign royal because he's too far down in the inheritance ladder. Asmodeus is violent, sadistic, and selfish; but he will protect his own.

The small bit we saw of their relationship made me want to read the rest of the books to truly understand how they met and how things progress afterwards. Thuan and Asmodeus vehemently disagree on important things (and I admit, despite my fondness for asshole characters, I rooted for Thuan the whole time. Maybe it's an Asian thing; Asmodeus does not understand filial piety or the necessity of saving face. He does not understand sacrifice) and yet they're happily married and very much in love. There is very little softness between them. I was internally yelling at Asmodeus to please help your husband for once, oh my god but that just makes it interesting since I'm not used to this dynamic.

As for the murder mystery, it's more of a political plot. Not many twists and turns given the short length of the book, but I was satisfied.

The characters are definitely memorable! I really want to see what happens afterwards.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free e-copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To reassure anyone, “Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders” does indeed work as a stand-alone. The dialogue is quite honestly the most magnetic thing and somehow an established couple who clearly care about each other very much and aren’t about to divorce have a will-they-won’t-they tension. The imperial court is predictably tense but the story doesn’t follow a stereotypical pattern... which is almost all I can say with no spoilers side from: you will be satisfied.

I had heard a lot about this book, and even though I hadn’t read the original series (something I will be rectifying asap) I leapt at the chance to read this one and to be honest, I was sold at Dragon Prince and Fallen Angel. As a newcomer to this world, I found that it worked wonderfully as a standalone, although I did feel that I missed out on some nuance from not having read the series, and I will reread this one again once I have to see what a difference it makes.

This was such an entertaining read from start to finish, and I couldn’t put it down. The main reason was the relationship and interactions between Asmodeus and Thuan, who seem like they should be completely at odds, and are yet perfect together and complement one another. There was loyalty and devotion to their relationship and a maturity that made it so believable, without either losing their individuality for the sake of the other or those around them. I adored Asmodeus from the start, his sarcasm and his way of seeing the world around him were fantastic, and the protectiveness of his own household and I loved how utterly unapologetic he was about being himself. Thuan, on the other hand, was a lot gentler, more responsible and more willing to play by the rules. Honestly, they had so many moments throughout the entire story, that had me falling in love with them and their relationship.

The murder mystery aspect of the story was well done, although without some of the usual tension and urgency that you would find in such a tale. However, that is a credit to the book – because it reflected not only the investigators, with their own interests and issues – such as Asmodeus having a clear desire to return home, but also that the murder mystery was only part of a larger, overarching plot and so it’s not just a simple case of ‘whodunnit’, and therefore the tension came from the wider questions.

That was what stood out for me about this book, that beneath the wonderful characters and relationships, and the fun, there were deeper themes of justice and the question of power. With brewing rebellion, lies and court politics, there were layers upon layers to this story.

This is a gem of a story set in the Dominion of the Fallen universe - could be read outside of the series but is much richer if you have some background to this world.
Two of my favourite characters are here - Thuan the bookish dragon prince #ihatecourtpolitics and his ruthless husband Asmodeus #nevergetinhisway. They are off to celebrate Tet or the Lunar New Year in the dragon court and are soon entangled in plots, subterfuge and a little light stabbing. Dialogue is sparkling, reminiscent of the best Regency romances but with a side order of murder, court etiquette and misdirection.
It was fabulous to immerse myself back in this world and I the exploration of cultural divides.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC and please go read! All views are my own.

Hell, this was DELIGHTFUL.

Thank you for approving me for this ARC.
Please read my full review at:
https://somanybooksnighty.wordpress.com/2020/06/06/arc-review-of-dragons-feasts-and-murders-dominion-of-the-fallen-3-5-by-aliette-de-bodard/

I haven't read any of the novels (yet), but this is the fourth of the shorter stories in this series that I have. Enough of a stand-alone to be satisfying with just knowledge of the basic premise. Lyrical and visually dynamic prose, with unique, complex characters,

Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders by Aliette De Bodard- A tale of deadly court intrigue and murder. Thuan is a prince who has returned the High Court for a annual celebration only to find deception and murder. He is a shape-shifter and can turn into a flying dragon a will. Tasked with solving this crime, he enlists the aid of his husband, Asmodeus, dark, self-centered, almost feral lord. Along the way, they are distracted by lies, death threats, and the conflicting formal rules of courtly manners. A rebellion is brewing and they seem to be right smack in the middle. A very literate fantasy with exceptional depth and beautiful prose. No one captures this style and form better. I recommend it completely

3.5 stars

I liked it! It’s my first Aliette de Bodard and while it's meant to work as a standalone, I missed out on a lot of nuance/magical worldbuilding explanation by not reading the previous books first. I was a bit confused by the couple dynamic, particularly by Asmodeus. It's clear that he likes doling out torture/fear, and I felt like I lacked crucial backstory about the fallen angels and Parisian houses.

All of which to say: this novella is fun, but maybe not the best starting point in the series because it leads to many unanswered questions (things I'm sure would've been answered in previous books). This confusion affected my enjoyment a little bit, but I still liked the novella. Hence the 3.5 stars! I am now really interested in going through de Bodard's backlist because the writing was great.

- Married couple featuring a bookish dragon prince and his fallen angel husband.
- Bringing home your murderous husband for the holidays (Lunar New Year) to a royal dragon family gathering can get... complicated with murder and threats to undermine the royal dynasty.
- Investigation of political conspiracy that seeks to topple the Vietnamese underwater dragon royal dynasty (a secret society is trying to show that the Mandate of Heaven for the current empress has been withdrawn).
- Lots and lots of queer characters, both main and side. I think... almost everyone is queer? I loved it.

This novella was marketed to me as “High Gothic meets C-drama in a Vietnamese inspired world; perfect for fans of The Untamed, KJ Charles, and Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves.”

This is a perfect description and I want to include it in my review because I can’t think of a better marketing hook. If that sounds like your thing, then you might like Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders!

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.