DNF. I just couldn't get into it. I don't think its bad, and the writing was good, but I couldn't get into the story line.

This author is amazing. The story really drew me in and left me wanting more. I enjoy the character development and I felt like I was growing with them.

This was such a cool idea. I do love all things dragon related so I may be biased but this books is really fun. I llove the cover. It just pops.

3.75

I’m not going to lie, I had been putting this book off for so long because early reviews hadn’t been great; however, I had a fun time with this!

I think it does suffer a little from how it’s been marketed. I’ve seen this labeled as fantasy romance, and I think if readers go in expecting the “romantasy” vibe of BookTok’s favorites they’re going to leave disappointed. There is a romance and the romance is central to the plot, but at least in the current romantasy phase of publishing, calling it a fantasy romance sets readers up with the wrong expectations.

That being said, I really enjoyed the set up of this world and the multiple points of view. Lam’s world provides an interesting take on religion and how traditions change over time as they get passed from generation to generation and I love books that explore those themes. I liked the way Everen described things using a dragon’s perspective and I am a sucker for non traditional narratives so his chapters being written in second person were a lot of fun. I also loved how that allowed Lam to play with language and highlight Arcady’s being genderfluid.

The characters read a little young, which I don’t tend to prefer; however, the ending provided a fun twist that makes me excited to see where the sequel goes and how Lam will continue to build out this world.

An enjoyable fantasy read, unfortunate timing in coming out that there are many dragon related fantasy books flooding the market, this one seems to have been left behind. Not my fav 2023 fantasy read, it found it hard to get into the book but after awhile it flowed ok.

Long ago humans used to bond with dragons, but as the humans greed for power and status increased, they began to turn on their dragons, betraying them and taking their magic for their own. Centuries later, humans revere dragons as gods, often praying to their preferred deity in the hopes of them offering comfort and solace from the toils of daily life. Arcady, a thief, steals to survive on the streets of Vatra, plagued by the death of those closest to them, and hellbent on revenge for the death of her grandfather, known as the 'plaguebringer' Arcady is determined to prove these claims false. Stealing an artefact from his tomb, one that gives the wearer a new life, Arcady takes on a new identity, ingratiating themselves within the court of nobles, to enact their vengeance. However, the spell Arcady uses summons Everen, a dragon, through the veil into the mortal realm. Everen is the last male heir seer, foretold to be the saviour of his kind, he bides his time, hiding in plain sight in his human form, he learns that to gain back his magic, full power and fulfil the destiny bestowed upon him, he will need to convince Arcady to trust him implicitly, bond completely, and then kill them.

Arcady Eremia has spent their years as a thief on the streets of Vatra, always holding a deep need for vengeance at the forefront of their mind, They've spent their life in the shadows, watching as those she holds dear die at the hands of others, each loss laying heavily on her heart, and her desire for revenge bubbling slowly under the surface, determined to make the Consul pay for the lies and hatred they've spread about her family. However, when the spell to give Arcady a new life summons Everen, a male dragon, they become immediately bonded and things suddenly become even more complex for them both. Arcady is steadfast and tenacious, very driven in their decisions, and exceedingly cocky, which only adds further charm to their character. Arcady's banter is incredible and an absolute joy to watch, tired of living in oppression, Arcady wants to ensure the evilness of Vatra is rooted out completely, then they can disappear to somewhere where the heaviness of the losses they've had to bear isn't as suffocating. I found Arcady inspiring, and so empowering, they're so self-assured, in such a powerful and beautiful way, accepting themselves and not letting anyone else decide their fate or truth, they were delicately but beautifully written.

Everen it the last male dragon prophesised to be the seer that saves the dragons from their peril, but as the years dragged past, and the prophecy failing to show itself, the pressure and overwhelming burden of feeling like a failure has hung heavy upon his shoulders. Determined to get to the bottom of it, and save his kind from extinction, Everen flies through the veil, coming face to face with Arcady, his unknowingly bonded human. However to save the dragons locked away across the veil in Vere Celene, Everen must get this human to trust him implicitly, and complete the bond, mind, body and soul, so he can be the one to break it, and bring his kind across to the mortal realm. Evern is grumpy, broody and mysterious, harbouring a deep resentment and hatred towards humans. I found his perspective really refreshing and interesting, I've not read many stories where you get to see the plot unfold from the dragon's perspective, and it made the experience all the more authentic, immersive, smooth and fascinating for me.

I loved seeing Everen and Arcady's bond developing from enemies, to reluctant allies, the way they bounced off each other, was so entertaining. They're complete opposites and both have ulterior motives they bury deep down, that ultimately leads to them betraying each other, but their banter was delightful and enchanting, and the tension was palpable. Arcady and Evern find kindred spirits in the other, despite their reluctance to, always underestimated others, and struggling with the rigid gender roles impressed upon them, it was really beautiful to see them slowly lowering their walls to each other as the plot developed, even if they know they'll inevitably end up betraying each other in the end.

'Dragonfall' is a high fantasy which is richly and vibrantly crafted. Immersive and overflowing with lore of both dragons and magic. It's gritty and raw, with an intriguing and intricate world, loveable characters, and strong, authentic interactions that were so compelling. The writing was also so beautiful and flowed seamlessly, this is a story with queer representation, enemies to lovers, dagger to the throat (!!!), deep-seated betrayals, high stakes, an intriguing and complex political system and an abundance of dragons, with a fierce main character, what's not to love?

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

I'm honestly not sure how to feel about this book. The writing was...weird. Word choices and descriptions felt forced and like they were trying to be some sort of weird world building but they just made things sound stilted and unnatural (mammary glands!? who does this!?) I liked the world and the premise was good but the story fought itself for purpose and what it was, high fantasy, fantasy romance, romance subplot. And ended up not doing any of it super well.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this novel.

I think if you're looking for a good solidly written book about dragons, then this will be a good fit. The author does love to describe things and that's a take-it-or-leave-it aspect for me. I do feel like the world needs a little more time in the pot. There are facets that are interesting in the world, the dragon gods, but there aren't enough ripples to show the worldbuilding is working together. But that really is a personal preference, this wasn't as horrible as some other dragon books I've read recently.

I can't speak about the representation but I am always here for more LGBT+ voices out on the market. If you're looking for a new series, why not give it a shot?

Everen is the only of his kind and he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, he's meant to be the savior of the dragon race. Arcady is a thief, a good one and is planning a huge coup... The two meet and sparks fly... In every way.

This was a complex story in a complex world and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I liked the characters, the intricacies of the world and how everyone grew and evolved throughout the story. It was a lot of fun, I was really taken by the whole heist plot in the book and the whole dragon being cast out of the world thing. I will without a doubt be reading the sequel. I'm really curious to find out more about this world and get to know Everen's sister better!

I really wanted to love this novel, but I went into it with expectations that were perhaps too high. It fell a little flat overall with slightly dull characters and two-dimensional world-building. There were good moments and a couple of great ones, but this book didn't sing for me. I think it'd be perfect for someone who read more new adult fantasy, but it didn't quite suit my taste.

Queer enemies to lovers in a queernormative society! Which is great! I can tell the author is a fan of a lot of the same media as me and this was sort of a love letter to those old favorites. I think this was better than fourth wing but still just not the right dragon book for me.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I am so excited for the next book! I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Huh, I could have sworn I had left feedback on this novel as soon as I had finished it before publication, but . . . no review :0

I enjoyed Dragonfall immensely and was very impressed with the world building and the different viewpoints of the humans living and worshipping the memory of dragons and the Dragons, hating humanity and scheming on ways to 'take back' their lost world from the human plague.

One HECK of a twist at the end of the story! Neatly setting up plotlines for the next book.

I really wanted to love Dragonfall, because dragons--duh, but really struggled with how slow the pacing of the story was. The storyline was a bit too drawn out, and I just could not stay focused on this book.

The only thing I dislike is the cliffhanger at the end that means I'll have to wait to dive into the world again.

The fantasy world was interesting, and gave me enough information at a time to understand and be intrigued without leaving information dangling or being dumped. The commentary on gender expression is well handled and fascinating to explore.

The romance is the perfect blend of "I'd kill for you," "I'd die for you", and "I kind of want to kill you" which is all you need to know about Everen and Arcady and both of their personalities.

An epic fantasy that has dragons, queer rep, and great world building. How can this go wrong? With the magic system. I found it to be a bit difficult to understand and not well explained. I was immediately intrigued and was interested in where the story was going. Unfortunately, Dragonfall could not keep my interest and for that reason I had to DNF this one as much as that pains me to say. I wanted to LOVE this. I think the mistake I made was reading this after Fourth Wing. I wanted more dragons, angst, and combat and though this had most of what I was looking for it just fell short for me. However, I will end by saying I might revisit this when I am in a different mood.

I will be honest. I did not finish this book. The concept was extremely interesting. However, I could not get into the writing style, and I tried three separate times. I really wanted to like this book, I even bought it (don't regret it, book is a beautiful addition to my shelf :) ). I found it hard to read and confusing. I did not like how certain things were barely explained, while others were over explained. I didn't get very far, but I did not really relate to the characters very much. I feel like this book could be and might be very good. But for me, it is a DNF.

I was really looking forward to this novel because I heard such good things, and the premise sounded like something I would enjoy. While the writing style was excellent, the world building was confusing at times. There were a lot of info dumps, and the way the book flipped between first, second, and third person was very disorienting. The book was interesting, but it was a bit much for me.

L.R Lam truly created a fantastical and intriguing world.

The romance in this felt so real and I was cheering them on every step of the way, even when they weren’t on the same terms at the beginning.

I loved the three different points of view especially when the pace started picking up in the second half of the book.

In the beginning the pace was a bit slow and there was a small bit of info dump but that’s something that didn’t affect my enjoyment reading this book!

Thank you Net Galley for giving me this ARC in exchange for this honest review