This was a fun read, I really enjoyed the world build and the lore. Plus it has dragons. And dragons are such a good hook these days. Plus add in that the romantic interest is a dragon and human, and it’s enemies to lovers and I was in. I really enjoyed all the characters and their backstories, they made this book hard to put down. I wasn’t aware of the non-binary representation when I started this book, and I really enjoyed that aspect. I feel like that’s something you do not see too much fantasy books. And I thought that aspect was very well created and written for the societal aspect as well. Overall I can’t wait to see where this series goes.

tl;dr
Solid in-depth world building, a cast of morally gray characters, and so much queerness to be had. Can take a few chapters to get into.

Thoughts
Dragonfall is not shy about its world building - which is both its greatest strength, and a bit of a speed bump. The first few chapters had me floundering in terms I didn't fully understand, but the path smoothed out considerably once Everen entered, as he provides a great insert for other characters to explain the world to, and I found myself very impressed by the scope of it. There's a LOT of world to get through here: magic, government, history, classes, dragons, religions, and so much gender. Every added detail paints a vivid picture of multiple societies with real weight to them, and the world feels comfortably lived in. The cast is full of complex, morally gray characters, with church-ordained assassin Sorin taking the lead as my favorite, and I hope for only good things for her. The slow burn romance gets steamy in places, with just a hint of spice (so far). Plot moves at an even pace, taking its time with each of the POV characters. Most characters are written in third person while the two leads are in first person, with an interesting conceit for Everen that can feel stilted, but has a strong payoff at the end. And speaking of the end, lots of big reveals that open up possibilities for the next two books in the series. I genuinely have no idea what's going to happen next, but I'm glad to be along for the ride.

I am always on the look out for a good dragon book. This one did not disappoint. I loved the world building and the character development was amazing. Can't wait for the next one!

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and DAW for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This story was so unique and I really like the way that it played out. I had never read a fantasy quite like this. I absolutely love fantasy and especially dragons so I am so happy with how this book was. I can't wait to see what else is next!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this title, in exchange for this honest review.

A queernorm world with incredible worldbuilding and a great story to dive into. I loved the characters, their dynamics and how they evolved over the course of the book, including the growing romantic attraction between the two main characters, and of course, the dragons! Furthermore, the book has an incredibly interesting narration and uses a mix of first, second and third person.

I’m incredibly excited for the next installment of this story!

I devoured this book in a matter of days - this is one of my most anticipated titles being released in 2023, and it did not disappoint. I immediately fell in love with the world, characters, and magic system - and I was so sad to reach the final page knowing that I have an incredibly long wait for the next installment ahead of me. Dragonfall is special - it feels like a classic fantasy novel, while also being wonderfully inclusive. I am so excited for more!

I didn’t know how much I’d been looking for a book like this until I started Dragonfall, which drew me straight into that wonderful sort of readers bliss within the first few pages in the book. Not only does it include dragons as a central theme, but even gives us perspectives from actual dragons within its pages (and quite generously at that) so we can feel even closer to these glorious ‘Gods’ that L. R. Lam paints so beautifully with words.
While feeling overall like a modern take on a fantasy novel, I did find quite a few elements drawing from more of the old school fantasy types of tales so I found myself with this odd sense nostalgia and the familiarity of that created a sense that I like to call “coming home” when reading… which is where I feel deeply comfortable within the world created by the novel.

Dragonfall begins with us following Everen’s POV, the last male dragon of his kind with the huge burden of carrying a heavy amount of prophecies that he can make very little to no sense of. Enter our main human character, Arcady, a petty thief who opens us up to their complex yet not particularly difficult to grasp world. Through Arcady, we’re gently introduced to the worlds politics and general geography (which I’m guessing will be expanded upon in future novels) and the extremely intriguing magic system that exists among it all. I haven’t really come across anything quite like the magic system before and must commend the author’s ability to build it using relatively easy terms and examples in its story devices.

Something that stood out to me after reading through other reviews was that a handful of people struggled with the way the different POV’s were written. I warily came into the book because multiple POV’s are something I often also have trouble reading, but much to my relief - the POV shifts felt natural and unforced to me personally. The romance and general relationship between Everen and Arcady never really felt too forced either and feels like it was given room to breathe and develop naturally despite the now common use of the ‘bond’ trope.

An absolutely fantastic journey for dragon and fantasy lovers alike.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and DAW for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review from yours truly.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

When people were talking about interstitial fantasy some years back, I used to joke that I liked both interstitial and stitial fantasy--both the stuff that blurs the boundaries and the stuff that's dead center of its genre. This is in the latter category. It would be hard to come up with more of a fantasy novel fantasy novel than this one.

It has: a human thief whose community blames them for their family's past, who wants to learn more (MORE MORE) magic and triumph over their expectations. It has: a dragon fallen from the world of dragons--or pushed--to save his people and bring them back into the world of humans. Mostly wearing a humanoid form. It has con jobs and plotting and corrupt people in power; it has moments of transformation both literal and metaphorical.

In short, if you've been saying to yourself, "but I would really like a classic fantasy novel but maybe with a little more openness to contemporary ideas of gender," here you go, this is the thing, it is for you. I raced through it, having fun the whole way.

A genderfluid thief and a dragon? Yes, please!

Dragonfall is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy set in a world where dragons have been cast out and humans have stolen their magic. Having such a clear dividing line and then reading the POVs from both sides was very interesting. I loved our human Arcady’s POV immediately - their voice was so feisty and badass. Everen the dragon took a bit more getting used to, especially with the “you”-narrative, but it wasn’t long until he’d convinced me as well.

The plot was a great mix of character-driven and plot-driven. There were rage moments and tender moments, scheming, training, and even a heist. The forced proximity of the main characters made it easy for the reader to get to know them. Both through their own thoughts and through the other one’s mind.

I will say that I struggled a bit with the world-building. Some of the everyday terms were used but not necessarily explained (is a “drakine” a non-gendered “lord/lady” title? I think so, but I’m not completely sure). I did, however, love how the book dealt with the question of gender. Every character was introduced with “they/them” pronouns until they’d specifically stated otherwise.

If you like dragons, fantasy adventures, forced proximity, complex characters, and a splash of romance, add this book to your TBR.

Also, I am a simple human, so tiny pet dragons will always win me over!

Thanks Netgalley and DAW for letting me read an eARC of this book. Dragonfall comes out on May 2nd, 2023.

Thank you to DAW publishing and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book! I’m always on the hunt for new and exciting fantasy and boy did this deliver.

Set in a world where dragons are extinct and treasured as gods whom supply magic to humans, a lowly thief turns to magic to save the reputation of their late grandfather after a plague runs through the city. Fate has the thief, Arcady, cross paths with a dragon, Everen, from another realm where they have been banished. A half bond is formed making the pair push differences aside, banding together to earn money for Aracdy’s dream of attending university.

This story had themes of betrayal and forced proximity and I ate it right up. Great writing with really well done dual POV’s made me really care for the characters as you garnered an insight into both their traumatic past.

Laura Lam did an incredible job of incorporating a queer element to this world that didn’t feel forced not fake. The people of Vatra do not rely on the binaries of gender unlike their neighbouring countries. Simple hand gestures indicate to strangers what pronouns are preferred whether it’s one or any. Our main character is some amazing non-binary representation and I love to see it! People of high standing in society are also coined with capitalised They/Them pronouns!

Great magic systems using seals of stolen magic from dragons, dragons attempting to reclaim their once home, I could not get enough.

For this I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars!

This was fairly wonderful! I kind of wish I hadn't read this, as it seems like it's set up for a series that I would absolutely love to binge-read, and I very much want to read more. It's truly a tough problem to have, I know.

I loved the world-building and the lore of it all - a society structured around worshipping dragons as gods? Like, I could and would just read a history book about this, thank you.

The POV characters (Arcady, Everen, Sorin, and a spoilery late-book POV character) all made sense as featured characters, no notes. Well. No notes on the choice of POV characters, maybe some notes on the POVs themselves: I've seen some reviews that had issues with Everen's chapters and how they addressed "you" but I had no issue with this and actually liked the narrative choice! Is it because of long-standing residual fuzzy feelings after Harrow the Ninth? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ That said, I found the Sorin chapters the strongest writing - I don't know if it's because of my own personal preference for third person POV or because Everen and Arcady's voices were too similar/not distinctive enough.

So, one of the selling points of this book is "enemies to lovers but with a dragon and a human!" Which: if that sells it to you, that's good, but for me personally, I read this book despite that; I was admittedly a bit wary about that particular aspect just because it wasn't something that was going to act as a hook for me specifically. But whether that is or isn't a hook for you, I'm happy to report that there was good chemistry between the two, so make with that information what you will.

Overall, loved the world, loved the lore, thought the character choices were strong, great plot set-up - this was a very strong start to a series that I think I'm going to adore.

I loved everything about this book, it has all the modern inclusiveness of gender roles and language.

I simply loved this story and cannot wait to read the next instalment.

I am eager to see what Arcady and Everyn get up to throughout the series.

To be honest, I was extremely and pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I was worried based on the synopsis, that the story would spin out of control because it seemed like a fantasy book tackling something big. However, it was quite the opposite experience and, in fact, the fantastical concepts it promotes are what you hope for when picking up a book. It's an epic fantasy with incredible world building and characters that are written with careful development. I really enjoyed the side characters and always love when a book doesn't just focus on the main protagonist(s) the entire plot. The magic is completely unique and like nothing I've ever read before. The two main POVs, Arcady and Everen, play off of each other so well and have a bit of anti-hero that you have to love. As weird as it sounds, Arcady and Everen were such a cool ship and the slow burn was everything! They had such a complex bond and the progression of their relationship is so well-written. I even really enjoyed the addition of the third POV, Sorin. It never felt like too many characters and made the collision of all the characters in the end more worthwhile. The ending was full of plot twists and leaves you hanging on the end of your seat...I cannot believe I'll have to wait for the next book to come out. It's definitely a trilogy I am excited to keep up with.

Extra points to the author for all the representation regarding gender!

The one small flaw I would say is that at first, the writing style was a bit hard for me to get into. The POVs are written differently, but once you realize who the characters are, the styles match them perfectly and help the story flow. If you can get over that hump in the beginning, you are in for a wild ride!

Thank you to Netgalley and DAW Books for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy!
I see dragons, and I immediately am intrigued. Unfortunately a lot of books with dragons aren't that good. Just lile this one. It started out promising but then after a few chapters it started to slow down pretty quickly. In the end it felt like a chore to read. But the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

A cleverly written saga about dragons, told as a record in history. Dragonfall has intriguing characters and a good plot, although it was let down a little by the world building. I'm still not totally sure how the magic works! Otherwise, not a bad read. I'll likely pick up the sequel.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an early copy of the book for review.

Thank you, DAW, for allowing me to read Dragonfall early.

L.R. Lam wrote another out-of-the-park hitter. Dragonfall is the start of an intensely intriguing new series.

I love anything about dragons and riders, and it is hard to find good books about dragons. Considering that, I went into Dragonfall with low expectations. I was surprised by the characters and the plot. The book is well-written. I could not understand the Magic system or the world-building quite well, because there was no glossary. But as this is just an ARC I think it will be taken care of by the time it's out.

Arcady's character was delightful and mysterious. Her escapades as a thief were fun to read. I did not like Everen quite as much.
PS: English is not my first language. I have tried putting my thoughts into an acceptable review.

3.5/5 stars
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Worldbuilding: 3/5
Magic system: 2.5/5
Writing: 2.5/5
Romance: 2.5/5

While I enjoyed most of the concepts of this book as concepts, something about the way they all worked together didn't really appeal to me. Overall it was pretty good. The gender system and the languages are interesting, the worldbuilding and the magic system are interesting if a bit sparse, and the characters are interesting. I think one of my biggest issues with this was the choice to write as if one perspective was recounting memories directly to the reader. "You were, you did, you looked like, you said," etc etc. It definitely helps with keeping that character, Arcady, as an undefined and somewhat amalgamous insert, as a shapeshifter and a genderqueer person (y'know, the non-binary one doesn't always have to be the shapeshifter). However, it made the romance uncomfortable as hell for me. There was also a choice to have pronouns be honorifics and so sentences would be littered with capitalized letters that annoyed me to no end. My eyes were drawn ahead of my sentences to focus on these capitalized words that repeated three or even four times per sentence. "As They walked with Their nose in the air, Arcady bumped into Them, causing Them to stumble." It gets tiring very quickly. Those are the main issues that I think will cause people to dislike the writing style, because the dialogue and descriptions were really nice.

The characters themselves were pretty neat. I liked the cultural dynamics and getting to learn about Arcady's culture through Everen's ignorance is a nice way to do worldbuilding. I feel like the magic system needed to be more defined and explained and a lot of the dragon lore portions were boring and droned on for too long. Arcady being a thief was an interesting characterization, but the descriptions for pickpocketing or lockpicking and other thief skills were surface level and kind of inaccurate. The supporting cast of characters was interesting, except for Soren, since I didn't find her story exciting at all. There's a lot of loose threads at the end of this book and I know that it's a series, but I don't feel like anything was resolved by this book at all.

Overall, enjoyable if you want a genderqueer, dragon-shapeshifter, enemies to lovers to enemies, romance fantasy.

I enjoyed this story more than I expected to. I am usually not the biggest fan of fantasy, but I decided to branch out. It was well written, interesting, and not too "weird" like some fantasy can be. Overall, I liked it very much. I'd recommend it to anyone who is big on fantasy and dragons.

Overall, I think this was a FANTASTIC beginning to a series! I cannot wait to read the others! I was obsessed with the idea of a dragon having to become human alongside all the medieval goodies and heist intrigue (big bonuses).

The points of view threw me off a little bit at first with Everen and Arcady's perspectives reading quite differently from everyone else's. I got the hang of it though and loved the predatory feeling I experienced (initially) from Everen's chapters. It added to the creepy, I-am-not-exactly-as-I-seem aspect of his character. I think Everen and Arcady are really cute!

I adored the exploration of gender in this world as well, where it is quite fluid. To some it is important, and to others, it is not. This delineation of nuance within the collective's experience of gender really fed the book for me, and I know so many others are going to relate to the queer representation.

The wording within the writing style itself was wonderful. "Braiding a narrative is not so different from setting down a vision sent by starfire and fate." I could see this series becoming a modern classic, much like Eragon was for my age group in middle school. At times, it also reminded me of the lyrical wording found in This Woven Kingdom. Very beautiful!

I loved Dragonfall overall and believe it holds a lot of promise. I would just work on the POVs for Everen and Arcady a little bit. (No changes to the story-- Just the awkwardness of some of the first-person stuff.) Everything else was perfect! I wish I had thought of this fabulous world, but am ultimately just grateful I was able to enjoy it. Thank you SO much to the publishers at Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley, and the author for allowing me to read the e-ARC version of this lovely tome!