This is a story told in a unique way. The narrator is a person telling us the story of a legendary knightguard. This gives the story a somewhat oral quality, like a myth being told. It’s a unique way to tell the story, and I was very geeked about it. But at the same time, the person in between also puts some distance between us and the main character, making it harder to connect with her.

This small book still makes some big statements about identity, immigration, colonization, and especially about the stronghold of indoctrination, and how insidious it can be. Watching Yeva realize what she gave up to become who she is today and reading her journey to reclaim pieces of herself was beautiful.

Despite being short, this is not a super quick, page turner of a read. The book takes its time. We get to really see Yeva slowly shrug off her literal and metaphorical armor, and the slowness makes it feel more realistic. There are a lot of small beautiful moments of exploration of her past, of the city, of her feelings, of her family…

I will say though, the “twist” in this book is so obvious that I started to question the intelligence of the main character.

Overall, this is a beautifully written novella that takes its time but still manages to pack a punch.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

I always will enjoy a novella about dragons, especially one that is crafted in such a lovely way as this one is. This one is heavily character focused as we have Yeva struggling with her true identity and hiding behind her armor so that she doesn’t have to address it. But as she grows closer with the queen of Quanbao, Lady Sookhee, she grows more comfortable as herself. The twist/reveal is very predictable, but I don’t think that is the purpose of this story at all. The twist is important to Yeva and discovering her identity that she has hidden even from herself.

Thank you to @tordotcompub for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was a pleasant surprise, especially as I didn’t entirely know what to expect with The Mandalorian comp. But I liked the subtle genre blending here, with allusions to Yeva’s more adventurous dragons laying past, and a focus on the mystery of the goings-on of Quanbao. The romance with Lady Sookhee was much more prominent than I expected, and ultimately rather sweet. While I did have some concerns initially about the length in relation to the world building, the narrative conveys just enough to immerse me in the narrative, and the scope is just wide enough to not feel lost and be able to still suspend disbelief. Definitely would recommend to a reader in search of a short, queer romantic fantasy!

This is a great mystery story following a dragon slayer who was sent to a foreign country to investigate the king (who is actually a lady). This was also a super quick read since its just under 200 pages!

Bad things happen but the tone of the novella is such that it feels a gentler story. The tone is a little slow, a little disconnected as if having it recounted to the reader long after the fact by a storyteller, Nice romance, clean if you don’t care for explicit stories. Really, I haven’t read a bad one from this author yet so if you like this one read the summaries of the others to see if they sound good to you as well.

The premise sounded really good… but unfortunately I don’t think this author’s narration style was for me. I felt really disconnected from the characters… I didnt enjoy the big time jumps. The plot was pretty slow in the beginning.
I understand this is a novella so there wasn’t a lot of time/space to develop everything… but even the romance felt super rushed to me.

2025 year of the lady knight!

aaaand review 4 of 4 for today:

what i liked
• a predictable yet satisfying mystery centered around a dragon slayer sent to a foreign country to investigate its girl-king, only for them to fall for each other.
• the exploration of yeva’s identity as she finally confronts the self she has kept hidden behind her armor in order to conform, and learns who she is beyond the mask she wears and her legacy as a dragon slayer.
• a compelling story in under 200 pages, complete with engaging world-building and a compelling MC, and told in a style reminiscent of a fable or folktale.

what i disliked
• too much telling, not enough showing. i know this goes hand-in-hand with the writing style neon yang uses here, but the romance in particular was a little lacking.
• the conclusion felt rushed and at odds with the rather sedate pace of the rest of the novella.

This was such a lovely little novella! It flowed really nicely, I enjoyed the way that the passage of time was written and the worldbuilding was still rich despite the short length. I would say that Yang writes the passage of time in a manner similar to Nghi Vo and that their style and subject matter overall would greatly appeal to fans of Premee Mohamed. This novella has certainly convinced me to read their other novella collection!

A skilled dragon hunter finds her world turned upside down when she encounters the beautiful queen who is rumored to have a dragon in her kingdom... but the dragon might be closer to her than she could ever imagine. Duty, friendship, and freedom are all on the line as a warrior must figure out where her heart lies when the truth is revealed. This gave off Chinese mythology x mandalorian vibes in this short novella. I definitely could have used a bit more romance at the end for a HEA but I enjoyed it regardless. It's a easy read and the story was a fun one to read.

Release Date: May 6, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tordotcom for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I liked but didn't love this story of a dragon hunter caught between two cultures. This is not a romance, so my biggest question was whether or not there would be an HEA. Since the HEA is not a requirement in SFF, I won't spoil it here! I think I would have loved this in my early 20s, with its spare prose and western vs. eastern dragons. I wanted a little more world building and less reliance on fantasy conventions.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella.

I honestly loved this novella! It mixes together medieval European dragon hunting knights with East Asian dragon veneration; and added into the mix is a sweet sapphic love story of mixed cultures and identities. 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏻

The story follows Yeva, a dragon-slaying knight similar to The Mandalorian who never takes off her armor. She’s of mixed heritage which ostracizes her from other dragon knights, making her distant and emotionally reserved because of it. I liked how she slowly opens up while exposed to the culture and language of her estranged mother and how she inadvertently follows the path her mother took years before. 🗡️

The relationship between her and Sookhee starts off a bit rocky, but slowly blossoms into a sweet romance that I thought felt rather fitting for their roles. I did find myself wishing a bit more time seeing the development of their love though, but I guess I can’t have everything when it comes to a novella. 🐉

While the ending felt a bit rushed and too easily resolved, I still had a wonderful time with these characters and world. I’m actually sad it’s a standalone and am holding out hope there’ll be a sequel in the future. 🤞🏼

Thank you goes out to Tordotcom Publishing and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review; and to the author, Yang, for crafting such a wonderful mix of European-East Asian dragon-knight love. ❤️

Publication date: May 6!

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️

let’s pretend i finished this a day earlier bc i would’ve if i hadn’t been dilly-dallying on my phone..! of course, i would have gotten an arc of this weeks before it releases & then of course, i wouldn’t actually read this until days of the pub date—thank you Net Galley and Tor Books! though i called the plot twist, i enjoyed this a lot!! loved the writing (fantastical), loved the atmosphere created, loved yeva and lady sookhee (let’s go sapphics 🫶🏾), and above all else, i loved the world-building even more (dragon slayers + would kill to be at the festival of return)!

also have to mention that i had saw someone post the cover of this months ago on twitter & was speechless, such a gorgeous (& sexy) cover my god!

At thirteen years old, Yeva killed her first dragon while protecting her sister. After being touched by dragonfire, a gift was awakened within her and she was sent to the capitol city, Mithrandon, to train to become a guildknight. After years of training and fighting dragons, Yeva is sent to the neighboring kingdom of Quanbao, where the citizens are rumored to worship dragons rather than fear them. There, she meets the girl-king Lady Sookhee who is afflicted with a mysterious blood illness and seems to be keeping secrets about the history of the kingdom.

This was a really beautiful and intriguing novella. I was really impressed by how much lore and background there was in the story for something so short, but it felt like it was really well developed. I loved the characters and felt that they were also really well developed. The setting was also really well done and the way that the story touched on imperialism was quite interesting. The storyline wasn't super surprising and the beginning was a little bit slow, but it was still an enjoyable read. This would be a great one for fans of high fantasy, especially fantasy inspired by Asian mythology.

Any story with dragons is a story for me, but I am not used to one which casts the dragons as villains. Of course, this story questions who the villains really are, and what it means when you think you know everything and you’re wrong. With a main character who defines the word “outsider” this story set in a fantasy world of swords and magic feels very real. Anyone who has ever felt they need to wear a mask will identify with Yeva. A queer story by a queer author is always a must read for me and this one will be highly recommended as well.

Mentioned in Friday Reads for May 2nd - Full Review in Friday Reads for May 9th
Blog Post goes live May 6th
Amazon and Barnes and Noble reviews will go up when available


**TL;DR**: While fun and well written, it lacked some ‘umph’ for me.
**Source**: NetGalley - thank you so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: Yeva is sent to investigate another kingdom for dragons and learns some hard truth.
**Characters**: I’m not sure if it was the narrative structure or the writing but they felt rather flat.
**Setting:** It was a lovely setting, that perhaps needed a bit more attention.
**Fantasy:** Given a full novel treatment this could have been a very epic fantasy.

**Thoughts**:

If you think Asian Fantasy with a touch of the Mandalorian it’s hard not to get excited. Plus with this cover? Stunning. And while I did enjoy the story here, I think it sadly lacked a lot of the punchy power we could have gotten.

The story here is told as if to a youngster, an oral story starting something like ‘Have you heard the tale…’. I immediately was concerned, and with good reason. There is a distance to the story, a few steps removed that makes the reader feel as if perhaps they are looking through frosted glass at the story before them. While sometimes this can work, more often than not it feels flat, the problem here. So much of this held so much promise, but because of the structure and length the vibrancy we are teased with is missing in the meat of the story.

Add to this a very predictable plot and a somewhat lackluster climax this one ended up feeling very dull to me. I expected to fly through this and eat it up. Instead I dozed off half way through (it’s less than 200 pages!) and had to remind myself to pick it up the next day.

While this sounds fairly negative it does hold a lot of promise. It’s setup as if for a sequel and I would give the sequel a try! It’s certainly not a bad book, but one that perhaps I expected more from. That cover is still absolutely stunning.

This was a rich, queer fantasy novella that deals with disability, biracial identity, imperialism, and really cool dragons.
Yang takes on a folkloric narrative style, but still manages an intimate and emotional story about a knight who straddles two conflicting worlds and identities.
I think the romance could have been just a touch more romantic, and I do wish we got more dragon content. But this is primarily a story about Yeva's journey through life, shifting identities, and changing senses of home. The setting was incredibly vivid, and Yang immerses the reader with all five senses. Yeva's internal world was also a setting of sorts, as she navigates a complex landscape of memory, duty, and desire.
There were some diction choices that were.. choices. But as always with ARCs, this may be cleared up in final edits.
Overall, a really wonderful and immersive sapphic fantasy that especially hit home for me as someone with a disability and a mixed ethnic background.

4.5/5⭐️

“Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame” by Neon Yang is a gutsy, gritty novella perfect for readers who love dragons, a slow burn romance, and representation of queer/disabled groups.

Yeva is sent to the nation of Quanbao, a place rumoured to harbour and worship dragons rather than fear them. As a dragon slayer, she must earn the trust of Quanbao's Queen, Lady Sookhee, and discover what secrets-or creatures-she may be hiding. However, trust is hard to gain because Yeva comes from a throne known for its imperial might. Lady Sookhee is suspicious of Yeva's intentions, especially when trusting a stranger could put the lives of her people at risk. How can she trust Yeva, someone she knows has been made into a weapon at the behest of her throne, to understand what her people need and how to safeguard their future?

How Yeva becomes a weapon, one that plays a part in extinguishing dragons, unravels like something out of a fairy tale at the start of the story. In one innocent act, her whole life changes. She becomes isolated from her home and family and ridiculed by the people she's training with. On top of it, she must learn to act out her duties with a wound that has left her disabled. Yeva's tenacity, strength, and determination to prevail despite odds against her are admirable. Where most would give up, she finds the fuel to continue with her training and become the best of her peers. Even though she was raised in a harsh and unforgiving atmosphere, being in Quanbao smoothes her rough edges. This change she undergoes feels natural and becomes an integral part of the story. Yeva is still a badass, but emotionally intellectual as well.

While this novella is short, there are still plenty of twists and turns to keep readers on their toes as the secrets people hide pile up, hiding the bigger picture of Quanbao's secrets. Closer to the end of the story, bigger clues are revealed to help piece together what's been happening in the background. Even then, it was tough to decipher whether Yang would finish the story in a tragic, gut-clenching manner or if readers would be given a happy fairytale ending.

Yet, because of the novella's length, there were pieces of information that were never brought to light. While some questions were raised and never got answered, it didn’t change my interest in the story or my understanding of it. Further detail would provide depth to the world and characters, providing a more thorough concept of the inner workings of the people and dragons, their history, and the history of the nations.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and comes highly recommended to readers who love dragons, queer and disabled representation, and a strong female lead. "Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame" by Neon Yang is expected to be published on May 06, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an e-arc of this novella and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

First of all, I feel privileged enough to get an ARC from TOR, as they seem to be one of the hardest publishers to get approvals for. So, thank you for approving me to read this book.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is relatively good balance of fantasy and romance. There's not a such a stark division between the two, nor does it seem as though it's one genre with the other thrown in there for good measure. This book is a quick fantasy read about a high ranking, almost mythical dragon slayer who is sent to a neighboring kingdom to be a pawn ambassador to report things back to her power hungry home empire. Instead, the dragon slayer finds herself stripped of her usual ensemble, and beings to fall for the charm of this kingdom and the girl-king who rules over it.

I truly enjoyed this book, as it was refreshing from the mainstream romantasies out there that heavily rely on choppy editing mixing heavy fantasy-world building with blocks of romance. Brighter than Scale seems to cut out the fat and get straight to the major plot points. There is no drawn out "chosen one" and militaristic training, simply here's the back story, this is where she is now and this is her future. Pretty straightforward. And not to disappoint, there is some dragon action in there (and not in a spicy sense), some sword fighting, romance, and a dash of political intrigue. I will say that i wish that there was a little more world building about the FMC's blood line, but maybe that will be explained in a different book within the same realm at a later time? One can only hope.

I would recommend this fantasy + queer romance novella to all. A solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tordotcom for this opportunity in exchange for an honest review.


I will be posting to socials
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First I would like to suggest that authors try and stick to shorter titles that are easier for readers to remember. The books of my youth were seemingly all short titled. I think that changed somewhere along the line with The Particular sadness of Lemon Cake? I digress.

This very long titled novella, is a quick read about a young dragon slayer who never takes off her helmet..think The Mandalorian. Under this helmet, is a fierce, lonely girl who has been sent away from her home at an early age to train and hone her skills with the guild knights. Years later, as a renowned dragon killer, she is sent to a distant, secretive kingdom reigned by a fragile “ Girl King”. It is rumored that in this kingdom they revere and keep a dragon within their borders. It doesn’t take long to figure out the mystery, but it’s an enchanting tale, none the less.

Oddly enough I started reading two similarly themed books at the same time, and this one came out stronger!

After a terrifying near-tragedy in her childhood home which leaves her with a maimed hand, Yeva is sent to the imperial capital to train and serve out her life as a Guild Knight, a servant of the Sun Emperor specifically trained to kill dragons. This isn't just because she encountered one in said near-tragedy, but because her blood makes her specifically able to not only wield legendary weapons, but to take on these dragons.

So when she's sent by herself to the kingdom of Quanbao - the capitol of the land in which she was born - to find any tell of the last remaining dragon that perhaps may have escaped and lived there years ago it's a melting pot in the brain of the consequences of diaspora (when not personally chosen) and not the homecoming Yeva thinks it could be, despite how the taste of foods from her childhood make her heart ache. And beyond this, the Girl King Sookhee, soft voice, light, an intriguing figure, taking her in as a friend and more...

I got away from myself, but anyway! This book is only about four-ish hours on audio and 176 pages to read, a tight little story about dragons and coming home to somewhere that hasn't BEEN home for more than half one's life, of mysteries and a touch of romance between the two women in a way that flows well with the story. There's not much extraneous here (which maybe I noticed more because the other similar book I was reading at the time had a lot of dead time between anything happening/character development), and it's neat to see Yeva come into her own separated from the indoctrination of the Guild Knights and the life she's had to build for herself while burying the rest of herself. I appreciated too the more queernormative overall world, not just for Yeva but for her cousin Emory as well despite being born into the duties that may not have best suited him, but taking them in a way that suits him and his skills.

Thank you so much to Tor Publishing Group and the Tordotcom imprint for approving my ARC request - I had a lovely time.