Sometimes I have a hard time with novellas because I like the long drawn out stories.
But this one was perfect!! It was a great length that I was able to listen to in one day while doing chores. Nancy Wu has been a favorite narrator of mine and she does different voices so well!
I really loved the story, the queer characters and the setting. I personally love dragons and this was a great addition to my 'dragons' shelf of books. For a novella I felt like you get just enough bites of character information to keep you intrigued and keep listening, and the setting is well described that you can see what is happening and a plot pace that feels even.
I can't wait to read more works by this author

Thank you to netGalley and RBmedia for the eARC audio!

For how much was going on in this story, I still can't believe it was a novella! The world was established so quickly and easily, Yang really chooses their prose carefully to craft great descriptions, making the most of each sentence. I was trying to relegate the listening to my drives to and from work, and although I am not a fan of audiobooks by and large, I couldn't stop listening to this story, it was that good. Nancy Wu has an amazing voice, and her voices of the characters was well thought out and had their own livelihoods to them.

I know the main complaint is that the story could've been longer, but I think it is perfect the way it is, though I felt the very last two sentences felt pretty abrupt, but that might've just been me not wanting the story to end.

A twist on the knight and dragon story you'd hear as a bedtime story. Our main character Yeva was sent off at an early age to train as a Dragon Slayer and grows up to be a renowned knight for just that. After being sent away to another Kingdom to investigate rumors of a hidden Dragon Yeva is put to the test as to what she's really fighting for after a growing relationship with the Kingdom's girl king Sookhee.

This novella read like a dreamy fairytale. I really enjoyed Yang's prose and writing voice as well and the how they were able to flesh out a world in a condensed novella.

But with that world building I felt like we did lose some character depth outside of Yeva. Our main character Yeva was a stand out as her internal conflicts were highlighted and resolved within this story but Sokee and the other side characters didn't have as much conviction behind who they were.

Overall a quick and whimsical read

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and admittedly, maybe my hopes were a bit too high. Atmospheric and lyrical prose with dragons and a sapphic romance? Lady knight? Seems great but unfortunately fell short for me :(

It’s difficult for me to review this book, maybe I struggled a bit with the delivery. There wasn’t enough inflation to distinguish the story from the characters. The style of writing was very embellished but the third person view felt impersonal and distant, I didn’t connect to the character of Yeva as I had hoped. Ultimately, others may enjoy more.

Thank you to RB Media for the free audiobook to review.

Reminiscent of Priory of the Orange Tree, but more enclosed and beautifully written.

Priory of the Orange Tree was one of my favorite reads in 2023. Neon Yang has written a novella with similar vibes and less of a cast, plus Asian. Am absolutely in love with this book. I need a special edition!

For the ALC, narrator Nancy Wu did beautiful work, her voice was rich and warm, and her character voices were delightful.

ALC and ARC from NetGalley, this is my honest, enthusiastic opinion.

I truly enjoyed this read! Short and full of the adventure I craved. You follow the FMC Yeva as she is forced to return to her homeland to find and kill the country's dragon. Along the way you discover Lady Sookhee's secret ( Yeva took a little longer to figure it out but I saw it coming and that is okay!) the girl-king with a weird illness. I loved how short this book was, it was exactly what I needed in between heavy fantasy reads! Also I want to mention that Nancy Wu did amazing in my opinion!

This one didn't work for me. I have tried a few Neon Yang books, and they just haven't been winners for me. I was bored most of the time, and the "twist" was not twisty. I saw it coming a mile away. I just think maybe Neon Yang is not for me. I am sure there are tons of people who love their writing, but this one was a miss for me.

Rating 2.5⭐
Spice 0.5🌶️

I'm just going to first off come out and say I absolutely didn't like the narrator narrating the book. As the story progresses, I understood it was supposed to be told in a story-like narrative, but the narrator was monotone and bland. I personally think Emily Woo Zeller or Philippa Soo would have done an amazing job.

Now that's out of the way, I did like the book...a bit. I really like the idea of the story. I honestly think it's great....if only it was told in a more descriptive writing. I get it. It's supposed to be a novella, but I couldn't relate to any of the characters nor could I really image the world. And for me, that's a biig big DEAL. especially in a fantasy setting (depending how high or low the fantasy is) , I'm not sure if the was the intent. If it was, then the author did great on that.

I wouldn't have minded more if we got more scenes between the girl-king and the knight. Of course, I wouldn't have mind a spicy scene, but I meant more scenes where, they interact with one another and us as the readers see them connect into something more than friendship.
More. All i just wanted was more. The I honestly felt the book just lacked depth, and it was just a story to tell. No significance whatsoever. The book cover was good, the key plots of the story is really good. The story telling just isn't, and it honestly makes me sad because I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

I received an ALC through Netgallery approved by the publisher.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the length and the fact that it skipped over the training process and went straight for the meat of the love story and the dragon tale. I thought the story of family estrangement, fidelity, and reconnection through literal transformation of body and role for the two characters was such a beautiful and brilliant. The narrator has a voice that drew me straight into the story and kept me there for every single moment. I loved Neon Yang's writing so much. This was an instant hit for me!

A bite-sized epic about a female dragonslayer, a girl-king, and a mystery that brings them together. Listening to the audio felt like returning to the familiar world of a beloved fairytale. There were moments of stunning imagery and character development, but long stretches of world building and history telling that slowed the pace down for such a short story. As the reader, I wish I was trusted with more freedom to fill in the gaps of understanding for details that felt too heavy for this tale.

I received a copy of this audiobook for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a beautifully written fantasy novella. I'm drawn to a fantastic cover, and this one made me stop scrolling. Our FMC Yeva is a masked dragon hunter who never takes her armor off in public, much like a Mandalorian, who is tasked with discovering the secrets of a distant kingdom of dragon sympathizers. She grows close to the mysterious queen and has to make a choice when her heart becomes attached. The story really mirrors the Mandalorian themes of honor and sacred duty in an epic fantasy way, with dragons and Asian inspiration. It's a reminder that love has the ability to change even a life's worth of training in an instant to do the right thing. I received the audiobook to review. There were a few chapters where the plosives had a heavy bass to them, making it sound like heavy footsteps, but it wasn't the whole book, thankfully.

This was an interesting little novella set in a cool world with dragons, liked by some (in Quanbao) and also hunted by dragon killers from the empire. I would enjoy a longer story set in this world. But this one is nicely contained with the journey of Yeva, forced on to a path to kill dragons after an attack in her home. It walls her off from everyone and everything, aided by special armor that she never removes, at least until she meets the girl king of Quanbao, following rumors of a dragon in the area. What follows is finding love, her true path, and the removal of her armor, both physical and in her heart. It is a sweet story and the cover looks totally awesome too (which is what drew me to wanting to read it).

The narrator did a good job in bringing the characters and the world to life in my mind and I really enjoyed listening to the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook.

While I did enjoy the story, I like how we saw our MC grow and deal with the anxiety of going back to her home country after being sent away to become a dragon rider and a soldier.
The book was rather short though, so I feel like there was a feeling of the story being rushed at times.
I was also a bit disappointed because I went into this book thinking it was going to be an epic high fantasy about dragons, but it had surprisingly little to actually do with dragons.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

wow! this is my first book by neon yang and what a powerful punch this novellea packed.

brighter than scale, swifter than flame is the perfect example that an incredibly descriptive, interesting world/magical system, and immersive story can accomplished so much in just under 200 pages.

as for the narrator, nancy wu is a favorite of mine and she always does a fantastic job!

i’ll be sure to check out neon yang’s backlist.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a gorgeous novella filled with dragons, secrets, and a sweet romance. I had a great time with this, helped by the fantastic audiobook narration by Nancy Wu.

The story and the world-building were robust for such a short story. I felt instantly immersed in the world and wanted to know what was happening. The overarching plot was compelling, but I felt that it was slightly predictable. However, this did not take away from my enjoyment as the strength of the story lay in the inner turmoil and growth of the main character. I can imagine that the challenges faced will resonate with many readers.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I enjoyed the narrator.

This follows the story of Yeva , who has become masked guildknight in a nation who is famed for fighting and slaying dragons. She feels isolated here as she comes from another nation and looks different. However, she feels more herself when she finally gets the full suit which covers her face and womanly features.

She became infamous behind this mask, as is sent as an emissary to Quanbao, which is a small reclusive nation where Dragons are not feared but worshipped. Here she meets the Girl King, Lady Sookhee.

Yeva feels Sookhee and her nation is hiding secrets and vows to uncover the truth.

This book had good bones, however I wish we had more of the love story between Yeva and Sookhee. It felt like they became lovers super quickly, and after knowing Sookhee secret it felt really rash of her to do this. I didn't feel the chemistry and love between them. The story wrapped up very quickly, which makes sense since it was a shorter story.

I wish this was longer and had more meat on the bones, we could've had another book in this series.

This cover is stunning though.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy to review!

A fantasy novella about a dragon hunters and a mysterious queen, and their relationship. I would have loved to see more of Yevas knight journey, but overall I enjoyed the book, especially the contrast between deciding to adapt yourself to fit in and the discovery that yout identity truly makes you happy.

For as short of an audiobook/story this is, it was enjoyable and made me feel very content. It's the perfect story for instant gratification in a single afternoon. The narrator was very calming and had an good cadence to tell a story the way this one is presented as a third party narrator. The pacing was good and the story itself was very reminiscent of books and movie i enjoyed growing up (relatable characters, simple and effective plot elements, gratification) but elevated for an adult audience. Themes of good and evil, duty and love, finding yourself and reclaiming who you are make this story reminiscent and definitely something I've seen before but enjoyable and satisfying.

Quanbao is a dragon slayer and thankfully, the book doesn't dwell too much on her slayer backstory. She is on a mission to find out Lady Sookhee's secret, and on this road, faces her own past and her mother's secret

A short and somewhat flat dragon romantasy stand-alone with a good twist and ending. I have no complaints!

Thank you, RBmedia via NetGalley for ARC. I liked the narrator and have given my honest review.

I dnf’d this book halfway through. I couldn’t make myself care about the characters at all. It might be due to the fact that I prefer great world building and character growth, so perhaps novellas are not my thing unless part of a series