Yeva was taken from her home and trained to become a dragon hunter. Now the empire is sending her back the isolated nation of Quanbao to investigate the possibility of dragons. She mist become close to their leader, the Lady Sookhee to attempt to uncover the secrets.

This was a really greta novella. I'm always excited to read a sapphic love story, adding in dragons makes it even better. I was impressed with the amount of world building and character development that was packed into here. The relationship between Yeva and Sookhee was really beautiful. I loved the changes that Yeva experienced and how she learned to deal with her anxiety and feelings of not fitting in anywhere. This was my first Neon Yang book but will not be my last. Nancy Wu is a great narrator for this book. I really enjoyed the audio experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable and heartwarming novella set in a fascinating world that I would love to read more stories in. Yeva was a fascinating protagonist and her inner turmoils surrounding her past and where her duty lay was really well conveyed. I did think that the 'reveal' was fairly predictable, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment. Overall, I had a good time with this one and would definitely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a fantastic novella with dreamy prose that explores identity in the face of imperialism. Nancy Wu expertly narrates the twists and turns of our main character, Yeva, a dragon hunter, as she goes to the isolated kingdom of Quanbao to meet with the girl queen, Lady Sookhee, in search of destroying the dragon who is rumored to live there. As a romance unfolds between Lady Sohkee and Yeva, she wrestles with her identity as a fearsome guildknight.

I really enjoyed this sapphic fantasy romance novella. I thought that it did a lot with its characters in its limited pages and thought that the imperialistic world that it created was really interesting and well developed.
My one negative is that the “twist” presented was really easy to guess, and made easier if you pay attention to the materials provided by the publisher (cover/description/etc).
Overall I enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short sapphic fantasy story.
Four Stars

Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang is a fantastical novella that tackles identity, commitment, familial history, and love. This is a nicely focused story that hit the spot for me. I loved the two main characters, Yeva and Lady Sookhee, and their struggles.

Yeva was destined to be a dragon hunter. It's in her blood. Lady Sookhee is new to the throne and has an illness. When their worlds converge, it'll mean either destruction or peace. There are secrets bubbling up from the past and those that will define the future!

This novella is not long (4 hours of listening time), but it packs a punch. While I expected most of the reveals, I think the topics and messages it covers is a greater reason to read it. I don't read many novellas, but I'm glad I read this one!

An elite knight trained to slay dragons goes on a journey of rediscovering herself. the atmosphere of the narrative feels lush and evocative. slowly (and literally) coming out of her protective shell she learns to question her who she is and if she truly wants to continue her purpose. the descriptions of the tea and the foods were lovely. The narrator of the audiobook has a dream-like quality which enhances the feel of the fantastical world. A book about lady knights and dragons and drinking tea are all my favorite things in a book. I had slightly expected more dragons but the explanation of why there weren't more was well done.

moment for the cover, cus it's the most beautiful standard cover I've seen so far

this novella was very nice, quick read, perfect for one cozy evening, sapphic fantasy with dragons, wish it was longer tho, cus I was really invested in everything and would like to read more about them😩

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

“Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame” by Neon Yang is an Asian-inspired epic fantasy novella.
Overall, it was a pretty entertaining and fast-paced read, though I found the mystery quite predictable. Still, I would absolutely recommend it to any fantasy lover.

The narrator did a wonderful job, and the quality of the audiobook was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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.