“An awful sensation swifts Yeva, so struckingly similar to the sensation she gets when the secret fire activates that leaves her dizzy. In a moment of terror she wonders if this is what it means to be in love.”

I had a great time with Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame. I discovered the book through its audio version and I really liked how the narrator remained pretty neutral, as if she was truly telling us a tale. Because it’s really how this story feels like, a tale from folklore. Making a complete review is difficult to avoid spoilers, so I’ll stick with only general feelings.
Even though it’s pretty short (less than 200 pages, less than 4h30 if you listen), the story is complete and doesn't feel like something is missing.
Yeva’s path was interesting as she questioned the conditionnement resulting from her training, and wondered where would go her trust and faithfulness as her roots (and love, and that romance is beautiful) come back into her life. I loved the writing’s fluidity and rhythm, and the themes around duty, identity and loyalty. What if, in the end, being trustworthy is first and foremost following your guts and who you feel you are. Afterall, that might be the meaning of the promesse that Yeva had made to herself at the end of her training.

Thank you to the author and Recorded Books for the ALC on NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐ Thank you to NetGalley and the author for letting me have this audiobook in exchange for a review.

I devoured this in one day. A very sweet novella full of gorgeous descriptions and similes. The writing really enabled the reader to follow along with the FMC and know how she is feeling and why. I can imagine this story being turned into a trilogy, there's certainly enough background and story to flesh out. I would absolutely read those.There's enough detail for the story to hold meaning and capture your attention while also not being so in depth as to deviate from the story.

if you want a quick fantasy tale about lesbians and dragons to be enraptured by then this is the novella for you!

I listened to this audiobook in one sitting. It is short and sweet and is a story of queer love, self-discovery, and dragons. Nancy Wu, as always, was an excellent narrator and really gave this story life.

Thank you Netgalley, author Neon Yang and RBMedia for an advanced copy edition of this audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

This was such an unexpected gem! I absolutely adored Yeva and Lady Sookhee. I loved how they slowly warmed up to each other, how Yeva slowly lost the coldness of the masked guildknights and started reverting back into someone and not something. Not a weapon, not a puppet to command but an actual person who follows their own feelings and heart.

This short novella touches the strength of being themselves and the fragility of society that forces you to become someone who you would have never wanted to become in first place.

To all this we add the amazing setting the novella is set in, and the narrator Nancy Wu did an excellent job and narrating this short book as a fable like tale of a character from a distant land. A tale lost in the past that lives through memories and stories.

What set me off was the fact that the whole setting was too vague, her mother's relationship with Yeva and her father, barely mentions of what had been introduced as an important figure aka her younger sister and all the mystery related to her family alone with the world problem I came across while listening to the audiobook.

3.8/4⭐️ 0.5/0.75🌶️ (one scene)

Is this the year of lady knights? because I'm here for it 😁

This was a beautiful short story about finding yourself, and finding the place and the people that make you feel like you belong. I listened to the audiobook version and the voice actress was incredible!

I enjoyed the world building very much. The narration was reminiscent of a fairytale or old story, the way the audio version was narrated also contributed to this and worked really well.
The mystery was a bit predictable but compelling all the same.

I'm definitely following this author for more of their works!

Public Review:


((I listened to the ALC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.))

⭐️⭐️⭐️
3 stars (marked up to 5 because we the readers want for LGBTQ+ stories & Asian-centric mythology)

I love the premise of this book. It is an epic journey of someone reclaiming their heritage in their own unique way. It has a badass main character, Asian-centric mythology, anti-colonialism and a sapphic love story.

Honestly my biggest complaint is that I wanted more. I wanted more backstory, more character interactions and most importantly more TENSION. It was a beautiful novella — but it was trying to pack an epic fantasy into a novella. For having such limited words, the author did a great job at world building. I felt the intrigue of putting puzzle pieces together as the main character did

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️

A gifted dragon slayer sets on a mission to travel to a reclusive kingdom with the intention of hunting and slaying a harbored dragon. The girl-king welcomes the FMC and starts up a romantic relationship. Suddenly the girl-king falls ill at the same time the dragon is spotted…the reason for this is very predictable.

The imaginary in this book was written beautifully. I could clearly visualize the setting. I love that the main relationship in this book was sapphic.

The narration was very good. I do recommend listening to the audio. This is a short book and the narrator was able to pack a punch.

I thought this book was very predictable overall but the writing was very good. I really loved the way the final chapter was written.

I quite enjoyed this story.

Yera is a knight, using her gift to serve the Sun Emperor as a member of the guild knights hunting and slaying dragons. When she is sent to the neighboring kingdom, near the town where she grew up and was forced to leave behind after slaying her first dragon as a kid, she meets their King and the two women becomes friends. The writing was lovely and I liked the storytelling aspect of recounting Yera's tale. And you can't go wrong with dragons and a bit of mystery and secrets.

Ever pick up a book and think, “Whoa—this is so different… and I love it”? 🐉💖

I just finished Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang and I seriously flew through it! It’s fast-paced, super unique, and had me hooked from the first page. I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐ because while it’s short, it packs in so much emotion, worldbuilding, and DRAGONS. Oh—and the slow-burn sapphic romance? Yes please. 👀💫

Tropes you’ll find:
🐉 Dragon slayers & dragon worshippers
👩‍❤️‍👩 Soft sapphic slow burn
🛡️ Stoic knight with secrets
🌏 Asian-inspired fantasy vibes
💭 Finding yourself along the way

If you’re looking for a quick fantasy read that feels fresh and different, definitely check this one out!

This was such an enjoyable novella.

We follow Yeva, a dragon slayer who was sent away from home at a young age to be trained as a weapon to the Emperor. She is sent on an assignment close to her childhood home, in a nation where dragons are worshipped instead of hunted, to try to track down a specific dragon. However, she finds herself pulled by the Girl-King and realizes that not all is as it seems.

This was a well-written fantasy novel with loveable characters and a lesbian storyline that I really vibed with. I wanted more time with the characters, but agree that this story worked best as a novella rather than a full novel. The world building was incredible, especially in such a short amount of pages. I recommend this to anyone looking for a short and engaging Fantasy novel.

The narrator was also wonderful. I really enjoyed listening to her,

Oh my god. I loved this. For a short novella it was so beautifully written, and the world so amazingly crafted. I felt connected to the characters and deeply rooted in their emotions and in the story. I love the length of this novella I think it was perfect, it didn’t feel too short but didn’t drag on and feel too long or rushed either. Absolutely loved it.

I received this book as an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for this opportunity!

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars

Overall this was an interesting and solid fantasy novella that explores the divergent lives of a dragon hunter and the girl king of a nation sworn to protect dragons who’s paths cross due to the rising threat of a dragon never before seen in the lands. The fantasy elements are really well done, and I liked how Yang used different worldbuilding elements such as Yeva’s wearing of armour to explore complex themes regarding identity and belonging and also how both Yeva and Sookhee lives are impacted by their respective disabilities/chronic illnesses.

I liked the relationship between Yeva and Sookhee though I do think Yang could have done a bit more to develop the relationship as it felt a bit instalovey for me, but given the short length it sort of makes sense. I also would have liked a bit more worldbuilding regarding the dragons and why Yeva’s nation hunts them, but I feel like for the length of the book that this was still nicely developed but I do think there could have been more depth. I also found some of the plot lines rather predictable but that also means that the plot lines were set up instead of coming out of nowhere.

Overall, if you are looking for a short and interesting story with some solid fantasy and romantic elements that explores the themes of identity, belonging and morality, I would recommend this book!

This was an enjoyable, short, but emotional and satisfying read. The story featured a strong female protagonist and solid worldbuilding. I do wish we had spent more time with the characters to build a deeper emotional connection.
There was less dragon-slaying than I expected, it leaned more toward romantasy but the twist at the end was a pleasant surprise.
I really hope we get a full-length story set in this world; it has so much potential. Overall, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame was a fun and engaging fantasy read.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang is a stunningly lyrical and mysterious novella that absolutely gripped me from start to finish. The slow unraveling of the dragon’s enigma was masterfully done, building a quiet, taut tension that never let up. Yang’s prose is immersive and haunting, pulling readers through a world that’s both fantastical and deeply emotional. The mystery surrounding the dragon kept me guessing, and the ending—both powerful and unexpected—landed with the kind of impact that lingers long after the final page. An easy five stars.

A beautifully written and engaging read from start to finish. The characters are well-developed, the plot is compelling, and the writing style draws you in immediately. A perfect choice for anyone looking for a story that’s both heartfelt and memorable. Highly recommended!

For such a short novella, the amount of worldbuilding that was achieved is incredibly impressive. It's full of incredibly interesting concepts and I'd be very interested to read more within this same universe.

Issue for me really comes down to…it’s all an incredibly interesting concept. I don’t think this was a good idea for a NOVELLA. I liked the characters, I liked the world, but it just felt like there was a much bigger story to share. Character arcs were understandably rushed through, but the issue really is the arcs that were set up weren’t really doable in such a short amount of time.

I REALLY liked this one, but it really should not have been a novella. I think it missed the mark completely because of its length.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

The masked knight is famous for her ruthless and fierce dragon slaying, but in reality she is a woman who left home when she was very young and donned her armor in order to fit in. When she is sent to the neighboring country of Quanbao to investigate reports of harboring a dragon, she finds more mysteries than she anticipated, including a surprising friendship with the country's monarch.

Neon Yang has been on my to-read list for ages, and I'm so happy to finally pick up one their books! I really enjoyed this novella, especially the relationships, and of course the dragons. It was touching to see how Yeva started shedding her armor as she became more comfortable in herself than she had in years. I liked the cultural piece of feeling more at home in this neighboring place, near her home, where her mother had often been. I also enjoyed the snippets of dragon lore we got, and I would have liked even more of that. Did I see the twist coming from a mile away? Yes, but did that diminish my enjoyment? Absolutely not. I recommend this for fans of fantasy novellas like the Singing Hills series.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter thank Flame somehow took a whole novel and condensed it into a novella. While this is a novella/shorter story, the reader still gets an amazing experience with worldbuilding like a full length novel. This read felt very lyrical I think. I wish I had a little more showing vs telling, but Yeva's narrative was still enjoyable to read. This book has dragons, political dynamics, lady knights and lesbians, which are all things I thoroughly love. The story is a big predictable but that did not make the twist any less enjoyable. All in all, it was a nice short read and pallet cleanser between some larger series I am reading.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

Unfortunately this book was exactly what I expected out of it. It was honestly pretty boring and surface level. Very predictable and generic. I can't even say that I would want more of this because I don't even know that there's enough substance here to even make a full fledged story. it's fine if you just want something quick to read but honestly there wasn't much to it.

Novellas are not my niche, but I thought this one was very well constructed, Do I think this would have been a knock-out standalone novel? Yes. Do I think this was still a very well done novella? Also yes. Yang did a great job of getting me to form an attachment to the characters while also sidestepping any of the drawn-out tension that this romance would have had. I liked the journey our main character Yeva goes on while finding out who she is and what she wants to be. I think her romance with the love interest and falling in love with Quanbao and its people was symbolic of how cultures are feared and are sought out until they become too dangerous.
This is for fans of The Madalorian, and you will know what I mean as soon as you read this. A Queer, Asian-inspired Mandalorian fantasy novella is the best description for this book.
The audio was incredibly done! I enjoyed the whole listen. This is a great short listen to recommend to sci-fi and fantasy lovers!