This tried to be The Fireborne Blade but turned into a fairy tale.

The premise of a dragon slayer family involved in court politics is a good one, but the became a sapphic romance before we could even learn the MC was a real dragon slayer.

If you're looking for more romance than dragon slaying you'll enjoy it more than I did, but the ending turned this into a modern fairy tale with a slightly adult touch.

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is an ~175 page fantasy novella in a lush, East Asian-inspired setting following a masked knight, Yeva, and the Girl-King of the neighboring country of Quanbao, Sookhee. Yeva has been trained under the knights of the Sun Emperor to serve her nation by slaying dragons with her bloodline’s magic. She has managed to do all this while never removing her armor, staying completely masked even to her colleagues. When she is sent as a diplomat to the small neighboring nation of Quanbao, near her own homeland, she begins to struggle with her task of searching for conspiracies of hidden dragons, her growing feelings towards Sookhee, and her allegiances with her culture of her childhood versus the Sun Empire who trained her.

Yeva is the standout of this novella. Growing up until her early teens, she lived in a village on the far edges of the Sun Empire near the border of Quanbao. The culture she grew up in, especially the food and language, are much more similar to that nation than the Sun Empire’s capital that she lived in for the 12 years after her forced arrival (she is 25 at the start of the novella). After arriving in Quanbao, we see vividly how Yeva struggles to connect the far away memories and language skills of her childhood to her sudden arrival in this strange but so familiar place. We learn, through Yeva’s memories of childhood and later knight training, the longing she has for her culture of her childhood as well as the way she buried this feeling deep inside of her. These things led to her complete comfort in the Empire’s armor and her refusal to ever remove the set, or reveal her name or gender, in public. She is both learning how to engage with her culture after a lifetime hiding it away and learning to be a person in general again. This conflict is written with so much care and, to me, is the heart of the novel more than any romance or investigation.

The narration was stylized as this sort of distanced old fable. Those “once upon a time…” narrators over a fairytale sort. This allowed for the narrative to have plenty of time to breathe and build its lush setting and atmosphere a slight distance away from the main character, but without ever getting slowed down too much. The moments of exposition feel natural to the story and work with the narrator’s voice. Though I fully agree that that was the right choice for the story, I felt that its execution became a bit clunky at times. This is especially true when going from a long period of Yeva’s thoughts or from longer dialogue sections. After those types of scenes, it takes a few more paragraphs for the author to get back in the swing of the style. We also get a lot of telling, not showing. It’s par for the course with this style of narration and was never a real problem for me, but if it's a huge pet peeve of yours then this may not be a story for you. The stylization is never confusing or disorienting, but just a bit distracting and could have used a bit of polish to really bring out the best in the work.

This book was a very comfortable length that I finished in two sittings. I always respect an author limiting themself to a shorter length, and I feel that the shorter length worked in favor of this particular story because of the story-teller narration style (it never got old or boring). As with other novellas, we lose out on a bit of character development due to the limited page count. Yeva is developed very well and is a fully fleshed out character, Sookhee is done well for her role in the story, though lacking in comparison to Yeva, and Emory is left high and dry. For the importance that he and his relationship play into the climax confrontation, we rarely see him. Another couple of short flashbacks of him and Yeva growing up, hinting more at his character and ideals, would have really helped the lack of everything about him. It doesn't ruin the climax or resolution, but does handicap it greatly as I never fully understood him or his actions. The two scenes of him, one as a child and another right before Yeva leaves for Quanbao, don’t line up with what we see of him at the end.

I felt that the romance was lacking in this novella. It is not a major problem for me, as I do not really read romance stories and never miss them in the first place, but we never really see the development of our two leads’ relationship. We hear that Yeva is visiting Sookhee for tea and language lessons most days, but never get to experience them with her. This is, in part, due to the story-teller narration style, as many things are brushed over as tropes indicative of the genre, but I imagine many romance fans picking up this book for this reason might be disappointed.

This is a nice, nimble fantasy novella that I imagine will delight many people. Though lacking in a few sections, I enjoyed my short time with it and will take it as a sign to look at some of the author’s other works.

The audiobook narration was done extremely well and really brought out the best in the novella. I loved her voice and the pronunciation of the Chinese names throughout. She really fit the storyteller style of the novella.

Special thanks to NetGalley, TOR and RB Media for a chance to listen to this audiobook, as this is my first ALC/ARC review I'll do my best to be as honest and detailed as possible

Rating ⭐2.5 (rounded up)
Spice 🌶️0
Cover 5/5

This story follows Yeva, a legendary masked dragon hunter. Haunted by a past she barely remembers, after training and hunting dragons half of her life Yeva is sent to the reclusive kingdom of Quanbao, where dragons are worshipped instead of feared. While searching for a rumored dragon, she finds herself drawn to Quanbao's enigmatic ruler, Lady Sookhee. They end up falling for each other, though I feel Yeva is rather one dimensional and couldn't figure out what Sookhee saw in her or exactly when they decided to establish a relationship, because; like all novellas that aren't based on an already established series of books, it felt incredibly rushed but also simultaneously slow in parts.
I feel like this book would have benefited being written in the first person, or if it switched between point of views, such as Sookhee's POV for instance, as is stands all the events such as her training and her experiences were told to us instead of us as the viewers experiencing them with her so that connection you are generally supposed to feel for the MC is lacking.

All in all, it was only okay, only because it was so rushed and the characters weren't really fleshed out and the conclusion was incredibly obvious. It was cute though, and if the series continues as a full length novel, or in the same universe I'd probabaly read it.

Fans of Priory of the Orange Tree look no further for your next dragon fix! I love that we are getting more fantasy novellas. I think this is a great story that is action packed into a short book. I thought that Brighter than Scale, Swifter Than Flame was paced perfectly. The story flowed easily and the world building was just complex enough for a novella, without being too shallow. I liked the classic tales of dragons and curses that this played off of and that this book made me feel like I was listening to someone tell a fable around a campfire. The love story was prevalent without taking center stage to the overarching story. Overall, this was a very well balanced and paced book. I loved the dragons as enemies element, this has been something I have seen less of lately and I love to see the “dragon slayer” main character make a return. In the archetypes return I loved that it was shown in a queer, disabled woman. I also loved the “mandalorian” comp for her armour that she wears. I love the armour trope and it worked well in this story. Yeva was a fun character with so many unique motivations. She was a very interesting and thought provoking character to follow. I truly enjoyed the audiobook version of this story. Nancy Wu's low raspy and sultry voice really embodied Yeva well. I thought that her voice really suited our battle worn and weary soldier, and helped immerse me in the story. Even sped up she was easy to understand and she had a nice voice variance for different characters. This was a great fantasy audiobook and I will definitely recommend it to any fantasy reader looking for a well-written novella!

Que linda novella, la construcción de mundo y del personaje principal fue hermosa a pesar de ser corta, me hubiese gustado que el romance se desarrollara un poco más, pero fue una excelente lectura rápida que logró adentrarme en un mundo de fantasía genial. La narradora hace un hermoso trabajo dando vida a los personajes.

4/5⭐
5/5🎧

A well-narrated little dragon novella. I would have liked more about Yeva's exploits and the politics of Quanbao, but overall this was an engaging story with interesting characters and setting.

Thanks NetGalley and RB Media for an advanced audio of this book.

A really stunningly written fantasy queer romance with emotional characters

The novella felt like a taster and would love to read more about this world.

3.5 realiaticallty. This queer fantasy novella was host to fascinating world that was easily and quickly built. The characters are flawed and morally grey trying to do what they believe is right which isnt always good. The twists and turns kept coming and kept me invested as it was short. I almost wish for more so I could emotionally connect to the characters on a deeper level. The time skips left a lot of world and story unexplored which could have spread into a full novel but I enjoyed the plot and the parts of the world we for to see. The voice acting was beautiful and kept me interested. The time seemed to fly by as I was absorbed in the story.

In a world where dragons are a real threat, dragonslayers have become a political weapon. Yeva, whose powers manifested at a very young age, was torn from her origins and bound to the empire's will. When a new threat forces her to return to her roots as a diplomatic envoy, everything she has learned over the years about power and her enemies is put to the test.

The story has a legendary tone that draws from oral tradition and sets the action in a realm inspired by the great Eastern empires, while also occupying a mystical plane. The prose is beautiful but, in my opinion, not overly ornate, avoiding the unnecessary kind of embellishment that could make it heavy or difficult to read.

It’s a short story in which the author manages to build a rich and expansive fantasy world, but the real strength lies in the introspective nature of the protagonist and her inner conflict as she navigates the friction between her culture of origin and her adopted one.
If I had to point out a flaw, it would be that at times the story feels like something we’ve seen before. That said, the perspective is fresh, and instead of witnessing the creation of a myth, the action unfolds long after the myth has already been established. Still, some plot elements felt predictable, and their revelations came too late, even after they had become obvious to the reader, though not to the protagonist. This made the action feel unnecessarily drawn out at times, even in such a short piece.

Overall, however, this is a vivid and engaging read, rich and expansive, with a main character who’s pleasant enough to accompany through an intriguing world. If Yang chooses to return to it with more pages, I’ll gladly return too.

A gorgeous, reflective folk tale-style work. Yang’s entry into the lady knight canon is every bit as heartful, majestic, and magical as I expected. I saw the twist coming, but loved the journey the characters went on to find themselves, one another, and home.

Narration was spot-on and engaging. No notes.

A well narrated novella which draws you in from the beginning. I loved the the themes of family, love, duty and friendship. I did kind of guess the mystery behind the story but it did not spoil the experience of listening and enjoying the tale unfolding. I liked the characters, particularly Yeva who we go this journey with. I liked how the past and present connected through Yeva's experience. Well worth a listen and a read. I would definitely look for more books by this author.

As a child Yeva faces off against a dragon and lives, a feat few before her have accomplished.
Upon slaying the dragon it’s realized that she inherited her family’s gift. Yeva is sent far away from all that she knows, so she can learn to hone her power among others like her.

After years of training Yeva has become a captain guild knight, who has stopped allowing herself to feel, to love, and to yearn. She is a legendary warrior and dragon hunter who hides her identity hidden under a mask.

Yeva is sent back to her homeland to investigate the presence of dragons. While there she realizes just how much has changed in the years that she’s been gone. From the once carefree little girl strolling the streets alongside her family, to an outsider in thick armor and trained to kill.
Yeva must face the difficult decision between the burden of honor and duty she has for The Sun Empire, and the desire she feels in her heart that goes against all she’s trained for.


The narrator was perfectly cast for this story! Her voice captured the dreamlike fantasy feel of this story and made the audiobook easy to listen to that I finished it in a day.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for the Audiobook ARC of this story!

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a very fairy-tale-like novella - a queer take on the knight falling in love with the princess that explores what it means to hide part of yourself.

I don't always vibe with novellas, but the form made sense for this story. The framing device that we're being told the tale of a mysterious, almost mythic figure from history felt like exactly the right way to position a story of this length and depth.

I read it in an afternoon and really enjoyed it. The setting and characters are well developed. Nancy Wu's narration is also excellent - it feels very well suited to the storytelling framing.

My only real complaint is how obvious the reveal was. I as the reader guessed the secret very early on, which is fine, but it's frustrating that Yeva is given every possible clue and somehow fails to reach the logical conclusion until the very end.

A much more minor quibble is that I'm pretty sure from context that the word "enervated" was used incorrectly, twice ("she always returned in high spirits, enervated by her trips to the neighbouring country" and "enervated by a sense of discovery"). It's an unusual enough word that it jumped out at me.

This novella I really enjoyed. Loved the writing and characters. Packed just enough into this shorter fantasy story. And the audio is great, amazing narrator!

This was a lovely, dragon-filled sapphic novella about a knight, Yeva, struggling to reconcile with her past. I felt some characters could’ve been fleshed out more, to give some depth to the story but at nearly 200 pages, I say the author does a good job weaving an immersive tale.

Thank you RB Media and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was such a beautiful sapphic novella with dragons, sapphic longing, and a girl trying to reconnect with her past. I loved the inner workings of the main character, how complex her feelings are to the way she was raised and what she saw in front of her. Despite the shortness of the story, the author is able to portray a depth to all of the characters and the world. I 100% plan on buying a physical copy and doing a reread soon.

3.5 stars
I really enjoy Yang’s writing style. Overall I enjoyed the plot of the story but felt like the characters and world deserved more depth. I frequently have the issue with novellas that they need more to them for me to be invested in the characters and this was no different. I think I would have needed to see more of the main characters journey to make friends and become a great knight for me to feel the internal conflict between her country and her lover more. What little we saw of her in her country, she was distanced from others through her armour and role.
The reveal at the end was very obvious and at least the main character realized they had already kind of known what was coming.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC! I absolutely adored this fantasy novella richly imagined and beautifully told. The world-building completely swept me away, and the sapphic representation made it all the more meaningful. If you’re craving a quick, immersive fantasy escape, this one’s for you. I only wish it were longer. I wasn’t ready to leave this world behind.

4.5 / 5 stars
This was great! I loved the world-building, I loved the characters, I loved the narration, I loved the lesbians and the dragon(s). With fantasy novellas I'm always a bit scared that their small length will be a detriment to the world-building, making it feel either rushed or half-baked, but thankfully this story did not fall into the same trap. This was a story that worked well at novella-length and felt complete at the end. The audiobook narration was also well done and helped give each character their own distinct voice, while not overdoing it, enabling a nice and cohesive listening experience. The 'big twist' was pretty foreseeable, but luckily that did not detract from the experience.

Yang tells a fascinating story in less than 200 pages about a lady knight that gives Mandalorian vibes and the enigmatic girl-king she becomes entangled with. As an avid novella reader, I find that my favorites are the ones that are character-driven, and can tell a complete story with only one or two well-written characters. This story is carried by Yeva, our always-masked protagonist, and I mean that in the best way. By the time I reached the end I felt as if I knew Yeva like a childhood friend, whom I love and support and want to see happy. I was invited along on her journey, and even though in some ways we parted before seeing the end, I was still satisfied with the time we spent together.