Scales of Ash and Smoke - Emily Schneider
★★★★☆
Solid fantasy tale with a unique dragon twist and cute romance
Kaida has been enslaved to dragons her whole life. But when shapeshifter Prince Tarrin liberates her, Kaida’s world is turned upside down as she begins to question everything she thought she knew about dragons. With a plot to wipe out humans, an arranged betrothal, and treasonous political schemes that threaten to resurrect an ancient enemy, Scales of Ash and Smoke is an epic fantasy of adventure woven with romance. It’s a tale that proves even the most disturbed and forsaken worlds have points of light and hope.
Narrative Voice: 1st person (dual)
Cussing/profanity: 0/5
Drug/alcohol use: 1/5
Kissing: 2/5
Sex/nudity: 0/5
Violence/gore: 3/5
Emily Schneider’s style is easy to read and beautifully written. The images and scenery lived vividly in my imagination, and anytime food was described made me hungry. The dialogue feels natural with clear individual voices, and despite it being dual 1st person narratives, I never lost track of whose pov I was reading—something that is hard for me to find.
The romantic attraction stems from forced proximity, and the descriptions are mostly physical, but quite tame. However, they got a little stale for me after a while, but the romance is still cute overall, coming from a non-romance reader. I like Tarrin’s protectiveness over Kaida without being obsessive, and I like Kaida for her humanity and desire to befriend the slaves she encounters. I absolutely hate Eklos, that is to say, he evoked the proper reaction the author intended, so this is a compliment. I wanted him to die shortly after his introduction. He was obnoxiously evil and overall repulsive with no value for life. Good job, Emily, I kept wanting to stuff his face in a toaster.
The rest of the plot powered on with excitement and mystery, plus a plot twist I wasn’t expecting. The magic system was cleverly crafted, though there are some things that were left unanswered that I hope will be addressed in the sequel, which I also plan to read.
4/5 would recommend
