Happy Tuesday, shipmates! It’s Alex, and I’ve got a fresh wave of new releases for you this day — and more dragon-themed offerings because one of the new releases is so inspiring I cannot help myself. (I am so excited for this book, you have no idea.) Dragon lovers are eating well this May! My poor old cat, Loki, had to have some dental work done at the end of last week, so we’ve been having a time of it in my house, with him bonking into furniture with the Cone of Shame while on the good painkillers. It’s afforded me a lot of time to sit on the couch with him and get some reading done, that’s for sure. (And don’t worry, he’s bouncing back quickly.) I hope you had a weekend filled with much less cat drool than I did! Stay safe out there, space pirates, and I’ll see you on Friday!
BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O’Neal explores the wide bookish world. Interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books. Subscribe to First Edition on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your podcatcher of choice.
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s somewhere to start: NDN Collective and Jane’s Due Process.
Bookish Goods
Dragonscale Fidget Ring by JoyOasis
Since I’m on another dragon theme kind of day, I found this fun piece of jewelry. I love a fidget ring to play with while I’m reading, and the texture on this one looks quite nice (and the reviews say it’s quiet!). $18
New Releases
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Masquapaug is a remote island where dragons haven’t lived in generations…until the day 15-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg. When the egg hatches and the hatchling bonds with her, Anequs is celebrated by her people as a Nampeshiweisit; they remember when dragons lived on the island and danced the autumn storms away. But the Anglish colonizers have their own ideas about how dragons should be raised and what their use is. Anequs is “allowed” to enroll in an Anglish dragon school on the mainland, on the understanding that if she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed. To save them both, Anequs must learn quickly — but the most important lesson she takes in is that the world needs changing, and that she and her dragon may just have the power to do it.
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
A boy and a girl who have never met find themselves connected across a vast distance of space and time. The boy lives, trapped, in a library that is larger than most cities and older than any empire. The girl lives in a tiny, dangerous settlement called Dust, where no one goes because it is the territory of nightmares. And it is the books that bring them together…
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Riot Recommendations
Look, I know I took my shot on throwing dragon books at you last week, but did you read the summary for To Shape a Dragon’s Breath? I can’t help but be inspired! Here’s a couple of fun indie books about dragon riders.
Dragon Kin by Derik Fung
Dragons once ruled the world of Falraesia using the power of the Voice. But their own greed and corruption lead to the Dragon Wars, and caused the First Ones to strip them of their powers and leave them helpless in the face of the rise of the humans. Five centuries after these events, a young green dragon named Bryzsal knows only a world where the Voice is forbidden and humans are the enemy. But when he befriends a young human boy named Gaelion, he begins to question all he has known…and when circumstances force them apart, he finds himself in a position to not only save Gaelion, but also dragon society.
Dragon Orb by Shanlynn Walker
The last of the dragonriders live on the floating island of Daegonlot, hoping that the rest of the world will forget them and leave them in peace. Sixteen-year-old Daxon is far too old to be chosen as a dragonrider, but that hope stirs in him again when the largest dragon he’s ever seen leaves an egg in his care. But when the egg hatches, that event comes at the same time as news all the dragons on Daegonlot may be held in thrall by a mystical orb. He must find a way off Daegonlot if he’s to protect his hatchling from the same fate.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.