The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (The Book of the Holt #1)
Bradley P. Beaulieu
Lorelei Aurelius is the smartest inquisitor in the mountain city of Ancris. When a mysterious tip leads her to a clandestine meeting between the Church and the hated Red Knives, she uncovers a plot that threatens not only her home but the empire itself. The trail leads to Rylan Holbrooke, a notorious thief posing as a dragon singer. Lorelei soon discovers there's more to Rylan than meets the eye. He came to Ancris to solve the very same mystery she stumbled onto. Knowing his incarceration could lead to the Red Knives' achieving their goals, Lorelei makes a fateful decision: she frees him. Now branded as traitors, the two flee the city on dragonback. In the massive forest known as the Holt, they follow the trail of clues and discover something terrible. The Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demi-god in the holiest shrine in Ancris, and for some reason the Church is willing to allow it. It forces their return to Ancris, where the unlikely allies must rally the very people who've vowed to capture them before it's too late.
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Woohoo! Another book down. I do have some issues with this book, but I loved it! Many, many errors. So many that I lost count. A couple POVs that I feel could have led to more interesting reveals if we didn't follow their perspectives in this book, though I loved Rylan, Lorelei, and Rhiannon was interesting. Rylan was my favourite, of course. He's the most interesting character here. I do wish the ending had a little more time in the oven, perhaps? There were moments that I felt weren't given quite the gravitas they could have and others that were a little rushed, but it did a great job of pushing the action and delivering on some really cool scenes. Obviously, my favourite things here were the dragons and how each colour differs from the next, the whole thing surrounding bonding and the tethers. This was really well thought out and executed across the board. And the Holt, in general. The absolutely gargantuan Citadel trees and the cities built within their boughs, the Kin that call it home and what that means for them with the Empire on their doorstep, and the magic system. It spoke to my inner Druid so much. I can't wait for the continuation of this series! I want to spend more time with some of these characters and see how they grow and change and interact, who else we get to meet, explore the book's threat further and unlock more lost lore. I am an absolute sucker for ancient lost lore being recovered in this way. Chef's kiss. If you're looking for a fun high fantasy book, this was a joy. Definitely going to go back and pick up Beaulieu's other works now! I do have the airship one on my Kindle but I'll try and get hold of Twelve Kings and the novella for Book of the Holt, for sure.
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