House of Dragons

The original review can be found on TheFandom.net where a review copy was provided in return of an honest review. In HOUSE OF DRAGONS, Jessica Cluess delivers a non-stop thrill ride that dives deep into politics and breathes life into action-packed scenes. Normally, when the Emperor of Etrusia passes away, the Great Dragon calls the eldest child from each of the five Houses to compete in the Trials with their respective dragon. The winner becomes the new Emperor or Empress and they rule successfully until their passing, where the cycle restarts. It’s the same every single time, until now. Suddenly the younger siblings are being chosen, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it. When I first saw that House of Dragons was told from five different points of views, I became a little concerned. From past experience, multiple points of views start bleeding into each other and the character’s personalities start blending. I’m no longer able to tell them apart and end up getting frustrated. Cluess makes sure that every single one of her characters are completely different so that doesn’t happen. From the start, I was able to differentiate these distinctive characters. They all varied with their emotions and actions and stand apart from each other. You could literally open the book at any page and within seconds know who’s point of view it is. Their voices mirrored their arc that takes you on this wild journey and you see their progression the further in you go. I found myself questioning every single person and wondering which of them would win the Trials and take the throne by the end. Even the side characters play a large part with their depth and complexities. I found myself wanting to know more about everyone and hoping that we would get more stories out of them. I honestly liked every single character in this unique cast and wanted more. One of my favorite parts had to be the story itself. Because of the Trials, we see the characters doing their own things and going about their business. But the story makes sure that they cross each other and fits them into this larger puzzle. It was almost like a game of chess, where if you take out one characters action, nothing else can happen. The entire time I was reading, I was literally having fun. Through the happy moments, the action scenes, and even the sad times, I was having as much fun as if I were watching a blockbuster movie. I thought the world building was intriguing. While the novel focused more on the characters and their dragons, I thought that what we saw of the world was beautifully done. It made me want more, and want to dive deeper into its lore and cultures. I’m not sure if it’s because I really like the novel a lot, but I want to know about the past, present, and future. I want to see in-detailed passages about all the lands. I just want to ask for too much honestly. While reading, I did get little hints, almost easter eggs, to Game of Thrones. At least I hope they were easter eggs, what with one of the main characters being called Emilia, and especially with the way things ended. It gave me the same vibe except I wasn’t disappointed this time. I was Excited with a capital E. I found myself almost wanting the “villain” to continue with what they were doing. At the end of it all, Jessica Cluess is smart and witty and has easily given me one of my favorite books of the year. She introduces us to this almost modern fantasy world, with current “moods” and “sayings” that sets it apart from others. It wasn’t trying to be this classical fantasy novel, but gave us what we know today. It’s a little difficult to explain but that only means you’ll have to buy the book and read it to understand. And hopefully, she decides to write more worlds set in Etrusia aside from the sequel.

First of all, I accidentally bought this book. I was trying to tap "Save to List" on my phone and instead I tapped "Buy It Now". It was recommended in a fantasy group on Facebook so I thought I'd add it to my list and wait for the price to come down. Whups. So I paid a whopping $10.99 for it on Kindle, which actually turned out to be $11.75 with taxes. This book is not worth $11 on Kindle. It's a good book, but it's not that good. Thank goodness it was copyedited well. I can't stand books that are slapped together with no editing or proofreading. This is one of those stories I wish the author would take the time to rewrite and just let loose on it. I wish it was more like GM's book-- way too long for absolutely no reason--just because I want more. I love a good competition. I've loved it since I read the Hunger Games and it was so nice to see one in a fantasy setting. An Ember in the Ashes was ok with its competition, but after that the story turned lame. I hope that doesn't happen in this budding series. ***Spoilers below*** Storied Adventures's classification of the characters is pretty spot-on. I kept hoping that Hyperia would change by the end--it kind of seemed like she wanted to, or almost did at multiple points in the book--but it never really panned out. Maybe that would've been too predictable or cliche. I also wish Ajax would've been less of an idiot but he never smartened up. By the end I was rooting for one of his near-death experiences to take him out. I think the challenges were too fast and over too quickly. I suppose an empire can't go without a leader for very long, but they pick up all these people and in five days they'll have a new emperor and that's pretty intense. I would've liked it more drawn out. I wish the Hunt trial was more complicated than it was. It was pretty cut and dry, even if there were ulterior motives by the priests. Like another reviewer said, the Game was the best opportunity for the contestants to flex their emperor-quality muscles, and a couple of them didn't even bother participating. It was good to see a little strategy mixed in but I would've liked to see more intrigue with houses switching their support between candidates. The Race was ok, but I was hoping for better. Just the fact that they went directly from the Game to the Race threw me off. When they said everyone's going to the capitol and it's the Race, I thought they might've meant the race takes place at the capitol--after they get there. Instead it's just the dragons riding along together until the very end when there's a quick struggle at the finish line. I thought the Race could've been more exciting. The Truth trial didn't make really any sense to me. It was predictable in that you already know what each contestant was going to "see" once they walked into that dark room. The author didn't even let you know what would happen once they walked in there and yet I predicted it right away because it was so obvious. I was really hoping for something to surprise me in that. The fact that the Truth trial didn't "work" or do whatever it was supposed to do left us wondering what the purpose was and how it was actually supposed to go in the end. Should all of the contestants then walk out of that room? How do they know who would win? The priests were hush-hush about this and it left me annoyed that we had to read about their frantic reaction about the Truth not working when we don't know how it should've gone in the first place. Maybe the author didn't even know. I LOVED the dragons. Dragons are fun. I love learning their personalities and I wish we could've seen more of that. My favorite character was probably Vespir. Her love and appreciation and knowledge for dragons is something I can imagine myself relating to, and her empathy for fellow lowborns is valuable. Nothing really made her qualified to be empress, but I liked her as a character. Emilia was alright, but flighty. I would've liked to see even more of her knowledge on display and show how valuable that would be for an empress. Lucien irritated me like he irritated everyone else. Ajax was consistently obnoxious and never learned or changed. Hyperia was psychotic from beginning to end. One thing that bothered me was that after her dragon died and she lost her soul, nothing really seemed to change. She was in shock for a few moments, but after that she was the same old psychotic Hyperia. It didn't seem right that she didn't change at all after the fact. Is that supposed to mean that she's so nuts that her soul didn't mean much? If another contestant got Cut, would they have become psychotic too? I just don't get it. The only other thing that bothered me about this book was the lame ending. It was a little too on-the-nose like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Two empresses and two emperors? Seriously? How's that going to work? Ajax, an emperor? Give me a break. He's the worst one for the job--which everyone acknowledges--and yet he still got it simply because it was all or nothing (?). The author couldn't figure out another way to choose a winner and still let the others live? What happens when none of them agree? They're going to have to hash a lot of these problems out and they should've discussed it before crowning themselves. Instead, they were like, hey, why don't we ALL get to rule? And then, SURE! With no further thought about how it would actually work. Good luck with that strategy. I'm wondering if this'll be a sticking point in the further books if the author writes them, which I assume she will with the slight cliffhanger at the end with Hyperia. But I'm honestly not sure I'll even buy it because $11 for Kindle book is way out of my ebook price range.

I was so excited about House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess. I enjoyed her debut series and was anxious to read her new book! First of all, cover love! The intriguing synopsis made me want to dive right into the story. Five contestants are called to compete for the throne. Emilia has concealed her deadly, powerful magic her entire life. Lucian destroys the family sword, vowing to never use the weapon again. He’s had enough of killing. Vespir is a dragon caretaker who is chosen over the Lord’s daughter, Antonia. Vespir and Antonia also happen to love each other. Ajax is a fifteen year old younger brother in a house full of almost thirty sons. He is chosen over his father’s two true heirs. Hyperia is the eldest royal daughter and when her younger sister is chosen, Hyperia promptly slits her sister’s throat. The author handles the five characters well by transitioning in the same order to help the reader get familiar with each of them. Each of the five are sent to an island to hunt a basilisk. The hunt is the first task of four (the tasks are The Hunt, The Game, The Race and The Truth) the chosen will need to compete in. The five chosen are not expected and, in the past, the first born heirs were always chosen and groomed for the competition. These contenders are all ill-prepared except for one, Hyperia, because she’s the first born heir of her family. I enjoyed the touch of humor throughout the intensity of the story, as well as the character development. The story starts off simply and grows into a complex tale of a huge array of characters with diverse personalities and strengths. 5 stars for this fantasy adventure!

For me, I was hooked by ‘House of Dragons’ not by the first chapter, but by the cover. I mean, just look at it: five swords with epic dragon hilts? Yes please. And as each of the first five chapters introduced the main characters, I was drawn even further in. This book was epic, brutal, and the author made it clear very early on that she would not be pulling any punches (which I love). Each character had their own goals, strengths, and weaknesses, and I found myself rooting for each one of them to win at one point throughout the book. ‘House of Dragons’ is told from the five main character’s POV, but the author does a beautiful and seamless job of writing each POV to be distinctive from one another. I loved the author’s writing style and how fast-paced the story was. If you’re a fan of dragons, misfits, murder, and betrayal, this book is definitely for you.

First thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. Hyperia was my favorite character, besides Emilia. I love characters with determination and discipline, so it’s no surprise I was drawn to them. It’s solid fantasy with an intriguing magic system, and, of course, dragons. Spoilers Below More seriously, Cluess explores themes of class disparity both in terms of economics and lineage by throwing five characters of different upbringings and temperaments together. To her credit, the five main characters are beautifully rendered with vibrantly distinct personalities. I found Emilia’s character arc particularly engaging, but I am always impressed by women who learn to embrace themselves and their innate talent/strength. Even though Hyperia is seriously messed up, she had such utter self confidence and capability that it was hard not to become invested in her arc as well. Even though her actions in the end made her a solid antagonist, I admire her relentlessness in pursuing what she feels is necessary and right, however misguided she ultimately is. Secondly, what stands out to me even weeks after the book’s release is the imagery. Each setting is vivid and memorable, and each character’s appearance is as intense as their personalities.

If you've been missing the cool dragons, fighting between royal houses, fantasy/adventure quest that Game of Thrones gave you, try this book out. If you're looking for all of that but you need romance thrown in as well, you may want to pass this book up. There was a romantic relationship forming between two of the characters, but it was definitely a sub-plot. I hesitated to give this book 5 stars because the writing was of lower complexity, but I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story enough (kinda gave me an Alice in Wonderland vibe) that I think any tween/teen could become emersed in it. I'm 25, so it wasn't up to par with the usual stuff I read, but I enjoyed the sweet break it gave me from reading books that take twenty pages to describe a tree.

I liked this book well enough. There were some things I did not like: for instance, 1) the "real" plot doesn't show up until about 65% through the book. 2) The whole "trial" thing is basically just introducing us to the characters, their motivations, and how they think, and 3) for a trial designed to select the next emperor of this vast country, you'd think it'd be a little more intricate than it was. The only bit of the trial that really made any sense for selecting a future ruler was the Game, and even then two-fifths of the contestants sat it out for reasons that just seemed petty or foolish. However, there were also things I really liked: 1) the characters. Don't get me wrong, some of them were seriously annoying and one dimensional at times (I'm looking at you Ajax and Hyperia) but for the most part we are given five different people who don't have much in common aside from the fact they were called for this trial. 2) I really liked the fact that every single character is extremely, deeply flawed. It kind of makes you not like any of them. For example, Lucien is a soldier who doesn't fight who thinks he can just talk his way out of everything using reason and logic. This should be annoying enough that you want him to die: what good is a solider who won't wield a sword, especially in a dangerous situation? But somehow, it works. Probably because he has four other people who can and will pick up the slack for him. And this is why even though all the characters are so genuinely damaged and seemingly irredeemable that you kind of find yourself rooting for them: as Emilia said, they are all blind in certain areas, but together, somehow, they form a functioning, well balanced whole. And I like that. 3) the dragons!! Oh, but I really loved the dragons, especially in the later bit of the book. Dog is adorable and Karina is just cool. I am really looking forward to seeing more of them. Overall, I would say this book was a good read. The characters are interesting, even if the world isn't grandly fleshed out. The magic system could do with a bit more explanation, only because it seems very two dimensional. But it has dragons, so that makes up for it.

I loved this YA novel about a succession contest among five dragon riders. I assumed there would be one obvious protagonist (probably the character called Emilia, which seemed like a wink to the actress who played the "Mother of Dragons" in Game of Thrones) since it was a battle to decide who rules as emperor and who dies, but Cluess shares five perspectives of very different people throughout the novel. I empathized and cheered for almost all of them - and there's a twist toward the end that was an absolute joy to read for this fantasy fan. "As the noon sun struck the stones and the family awaited the call, Emilia nestled inside her own head, a poisonous paradise."

Ich habe mir die Englische Version gekauft, daher kann ich nicht so genau sagen wie detailliert es geschrieben wurde, immerhin ist Deutsch meine Muttersprache. Nichts desto trotz finde ich ist es super geschrieben und auch die Story ist sehr spannend. 👍Ich kann nur sagen super Buch! Und ich freue mich schon riesig darauf den 2.Teil zu lesen. :-D

this was such an interesting book! the characters were vicious af and it was amazing, such a good read.

Was a good read. I enjoyed it. And it came in good condition.

I love dragons, - who doesn't? - but not all books about dragons are good. I already read some books about dragons really bad written and bad in general. But this book was perfect. Very well written, i loved the idea of having 5 different characters narrating the story. For me, it was this fact that caused the story to be so dynamic and interesting. For me there was no dull moments, maybe the beginning was a bit slow, but we had to know and to be introduced to the characters, but as the story progresses, it gets better and better and the ending was perfect. EMILIA is my favorite character, perfect character WOW but i also love Lucian and Vespir and off course, all the dragons - except Hydra- are perfect. In the end, it kinda reminded me ERAGON and SAPHIRA - Christoper Paolini's books - but this book has nothing to do with ERAGON because these characters are unique; also this book in my opinion has nothing to do with HUNGER GAMES, which is a story much more tragic and intense. The fact that this book has dragons, makes the story more easy to read for me, because i love fantasy and fictional books. Hunger Games looks almost real - that scenario could happen in a far future, who knows? I love this book, because is fictional and allows the perfect escape. I will certainly read the book 2. Jessica Cluess is now one of my favorite authors of the genre.

House of Dragons is set in a empire ruled by 5 houses where people primarily nobles form bonds with dragons. When the Current emperor dies a call goes out summoning the 5 candidates representatives of each house to compete to be Emperor. Normally it’s the five heirs of the Houses that are selected the firstborn trained since birth to compete prepared to die if they lose. This time agaisnt all tradition it’s the runts and oddballs that have been chosen no one knows why. Summoned to the capital the five find themselves drawn into events beyond their control. House of dragons follows 5 protagonists vespir dragon trainer and servant, lucian ex-soldier and newly turned pacifist, Emilia harbouring a secret that could get her horribly killed, Ajax a bastard son one of twenty seven, Hyperia the eldest of her house who when she isn’t chosen uses a bloody loophole to enable her to compete. Most of the characters are likeable all of them are well drawn what romance there is, not a huge element , is well handled. It looks at the abuse and affects power and the pursuit of it can have both on a individual basis and on a society of a whole. Most of the problems come down to pacing, there’s a lot going on it’s takes a long while for the candidates to start asking meaningful questions about why this competition is different, when the answers mind you are literally life or death, and when they do they get them very fast with a simplistic resolution. There’s not enough depth given to some characters, Ajax primarily, and more time should be given to the bond between rider and dragon, especially since the death of a dragon has grave consequences for there rider. This is obviously just book one I look forward to and will be buying the next book, just hopefully it will be paced and filled out a bit better.