The Dragons of Deepwood Fen (The Book of the Holt #1) by Bradley P. Beaulieu

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language including several F words and the C word, A couple of quick but violent deaths.

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 her to Rylan Holbrooke, a notorious thief posing as a dragon singer. Rylan 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 discover something terrible. The Red Knives are planning to awaken a powerful demigod 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.

 

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were things I really liked about it. The dragons would be number one on the list. I also really liked some of the characters, but I got frustrated at times with the choices a couple of them made. One of them was really just a child, but she annoyed me so much as she ignored her conscience and continued to do everything that she was told to do with little to no push back. In general, I get frustrated with fantasy books where the evil plans of certain characters come to fruition despite everything the heroes keep throwing at him, or because the would be heroes are clueless as to what is going on. This was one of those types of books. I much prefer when there are wins and setbacks on both sides throughout the story, at least until closer to the end. 

Another annoying thing for me was the use of the C word a couple of times. I know some people will roll their eyes at this, but I don't care. The word bothers me. Then there is the very slow pace of the book. There are a lot of character points of view in this book. I enjoyed most of them, but I feel like it caused the pacing of the book to be rather slow. I also thought the book could have included more about the dragons and the dragon riders. We get a couple of pretty good battles between dragons and riders, but it would have loved more.

Despite some disappointments, I do really want to keep reading and see what happens with these characters, Rylan and Lorelei in particular. I liked how the book showed the relationships between the riders and the dragons and how one society bonded with them while the other tried to control them. I also enjoyed the political intrigue that went on between each faction and how they wanted to use each other to get what they wanted. I also have to add that I love that cover. I love it so much that I want a hardcover copy of this book for that reason alone.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an Arc of this book.