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frodomom214's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
dawn_marie's review against another edition
4.0
In His Majesty’s Service includes the first three novels of the Temeraire series following the adventures of British Naval Officer Captain Will Laurence during the Napoleonic Era. The battles are loosely based on real battles and the world is historically accurate with one exception; there are dragons in the world created by Naomi Novik . In the first novel, His Majesty’s Dragon, Captin Laurence discovers a dragon egg on a French warship he captured in a recent battle and goes on to detail the developing bond between Laurence and the dragon Temeraire. The second and third novels, Throne of Jade and Black Power War, continue Temeraire and Laurence’s adventures as they make their way to China and back. The strength and enjoyment of the novels comes from Novik’s attention to detail and careful world building; Temeraire and Laurence are well developed and continually changing characters while the supporting characters are a bit flat, they are enjoyable enough and contribute to plot development.
leahreadsstuff's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Napoleonic wars with dragons. Has there ever been a better idea? THIS is how you write compelling fantasy with dragons.
The action is tensely and effectively written, and the characters are well developed (both human and dragon.) The pacing is perfect. There is enough time spent developing the story to feel as if you have started to know the stakes and the personalities involved, but the action comes on at the right beats and builds steadily. It was so skillfully done that I was invested before I knew what had happened. I will unashamedly admit that I was moved to tears at different points.
I love Temeraire and Lawrence. Their dynamic is entertaining and emotional, and I cared about what happened to them. The side characters are all unique and carefully developed, and none of them are paragons. They all have human flaws and eccentricities. The plot has depth, and tackles some interesting ethical and moral questions through the lens of the dragons. The whole series of books is well done and worth reading. I’m looking forward to counting the series!
manaledi's review against another edition
4.0
I quite liked the retelling of the Napoleonic wars with dragons. And temeraire an abolitionist!
claredragonfly's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sandlapper's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
ialja's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sfelkar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
4.0
His Majesty's Dragon - 5★
Oh, I quite enjoyed this one. I found the contrast between Laurence's prim Navy ways and life with an unpredictable dragon endearing. I enjoyed watching his growing affection for Temeraire and Temeraire's honest open love. I did find some of it predictable and it didn't really have much of an ending, since this is the first of a much longer series. But I'm looking forward to book two.
Throne of Jade - 3.5★
I still loved the characters and the writing and the world-building (dragon species, etc) was still astounding, but honestly I found this book a bit dull. The vast majority was comprised of traveling. While there were a few battles with [insert opponent here], most were just random encounters in the course of oceanic transport. There were very few events of actual importance to the plot. What little there was, was crowded in the last 1/4 or so of the book. Even then, Laurence's reticence to push people/dragons for further information left the reader wanting information. Still a good book, but I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as the first.
Black Powder War - 3.5★
My review of this Black Powder War is very much the same as Throne of Jade. I adored His Majesty's Dragon, but though I still enjoyed the writing, characters and world building of these latter books, the continued shift toward the war and politics as the primary focus of the story bored me. Plus, the fact that the books all seem to end without conclusion is annoying. I'm just not willing to dedicate myself to 5 more books in the hope of an ending. And that's if the 8th book, published just this year, is an actual conclusion, as opposed to just the most recent book with more to come. So having reached the last page of my third 300+ book in the series I am calling it quits.
Again, the voice of these characters is wonderful. Novik has really created very detailed draconic strata based largely on dragon size and ability. There is a lot of subtle humour and history is deftly merged with fantasy. So for the right reader this is probably a full-on five star book, as book one was for me. I, however, can't drag my rating up that high for something I wasn't less disappointed in.