Friday, August 4, 2017

Book Review: The Dragons of Nova by Elise Kova

I received a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Keymaster Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Title: The Dragon's of Nova
Author: Elise Kova
Series: The Loom Saga #2
Publisher: Keymaster Press
Publication Date: July 11, 2017
Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Length: 448 pages
Format: ebook
Source: Netgalley


Synopsis:
Cvareh returns home to his sky world of Nova with the genius crafter Arianna as his temperamental guest. The mercurial inventor possesses all the Xin family needs to turn the tides of a centuries-old power struggle, but the secrets she harbors must be earned with trust--hard to come by for Ari, especially when it comes to Dragons. On Nova, Ari finds herself closer to exacting vengeance against the traitor who killed everything--and everyone--she once loved. But before Ari can complete her campaign of revenge, the Crimson Court exposes her shadowed past and reveals something even more dangerous sparking between her and Cvareh. 

While Nova is embroiled in blood sport and political games, the rebels on Loom prepare for an all-out assault on their Dragon oppressors. Florence unexpectedly finds herself at the forefront of change, as her unique blend of skills--and quick-shooting accuracy--makes her a force to be reckoned with. For the future of her world, she vows vengeance against the Dragons. 

Before the rebellion can rise, though, the Guilds must fall. 

My Thoughts: 
Arianna, better known as the White Wraith, makes it to Nova with Cvareh, right where we left off in The Alchemists of Loom. In the first book, we learned that Nova is a floating world in the sky above Loom where the Dragon race live. These aren't your typical winged dragons, though they do fly with the help of their magic and some awesome machines that the Fenthri of Loom created. Nova's powerful Dragon King, Yvuen, has been holding Loom and it's inhabitants hostage for decades, having split them into guilds and destroying any rebellions.
But Arianna is holding a heavy grudge against these dragons and will stop at nothing to find the one that killed someone special to her. She's also determined to destroy the grip that the Dragon King has on her people. So, with Cvareh's help, she entertains an alliance with his older sister, Petra, the Oji of House Xin, whom vies for the throne. 


This was pretty much just as awesome as the first book. There's the steampunk elements, the kickass worldbuilding (which was even more amazing now that we're hanging out on floating islands high above the clouds), and some really brutal moments between Arianna, Cvareh, and basically every dragon she comes across.
Kova's writing and worldbuilding is simply fantastic with great pacing and never a dull moment.


I love the very capable women in these books. Arianna, Florence, and Petra are 'take no shit' kind of characters and I love them. 
We are introduced to more characters that shape the story and what is to come and I'm excited to continue on with this series and see what happens to them all.

Some of the POVs kind of made the story drag, but this is definitely a personal opinion that others might not share. I wasn't really interested in Petra or Yveun's POVs despite how important they were to the overall story. I also kind of disliked Florence's chapters, though they were important to an event that happens at the very end, and to keep us connected to those on Loom (but come on, can we please just live in Nova forever?!)
This sequel was a bit more political and I honestly just wanted more of Cvereh and Ari and their crazy tension.


I'm hesitant to recommend this to young adults because of the sexual interaction in this book but I think mature young adults could handle it just fine. It's all tastefully done.
Otherwise, I'd recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, steampunk, or is just looking for something a little different since this series is pretty unique and equally awesome. 

My Rating: 4.75 stars

3 comments:

  1. Great review! I can't wait to check this one out!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! This series is really good so far! :)

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  2. I love the covers on these. And I like the idea of flaoting islands and dragons- the worldbuilding sounds right up my alley. Good to know about the adult elements too, as from looking at it I wouldn't have thought that. Great review!

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