On my way to google if this was based on some mythology or legend that the author, Neon Yang, felt completely beholden to (i.e. handcuffed by). 

First Things First: Don’t get me wrong, I love the front cover. I just think the artist could’ve been a bit subtler in their approach to the story. Let’s just say the element that deserved some misdirection was not the main character’s hair color.

Brief Thoughts: Admittedly the cover doesn’t spoil much when you consider that this story of an isolated dragon slayer who has been tasked with rooting out potential dragons hidden in a neighboring kingdom is about as expected in its simplicity as they come. So much so that if you have any reading comprehension or basic reasoning skills you’ll easily figure out the “surprise” at least 100 pages before the protagonist. Which, considering there are only 176 pages total, is saying something.

But I get it, I too was very easily charmed by the girl-king Lady Sookhee (who may or may not be harboring dragons) considering the bare minimum number of interactions witnessed. I can forgive some obliviousness in the face of her charms, but this amount of obliviousness? Come on now, Yeva. It’s a bit embarrassing.

Biggest Complaint: That’s the rub of it: so much of this book is internalized to our protagonist Yeva’s thoughts — which wouldn’t be a problem had she not spent the majority of her formative years suffocating everything that made her who she is before donning the armor of a guildknight, using the plating as a shield keeping herself from ever being seen, of being known, while reforged her entire being into duty to a kingdom she was not born to. And though this is completely understandable character development for a young girl misplaced, it also makes her incredibly lackluster when it comes to her passivity and emotional expression.

A Favorite Highlighted Quote: “What does it think, as it takes the life from her?” 

What I Wish the Book Had Done: I sure would’ve loved to have explored Yeva’s psyche during the years in which her legend was born, as she identified solely as a weapon of her new kingdom. To explore the years between the initial draconic encounter that left her soon-to-be sword hand mangled and the magic running through her veins ignited — largely inconsequential, the latter a plot device at best — and the day she finds herself at the feet of Lady Sookhee’s throne, a throne that has long since heard tale of this faceless dragon slayer. I think experiencing more of these early years would’ve made her more compelling; it would’ve made her real.

A Favorite Highlighted Quote: “For the first time since she had come to Daqiao, she has put her armor back on, and the weight settles back onto her bones with such ease she almost resents it.”

What I Wish the Book Had Done (Part 2): Though we witness Yeva slowly come back into her own, it’s with a whimper. As an angst enthusiast, I wanted to feel the emotions she’d tucked away exhume themselves in a way that is so overwhelming she can barely breathe as her thundering heart relearns itself. I wanted her reignited sadness and anger at the loss of herself and her home to burn those she blames. I wanted confrontations. I wanted the truth of her mother’s life to amount to something more than an exposition dump with a stranger; I wanted to witness that coming to a head. I wanted the difficulties spawned of secrets within Yeva and Sookhee’s relationship to be more than a page or two breezed through as the weeks rushed past. I wanted the time for doubt to fester until the damage couldn’t be ignored. I wanted to feel the pain in my own chest and throat. 

I wanted angst, damn it! 

Final Thoughts: I know this is a lot of negativity for an overall decent book, but I just can’t help but feel a bit disappointed in how Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame barely scratches the surface when it comes to this world and its characters. I can get over the lack of surprises, but leaving so much unexplored feels unforgivable. 

—Bonus Rounds—

One Last Thing (Spoilers): I will never forgive Yeva for giving up her dog for absolutely no reason. Does she not recognize that this is exactly what her parents did to her when they sent her away!?

Additional Reading: This did put me in the mood to reread The Fireborne Blade (I have yet to read the sequel) and The Roots of Chaos series, so at least there’s that.