Dragonmeat (Dragons of Eteria #1), by Angela Boord
The Book
Synopsis:
Dragonmeat is poison. But what if you’re starving?
Peri will do anything to keep her chronically ill father alive in their starving city. Using her now useless scholarly talents to research thievery, she’s become a highly successful food thief—small, ordinary—invisible. In Medeas, gripped in the iron fist of its mad governor, ravaged by dragons, hiding is a way of life.
Then her stealing triggers a riot, and a mysterious stranger steps in to save her. Frost has food and he’s willing to share his secret...but talking to him might be the most dangerous thing Peri’s ever done. How can she find the courage to leave her safe shadows and take a stand when her father’s life hangs in the balance?
Dragonmeat is a fast-paced novella set in award-winning author Angela Boord’s Eterean Empire universe--a lush, dangerous world of empire and resistance inspired by Rome and Renaissance Italy.
My Review
Dragonmeat is a novella set in the Eterean Empire universe created by Angela Boord, set thousand of years before Fortune's Fool, which has a really interesting premise, and who has captivated me with the voice of its main character. Famine has taken control over Medeas, and Peri has become proficient at stealing food by applying her useless academic talents; all because she's trying to take care of her ill dad.
But despite being extremely successful at it, one day her thievery starts a riot over Medea, and she's saved by a mysterious stranger, Frost, who offers her food in exchange for meeting him. Peri's in a crossing, as this will mean having to leave the safety of her hiding, but at the same time, her situation can't last forever.
Angela Boord takes this premise and uses it to create a really detailed world, a city which feels alive and where our main character is just a drop in the water; the setting is delicious due to its Italian roots, but at the same time, it's full of horror as a consequence of the iron hand of the governor, and shaped by the necessity of keeping dragons placated.
Peri's voice is quite unique, captivating at many points; her struggle as a carer is relatable, even in such a fantasy setting, and it's impossible to not develop a bond with her. Using a first person POV for this novella was a great choice, as I don't feel it would have been as impactful if it was told using a close third person.
However, I felt that this novella could have benefited using more pages, as there's an enormous amount of potential that it's not used due to the limitations of a novella; outside of Peri, it's difficult to connect with other characters, as most of them appear in a single scene.
Dragonmeat is a great novella,a perfect example of Angela Boord's writing skill; I would love seeing her writing more novels/pieces in this state of her Eterean Empire. If you like character driven fantasy, give it a try!
Disclaimer: This novella has been read as part of the SFINCS. This review/rating only represents my personal opinion and it might differ with what the team decides.
The Author/s
Angela Boord
Angela Boord writes giant fantasy books that like to blend genres–from romance and historical to espionage and epic and beyond—and explore character in all its messy glory. Her debut book FORTUNE’S FOOL, a twisty, Renaissance-inspired historical fantasy, placed second in Mark Lawrence’s Self-Published Fantasy Blogoff (SPFBO5) and was nominated for a Stabby in 2019. Angela lives in northern Mississippi with her husband and children, where she writes most of her books at the kitchen table surrounded by Nerf guns and Legos.