The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon's Memoir, by Laura Huie
31 May 2024The Book
![The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon's Memoir](https://cdn.jamreads.com/images/72c53b2a-a669-4fd1-badb-1688e866a696.jpg)
Synopsis:
When a dragon finds an assassin sneaking into his lair, he tells her of his life's work and his soon to be final chapter.
For the past thousand years, the dragon Vakandi has watched the people of Vakfored grow from a wandering band of refugees to a glorious city of art and magic. Under his protection, the city has survived monsters, floods, and wars all without building an army, dam, or even a wall. But time changes everything and now the citizens of his beloved city want him dead.
Vakandi spends his last day telling his assassin why he loves them, and why it's his time to die.
My Review
The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon's Memoir is a cozy and heartwarming fantasy novel, written by Laura Huie; when dragon Vakandi finds an assassin in his lair, he knows it's the time to go. After passing the last thousand years taking care of the people of Vakfored, it's time to go; but before that, he wants his story to be known by those that want to eliminate him.
With a format that mixes the mundane scenes of Vakandi being an excellent host to that person that was tasked with killing him, and the own stories about how Vakfored thrived and survived under his protection; but if we learn something soon, is that maybe having the protection of an authentic nature force has made the Vakfored people to grow entitled and lazy, always trusting on the dragon for their protection.
But not only that, as Huie introduces us to some decisive moments that drove Vakandi towards isolationism; taking also the opportunity to show how stories might have more than one point of view, and how the villain might not always be the one demonized by everybody.
Despite it might feel as a sad story, it is also quite cute to see those humans acting under the orders and guidance of a dragon; this kind of perspective tends to not be really explored in fiction, making of this an original story. Low stakes tend to not work well for me, but this is a good example of how to write an exception.
If you are looking for a cozy and short read, which will make you empathize with a dragon and enjoy the humanity of the stories, The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon's Memory is a great idea. I wonder if at some point Huie will decide to expand more on this world, as it was a cool classic fantasy setting.
The Author/s
![Laura Huie](https://cdn.jamreads.com/images/a1e5b0d6-cd36-4e16-9dac-a8eac7c41845.webp)
Laura Huie
I am Laura Huie, originally a chemist who worked in the back of the lab developing all sorts of colors. Now I do back-end programming in dark mode. I currently live in Ohio with my family. I love cooking and baking. I am constantly hitting the keys whether it’s writing my next book, writing a post, or stopping the swarm of zergs that are rushing me. I have no talent with a piano.