Book Review: House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess

House of Dragons
by Jessica Cluess
Rating: ★★★

Published by Penguin Books Australia
Publication Date: 16th of June, 2020
Australian RRP: $19.99

“When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year, these five outcasts will answer the call…”

House of Dragons is one of the latest in the Young Adult fantasy genre, full of royal houses, dragons, and of course, the battle for one throne. This is the start of a series and from all the hype around it already from people who have read and loved it, I’m sure its popularity will continue to grow. The main storyline begins immediately as you’re introduced to the characters and the dragon. Then the competition is announced and the trials which are usually pretty standard (as deadly trials can be) is now unlike any before as the usual competitors have been changed and in their place stand five outcasts.

Initially, I was a little apprehensive taking on a young adult fantasy series because they can feel really drawn out sometimes or be too complicated to follow however this book felt pretty straightforward for the majority. I wasn’t particularly connected to these characters, but I could admire them and I was rooting for some of them to succeed. It’s hard though following each character to only pick one you want to succeed, as there can only be one person throned, but there were components of each of them that I enjoyed. What is actually most interesting about this book is the connection the characters that had dragons shared. Dragons are cunning and intelligent and definitely add another layer to the interest of this book as well as a more emotional pull.

I was hoping to really love this book, I found the story didn’t follow a straightforward path for me. It wasn’t clear what the goal was at times, but then I must say that did work out okay in the end because I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. Still, I just wish it had been more consuming for me and addictive to the point of not wanting to put it down. I will be following on with the second book though, as I would like to know what happens next!

(Thank you to Penguin Books Australia for a copy of this book for an honest review. House of Dragons is out now!)

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Thanks for reading!

Penguin Books Australia, House of Dragons
Purchase Links: Booktopia // QBD // Dymocks

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