RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances (Dragons and Blades #2) by Aliette de Bodard
We received an advanced reader copy of this book.
Published: June 28th 2022 by JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
Review:
Myth: 4/5
I had not read any of the other books in this series, but saw that this story was standalone, and I completely agree. I was definitely able to jump right into this magical world and enjoy this novella. You could definitely tell that the characters have a rich history, but enough context was given on the page that you needn’t have read the previous works.
Thuan and Asmodeus have a delightful chemistry, filled with wry wit and sarcasm. Think of it as the protective partner trope, but instead of always leaping to each other’s defense, they cover their fear for their partner with sarcasm while letting them do what they were going to do. I loved it, and it worked super well with the story.
Magic: 4/5
As a novella in an established world, you get a taste for the magic and myth, but it definitely peaked my interest and I’ll likely want to go back and checkout some of the earlier works. Fallen angels, dragon shifters and an almost magical ability to have tea in any situation.
Overall: 4/5
I really enjoyed Thuan and Asmodeus’s story, even if I hopped into the middle of it. This story was definitely a standalone, a vacation turned adventure, where you get to see a lot of Thuan and Asmodeus’s relationship development with a dash of murder mystery and politics.
