When dragons rage, chaos reigns.
Conquest built the Celes Basin, now enemies once more threaten its borders. But when the Lord Reacher declares himself supreme ruler to enforce unity, old angers erupt, threatening to tear the basin apart from within.
Tesha, a glassblower’s apprentice with a talent for poisonwork, becomes a false tribute bride as part of a desperate political plot. In the Reacher’s court, she’s perfectly placed to sabotage him, but her heart has other plans.
Naili is laundress to an eccentric alchemist, a job that has left her with strange new abilities that are slowly consuming her—and attracting the notice of the city’s underground rulers. With time running out, she’ll have to gain power by any means just to survive, let alone change the world.
And in the desolate Shield Mountains, sharp-shooting dragon rider Ashadi protects the basin from the monsters of The Sands beyond, but when an impossible shot pierces his dragon’s glass scales, he becomes the hunted one.
As chaos sweeps across the land, Tesha, Naili, and Ashadi must fight to survive political enemies, long-buried secrets, and monsters both within and without."
Given how much I loved Devin Madson's Reborn Empire series, I expected to enjoy Between Dragons and Their Wrath—yet somehow, it still managed to surprise me in the best way!
The story alternates between three main POVs: Ashadi, a dragon rider who becomes caught up in deeper plots while undertaking his duties; Tesha, a glassblower's apprentice turned undercover insult bride; and Naili, a laundress for a powerful alchemist whose life is suddenly uprooted. I loved following each of them and was particularly delighted by the clever connections woven between their arcs. Madson excels at interweaving threads across her narratives, and this book showcases that strength brilliantly.
While I enjoyed all the perspectives, my favorites were Tesha and Ashadi—both had especially compelling storylines that kept me deeply invested and I found their personalities the easiest to connect with, personally. I will also note that there's a touch of romance in this book, but it's fairly understated and didn't overshadow the main plot at any time. Instead, I actually felt it complemented some of the broader themes without taking center stage.
The pacing felt steady and consistent, which was a breath of fresh air. With a book this and with multiple POVs (all of which were also in first person), it's easy for a story to lose momentum at times, but I really felt as though Between Dragons and Their Wrath avoided that trap. Each chapter is packed with enough intrigue and development to keep you turning the pages, and I never felt lost while transitioning between characters.
Despite the title and cover of this book featuring dragons, I would warn you not to go into this book expecting a lot of dragons, because the dragon content is actually few and far between. Dragons are indeed present in this world, but they are really more of a background element in this book. However, Between Dragons and Their Wrath offers plenty of other reasons to keep reading, such as its heavy political fantasy elements. Much of the plot revolves around politics between different territories and families, imperialistic elements, and the overall delicate balance of power between different territories and cultures.
The world-building is rich and imaginative, and I loved getting a taste of the diverse cultures and regions shaping this story. I found it fascinating to see how how they viewed and interacted with one another, as there were many different sentiments and histories involved with each relationship. The history of this world feels vast and I definitely got the feeling that we've only scratched the surface of it, so I can't wait to see what else there is to learn in future books.
This first book ended on a really strong note-it wasn't a cliffhanger, but it absolutely sets up the sequel perfectly to pick right back up and continue on this journey. I'm especially intrigued by the direction the dragon storyline seems to be heading. It's unexpected, imaginative, and promises to add so much depth and even more layers to this world and its history.
Overall, I've given Between Dragons and Their Wrath 4.5 stars! I am so pleased to be reading books from Devin Madson again and additionally pleased that this was such a great story. This would be a great read for fans of political fantasy, carefully crafted characters, and a multi-layered story. I can't wait to read the sequel!
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
