Dragon Cursed

Listen friends, it gets dark.

Having survived a dragon attack as a child, Isola Thaz was proclaimed to be an ancient hero reborn, with the power to save Vinguard from the constant threat of dragons. This came with intense training that gave her martial skills, mixed feelings about the vicar and the teachings of the Creed, and worries that her relationship to Ether is not from past-life heroics but in fact a sign that she is one of the dragon cursed. With trepidation, Isola enters the rite of passage required of all eighteen-year-olds to endure high pressure situations and prove herself to be free of the curse, alongside her best friend Saipha, and Lucan, who’s already broken her trust. Everything she knows is tested, and Isola’s cohort are pushed to their absolute limits as those three weeks prove to be a crueler crucible than she could ever imagine.

The isolated, martial-oriented society first struck me as Bonesmith mixed with The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Y’know, a fighter-trained girl with a complicated family and secrets enters a spooky tower coming-of-age trial that might be a lot more dangerous than she thinks, although maybe not as bad as the dragon-related blight lurking outside the city walls. Then the inquisitors (aka, proctors of this test-ritual?) proved to be the Worst People Ever and the last third felt like the Fourth Wing torture chapter, but somehow less graphic and still more terrible. Isola might be too terrified of being branded a traitor to say anything, but let me say, as the impartial observer - yeah, no, the people running the trial are messed up.

I have lots of questions about how things got this far, just how long and why the populace has supported this system, or whether anyone points out that killing teens is at odds with their goal to keep citizens alive because the dragons are enough of an existential threat on their own. Isola’s own position defends against some critique - if she, a proclaimed reborn hero, is without the power to question the system, then who can - but with most of the story occurring within the confines of these trials, it’s hard to have a strong grasp on the fabric of society overall. Stylistically, there’s also things that aren’t my preference (first person, present tense, modern language, ending Every Chapter on a dramatically dire statement), but the full desperation of just how messed up things become really got its claws into me. So yeah, that ending? That hurt.

Be ready for twists - some easier to guess than others - and be ready for stabs (at the characters, but more importantly, at my heart, ouch). This series is taking the jump-into-the-deep-end approach to world-building and I'm enjoying the author returning to a YA series, where the fantasy and unfolding relationships take center stage, and the romance has a whole lot of tentative uncertainty, and the-lady-doth-protest, and Isola trying to figure out if those butterflies mean good things or she wants to punch him (or both? It could be both).

DRAGON CURSED is an engaging YA fantasy adventure with a touch of romance. Isola has grown up in the town of Vinguard, living under fear of dragons and being dragon cursed. After an incident where she encountered a dragon, her eyes turned gold and she was proclaimed Valor Reborn, a hero that was supposed to save them all. Through grueling training at the hands of the Vicar who is the ruler of Vinguard and the hefty weight of societal expectations, Isola has struggled and feared that she is not Valor Reborn and instead Dragon Cursed (will turn into a dragon).

Now that she is 18 years old, she must enter the Tribunal, where she and all the other 18-year-old citizens of Vinguard will be pushed to their limits and tortured to find out whether they are dragon cursed. If they are not, they will be gilded and join society. If they are, they are shown "mercy" through death at the hands of the Mercy Knights.

Isola and her best friend Saipha are determined to make it out alive, and when they are offered an alliance with the Vicar's son, Lucan, they reluctantly accept - even if they are not sure whether they can trust him. Together, the three of them will be pushed to their limits and tortured in unbelievable ways all for the supposed safety of Vinguard. However, Isola begins to question what they know and who she is as the Tribunal continues, leaving larger questions about their society and beliefs.

What I loved: The story is told from Isola's perspective, and she is a really easy to like character. She felt 18 - not sure about where or whether she fits into society, challenged by relationships with family, and troubled about her future. Her journey is one of life-and-death in the Tribunal, but also one of self-discovery as she questions the things she has been told and seeks to find her own path outside of parental and societal expectations. This was, in some ways, a bit of a coming-of-age, with some excellent symbolism through the dragons that indicate change and being misunderstood but also freedom.

The Tribunal is an intense set of deadly challenges, both in the official trials as well as the times in between them. For a small city who is already short on population, they fear dragons so much that they are willing to sacrifice as many citizens as they need to find even one who might be dragon cursed. It is a notable wielding of power and over-the-top for-the-greater-good mentality. By taking it to such extremes, this creates many conundrums for Isola, as well as for other citizens who question their actions and responsibilities.

Other themes around loyalty, trust/betrayal, rebellion/following orders, and misuse of power were all really strong throughout. Vinguard keeps knowledge from the citizens in order to control them, like many dystopias and they use ignorance and fear to control the people who live within. While Isola only scratches the surface of the deceptions and mysteries, it seems that more information will be revealed in future books.

The romance was a bit of a slow build, as Isola begins to trust Lucan. They have a challenging past, which is continually challenged during the Tribunal as well. That being said, their pull is magnetic and they seem unable to stay away from each other. This is a low spice read, but it worked well amidst all the dangers of the Tribunal.

There were some really big reveals at the end of the book, some of which were easy to guess and others that were more challenging. Some big questions remain, and the lead in to the next book seems as though readers may get a lot more information soon. I am definitely interested in continuing this series!

Final verdict: DRAGON CURSED is a consuming and intense YA fantasy adventure with a touch of romance that I would highly recommend! This would be perfect for fans of FOURTH WING, DIVERGENT, and FIREBORNE. I can't wait for the next book in the series!