Daughter of the Serpentine by E.E. Knight – Review

Published: November 17, 2020

Publisher: Ace

Series: Dragoneer Academy #2

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 496 (Paperback)

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

As a young dragoneer moves through the ranks of the prestigious Serpentine Academy, her challenges grow greater and her time grows short to draw out a series of deadly threats, in this thrilling coming-of-age fantasy novel.

Sixteen-year-old Ileth is now an Apprentice Dragoneer, with all of the benefits and pitfalls that her elevation in rank entails. But her advancement becomes less certain after a she’s attacked by an unknown enemy, and Ileth begins to suspect that someone deadly may be hiding within the walls of the academy.

Outside of the walls there is a different challenge. The Rari Pirates are strangling the Vale Republic. What they lack in dragon firepower, they make up for in the brutality of their ever-expanding raids, making hostages or slaves of the Republic’s citizens. Surrounded by enemies, Ileth will need to learn what kind of dragoneer she wants to be. And as she makes decisions about her future, Ileth will have the chance to uncover the secrets of her past. Both will irrevocably change the course of her life.

If you recall (probably not), The Novice Dragoneer was one of my surprise favorites of 2019 when it was released. I was not expecting such a lovingly crafted tale of an orphan girl who runs away to join the Serpentine Academy that she might become a dragoneer. It was actually quite heartfelt and I loved the main character to bits, plus the awesome setting and the dragons were pretty fab too.

Ileth, having survived a situation as a political hostage and impressed the powers that be, has finally made it to Apprentice status at the Serpentine. This comes with an entirely new set of struggles and higher expectations. Ileth once again leaves the Serpentine for a brief period of time, though she remains within her homeland and there are pirates! There are battles, love, loss, and strengthening bonds of friendship. Poor Ileth is practically run ragged for the entire book, constantly pulled this way and that, trying to balance her work as an Apprentice and as a Dancer.

This also happens to have a fantastic setting – it’s sometimes harsh, particularly in the Freesand from where Ileth hales, but the other cities mentioned sound lovely and exotic. As I mentioned before, the story mostly occurs at the Academy and in the areas around the Freesand so it was cool to further flesh out this area since so much of the previous book seemed to be set in Galantine lands.

Anyway, this book was amazing and I’m really excited for the next one to be released! I think this will be one of my favorite series of the last few years. If you’re looking for a wholesome read with dragons, a coming of age story, a cool school setting, this might just be the series you’ve been looking for all along.