The Rage of Dragons is a book I’ve heard so much about. It’s one of those books I saw all over the place on Instagram. While I knew there were dragons, what I didn’t realize was that it’s a story about revenge, classicism, and the ultimate underdogs. Keep reading this book review to see my complete thoughts.
Summary
The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable war for almost two hundred years. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine.
Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war.
Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He’s going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn’t get the chance.
Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He’ll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Rage of Dragons is a story that keep surprising me. While the title may have the word dragons in it, the book is more about the life of a soldier. It’s a story about Tau, the struggle for peace, and the fight for revenge. What struck me most about The Rage of Dragons were the conflicts of class, lineage, and power. In their society, everything is tied to our family line, maintaining power by good births, and the idea that only the Nobles have the strength. This caste-based system locates Tau at the bottom and all he wants to is survive to the next day with the ones he loves.
But that is not his fate. And soon Tau finds himself on a road of endless training to be the best. To be able to wage vengeance on those who have wronged him. His fight ends up being about more than himself. More than the ones he loves and their home. At the same time, it ends up being against more than those individuals. Morphing into a revolution brewing between the caste-system – giving hope to those that they could become something more. That maybe it’s just not the Nobles who are capable of great things.
Overall
What I loved about The Rage of Dragons, besides Tau’s character evolution, was the pacing. We are carefully drawn into the world of demons, dragons, and magic. Where we become a symbol. Where nothing is ever as simple as we want and we are forced to admit that sometimes we make choices out of our control. It’s a book that asks us not only what the path to peace is, but also how do we fight, even if we have the skills, against those who seek to assert their control?
Find The Rage of Dragons on Goodreads, Amazon (UK), Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.