I was so excited when I got approved to read an advanced readers copy of Emberclaw, one of my most anticipated sequels of 2025. Arcady is now a student at the University of Vatra, trying to secretly uncover the truth about the events that lead to the death of the Plaguebringer (aka her grandsire). I loved the magical school setting and although it sounds cliche it very much gave Harry Potter vibes. The classroom setting, studying in the library, and eating in the great hall...I could imagine it as a movie. As her studies begin there is an announcement that the Trials, a magical competition that has not been conducted for many years, is being re-introduced. Arcady of course enters the Trials as the prize is a full scholarship for the winner, and a partial scholarship for the two runners up. I'm not usually a fan of trials as I find them boring, however, the trials Lam created were both entertaining and interesting. There is no second book syndrome here. As was the case with the first book, Emberclaw, had a very gripping plot with no dull moments. The short chapters made it go by so fast, I was unwilling to put my Kindle down, but alas life. I enjoyed the reveals and how all the plot points and character arcs converged. I also liked the students Arcady initially befriended for their connections, but later became true friends with. Plus, we get to know more about Sorin, who at the behest of Magnus, goes undercover as a student to keep an eye on Arcady. Her relationship with her wyvern was cute! I can't write a review of this and not comment on the romance, one of my favourite aspects of this duology. It was just as compelling as it was in Dragonfall. Lam really knows how to write tension! The communication and build up trust was well executed. Both Arcady and Everen are layered characters that grow and develop individually and together. According to my advanced readers copy of the first book, Dragonfall, this was originally going to be a trilogy. I'm not sure what happened that made it so it's now a duology, but I think it's a shame. The ending was satisfying and even though there was a bit of telling rather than showing (due to having to condense it down to a duology, I think) this was a good follow up. However, I feel like it could have been so much better if we had gotten another book to continue with the threads that the author left open. There was more to explore in terms of the world, and the secondary characters who I was just beginning to warm to, could have had a chance to become more fleshed out. I can't further discuss what I wanted more of as it would spoil the ending, but suffice to say it begs to be further explored. This is such an underrated gem of a duology, I can't recommend it enough to anyone who enjoys fantasy books with dragons.

Firstly, a massive thank you to L.R. Lam, Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read aneARC of Emberclaw. Emberclaw follows on immediately after Dragonfall and contains the same brilliant world building which I loved in the first book. I actually enjoyed Emberclaw more, as I felt it was faster paced. I thought that Arcady’s time learning magic wove in a really cool academic setting with lots of magic (serious Hogwarts vibes!!) Everen is still my favourite character and his POV was again my favourite. He has a unique way of narrating and describing things which I really enjoyed. I still struggle with the changing person between different POVs which was an issue for me in Dragonfall, which is one of the main reasons for my 4 star rating as I just struggle to stay immersed in the story. At time there is also lots of information to process and I would have preferred this to be more subtly woven into the writing. Overall a great fantasy read with dragons and magic, and a satisfying conclusion to the duology!