Daughter of the Serpentine (Dragoneer Academy #2)

Unfortunately, at least for about the first half of Daughter of the Serpentine, the only thing I found being tested was my patience. A bit of a negative way to start my reflection of Daughter of the Serpentine, but it soured my mood enough that I couldn’t resist.

Note that I will make explicit references to Novice Dragoneer that may be considered “spoilers” depending on your definition of the term, though it is a safe assumption that you’re not (or shouldn’t be) looking at picking this new installment up without having read the first. Also, I ask for your pardon on the length.

I thoroughly enjoyed Novice Dragoneer, thinking it a wonderful extension of the preceding Age of Fire series, hitting so many correct marks with its pace, distribution and quantity of characters, settings, and overall story presented. Where Age of Fire suffered (especially in its latter three installments,) Novice Dragoneer corrected, dismissing previous “high-fantasy” tropes and providing a much cleaner experience for it.

Looking back now, I realize Novice Dragoneer was more self-contained than I initially thought. This works against the prospects of a continuing series, as while the ending of Novice Dragoneer intrinsically leads into Daughter of the Serpentine, the character arc for Ileth (our continuing main protagonist and whom is the central character followed throughout,) felt complete and very satisfying by its conclusion (I could take it both ways: their dream having been realized, or the fulfillment of their dream only just beginning in earnest, either instance a cause for their celebration.)

Daughter of the Serpentine begins with a slightly distracting prologue set a few years prior, but otherwise events pick up nearly immediately from where they left off at the conclusion of Novice Dragoneer, which is a mixed blessing. In a sense, the tedium of daily life at the Serpentine Academy/Fortress for its apprentices seems to be an extension of that which they were used to as novices, and is dauntingly indicated to be a contractual obligation of six years. Important events take place early on, but their importance feels muddled and may inadequately hook the reader into continuing.

The problems I have with Daughter of the Serpentine are rooted mostly in its first half, but some linger throughout. While not exactly a change of the established pace, Daughter of the Serpentine suffers more from its glacial progression than its predecessor, which unfortunately may be attributed directly to the predicament of the main character and their lowly status within The Serpentine Academy. This tedium throws a wet towel on much of Ileth’s time in its walls. The most interesting progress in this book takes place outside of the Serpentine walls (or only in its most exceptional places.)

Continuing this frustration is how we (the reader) miss out on many of the most interesting developments of the story, or are given only hints at best. Ileth’s superiors intentionally operate to keep developments a secret from her, and the reader suffers for it. Ileth functions best here when thrown into exceptional circumstances (contradicting the expectations of her rank,) or when her fuse burns out.

Most fortunately, a core set of memorable (and likeable) characters get extended screen time in this installment, their presence pulling up my enjoyment of the book by the middle section and seeing the novel through to its conclusion. There is an overall healthy expansion to the cast, but some of the new faces are handled better than others.

Some of the most pleasant moments in the book continue to be the interactions with the Serpentine’s compliment of dragons, especially when they delve into their history. I seem to get one of my requests from my review of Novice Dragoneer addressed very specifically, regarding the gray dragon Aurue’s arrival to the Serpentine (this bit felt so specifically-written that I could swear the author may be reading these!) While not the side novel I would have selfishly loved to see, it highlights an important issue I have with this book: its side characters are far more interesting than its titular character. Not only the dragons, but the humans too. They have more history, memorable personalities, and, once again as a symptom of Ileth’s lowly rank and unexceptional background, more prospects for interesting stories (a twist occurring about two-thirds through attempts to level this unbalanced scale a bit, though.)

To this end, Daughter of the Serpentine is performing at its best when Ileth is in the company of her older superiors (in no unspecific terms, Hael Dun Huss, the eccentric Dath Amrits, and the loner known as The Borderlander.) Their interactions together are highly enjoyable, and you can tell there is a great unwritten history to them all (an excellent specific section regarding something as simple as the repetition of a “trigger” word highlights both of these points.)

The ending quarter of this installment feel very adequately built up to, and is satisfying. The actual execution of the final quarter, by nature of the plot, feels over before it truly gets started. Not a bad thingthe penultimate act is labeled “Swift and Furious” for good reason.

Continuing on from its predecessor, the tasteful Age of Fire callbacks are alive and well, including some very specific references and clarifying details that I found to be quite pleasant, especially nearer to the end. To say anything more would be saying too much.

Overall, Daughter of the Serpentine is a satisfying continuation of what began with Novice Dragoneer. You obviously would have no business picking this up without having experienced the first, of course. I feel there are better stories to be told in this setting, however. They are hinted at, teased even, just as in Novice Dragoneer. I hope we get to read them.

If the author should happen upon this lengthy reflection on Daughter of the Serpentine (and indeed the Dragoneer Academy series up to this point,) the one thing I would stress their consideration of would be to truncate the tedious sections of Ileth’s Serpentine life. We’ve seen enough of it, and it just drags the story down with distraction. Consider even moving the timeline ahead a few years, the ending here certainly would allow this.

Apprentice Dragoneer Ileth is back! After spending the last year or so imprisoned in Gallantine lands, Ileth is the last novice in her class (known as drafts) to make apprentice. She’s a dragon dancer but still has her heart set on someday becoming a full dragoneer (dragon rider).

In the first book we get to see what is south of the Serpentine, namely the Gallantine lands. In this second book we get to see more of the north, where Ileth was raised in the charity lodge (orphanage).

Can’t wait for book three!

Highly recommended for coming-of-age fantasy dragon school fans and series fans!

Another masterpiece full of dragons, intrigue, mystery, and characters youll love(or hate). Cant wait for the next book in this series! If you like dragons, then youll enjoy this book. If you like mysteries entwined with full on action, then this series is for you! Another fabulous dragon series by E. E. Knight.

Excellent story and and characters as always. Fun continuation of the story and arc of Illeth. Highly recommended as a light but very entertaining read.

Daughter of the Serpentine is the second novel in the Dragoneer Academy, continuing Ileths journey as an apprentice dragoneer.

Character-Driven Story
Much like with Novice Dragoneer, Daughter of the Serpentine is a character-driven story. This means that while not a fast-paced story, it is still made engaging by the characters.

The story continues to follow Ileth as she continues her dragoneer apprenticeship. It is a good story that focuses on the characters and their dynamics. Daughter of the Serpentine is not a fast-paced novel, but it is also not a slow-paced novel either. Much like with Novice Dragoneer, reading Daughter of the Serpentine is like taking a leisurely jog. There are moments where the pace quickens near the end of the novel, making those scenes some of the more engaging scenes. However, what continues to give this novel substance is the characterization.

It is very engaging to see Ileth continue to shine throughout this story. Knight strives to make the characterization engaging, and he succeeds because of how Ileth shines and grows. Ileth still has a stutter, which can sometimes be debilitating for her, but what is remarkable is how she continues to prove herself to her comrades how clever and resilient she is. So this makes the story incredibly engaging as far as the narrative goes. Knight showcases the respect she has earned, how the opinions of others change around her. What is more, is how Knight highlights the equality she gains from the Dragons.

The fact that the Dragons give Ileths more consideration than they do other humans shows that they respect her more than they do other humans. It creates a strong connection between Ileth and the Dragons, foreshadowing how highly she will rise through the ranks of the series. Ileth honors these Dragons; she treats them as equals and with reverence. This also highlights how different she is from her comrades. Most of her fellow apprentices joined for a title and nothing more, and the Dragons know that. For Ileth, it was her love of Dragons, her admiration of them and Dragoneers that drove her forward. It gives Ileth more depth and connects her to the reader, seeing how loyal, kind, intelligent, and thoughtful she is.

Storytelling
As well as the storytelling goes, it is very intricate. Daughter of the Serpentine is a coming-of-age story that focuses on the coming of age aspect of Ileths journey as a dragoneer. However, once again, it is rather long. There is nothing wrong with a story being almost 500 pages; the only issue here is that the chapters run long. Given the politics going into the novel, the long chapters do not give the reader a moment to breathe and absorb the information given to them.

The storys pacing is not an issue, but it would have benefited the story much more if the author had decided to break up these chapters to give the reader a moment to breathe in and absorb all the information. Because there is much information going on in the story, there are many intricacies regarding politics and social upheaval. Knight is still building up the world for the reader, which is not a bad thing but with a character-driven story that is not fast-paced, it does run the risk of becoming tedious just because the reader isnt having a moment to breathe.

Final Thoughts
Daughter of the Serpentine is not a fast-paced story, but it is still very engaging. It has a strong voice and enough strong characterization to keep the reader engaged. Just be warned that this is not some action-packed story with Dragons and battles. There is a battle near the end of the story, but the story focuses on growing Ileth, growing into her role, and proving to everyone that she can be a strong dragon apprentice.

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