by Laura Huie
Summary:
When a dragon finds an assassin sneaking into his lair, he tells her of his life’s work and his soon to be final chapter.
For the past thousand years, the dragon Vakandi has watched the people of Vakfored grow from a wandering band of refugees to a glorious city of art and magic. Under his protection, the city has survived monsters, floods, and wars all without building an army, dam, or even a wall. But time changes everything and now the citizens of his beloved city want him dead.
Vakandi spends his last day telling his assassin why he loves them, and why it’s his time to die.
Review:
Sisal is on a mission to protect her home town by killing a dragon that has threatened it for generations. But once she sneaks into its lair, the beast does something unexpected. It serves her stew and tells her a story. The story of how her hometown of Vakfored came to be and how Vakandi, the dragon, played a pivotal role in its growth. Offering to leave forever if Sisal will just listen till sunset.
The Sunset Sovereign was a wonderfully memorable read. By turning the trope “slay the dragon” on its head, the story is a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed every minute reading The Sunset Sovereign.
Themes of parenthood and responsibility stood out to me the most. How do you teach your children to fend for themselves? At what point do you push them out of the nest? When do you accept that they are making their own decision, even if it is one you wouldn’t make yourself? I’m a sucker for great theme-work and The Sunset Sovereign absolutely delivers.
Vakandi was a great character and through the flashback stories, we get a first-hand look at how he grows as a person (dragon) as the generations of Vakfored come and go.
There were a couple of spots near the end where the prose got a touch clunky, but it never detracted from my enjoyment of this story (and is understandable given it was written for the Derby competition with a very limited writing/publishing timeline). Also I felt trolled by the Cats the Musical joke.
All in all, I highly recommend The Sunset Sovereign. It is a refreshing take on dragons and their relationship with humans.
Find out more about The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon’s Memoir!
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