An ancient draconic nemesis rises to terrorize an unprepared world in this entry point to Roots of Chaos, the expansive, inclusive, and thrilling high-fantasy series by Samantha Shannon (A Day of Fallen Night; The Song Rising).
Centuries have passed since the Grief of Ages, when an army of dragons and their kin scourged the land until their forced hibernation. Estina works as a "culler," a hunter who kills the beasts now awakening from the earth in ever greater numbers. Her work is against the law in her homeland of Yscalin, but she is determined to remain there. "A second Grief is inevitable," warns a friend. "If the creatures are stirring... so are the wyverns."
Marosa, crown princess of Yscalin, lives under her father's thumb and longs for escape to Mentendon, where the heir, Aubrecht, waits to marry her. Their betrothal is an arranged political alliance, yet she "[bears] his absence like a broken rib." Her hopes for a better life are imperiled when Fýredel, the foremost dragon leader of the Draconic Army, emerges after centuries of subterranean hibernation. This time, his plan is subtler than large-scale destruction; Fýredel intends to bring Yscalin to its knees from within.
This suspenseful novel boasts a shorter page count than its predecessors, making it a perfect lead-in for readers new to the series or to high fantasy. Meanwhile, fans of Shannon's sprawling East-meets-West dragon-studded saga should find enough connections to The Priory of the Orange Tree here to tempt them to reread the series. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads