Odin Halvorson reviewed Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik
Variously sharp and muddled, but still excellent
4 stars
The first portion of this book is a bit muddled, but the story flows well from hooks planted two books earlier. Again, we get another major culture and their treatment of dragons, and we finally address one of the most glaring problems of the story's timeline: the slave trade out of Africa. There's a lot to like here, even if some of the story goes a bit slow, and other moments feel a little too contrived.