Dragonmeat is poison. But what if you’re starving?
Peri will do anything to keep her chronically ill father alive in a city that’s starving to death. Using her now useless scholarly talents to research thievery, she’s become a highly successful food thief—small, ordinary—invisible. In Medeas, gripped in the iron fist of its mad governor, ravaged by dragons, hiding is a way of life.
Then her stealing triggers a riot, and a mysterious stranger steps in to save her. Frost has food and he’s willing to share his secret…but talking to him might be the most dangerous thing Peri’s ever done. How can she find the courage to leave her safe shadows and take a stand when her father’s life hangs in the balance?

This was my first time reading anything by Angela Boord. I came to ‘Dragonmeat’ innocent of any knowledge of the Eterean Empire universe that she created in ‘Fortune’s Fool‘.

This turned out to be no disadvantage. Angela Boord’s worldbuilding was deft, rapid and brought to life by being delivered through the eyes of an engaging character who is hiding in the shadows of her own island as she tries to survive the starvation imposed by the policies of the Eterean Empire Governer. 

The action was fast without being frantic. Secrets and lies were seeded and truths slowly revealed. There was violence, oppression, sedition and intrigue all spiced up with magic and dragons.

I followed along happily, enjoying some set-piece confrontations that increased my engagement. Then, just when I’d finally understood what was going on and who the players were and was engaged enough to care about the outcome, the story shifted gear and I was given an ending that, although it worked, seemed anticlimatic. I’d rather have been given only part of the ending and been invited to learn more in book two. 

That being said, I enjoyed ‘Dragonmeat’ enough to make me want to read ‘Fortune’s Fool’, at 737 pages, there should be plenty of time for the story to unfold.