Temeraire and Laurence continue to be interesting characters, along with Granby, Isierka, and a few of the regulars. Novik takes us to South America this time, and of course it's always fun to read her version of the alternate history. I especially liked the idea of feathered dragons. And Hammond makes a return and gets (for him) a rather unwelcome companion, which could afford a lot of excellent plot points if enlarged on. However, she seems to be painting the British into something of a corner, always snatching away victory in favor of the French at the last moment. Everywhere they go it seems the French have been there first, forging alliances with humans and dragonkind alike. Almost looks to me like Napoleon's victory wouldn't be such a bad thing, although Novik does mention that the French have re-invigorated slavery, so they must be stopped. But she sure has given them an uphill road to climb and with only two novels left to go.

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