An Accident of Dragons by Cheri Radke: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

An Accident of Dragons by Cheri Radke

I went into this book hoping for pleasant cozy fantasy with some adventure in the mix. I definitely got that. Just not the way I thought based on the book description, which is a bit misleading. But then again, so is Teddy, the book’s narrator. It’s not entirely cozy in its details either (some gory stuff in the mix), but I’m not a purist when it comes to genre conventions. I just allowed the story to take me where it wanted to go, and I suggest other readers do the same, as it’s definitely not where they expect it to lead.

An Accident of Dragons takes place in Summer. It’s an island where everything has its place and nothing ever changes. The state of things is maintained by Summer, a huge ancient dragon that lives in the caves beneath the island. And the island is ruled by Summer, the dragon’s caretaker who is bonded with her. Much is made about confusing the three throughout the story.

The position of the caretaker is hereditary, the next ruler inheriting some attributes already at birth that allows them to connect with the dragon. But Jack, the previous Lord Summer, had rebelled against becoming Summer and had died without an heir. To everyone’s surprise, the dragon has chosen Teddy, Jack’s kept man, as the next caretaker.

The book starts six years after that. Teddy has mostly settled into his new position as a ruler that he never thought to become. He’s an outsider to Summer, and has never had a place there, because everyone’s place is set by the dragon and nothing ever changes. Unlike Jack, he’s dutifully married a nice widow and managed to produce an heir despite definitely preferring men, and now maintains cordial if distant relationship with his wife and stepson while doting on his daughter Zinnia, who is five.

And then Zinnia is abducted by people from the mainland, where the people of Summer seldom go, because Summer the dragon doesn’t want them to leave. Unlike on Summer, things change on the continent. A cult is rising there that is utilising dragons’ powers to subjugate everyone. And now they want a dragon’s egg. Summer’s egg.

Teddy is almost forty, not very strong despite the dragon altering his physique a little, and a dandy who prefers fancy clothing and parties to heroics. But he doesn’t hesitate to go after his daughter. With him is the entire navy of Summer (three ships) and his stepson Brook who dreams of seeing the world. Turns out, rescuing Zinnia is the easy part. Defeating a cult that wants Summer—the dragon and island both—is another matter.

This was a delightful read. It’s a book that firmly stands with the voice of its narrator, Teddy, and it does it with great flair. He addresses the reader very directly and with familiarity, but it isn’t until the very end that we learn he’s talking to his children. He has a delightful voice, a rather straightforward outlook on life, and no misconceptions about his importance, even though he’s the ruler of the island. Slowly, we learn why that is the case. But he’s a bit unreliable narrator. Or rather, he alludes to events of the past that give the reader one notion, only to tell the full story later that reveals a different picture.

Teddy is an outsider, made evident because he looks different. It’s never stated outright, but everyone on the island is white and he’s Black, or their world’s equivalent, as skin colour isn’t mentioned, only shown on the book’s cover. But it’s not an issue to anyone; this isn’t a book about race or racism. That Teddy is gay isn’t an issue either, or that he maintains relationships even though he’s married. Everyone does the same, his wife included. Teddy has an odd romance with a married father of two throughout the book—odd because Teddy doesn’t really like him (although it turns out to be a very good relationship.) But this isn’t a gay romance either—though there’s room for it.

This is mostly a book about becoming, and accepting oneself. Teddy realises that he’s never really accepted that he’s Lord Summer, and has only waited for his daughter to take over. He’s never really accepted that he’s a father to Brook too, and that he has a wife who has her own needs. It’s about finding the family he already has. Teddy who returns to Summer is different than Teddy who left. The ending is satisfying, but there’s room for more adventures. I’d definitely read them.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.