Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame (but a little dull) by Neon Yang
Author: Neon Yang
Publication Date: May 6, 2025
Genres: Fantasy
Representation: Lesbian
I wish I had better things to say about Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame, but I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed by my first encounter with Neon Yang. The concept here was interesting, but the pacing and the narrative didn’t live up to it, and Yeva had the potential to be a great protagonist, but I found the character development lacking.
Let me start with the pacing. Aside from two significant time jumps, the story moves very slowly, with no sense of drama or urgency. As for the narrative style, it’s shallow, heavy on telling and light on showing, and all in the first-person, making it read like some kind of YA fairy tale.
As for the characters, I was so excited about the promise of Yeva, the legendary masked guildknight, armored and oath-bound, trained in the art of dragon-slaying . . . and yet an outcast in so many ways, severed from her family by a selfless act of courage that saves her sister’s life, but reveals her magic. She has such potential for depth, but aside from coaxing her out of her armor, none of it is explored, despite the opportunities to do so. As for Lady Sookhee, she was little more than a plot device with no depth beyond her sickly presence and sweet demeanor, with the secret of her illness telegraphed so strongly, the final act is entirely anticlimactic.
This just didn’t work for me, neither as a fantasy nor as a romance. Maybe it would have worked better as a full novel with room to explore and develop, but the only thing that kept this from being a DNF was the length.
Rating: 
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
