Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

While this was a decent debut and had lots of things I loved, there were also things that majorly irked me.  I am torn about this novel.  So here be me thoughts:

Pros

Dragons: erm . . . dinosaurs!  There were different kinds and I loved them.

Characters: there be some excellent people in this one.  Particular fave was Saana who was fierce, awesome, a woman, and the mother of a grown daughter.  There were many excellent women in this.  And quite a few men too!

LGBTQ+: Same-sex relationships, 5 genders, etc. Awesome.

Negotiation: While tempers flared at times, a lot of problems were solved by talking and not fighting.  Cool.

The Sea: I loved all the sections dealing with ships.  Arrr!

Cons

Characters: Though I had a couple of favorites, many of them didn't grab me at all or feel realistic.  This be unusual for fantasy.

POVs/Plotlines:  There was a side plotline about a thief that I wasn't crazy about.  It felt too YA in her chapters even if she is young.  Also there were some unnecessary viewpoints and sections that could have been removed with no real change to the story.

Pace: I had trouble being excited about this throughout.  It was uneven and there were times I struggled to keep going.

Bad Guys: The bad guys were very one-dimensional.  As were their motivations.

Realism:  I know it be fantasy but there were lots of times the plot felt too easy or unrealistic given how the world was set up.  The entire ending in the Blackcreek especially.

While I am conflicted about this novel, dragons and Saana may have me picking up the next in the series.  Arrr!