A good addition to the previous book. I still, unfortunately, felt like it was missing something vital to help me connect to the characters more. I wonder if it was the different narration perspectives - it felt a little confusing and murky.
I wish there was something MORE.

However, I do feel it brought a refreshing take to fantasy involving dragons and provided a satisfying ending to the duology over.

The Dragon Scales Duology is epic, spanning realms including magic, assassins and dragons. I absolutely loved the dark academic setting, the magical trials and the mysteries. Arcady as a main character is amazing, they overcome so much and the character arc is a great read. I absolutely loved the romance and connection between the characters as well, this was such a fantastic addition to the plot line. As plots go, this is up there and how it weaves between the different view points is flawless. I found myself pulled into the dark world and atmosphere.
If you like your books with trials, peril from different directions, mysterious prophecies and dragon romance then this is a must read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

A second instalment just as fabulous as the first! Everen and Arcady are such great characters and Sorin really comes into her own in this one too! Watching the characters slowly work out everything that’s going on - some of which the reader knows and some of which was shocking - was tense and emotional. Will read anything LR Lam writes!

I’m so so glad I received an ARC for this book, after I was given Dragonfall for Christmas and fell in love with Arcady and Everen’s worlds! Thank you to the publisher for issuing me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Emberclaw, I love this world! If you want a cosy but still high stakes fantasy with queer romance and non-binary rep, this is the book for you! Fantasy, and ESPECIALLY dragon fantasy, is a saturated genre at the moment, and these books feel like such a shimmering standout amongst it all!
Emberclaw had me gripping my kindle like someone was going to take it away from me!? I was so hooked in, I sat and read for hours!
Mild spoilers beyond!!
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Lam has done an amazing job of building on the ‘supporting cast’ of characters from Dragonfall while introducing new characters, all of whom feel fully formed, nuanced and either lovable OR hate-able?! I love Arcady and Everen! I love Sorin! I LOVE Kelwyn!!
Despite the existential, epic battle to save both human and dragonkind at the heart of this book, there’s something so earnest and wholesome about the characters, their tenderness and vulnerability that gives me a nostalgic feeling. The dark academia vibes in this book maybe help with that – the camaraderie between students felt so sweet to me.
The atmosphere throughout had me gripped, I felt so absorbed in the world. I could feel the storm, I could see the bond, I felt the fear and love!
What makes these books unique to me is the delicacy with which Lam built in complex gender-politics basically as a non-issue, while keeping it central throughout the story through the thoughtful use of language. Both the non-binary representation and queer romance was delved into further in Emberclaw, moving beyond yearning and longing as they navigate trusting one-another.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this sequel ever since I finished Dragonfall back in 2023. That book completely captivated me—it’s the perfect execution of the enemies-to-lovers trope, set in a queer-normative world with dragons, an intricate magic system, and alternating viewpoints that kept me hooked from start to finish. Dragonfall is a truly special book to me, so I’ll admit, I was almost nervous that the sequel wouldn’t live up to my expectations.

But Emberclaw delivers. It has the same addictive writing style, the same beloved characters, and even opens with a recap of the previous book—something I wish more modern fantasy novels included. From there, we’re thrown right back into the story: Arcady and Everen’s bond is broken, they’re literally worlds apart, and yet fate clearly isn’t done with them. Their relationship was the highlight of Dragonfall for me, and in Emberclaw, it once again has me completely hooked—the tension, the yearning, the weight of their shared history.

I also loved Sorin’s arc—learning more about her and following her journey to free herself from the bond she’s under was incredibly compelling. If we ever return to this world, I’d love to see even more of her (and Cassia too!).

Without getting into spoilers, Arcady’s arc takes a turn I never saw coming, especially the truth behind their grandsire. Watching them grapple with that reveal was incredibly compelling and powerful.

What a breathtaking conclusion—this sequel was absolutely worth the wait. I’m so grateful to the author for crafting this story; I hope they know just how deeply it resonates with readers (me!) and how many more it will continue to reach.

(And if you’ve made it this far without having read Dragonfall yet… what are you waiting for? Go pick it up now so you’re ready for Emberclaw!)

I really wanted to love this book, while better than the first one I really struggled to bond with the characters. The concept is amazing and I love it but I feel I struggled with the writing style.

Following from Dragonfall Everen is presumed dead and Arcady has scraped enough money together to begin university while dealing with the grief of losing Everen, despite his final betrayals.

With vivid dreams of Everen, assassins and blackmails on the prowl, Arcady finds herself having to make some serious choices while also learning how to trust again.

Oh my dragon scales.. this book. I never thought I’d pine for a dragon man but let me tell you the tension and love between Everen and Arcady was teasingly perfect!

I loved Soren’s character, her back story and the whole World building.

‘I decided the gods likely did not want or need my silence. And that maybe I had something to say, after all.’

This was had some really satisfying endings for the characters. If you enjoy dragons, enemies to lovers… so much love, friendship and dark magic this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and LR Lam for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Arcady is tormented by the memory of the dragon they killed, sundered back through the veil. They’ve finally made it to the academy and are struggling to find their feet, befriending the drakines they think will provide them with the right information to clear their grandsire’s name, and punish those who scapegoated him. Everen, to Arcady’s surprise, isn’t dead, but has been imprisoned so long he may as well be - until he senses a golden whisper of his bond with Arcady, and the two begin to share dreams. Everen is fighting an uphill battle to regain his mother’s respect and prove to his people that the humans aren’t entirely the evil of their stories. There’s only one thing for it - he’s needed back in the human world.

I really loved Dragonfall, so I was excited to jump straight into Emberclaw. It was a good read, and I was certainly along for the ride, but this sequel lacked a bit of the sparkle and polish of the first. It was so nice to see Arcady and Everen back together, and to have their dream sequences release a lot of the tension built by the first book. There was no moment I thought there would be anything but a HEA for these two, which did lower the stakes somewhat, even towards the end of the book.

I enjoyed the additional cast of characters in this book - the other students and of course even more time spent with Sorin. Sorin finally casting off Magnes’ hold on her had me cheering after the emotional abuse he had put her through in the first book. However, even that was cheapened a little by the reveal from Dragonfall’s ending - without spoiling, I was really looking forward to a tale of an abusive father figure rallied against, rather than what it ended up being.

Which brings me to the plot of this book - or lack thereof? I like to think of myself as an intelligent reader but it felt at the end that L. R. Lam thought they’d tied off all plot threads, while I was sat with a huge mess of yarn in my lap. There were still so many unanswered questions, and very confusing motivations for the majority of the characters and their actions. Unfortunately despite my love for Arcady and Everen and their love story, this complete confusion of plot at the end has to lower my rating to 3/5.

Emberclaw was one of my most anticipated releases for 2025. I absolutely loved Dragonfall and the world created by LR Lam and couldn’t wait to find out how the story was going to develop.
I did find that the first part of the story was very slow to get going. This part of the book was very much setting the scene for what was going to happen later. We have a whole new cast of characters at the university to integrate into the story as well as finding out more about Sorin. Once these have all been established and the bond between Everen and Arcady becomes a bit more secure, the pace of the book picks up and I couldn’t put it down.
The world building is brilliantly done. From the ruined island of Vere Celene where the dragons are trapped to the luxury of Willem’s family hunting lodge, each location came to life for me. I also loved the way magic was used and the way that the background to the current situation was gradually revealed.
All three of the main characters have a great story arc and they all show increasing maturity but I think that my favourite has to be Sorin although it’s a close-run thing as I loved all of them. However, I really enjoyed watching Sorin become more herself as she became aware of what Magnes was. I loved the endings for her and Arcady and that it wasn’t a ‘happy after’ ending but something that felt a lot more real while still being positive.
Emberclaw is a very satisfying end to the story begun in Dragonfall. The only reason for not giving it 5 stars is because I felt the story dragged in the first part. I’m slightly puzzled as to whether this is in fact the end of the story. The blurb on GoodReads states that it is a duology and the book definitely ends with a good conclusion. However the ARC itself states that it is part of The Dragon Scales Trilogy which would mean that we have more to come.
Huge thanks to Net Galley and the publishers , Hodder and Stoughton, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

DNF 33% - this series is unfortunately not for me.
Let me start by saying I absolutely LOVED Dragonfall when it first came out. It felt unique in the way it used gender, dragons/ shapeshifters and political intrigue. Especially with the whole Fourth Wing hype going on I appreciated it way more than 4th Wing.
However, it was very clear that the publisher wants this series to join the 4th Wing hype. And that is where we are going in this book:
- there are too many perspectives with small chapters so the politics and personal development feels small.
- there is too much yearning and steamy dreams that pull me out of the story.
- there is a tournament/ university trial setting that is very much over done for me.
- there is not enough academia for it to feel like we are in school and engaged in any classes.

For me I was just hoping this was turning into a more epic fantasy with dragons like Anne Mccaffrey. And that is ok! If you are a romantasy girly on the Fourth Wing, When the Moon Hatched train PICK THIS ONE UP! It comes out March and book 1 is available now!

Great 2nd book. Such a well built world with so many mysteries to unravel. It feels like you are part of the story and the many adventures. Well written keeping you engaged throughout

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

An excellent followup to the first book, full of brooding dragons, dramatic thievery, epic romance, and such expansive magic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was a little disappointed when I realised this was the end of the series - for some reason I thought this was going to be a trilogy. Still, beautiful prose and brilliantly realised characters mean this is a reading experience I won't soon forget!

3.5 stars. This is a good sequel to the Dragonfall book. This does a good job of answering the questions that book one left us with, while developing the characters and extending on the world-building further.

This book managed the broken bond well and makes the reader really understand the consequences of the last book while wondering whether the plot will go next. Definitely some good angst, romance and also uncovering of mysteries in this book! While at points the pacing wasn't the best especially in the beginning I do think this is a satisfying sequel and worth a read to anyone who enjoyed book one!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

If I could give half stars I would give Emberclaw 4 and a half stars. I enjoyed this even more than the first.
Continuing the adventures of Arcady, Everen, Sorin and Cassia, Emberclaw is the fantastic conclusion to this duology.
Perfect for fans of yearning and fated mates, the love story of Arcady and Everen is one for the ages.
Beautifully written with a unique magic system, Emberclaw ramps up the stakes of Dragonfall and triumphs. Emberclaw also features a much loved trope of trials, which serves to show Arcady’s growth across the duology.
Emberclaw continues a conversation about gender binaries and femininity/masculinity in a unique and interesting way.

Firstly, a massive thank you to L.R. Lam, Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC of Emberclaw.

Emberclaw follows on immediately after Dragonfall and contains the same brilliant world building which I loved in the first book. I actually enjoyed Emberclaw more, as I felt it was faster paced. I thought that Arcady’s time learning magic wove in a really cool academic setting with lots of magic (serious Hogwarts vibes!!)

Everen is still my favourite character and his POV was again my favourite. He has a unique way of narrating and describing things which I really enjoyed.

I still struggle with the changing person between different POVs which was an issue for me in Dragonfall, which is one of the main reasons for my 4 star rating as I just struggle to stay immersed in the story. At time there is also lots of information to process and I would have preferred this to be more subtly woven into the writing.

Overall a great fantasy read with dragons and magic, and a satisfying conclusion to the duology!

I should probably start by saying that I have been a big fan of L. R Lam’s books for a very long time, so I was expecting this to be good. But DAMN this was good. I loved Dragonfall and Emberclaw is a fantastic sequel, full of character, tension, plot, a fascinating world and some really breathtaking moments. The story rattles along at a great pace but still deftly weaves in time for side characters to really develop, and there’s still plenty of moments of captivating tension between Arcady and Everen. One of the best books I’ve read in absolute ages, don’t sleep on this!

On the Feast of Flowers, Arcady severed their bond and killed Everen. Back where she started, with little money and a false name, Arcady forges ahead with her mission to clear her grandsire’s name. With only just enough money for the first year of university, time is not her friend.
Everen is not dead. Instead he has been thrust back home to Vere Celene and imprisoned for his own protection. But the dragons’ are running out of time and he still may be their only hope. Fate tells him he must heal the dreamer so it does not wake. Fate tells him he must return to Arcady. Against all expectations, a glimmer of their bond still exists. Can Everen and Arcady learn to trust each other again and rebuild their bond in time to save both the human and dragon worlds from an enemy that should have died a long time ago?
In some ways the plot of this book reads a bit-like a second chance for the characters, but they are different people than the first time around and the stakes are even higher. Their shared history makes it both easier and more difficult; they understand each other now, but trust is hard to come by when you’ve been burnt by that person before. However, what really adds depth to this second chance is Sorrin. She plays a much greater role than in the first book and begins to use her own agency rather than acting merely as a pawn on someone else’s board. Overall, it is the growth of all three characters that dictates their chances of success.
Arcady’s growth is more apparent near the end of the book, when she finally gets the answers to her questions about the Plaguebringer. She has been working towards this for almost two whole books, but in the end the achievement of this goal seems more like a footnote in her story. I think that this ability to move on from the past and embrace a new future will be essential in the final book of the trilogy.
Many writers would have ended the series here, with their characters having accomplished their mission and with their future an open door of possibilities. I like that L.R. Lam is making this a trilogy and giving us a chance to see what happens next for the characters we have grown to love.

4⭐️s!

Fantastically executed second book!! This book was incredibly good. An incredible follow up to Dragonfall and it was SO easy to fall back into this wonderfully complicated world (which really surprised me!!). Lam’s writing in this series can take some getting used to, but this time round it was still so familiar and gripping despite it being over a year since I read book one.

This book is a love letter to magical schools and trials and destiny and grand purposes and it is WONDERFUL. From start to finish, the plot stays on track and the twists are detailed and shocking in some cases, without them being incredibly far fetched. I loved getting different POVs, all of them so distinctive from the others and each served a clear purpose but were also entertaining. I loved loved loved Everens POVs, they were one of my favourite things. The language used, the way that lam let us inside his head was incredible - I could feel how much he loved Arcady!

The setting of the university for this book was brilliant, I loved seeing Arcady mix with other characters from different backgrounds and learning more about the magic system while they were training. My only tiny complaint on this front is that I felt we could have had a little more detail overall about the little things while Arcady was there - we skipped a lot of time here and there and sometimes I wished I’d seen Arcady do some of the stuff written on page. Sometimes it threw me out of the book but nothing too drastic - I just want more because I love this world ok sorry.

Arcady and Everen were nothing short of fantastic in this book. Incredibly strong leads when they were apart and beautifully integrated when together. When they reunited I had little tears!!! I loved seeing their relationship grow and strengthen even when it looked like it was impossible (but they just needed to find how one would do it…) 🥹 Everen will probably be one of my most favourite characters for the rest of my life, I love that little dragon boy very much. Sorin was actually so much more interesting in this book than the last, and I enjoyed reading her POVs and seeing her and Arcady kinda become friends. All of the other side characters what were introduced were good, Willem specifically stood out to me and I would love to see him and Arcady become better friends in a future book!!

This book closed the series on a really nice note. I would absolutely love more from this world and these characters, but if nothing else is made then I am very content with the ending we got. What a wonderful world!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eArc and thank you to L. R. Lam for writing a wonderful ending to characters I cherish.