I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Rubi Morningtail is a nearly powerless ribbon dancer in the lowest caste in the Silver Tyger Dominion, one of the four realms in the world based on the elements. In a world where magic rules, she has only the barest hint of yin, and she’s a refugee of a dominion shamefully decimated by demons. When Rubi bonds with the young Tyger Queen, she’s thrust into a bloodthirsty, dangerous position she never wanted: suddenly she’s the bonded rider of the most revered tyger in a realm that hates her pitiful magic and her heritage. On top of that, she’s forced to train under the intimidating and perpetually infuriating Blake, the leader of the tyger warriors, because a demigod has warned all four of the dominions that the demons who attacked her realm are coming back, and a select team from each dominion will have to work together to save everyone. Of course, they’ll have to survive the gods’ trials and each other, first.
Dominion has all the hallmarks of a traditional high fantasy story: Rubi appears to be a powerless character just trying to get by. She’s poor, scrappy, low self-esteemed, unintentionally attention-getting, and has that selfless protector vibe one expects from the main character heroine. She’s also a mystery even to herself: since the attack on her homeland she’s had amnesia, so she has no idea who she is or who her family was. Rubi has all the setup for a hell of a heroine journey. As she trains with Blake and romance tension rises, conflicts both internal and external push Rubi into all sorts of twisty situations. Honestly, it should be too tropey from both a fantasy and romance perspective, but Kwok is such a skilled writer I ended up staying awake until after 1am because I couldn’t put this one down.
Dominion by Jean Kwok is an excellent mix of high fantasy and romance set within a Chinese mythological background. Bloody, political, vicious, heroic, magical, and loving all at once, my only complaint is the next book is far away: I need to know what happens next.
No Pithy Phrase 