Scales of Ash and Smoke by Emily Schneider

A thousand years ago, dragons enslaved humanity. Kaida, an 18-year-old woman, has been abused by one in particular since she was small. Master Eklos has kept his smoke leash tight on her. He even killed her mother to discourage any chance of escape. There is no end to her hellish nightmare.

Tarrin, a dragon prince of Elysia, is ordered by his mother Queen Lita to go to Vernista and rescue Kaida so she can be his betrothed. Tarrin, upset and ignorant of the idea finally accepts. He brings Kaida to the palace expecting her to be...well...submissive. To his surprise, she fights him at every turn both verbally and physically. He then tells her that she is a special type of shape-shifter who is both human and dragon.

Kaida's world turns upside down. The very thing she despises. How could she be one of them? What if she was a beast like Eklos? Now, she must learn to recover from the abuse she endured and also train her magical abilities. When the Remnant, a dragon organization bent on eradicating every last human, comes after her, she must use her wit, knowledge, and new magic to fight for survival. But she's one of them. Will she retain her humanity or lose it to the beast within?

This book was fantastic! I loved every chapter and every description. The author took great care in including all five senses, making me never want to leave her world of Elysia. What intrigued me was her main character Kaida who was a slave and endured abuse. You can see where this is going.

I have made no subtle hints that I am an advocate for abused people, children, and women. Because I am a survivor of childhood abuse. Anyway, I immediately connected with Kaida, remembering what it was like to feel...alone, afraid, and hopeful in the most dire circumstances. I cried when she was given food and warmth. The author went into such detail about the emotions one goes through when recovering from abuse that it felt real. I am so grateful that stories like this are being told. This breaks the cycle of lies that surround abuse from "Oh, they deserved it" to "Kids are just being punished".

Told from 1st pov, the author has two main characters Kaida and Tarrin. Just like in Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, it switches between them. I didn't think the epilogue needed to be 1st pov, but I understand the consistency. Chapters were evenly paced and kept the reader wanting more. The world-building, character development, and lore were brilliantly thought out.

For my Christian readers, it is rated PG-13 for scenes of abuse, mild swearing like "prick" which refers to a man's genitals, and descriptive passionate kissing. Only three or four times it was used—no f-bombs or use of God or Jesus in a derogative manner.

100/100 stars

You can find this and more of Emily Schneider's work on Amazon.com