Misty's Reviews > Pemberley: Mr. Darcy's Dragon

I'm no stranger to the more...interesting side of Austen retellings. Zombies, vampires, sea monsters, genetic engineering, football — if it's been mashed with Austen, I probably either have read it or own it (or both). Dragons is a new one, even for me. And it is one that I am totally onboard for. Dragons are just very underutilized, this day & age, if you ask me. Though they're certainly making a comeback (thank you, Khalessi). But even though I was all for it, I have to say, I was still surprised by how well this concept worked. Maria Grace makes the introduction of dragons into Regency life seem seamless, and in a very clever turn, actually uses them to explain a lot of the formalities and customs of Regency life. It's by turns clandestine and tense, and playfully silly, and I found myself weirdly invested.

There are certainly pros and cons in attempting to pull off such a concept, though the biggest pro is the way Grace goes for it. It's fun and a bit campy, and she embraces that, but she doesn't let it trip over into parody territory (or even close). Though it would be easy to, she doesn't ever treat the storyline like a joke. Grace committed, and as a result, the story doesn't feel like a throwaway. The additions to the story are interesting, the reinterpretation of the characters as a result is interesting, and all of it taken together adds a fun twist to the typical Pride & Prejudice retelling.

Some of the potential drawbacks, which may bother some readers, are:
1) That it's not a self-contained story. We're used to getting the complete romance, start to finish, in JAFF retellings. If you want to see Darcy and Lizzie all the way through to the I Dos, you're going to be disappointed, and on the hook for more books.  I understand why this is, because it's a big, very different world to build, and that takes time. (And personally—in this case, at least— I don't mind being on the hook for more books.) But not having the full arc of the story -- or at least this central romance -- wrapped up at the end may bother some readers. You don't get to have all of the fluttery, swoony bits you're used to having, at least not at this point in the series.

2) The reliance on dragons as the basis of social structure takes some a lot of the choice & will out of the characters' hands. On the one hand, this worked for me (I mean, I love the idea that all of the ridiculously minute bits of Regency etiquette have a basis in dragons' fastidious culture. I think that's genius, tbh.), but on the other, it robs the story a bit of the tension of the relationship. Darcy & Lizzie don't get to butt heads as freely, or misunderstand each other as much, if they're being told what to do by dragons, and have to listen. It's something you see a lot in romance novels — we didn't want to get married, we had to as a ruse! And then we just fell for each other, golly gee shucks! — so it's not unfamiliar territory to have the decisions effectually made for the characters. It's actually a pretty popular romance trope, and one I often like, precisely because it hits on some of the same elements that Pride & Prejudice does: resolutely not liking someone but being thrown together until suddenly you find you kinda like them and how did that even happen?! And I'm sure, when all is said and done, I'm going to like it here, too. It will be fun seeing Lizzie start to buck tradition and begin asserting herself, no doubt. But as it is now, having the dragons basically dictate Darcy & Lizzie's interactions and acceptance of each other slightly diminishes the relationship for me, because it's forced. I like 'love against their better judgement;' I don't like 'budding relationship that's maybe against their will?' Now, I'm sure the groundwork is going to be laid for them to really fall head over heels for each other, and it will be solid and lovely. But still.

That said, I'm probably analyzing that aspect waaaaaaay too hard, and I don't know that it's something that will even register with most readers. And even though it did register with me, I still thoroughly enjoyed this, and immediately launched into book 2 when I was done. I very much want to know how this story plays out, and what clever ways Grace will incorporate the dragons next. I very much want to know what boneheaded things Darcy's going to say or do, and how Lizzie's gonna put him in his place. And I very much want to see Lizzie come into her own.

I know there are those of you who are instantly turned off by more "out there" adaptations and Austen mashups, but honestly, if that's the case for you, give this one a try. It's not the cheesy joke you might think it's going to be— if there's one thing Maria Grace does well, it's to see both the straight-forward retelling aspects AND the wholly different adaptation aspects of her stories right through to all of their logical ends.
And if you're not put off by the more out there retellings, then what are you waiting for? Definitely pick this one up!