Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova features an intriguing dragon-based magic system, strong character relationships, and an addictive second half, even if the worldbuilding takes time to fully come together.
As someone who will pick up almost anything featuring dragons, I went into Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova with incredibly high expectations. Dragons are one of my favorite fantasy elements, and when a book promises dragons, magic, and dangerous trials, I’m immediately interested.
Thankfully, Dragon Cursed ultimately delivered an enjoyable reading experience. However, it also proved to be a book that required patience. While I ended up thoroughly enjoying it and am eager to continue the series, it took me much longer than expected to fully settle into the story and find my footing in the world Kova created.
A Challenging Beginning
The biggest hurdle for me was the opening half of the novel.
Elise Kova drops readers directly into the world without much explanation. While some fantasy novels successfully use this approach, I found myself struggling to understand the foundations of the setting. There wasn’t enough early worldbuilding to ground me in the story or help me fully understand the stakes.
What does it mean to be Valor reborn?
What exactly is the Dragon Curse?
How does the magic system function?
What is the Scourge?
Why are dragons attacking people?
The answers eventually arrive, but they come much later than I would have preferred. Because of that, I spent a significant portion of the first half trying to understand the world rather than becoming fully immersed in it.
As a first-time Elise Kova reader, I didn’t have any familiarity with her storytelling style, which likely contributed to my difficulty connecting with the novel initially.
A Fascinating Magic System
Once the story begins revealing more information about its magic system, things become much more engaging.
The concepts of Aetherlight and Aethershade are genuinely interesting, even if I sometimes struggled to fully grasp their mechanics. The idea that Dragon Cursed individuals transform and interact with magic differently creates a unique foundation for the world.
I was especially intrigued by the use of sigils and how different dragons influence different magical abilities. The color-coded dragon traits immediately appealed to my inner fantasy nerd and reminded me of aspects of tabletop roleplaying games.
By the time the story fully explained how magic, sigils, and Dragon Cursed individuals fit into society, I found myself far more invested than I had been during the opening chapters.
The Tribunal Changes Everything
For me, the book truly came alive once the Tribunal began.
This is where the pacing noticeably improves and where the world starts making more sense. The Tribunal serves as both a dangerous test and a coming-of-age trial, determining an individual’s place in society while also exposing those who may be Dragon Cursed.
Once the characters entered this phase of the story, I found it much harder to put the book down.
The competition itself creates tension, while the challenges provide opportunities for the characters to grow, form alliances, and reveal hidden aspects of themselves. It was during these sequences that I finally felt grounded in the story and fully invested in the outcome.
Strong Character Dynamics
While I struggled somewhat with the worldbuilding early on, I had a much easier time connecting with the character relationships.
Isola, Saipha, and Lucan form a compelling central trio.
Their growing friendship and alliance became one of my favorite aspects of the novel. Watching them learn to trust one another and work together through increasingly dangerous situations added both emotional depth and momentum to the story.
Lucan, in particular, presents an interesting dynamic. As the adopted son of the power-hungry and abusive Vicar, he occupies a difficult position that creates natural tension throughout the narrative.
The Vicar himself is an effective antagonist. Every appearance reinforces just how dangerous and manipulative he truly is, making his eventual setbacks incredibly satisfying.
Dragons Worth Waiting For
Let’s talk about the dragons.
While they aren’t as prominent early on as I expected, the payoff eventually arrives.
By the end of the novel, when readers finally begin seeing more of the dragons and understanding their significance, the story delivers some genuinely exciting moments. Those scenes rewarded much of the patience required during the first half of the book.
As someone who reads a lot of dragon fantasy, I appreciated that Kova attempted something different rather than relying on familiar dragon-rider tropes.
The dragons feel important to the world and its mythology, and I’m eager to see how their role expands moving forward.
Final Thoughts
Dragon Cursed is a book that improved significantly for me as it progressed.
While I struggled with the lack of early worldbuilding and found it difficult to fully understand the world during the opening chapters, the Tribunal, the character dynamics, and the deeper exploration of the magic system eventually pulled me in.
Once I found my footing, I became genuinely invested in the story and its characters.
Most importantly, the ending left me wanting more. Now that I have a better understanding of how this world functions, I suspect book two will be a much smoother reading experience.
If you’re willing to push through a somewhat challenging opening, you’ll find a unique dragon fantasy with an intriguing magic system, compelling relationships, and plenty of promise for the series ahead.
