Book Review - Moroda by L.L. Macrae
Moroda is debut writing at its finest! The world of Linara is expansive as much as it is entertaining, full of mythical creatures, political rivalries, and personal growth.
Moroda was a Goldstone, one of the high classes waited on hand and foot, that was until her merchant father passed away leaving his daughters with several debts needing to be repaid. Stripped of a life of privilege Moroda starts to find her feet (and backbone) landing herself in some trouble. We start in a prison with our main protagonist down to their last few possessions and no way of escape. Until her sister Eryn shows up and breaks her out. Being the good-natured lass she is, she can’t help but free the other prisoners in the cell with her. Amarah, a sky pirate with a quick tongue and an underlying disdain for the upper class, and Sepora, A shifter like creature who can turn into a giant cobra poison include at the drop of a hat.
Soon after the breakout it becomes apparently something is stirring in Linara, the usually peaceful dragons have begun to attack sensing something amiss. When a young dragon turns on their hometown Moroda must find a way to keep her sister safe. Coupled with a desire for adventure she teams up with Amarah on her sky ship, Sepora, Kohl a rogue Arillian, Palom and Anahrik (another species of shifter but I can’t give away too much).
Powers beyond their wildest dreams are hunting down dragons to use their ancient and powerful magic against all of Linaria. Will they be able to put their differences aside and work together or will it all end in tragedy?
The two standouts here for me were the worldbuilding and character work. I must admit, I am partial to an airship (which features heavily here). I think it is a fascinating way to travel and experience a world in this context. Travelling by some form of transport (that isn’t walking) opens the book to wide array of townships or even countries in much fewer pages (in my opinion). This is the case here, we visit hometowns for each of the people (and creatures) of our gang, learning about their world, politics, and relationships along the way. Nothing feels forced it doesn’t drag out. The world of Linara seems huge, giving us locations to revisit and even more to explore in coming instalments.
The characters each had their own personalities and beliefs which shone through their POV’s. They followed their morals and were shown to grow throughout the book (impressive for a debut). While I found Moroda herself to be a bit of a Mary-Sue (not necessarily a bad thing but worth noting going in), the rest of the cast was diverse and intriguing. The group dynamic was believable and turbulent at times making for an entertainingread.
If you are a character or worldbuilding driven reader, you will feel at home in the world of Linaria. Not to mention, do you like .. air ships, sassy, morally grey pirates, and dragons? You are in for a treat!
Moroda was also extremely approachable for new readers of fantasy but had enough for those a little more seasoned to be entertained. I cannot wait to carry on with book two sooner rather than later!
