British Naval Captain Will Laurence defeated and captured a French ship that was bringing a dragon egg to Napoleon from China. When the egg hatch on board it bonded with him and got him transferred to the Dragon Corps. Now the Chinese Emperor is demanding the dragon back. Temeraire refuses to go and Laurence won't trick him into going. Temeraire finally agrees to go only if Laurence goes. The story covers their trip to China and events there. Several kinds of battles and lots of intrigue. I really enjoy all the naval descriptions and background in this series. Slower reading because of it but it adds so much to the story and the understanding of the characters and history. ( )

I didn't like Throne of Jade as much as His Majesty's Dragon, but it was still good. I did miss the other dragons and dragon riders, as they weren't in this book nearly as much as the last. The author kept the story interesting though, even if it was slow at times. ( )

This series is great! ( )

Ah, how I love Temeraire. This was a good book but I slightly wish more of it had taken place in China rather than at sea. I can't wait to read book three and see how Temeraire ruffles feathers back in England now that he knows what dragons are capable of and how they are treated in China. ( )

This was fun. So much fun that I've already borrowed book three from the library. :)

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http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2006-05.html#novik ( )

They are not in China as much as I remembered in this one, only the last third of the book. But I appreciate that, it would have been weird to fast-forward so many months of the trip like it was nothing.

I really enjoy how Novik splits these books into three parts, she manages to make them of similar length without stretching parts out unnecessarily or rushing stuff. It's impressive! Especially when you know what's going to happen in the next two books, because the set-up for certain plot-points are so well-done and subtle. Love it! ( )

I've never been one for war and battle books, so this never quite caught my attention. ( )

The series continues to be strong, I liked how different this one felt. Novik did an incredible job creating a new adventure, but building upon the foundations of the many brilliant ideas from the first novel. A little bit of everything that I like in here, perhaps the boat voyage to China was a bit too long, but I was never bored. I love how Novik has given the dragons some behaviors that would reflect a cat or dog, but also allowing them to speak gives great gravitas and endearment to their characters. ( )

Yeah...I got bored. Read my review of the first book for further thoughts. I thought I might want to continue onto the 3rd volume, but meh... This will make an awesome movie series if they do that! I'll wait for Hollywood to add some life to these characters, thank you very much. ( )

Yeah...I got bored. Read my review of the first book for further thoughts. I thought I might want to continue onto the 3rd volume, but meh... This will make an awesome movie series if they do that! I'll wait for Hollywood to add some life to these characters, thank you very much. ( )

Good gods this book was awful.

I put through it thinking, it's gonna get better, it surely is gonna get better. It didnt, its just bad, really incredibly boring bad.

Nothing happens through 5/6ths of the book, 3/4ths is spend on a boat or a ship or a sail or whatever they wanted to call it, pages upon pages of boring uninteresting shipping babbling, where the dragons at? where the sea serpents? just one encounter, really?
If i wanted to read about people in boats i'd read 90% of 19th century literature, I wanted dragons, i wanted a different world with their interactions.

The only interesting part was when they reached china and showed how different it was with the dragons, a whole page and a half i guess. good heavens, what a waste of time.

now im really weary of reading the rest of the series, I'll give the next book a chance, but not really sure it deserves it. ( )

A really good second instalment, with a tense voyage and a snappy plot. The whole thing felt really evocative. ( )

Will post a review later. This book has a lot more politics and diplomacy and a lot less action of book 1 - so just be aware of that. ( )

Slower and more meandering than the first but the story was good. I think I'll plan to read one more and see where I want to go from there. ( )

The 2nd book was just as good as the first. ( )

Better than His Majesty's Dragon, because the plot was much more exciting. Other than that it's similar: vivid historical details and lifelike atmosphere, characters I've grown to like, and of course dragons. ( )

One of my faves. And my dads too. ( )

A very good book for a second one in a series. A tad slow. Raises issues of slavery, class, culture, and servitude but is not strident, and I suspect could be read without realizing their prominence. ( )

Novik, Naomi. Black Powder War. Temeraire No. 3. Del Rey, 2006.
Say this about Naomi Novik: she does her homework. In this third installment of the Temeraire series, which has by now grown to nine volumes, not counting the short stories and interstitial novellas, we are in the campaign of 1806 in the Napoleonic wars. Both sides have dragons. Novik treats seriously the problem of fighting a war with cannons, muskets, and flying dragons of various sizes, only some of which can act as flame throwers. Napoleon Bonaparte is supposed to have said that an Army moves on its stomach. Well, what if it had dragons as well as horses to feed? The story in BPW begins when Temeraire and his team are sent by the Chinese emperor to Istanbul to retrieve some dragon eggs. This involves a trek more or less along the old Silk Road trading route. Yes, dragons can fly, but their food sources, mainly camels here, cannot. Once they get to Istanbul, they find that there has been espionage and sabotage, and it is still a long way to Scotland. The character of Temeraire continues to develop and is now sometimes more interesting than the action. Good dragon stuff, if you like dragon stuff.
; ( )

From the back of the book:

China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

Based on that synopsis and what I remembered from the first book, I went into this one expecting a grand adventure in China for Temeraire and Laurence filled with political intrigue in the Chinese court, some aerial action and to meet new dragons. Instead this is primarily a travelogue with a meandering plot and not near enough dragons though I really enjoyed the ones we got to meet.

The voyage to China, which makes up almost 75% of the book, was long and tedious. There is some commentary on society around slavery and the treatment of dragons. For the most part though we're given the day to day of ship life, with plenty of descriptions of what everyone was eating and a little tension between the British and Chinese as well as the Aviators and the ship's crew. Mostly that felt a little like how the pandemic lock down has been feeling - people stuck together in a small space with no other outlet than to fight with each other over real or perceived insults.

The final quarter of the book, when Temeraire and Laurence finally arrive in China, was quite interesting and the ending felt rushed after spending too much time at sea. I loved seeing the differences in Chinese culture and how they incorporate dragons into their society. It is an eye opening experience for Temeraire and Laurence, one I hope they can take back with them to England for the benefit of the English dragons. The Chinese dragons were so much fun to meet. I wish we'd had time to get to know them more! As always I continue to love Temeraire and Laurence's dedication to each other. It is the heart of what makes these books special.

I already have the third book in my TBR though I find I'm not in a rush to read it since I think it will include yet another voyage. I will get to it eventually though when I am in dire need of something to fill the Temeraire-sized space in my heart. ( )

The 2nd book in the Temeraire series continues off where the 1st book left off continuing the relationship with Temeraire and Lawrence. In this book they travel to China and deal with the drama about Temeraire's origins. This one is slower and has less substance then the 1st book, but still overly delightful. There is more world building as you learn more about dragons in general. If you plan on reading the whole series then you will likely enjoy this book. If you were unsure of the 1st book, this book will not make the series more appealing. ( )

https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2019/02/201920-throne-of-jade-naomi-novik.html ( )

This is the second book in the Temeraire series and was a much weaker book than the first book in this series. I still really enjoyed the relationship between Temeraire and Lawrence. However, I felt like nothing really happened in this book and that things were really drawn out.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. Vance is a joy to listen to and does a great job with differentiating character voices and portraying emotion.

The whole story is about Laurence and Temeraire journeying to China and then trying to make sure they aren't separated. China thinks Temeraire should be back in China, but Laurence and Temeraire do not want that to happen.

In general this made for a slow and boring read. Lots of time is spent sailing and is spent with Laurence and Temeraire cooling their heels in the Chinese court. I enjoyed watching Temeraire meet other dragons of his type. There was also a battle with a sea dragon that was entertaining.

Overall this was still a very well written book and I enjoyed Temeraire immensely but I don't think I will be continuing with this series. The stories have been very military in nature (something I don’t enjoy), very "day in the life of" and I don't understand the where this series is going plot-wise. ( )

When a pushy Chinese envoy arrives in England demanded the return of Temeraire, Lawrence finds himself separated from his dragon for weeks. Temeraire is no ordinary dragon, but is in fact, a Celestial breed that is intended only for the Chinese royal family.

When attempts to make Temeraire leave Lawrence prove fruitless, it is decided that the pair must go to China as a political expedient. Britain hopes to open trading agreements with China, so it is imperative that Lawrence not offend the extremely rude Chinese prince. But when attempts are made on Lawrence's life, it becomes clear that they are in for more trouble than they bargained for. ( )