I don't typically write entire blog post book reviews for short stories, but since it's Indiecember, I'm going to. Because why not?
I loved this short story. I've been following the author on social media for a while now, but this was the first time I'd actually read any of her work, and even with this one short story alone, I am definitely impressed. "Dragon Lyric" takes a concept that sounds a little strange at first, and not only does Jennings make it work, but she does so phenomenally. She spends just the right amount of time giving us the information we need to understand the story, but it never feels overexplained or overly complicated. This meant that the pacing was spot-on, and instead of puzzling over the details about how and why any of this is happening to protagonist Theryn (a name I love, btw), we're able to fully engage with the story and the character's plight. And what an incredible plight it is! I definitely connected with Theryn and felt for her as she struggled to find a way out of her situation. The ending wasn't exactly a surprise, but it still worked well and provided a satisfying conclusion to the story. After reading this, I look forward to reading more of this author's work, and I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a short, entertaining read.