Blood of Tyrants (Temeraire 8)

This is the second-to-last book in the Temeraire series of 9 books, about human-bonded dragons in the era of the Napoleanic wars. The series covers relationships between humans and dragons, but also explores other topics such as loyalty/duty, culture clashes, and the impact of colonialism.

In Blood of Tyrants, Temeraire and his human rider Lawrence get separated in Japan (in a telenovella twist, Lawrence suffers of memory loss), make their way back to China to quell a rebellion, and finally end up fighting on the Russian front against Napoleon’s army. Along the way, both Temeraire and Lawrence continue to evolve their view on politics, human nature, and serfdom.

I found this a real page turner (on the upper side of 4 stars), and upon finishing it immediately started on the 9th and final book in the series.