One Good Dragon Deserves Another

This was going to be a 5-star book but I wasn't excited about the ending.

I hated that Bethesda was left on the council. I think people always make a strong argument for keeping people from an old abusive regimen in place in order to ensure a smooth regime transition. However, I feel like rather than keeping the peace, all this does is leave remnants of abuse in the new system that is being created. It allows people who caused irreparable harm to stay in power and escape accountability. Additionally, I think even the in-universe explanation for keeping Bethesda is weak. I think other dragons are going to respect the Heartstrikers less if Bethesda occupies the council. With her continued presence, the others will see a diminished Bethesda and respect her less for "giving up her power" and then respect the family less for not taking out a tyrant like Bethesda when they had the chance. I appreciate and support Julius' no-murder principle. However, they didn't have to kill her. Amelia could have just left her on one of the kinder planes sealed. I just think there is no way to create a new more egalitarian regime without rooting out the old. All that including tyrants in new democratic governments seems to do, is allow them to keep positions of power.

I'm still going to continue the series because I'm trying to not just “burn” a book/series when I disagree with some aspects of it.