Destruction's Ascent – T.A. White

White is writing three series in parallel, and they’re all worth reading. (One is set on another world, one is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, one in today’s world - plus vampires. Each has a protagonist of relatively-low rank or station, who is highly competent - except at respecting the authority of her nominal superiors.)

“Destruction’s Ascent” is the most-recent book in the Dragon-Ridden series. I believe it was the first of the three to appear; it has rougher edges than the other two. I enjoyed the book, but it lacked momentum. The plot is structured around a search for kidnapped children, but it is mostly driven by Tate being rash, Tate being disobedient, or the people she’s disobeying being arbitrary and condescending.

The book was fun to read, but it didn’t do much for the overall story. We have a few more revelations that might become relevant in future books; we know a bit more about the world in which Tate finds herself. This series needs a trajectory.