High-fantasy-slash-historical fiction: the Napoleonic wars with the addition of dragons which form an aerial fleet akin to a modern Air Force.

This book is excellent, for what it is. I just don't happen to like what it is. YMMV.

The good: Naomi Novik has mastered the standard writing style and characterization of the late 1700s. I don't think I've ever before read historical fiction that's actually written with the language of the era under consideration, and it's kind of amazing...

The bad: ...but it's also kind of dull. There's a reason I don't read a lot of late 18th century literature: I don't like the writing style or the characterization. I'm well aware this is a personal preference and there's nothing absolute about this quality judgement, but the fact remains that it bores me to tears. It's stilted and stuffy and everyone is phenomenally un-self-aware. Ugh. (Another preference: I don't want my dragons to talk. And these are some very chatty dragons.)

So I gave it up, because life's too short and there's too many books out there.