Blood of the Old Kings (The Bleeding Empire, 1)

This high fantasy novel from an award-winning South Korean author is a fairly standard high fantasy entry, though it is one of the few examples of a South Korean fantasy author being translated into English, with first person point-of-view chapters, dragons and magic. Even though it largely follows the main points of the opening of a fantasy series, it is decent and readers of high fantasy novels will enjoy it.

The empire runs on necromancy using dead sorcerers who are drained of their magic to feed an imperial conquest which will not end. Arienne is a sorcerer who is resigned to her potential fate, but once she starts hearing voices she believes there may be another option.

A seven-eyed dragon is chained up underneath a volcano, the dragon was once the sacred guardian of the land but is now under of the control of the hated imperium. Loran visits the dragon and asks for help, and ends up with a sword made from a dragon fang as she purses her quest.

This really reads like the first book in a longer series as everything is set up and not much happens beyond people get moving toward their end goal.