Absolutely amazing! 
 I was sceptical as I don't care at all about naval warfare or Napoleonic battles, so the novel had an uphill battle ahead of itself in trying to capture my imagination (but there were dragons, so come on). 
 Well, captured it was. By page 15, I was totally engrossed in the story. 
 All the characters, relationships, world-building, everything was so good. There were SO many compelling characters, both draconic and human. The emotions ran so deep. The battles were so vividly described, I was absolutely enraptured. The soul-deep bond of Laurence and Temeraire hurt my heart. Their love is so pure. 
 There was shortness of breath. There were tears. 
 This is a bit disjointed, I'm still overwhelmed. 
 I would rate it 6 stars out of 5 if I could. 
 In conclusion: Just read it, it's wonderful.