4 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 248 pages. Published July 29th 2016 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Blurb:
Rillian Mascini is one of the most knowledgeable mages in the world. Spending his days and sometimes nights with his nose in a book has taught him magic and histories that few care to remember. He has a passion for dragons that pulls him to learn all he can about them, including their language. He is one of the last people left alive who can speak to the magnificent beasts.
Conwyn D’Aver is squad leader of the Dragon Riders. He will do whatever it takes to protect the dragons and people he has given his oath to serve. Nothing is more important, and when Neela, his personal dragon, is attacked, Conwyn is out for blood. He vows to find the threat and defeat it.
When an old spell book is found that gives a person the power to control all dragons, Conwyn will do anything he can to keep it from getting into the wrong hands, even if that means teaming up with the bookish Rillian to find a way to overcome the evil enemies who seek to gain the power.
Together with the dragons, the two men must find a way to protect everything they both love, but while doing so, they risk losing their own hearts to each other. As their enemies seek to destroy them, they learn that sometimes it takes love and trust to defeat the things we fear the most.
Likes:
- Dragons, magic, and the high fantasy setting.
- Plot hooked me and kept me interested.
- The smut.
- Rill.
- A quick, easy read.
- Good introduction to the series.
Dislikes:
- There was no world building outside of the dragons.
- The way Rill and Con were written was a little too similar.
- Con’s lack of personal insight was ridiculous.
- The nicknames.
This book is a good introduction to a series. The way Rill comes into the dragon’s lives and needs to learn more about them also lets the reader discover how cool the dragons are. Rill is also in a perfect position to show off the dragon’s personalities, and I think the dragons are some of the best characters.
The story hooked me right from the start and kept my attention the whole way through. New things were constantly happening, adding dashes of drama, political intrigue, battles, and mystery to the story. Overall, the book was a fun, quick read.
While I do think that the plot had a good mix of high fantasy and magic, and that all the pertinent information about the dragons was present, I wish there was more world building. I feel like the dragons were in a bubble of their own, without much outside context. I’m the kind of reader who likes to be immersed in a world, and I know almost nothing about the Calias Empire.
Rill was definitely my favorite character. With his love of books, it was easy to relate to him. Con wasn’t a bad character, but his denseness when it came to his feelings made me incredibly frustrated by the end. Especially because it was a little unbelievable. He’s not stupid, but his lack of personal insight was beyond belief.
That being said, the romance progressed nicely. The smut was good and the ending was sweet. It did feel like the way Rill and Con’s inner thoughts were written was a little too similar. Because neither of them talked to anyone else about the relationship, they had to have literal mental conversations with themselves about why getting together was a bad idea. It’s the only dull spot in what was otherwise a good romance.
My final nitpick is with the nicknames of Rill and Con. Both men have slightly longer names, and I wish they’d used them. It would have given the book an added high fantasy feel. After all, unusual names are part of the experience.
I’m excited to get to the next book in the series and hope it’s as good as this one.
You can find the second book in the series, Seeker’s Portrait, here.
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