Book Review: Jade (The Book of Decon series - spin-off novella)
Jade (The Book of Decon series – spin-off novella) by Joseph Lallo
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in the Epic (Fourteen Books of Fantasy) Anthology.
Summary: Jade Rinton is orphaned after a house fire claims the lives of everyone in her family. But being one of the chosen blessed with good luck, she miraculously escapes the fire. The greedy neighbor who took her in, throws her to the dragon hiding in a nearby cave system under the pretense of ending the drought plaguing their village, though he really just wants to take her prosperous family farmland. The dragon, however was hiding nearby to keep a watch over Jade as her guardian. Jade talks Halfax the dragon into taking her with him far away and becoming her new family.
Comments: This is set long after the Book of Decon series, with the characters from the main series mentioned in this as legends and ancestors with Jade being a descendant of Myranda Celeste. This is a heart-warming tale of a girl and her dragon best friend. This book is wonderfully absent of shifters and the dragon is no more than what he appears to be, a talking dragon. It reminded me a bit of Dragon Heart or a gender/age switch of Eragon. I loved watching Jade growing up from child to young woman and being raised by the dragon with both of them teaching each other, and Jade having to discover quite a bit on her own. She saves him just as much as he saves her. There are some complications along the way and mis-understandings and the dragon being a grouchy, reluctant dragon, but it is fun seeing him grow to love Jade as being more than just his charge, but as almost his daughter. The girl is headstrong, even as a child, determined, knows what she wants, and won’t take no even from a dragon and her endearing cheerfulness. I will say that this book does feel a whole lot longer than 105 pages (probably more like the 170 that Smashwords says it is) as it follows the life of Jade and the dragon over the decades. My only quibble with this book was really the elf bad guy. He was rather one-dimensional for a villain without any real reason as to why he kept trying to off Jade, other than needing to get rid of the chosen to make his evil plan work, whatever it was. You could practically imagine him twirling a moustache as he expounded on his history of trying to off Jade. I still have no idea who he actually was other than a mysterious, evil elf guy responsible for all the bad things in Jade’s life (admittedly I haven’t read any other books in the Book of Decon series). This story is followed up with the novella Halfax, with the dragon from this book going on to protect Jade’s daughter.
5 stars
Category: New Adult
Note: I read this as included in the Epic (Fourteen Books of Fantasy) Anthology.
Summary: Jade Rinton is orphaned after a house fire claims the lives of everyone in her family. But being one of the chosen blessed with good luck, she miraculously escapes the fire. The greedy neighbor who took her in, throws her to the dragon hiding in a nearby cave system under the pretense of ending the drought plaguing their village, though he really just wants to take her prosperous family farmland. The dragon, however was hiding nearby to keep a watch over Jade as her guardian. Jade talks Halfax the dragon into taking her with him far away and becoming her new family.
Comments: This is set long after the Book of Decon series, with the characters from the main series mentioned in this as legends and ancestors with Jade being a descendant of Myranda Celeste. This is a heart-warming tale of a girl and her dragon best friend. This book is wonderfully absent of shifters and the dragon is no more than what he appears to be, a talking dragon. It reminded me a bit of Dragon Heart or a gender/age switch of Eragon. I loved watching Jade growing up from child to young woman and being raised by the dragon with both of them teaching each other, and Jade having to discover quite a bit on her own. She saves him just as much as he saves her. There are some complications along the way and mis-understandings and the dragon being a grouchy, reluctant dragon, but it is fun seeing him grow to love Jade as being more than just his charge, but as almost his daughter. The girl is headstrong, even as a child, determined, knows what she wants, and won’t take no even from a dragon and her endearing cheerfulness. I will say that this book does feel a whole lot longer than 105 pages (probably more like the 170 that Smashwords says it is) as it follows the life of Jade and the dragon over the decades. My only quibble with this book was really the elf bad guy. He was rather one-dimensional for a villain without any real reason as to why he kept trying to off Jade, other than needing to get rid of the chosen to make his evil plan work, whatever it was. You could practically imagine him twirling a moustache as he expounded on his history of trying to off Jade. I still have no idea who he actually was other than a mysterious, evil elf guy responsible for all the bad things in Jade’s life (admittedly I haven’t read any other books in the Book of Decon series). This story is followed up with the novella Halfax, with the dragon from this book going on to protect Jade’s daughter.
No comments have been added yet.
