Book Review: CORE by Teshelle Combs
Cale eyes Ava at a fight and right away, his dragonblood knows she is his. He simply needs to convince her of the same, which will be no easy task, but is a journey worth embarking upon, where the reward is to fly as one: dragon and rider.
I’m so glad I stumbled across Teshelle Combs’ CORE because I rather loved it. It’s different from any of the other dragon stories I’ve read, is full of rich detail and history and honestly, sucks you in from the very first chapter.
My one small criticism of Core is with the character of Ava – I can’t get a read on her and maybe this is what the author wants, but at times it feels frustrating. I so badly want to like Ava, but I find myself liking her simply because Cale does. And again, this, too, might be a purposeful construct of the author, but as a girl who LOVES reading and writing about bad ass girls, and Ava is pretty bad ass, I so desperately want to wrap my little reader arms around Ava and I just can’t. Me and girlfriend never clicked.
But Cale, he’s another story. His fierce loyalty sucked me right in and his unwavering belief in Ava, even when he doubts himself, is poignantly captured in the small details of the story. His interactions with his family and friends mirror his treatment of Ava; as a reader, you trust Cale.
Combs is a gifted writer with an amazing imagination. She builds a world of dragons and magic that is both unique and beautiful and I look forward to reading more of her work.
