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Dragonlands #3
Retribution
Tensions are mounting in the Dragonlands. The dragon hordes are mustering, each with its own agenda. But Tressa must conquer her personal demons before answering the call to war.
Gravely ill, her body undergoing mysterious and frightening changes, she travels to a distant land for the answers crucial to her survival. What she discovers rocks her to the core.
As the battle begins, a long-slumbering magic--dark, powerful, and brutal--awakens. And Tressa learns the ones you love most can become your greatest enemies of all.
Gravely ill, her body undergoing mysterious and frightening changes, she travels to a distant land for the answers crucial to her survival. What she discovers rocks her to the core.
As the battle begins, a long-slumbering magic--dark, powerful, and brutal--awakens. And Tressa learns the ones you love most can become your greatest enemies of all.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2014
98 people are currently reading
609 people want to read
About the author
Megg Jensen
37 books607 followersMegg Jensen is a two-time USA Today bestselling author of epic fantasy.
No stranger to top ten lists on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the iBookstore, Megg's novels have garnered millions of downloads, attracting fans from all over the world.
She lives in Chicago with her husband, kids, and two insane miniature schnauzers.
No stranger to top ten lists on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the iBookstore, Megg's novels have garnered millions of downloads, attracting fans from all over the world.
She lives in Chicago with her husband, kids, and two insane miniature schnauzers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 1, 2017
Just when you think you've got the story figured out and can anticipate what's coming next, boom! It hits you.. that shock when a huge plot twist comes and changes everything you know! This book is filled with twists and unexpected turns that keep you on your toes, I couldn't read the pages fast enough! Amazing series! Well done.
April 24, 2015
Let's start off by saying that if your biggest draw to reading books of this type are the romance involved, then this book is for you. There is a very complicated love triangle, almost love quadrangle. I for one am NOT into that at all and it drastically reduced my interest in these books. However, I am normally the odd-man out on that particular interest so ignore me if you like some heated romance. The plot, IMHO seemed to be more about the romance than any other thing. I don't know. Anyway, with what happened at the very end of Retribution, it leaves me very intrigued as to the book 4. I like how Jensen changed gears in a big way. In fact, for most of Retribution, I was very nearly DNF but slogged along because I had already invested so much time into the series. I wasn't planning on reading book 4. However based on what happened in the last 3 pages of Retribution, I am absolutely reading the next book. I also think that quite a few people will be very upset about what Jensen did to the characters. lol.
So let's talk meat. I was not impressed frankly. I guess I'm getting to be a hard sell because based on the reviews of like 95% of the readers of this series, I am definitely in the minority here. This series so far has been trite. Stupid even at times. While I do really like some of the characters, especially Connor, Leo, Jestina, and a few other rather insignificant players, the main characters just strike me as misguided.
Let me be more specific. The main characters are obviously Tressa, Bastion, Jarrett and Elinor. From the very start, there are some really noble "quests" that they need to go on. It starts off with Tressa and Bastion (and Connor) and they begin this "journey" (I"m trying really hard to not put spoilers in here). I love the altruistic nature of their decisions and journeys and then all off the sudden, Jensen throws in these really weird, adolescent sexual thoughts/actions/scenes. I don't really know how else to explain it. The scenes aren't necessarily offensive (we know I'm not offended by blatant sex) but the way they are thrown in just drags the story down to a base level. Someone described this series as "epic". It is not. It could have been if Jensen had left out Bastion's lustful thoughts toward every woman's boobs that shifted into his line of sight, especially after we've talked about how in love he is. It just doesn't match! The same thing happened numerous times with Jessa. I realize that people fall in love with appearances first and that's what Jessa did, but I have seen other authors do this much more subtley and with a ton more fluidity. This bugged me a lot! In fact all of the love and sex in this book bugged me because it all just seemed so contrived. As if the book was written long before Jensen plugged all of these odd, broken, inappropriate scenes into it just to make sure that niche of the market was satisfied. I know I'm being ultra-critical but it really ruined it for me.
Before reading this book, I was reading the "Mistborn" trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Now there is some awesome writing people. I was transfixed for about a month. Those books are HUGE and AWESOME. I bring Mistborn up because the whole book is about this weird fog that envelops the land and threatens to extinguish the earth. So when I finished Mistborn and immediately picked up Dragonlands #1, I was all of the sudden super confused. The fog....wait, didn't I finish Mistborn? I actually had to make sure the books were two different authors. Coincidence? I don't know.
Interestingly enough, my sister is very annoyed and has distinct lack of trust in certain authors who kill off favorite characters. Especially characters who she has invested in and have placed faith in reading their particular story...then they're dead. If this bothers you also, you should not read these books. You'll be devastated page after page.
In summary, these books have a very good basic premise. I like the actual story; love reading about dragons, magic, kings, queens, mages, other worlds etc. I get bored of "quests on horseback", an over emphasis on the love/romance side, and the ever-present battle readiness of the otherwise skill-lacking main characters. This book had it all. This book is not epic, it is just a story. It's not super special. Meg Jensen can not write in the leagues of Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Brandon Mull, or Anne McCaffrey. Yet she tries, God love her.
p.s. if you value your childrens' innocence, you may not want them to read these books. While the sex wasn't nearly as explicit as I've read in other books, it is far too explicit for teens, stated from my conservative side.
So let's talk meat. I was not impressed frankly. I guess I'm getting to be a hard sell because based on the reviews of like 95% of the readers of this series, I am definitely in the minority here. This series so far has been trite. Stupid even at times. While I do really like some of the characters, especially Connor, Leo, Jestina, and a few other rather insignificant players, the main characters just strike me as misguided.
Let me be more specific. The main characters are obviously Tressa, Bastion, Jarrett and Elinor. From the very start, there are some really noble "quests" that they need to go on. It starts off with Tressa and Bastion (and Connor) and they begin this "journey" (I"m trying really hard to not put spoilers in here). I love the altruistic nature of their decisions and journeys and then all off the sudden, Jensen throws in these really weird, adolescent sexual thoughts/actions/scenes. I don't really know how else to explain it. The scenes aren't necessarily offensive (we know I'm not offended by blatant sex) but the way they are thrown in just drags the story down to a base level. Someone described this series as "epic". It is not. It could have been if Jensen had left out Bastion's lustful thoughts toward every woman's boobs that shifted into his line of sight, especially after we've talked about how in love he is. It just doesn't match! The same thing happened numerous times with Jessa. I realize that people fall in love with appearances first and that's what Jessa did, but I have seen other authors do this much more subtley and with a ton more fluidity. This bugged me a lot! In fact all of the love and sex in this book bugged me because it all just seemed so contrived. As if the book was written long before Jensen plugged all of these odd, broken, inappropriate scenes into it just to make sure that niche of the market was satisfied. I know I'm being ultra-critical but it really ruined it for me.
Before reading this book, I was reading the "Mistborn" trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Now there is some awesome writing people. I was transfixed for about a month. Those books are HUGE and AWESOME. I bring Mistborn up because the whole book is about this weird fog that envelops the land and threatens to extinguish the earth. So when I finished Mistborn and immediately picked up Dragonlands #1, I was all of the sudden super confused. The fog....wait, didn't I finish Mistborn? I actually had to make sure the books were two different authors. Coincidence? I don't know.
Interestingly enough, my sister is very annoyed and has distinct lack of trust in certain authors who kill off favorite characters. Especially characters who she has invested in and have placed faith in reading their particular story...then they're dead. If this bothers you also, you should not read these books. You'll be devastated page after page.
In summary, these books have a very good basic premise. I like the actual story; love reading about dragons, magic, kings, queens, mages, other worlds etc. I get bored of "quests on horseback", an over emphasis on the love/romance side, and the ever-present battle readiness of the otherwise skill-lacking main characters. This book had it all. This book is not epic, it is just a story. It's not super special. Meg Jensen can not write in the leagues of Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Brandon Mull, or Anne McCaffrey. Yet she tries, God love her.
p.s. if you value your childrens' innocence, you may not want them to read these books. While the sex wasn't nearly as explicit as I've read in other books, it is far too explicit for teens, stated from my conservative side.
February 20, 2018
So, this just got more interesting. This is the third part of Megg Jensen’s Dragonlands series, of which I think there are five. Be in no doubt – the stakes are ratcheted. People die. People who were dead aren’t anymore. There are some serious weirdos about, and the true nature of things is starting to rear its ugly face. Things are getting juicy…
This book picks up from the second instalment almost instantly. There is a strange but intriguing prologue, and then we are right back in it with Tressa and Bastian and Jarrett and the others. Tressa has been left a little ragged after the climax to Hunted, and she has to go off to recover and *ahem* find herself. The others go off in search of the dragon eggs, and come across their own adventure.
Simply put, war ensues; chaos reigns; there’s lots of dragons; and we still don’t know what that damned honey is all about! Or do we? You’ll have to read to find out.
Anyway, so what’s great about this book? Well, it follows nicely in the style of the previous books and stays very true to itself. The story continues to move apace with barely a break, and we are constantly unlocking treasures. It’s easy to read on.
The darker shades in this book (read Bastian and Jarrett’s journey) are really good, and feel much more sinister than anything else – and all the better for it! There’s some really good use of imagination here, and I thoroughly enjoyed the sequence.
And then there are the twists and turns, of which there are many. It’s not like the previous books didn’t have twists, but nothing was quite so “breath-catchy” in the previous books. Here, there are some great twists, particularly towards the close, and this draws us on. It’s guaranteed to get exciting.
That being said, there were a few things that could have done with a bit of tightening up. Not much, but worth a mention. Here goes.
This book is where the war really kicks off, but any sense of scale is still somehow missing. There are some big dragon battles (awesome, right?), but for some reason they didn’t feel as grandiose as perhaps they deserved. The impetus in the book was really driven by the shock moments (which is no bad thing!), and the scale itself was somehow a bit lacking.
Then there’s the POV. The prologue can be forgiven for the simple fact it’s a prologue, but there are POVs thrown in when it is clearly for effect. On the whole we kept true to Tressa and Bastian, but just occasionally… And they weren’t necessary either. If anything, the tension leaked away a bit.
Oh, and some of the relationship stuff was a bit annoying for me personally, but that’s certainly a taste thing!
Overall, this is a great book, and it really sets us up for the ongoing series. Things are about to get interesting, and I will definitely read on in the future. I hope you enjoy it too!
https://jhockley.com/retribution/
This book picks up from the second instalment almost instantly. There is a strange but intriguing prologue, and then we are right back in it with Tressa and Bastian and Jarrett and the others. Tressa has been left a little ragged after the climax to Hunted, and she has to go off to recover and *ahem* find herself. The others go off in search of the dragon eggs, and come across their own adventure.
Simply put, war ensues; chaos reigns; there’s lots of dragons; and we still don’t know what that damned honey is all about! Or do we? You’ll have to read to find out.
Anyway, so what’s great about this book? Well, it follows nicely in the style of the previous books and stays very true to itself. The story continues to move apace with barely a break, and we are constantly unlocking treasures. It’s easy to read on.
The darker shades in this book (read Bastian and Jarrett’s journey) are really good, and feel much more sinister than anything else – and all the better for it! There’s some really good use of imagination here, and I thoroughly enjoyed the sequence.
And then there are the twists and turns, of which there are many. It’s not like the previous books didn’t have twists, but nothing was quite so “breath-catchy” in the previous books. Here, there are some great twists, particularly towards the close, and this draws us on. It’s guaranteed to get exciting.
That being said, there were a few things that could have done with a bit of tightening up. Not much, but worth a mention. Here goes.
This book is where the war really kicks off, but any sense of scale is still somehow missing. There are some big dragon battles (awesome, right?), but for some reason they didn’t feel as grandiose as perhaps they deserved. The impetus in the book was really driven by the shock moments (which is no bad thing!), and the scale itself was somehow a bit lacking.
Then there’s the POV. The prologue can be forgiven for the simple fact it’s a prologue, but there are POVs thrown in when it is clearly for effect. On the whole we kept true to Tressa and Bastian, but just occasionally… And they weren’t necessary either. If anything, the tension leaked away a bit.
Oh, and some of the relationship stuff was a bit annoying for me personally, but that’s certainly a taste thing!
Overall, this is a great book, and it really sets us up for the ongoing series. Things are about to get interesting, and I will definitely read on in the future. I hope you enjoy it too!
https://jhockley.com/retribution/
January 13, 2019
I tend to finish book series even if my initial thoughts are less convincing. Writers put effort into there work, and it is known to get better books as a series evolve, and the writer grows with them. This one, I put down halfway into the third book. It doesn't happen very often that I do not finish what I start. This series, however, ended up being so cringeworthy, denominating towards both men and woman, so full of plotholes and grammatical errors it even disturbed me, and I'm dyslectic.
When you relay on killing off characters, turn them evil, torture them for no reason, make them forget without cause, solely to be able to move your plot forward, it means there is no plot. And this series is a loose cannon from the start. The underlying idea for the series is excellent. The hidden world, people stuck in their old traditions, dragons, shapeshifters, and so on. But the way its written doesn't make sense. Eighty years is nowhere near enough time for people to forget about dragons, for stories to the die out, for the people of the town not to know why their honey is so essential. Eighty years is not enough time to forget about wars, no matter if they only where children — so many plotholes, so many stories start that never gets answered.
The fight scenes lack any tension of battle, the decisions the main characters take are frustrating because they make no sense, and never change. They keep doing the same and same thing expecting a different outcome. Because there is such a lack of character growth, the author relays on plot twists and shocking revelations to create a story — that doesn't work when writing a series.
Many times, even with less well-written books with an intriguing story, I will buy the whole series because I want to know where the characters end up. With this one, unfortunately, I have no desire to see it to the end.
When you relay on killing off characters, turn them evil, torture them for no reason, make them forget without cause, solely to be able to move your plot forward, it means there is no plot. And this series is a loose cannon from the start. The underlying idea for the series is excellent. The hidden world, people stuck in their old traditions, dragons, shapeshifters, and so on. But the way its written doesn't make sense. Eighty years is nowhere near enough time for people to forget about dragons, for stories to the die out, for the people of the town not to know why their honey is so essential. Eighty years is not enough time to forget about wars, no matter if they only where children — so many plotholes, so many stories start that never gets answered.
The fight scenes lack any tension of battle, the decisions the main characters take are frustrating because they make no sense, and never change. They keep doing the same and same thing expecting a different outcome. Because there is such a lack of character growth, the author relays on plot twists and shocking revelations to create a story — that doesn't work when writing a series.
Many times, even with less well-written books with an intriguing story, I will buy the whole series because I want to know where the characters end up. With this one, unfortunately, I have no desire to see it to the end.
November 11, 2014
I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.
This book picks up where Hunted left off and we are straight away back with Bastian, Connor and Tressa. Secrets need to be shared, confidences kept and lives moved on but it's really not that simple.
The action is as fast-paced as ever and you will find yourself turning the pages quicker and quicker as you get involved with the story and the characters. There are twists and turns aplenty and characters are not who you thought they were. There is no build up either to some of them. One minute they're who you think they are, the next their character has done a 180 and becomes someone completely different. This keeps you on the edge of your seat as you read through.
I have to say that I really do feel sorry for Tressa - it appears that a quiet life with the one she loves is so far out of reach that it's just not funny.
Fast-paced, action-packed and intense - this series just keeps on getting better and better.
This book picks up where Hunted left off and we are straight away back with Bastian, Connor and Tressa. Secrets need to be shared, confidences kept and lives moved on but it's really not that simple.
The action is as fast-paced as ever and you will find yourself turning the pages quicker and quicker as you get involved with the story and the characters. There are twists and turns aplenty and characters are not who you thought they were. There is no build up either to some of them. One minute they're who you think they are, the next their character has done a 180 and becomes someone completely different. This keeps you on the edge of your seat as you read through.
I have to say that I really do feel sorry for Tressa - it appears that a quiet life with the one she loves is so far out of reach that it's just not funny.
Fast-paced, action-packed and intense - this series just keeps on getting better and better.
January 17, 2015
This one left me in knots. Absolute, twisted, painful knots! So glad the next one is out soon.
May 6, 2017
I read through books 1 and 2 in less than a week, and knew I had to start book 3 right away. I was unable to stop thinking about the characters, the storyline, and had to keep reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen next and the writing was quickly becoming an obsession for me! Since starting this series, I haven't gotten much done! I spend almost every waking minute reading!
Book 2 was yet another cliffhanger, leaving me wanting to jump right in to book 3 and pick up where it left off, which I did. I was immediately sucked back in to the story, and again found myself understanding more and more of what was taking place. I was amazed at the way Jensen was able to take things from the first two books and flush them out fully, expanding upon them and helping the reader see that the simple, small references that were alluded to early on actually held major roles in the story. Talk about talented writing! Yet, I still found myself wondering what the deal was with the honey...
As I have said before, Jensen has a true talent for writing. She is a master storyteller and weaves a spellbinding tale with her words. Such imaginative creativity, plot twists I didn't see coming, and amazing attention to detail. Very impressive!
This is a series you will want to read ALL of at once. It has taken me about 2 weeks to get through all five books, the last 2 of which I had to purchase to finish the story. But with each book I was further drawn in to the story and was unable to put them down, finding myself reading late in to the night and every chance I could grab in between the busy go go go of my life.
Another must read and one that will captivate you from the start! You will want to read these books in order, though I am sure you could pick up any book in the series and find it just as captivating as a stand alone. There may be a little confusion, but overall you should be able to keep up with what is going on. But you get so much more from reading the entire series in order.
Book 2 was yet another cliffhanger, leaving me wanting to jump right in to book 3 and pick up where it left off, which I did. I was immediately sucked back in to the story, and again found myself understanding more and more of what was taking place. I was amazed at the way Jensen was able to take things from the first two books and flush them out fully, expanding upon them and helping the reader see that the simple, small references that were alluded to early on actually held major roles in the story. Talk about talented writing! Yet, I still found myself wondering what the deal was with the honey...
As I have said before, Jensen has a true talent for writing. She is a master storyteller and weaves a spellbinding tale with her words. Such imaginative creativity, plot twists I didn't see coming, and amazing attention to detail. Very impressive!
This is a series you will want to read ALL of at once. It has taken me about 2 weeks to get through all five books, the last 2 of which I had to purchase to finish the story. But with each book I was further drawn in to the story and was unable to put them down, finding myself reading late in to the night and every chance I could grab in between the busy go go go of my life.
Another must read and one that will captivate you from the start! You will want to read these books in order, though I am sure you could pick up any book in the series and find it just as captivating as a stand alone. There may be a little confusion, but overall you should be able to keep up with what is going on. But you get so much more from reading the entire series in order.
October 2, 2017
I'm only about 1/3 through this but wanted to comment on how delighted I was when Jacinda got her just desserts. However, "Cruelty burned in the eyes of Jacinda's son" doesn't bode well for the yellow dragon's subjects once he takes the throne.
Not very thrilled with Tressa's great grandmother's justifications for her manipulations. I am fully in agreement with Tressa's inability to forgive her at this junction. Perhaps we'll learn more and be able to understand better as the story progresses.
Overall I am disappointed with what is happening to the characters. Supposed good people are turning out to be evil and there is a lot of loss causing emotional distress. No one seems to know what the truth is or why events are happening. We do get to find out about the honey, however.
How come some dragons can convert to human fully dressed while others come up naked?
Not very thrilled with Tressa's great grandmother's justifications for her manipulations. I am fully in agreement with Tressa's inability to forgive her at this junction. Perhaps we'll learn more and be able to understand better as the story progresses.
Overall I am disappointed with what is happening to the characters. Supposed good people are turning out to be evil and there is a lot of loss causing emotional distress. No one seems to know what the truth is or why events are happening. We do get to find out about the honey, however.
How come some dragons can convert to human fully dressed while others come up naked?
May 11, 2017
2.5. I got the first three books for free so I really shouldn't complain too too much but this series should be on its way to wrapping up in my opinion and its not.. I can kinda see it starting to turn full circle with the "other" characters now being killed off and we are going back to our original cast more or less.
The world is pretty good not a lot of gaps but not a lot offered either it just "is"
still lots of unanswered questions... and I am just not sure with how it ended I would have liked to see a conclusion of some-kind before we jumped into this latest development.
Yea I am just overall not sure if I will continue
The world is pretty good not a lot of gaps but not a lot offered either it just "is"
still lots of unanswered questions... and I am just not sure with how it ended I would have liked to see a conclusion of some-kind before we jumped into this latest development.
Yea I am just overall not sure if I will continue
June 3, 2021
I found myself growing more and more annoyed by this third volume. I guess I expected this to be a trilogy, and was looking for resolution, but instead characters changed, people who were "good" and trusted suddenly were not, and things did NOT resolve. Instead we're left with a cliff-hanger and a look ahead to more war and problems. I found I'm just not interested in what else happens. Yes, I want a happy ending. Now!
January 30, 2019
I am so glad that I bought the whole series at once! Holy moley! This series is so good. I keep wondering how the author is going to keep the series going to the end of five books and she never fails to throw a big giant twist in there!
July 9, 2017
Don't know if I will go on to read the rest of the series. Each book kills off and then introduces characters to be able to continue the story.
July 29, 2017
3.5 stars. Enjoyable, but not particularly spectacular for me.
August 15, 2017
Excellent
So unpredictable, very enjoyable. You cannot discuss any part of this series with spoiling it for someone. The characters great.
So unpredictable, very enjoyable. You cannot discuss any part of this series with spoiling it for someone. The characters great.
August 26, 2017
I'm loving this series. Looking forward to the next one.
September 8, 2017
I'm enjoying the twists and turns but I'm not sure its getting a bit too much.
I do like the characters its super interesting. I wish I liked the love interests more. None of them work.
I do like the characters its super interesting. I wish I liked the love interests more. None of them work.
March 4, 2018
Gutted about a certain character. but my gripe is the characters change to quickly. needs development but still good
February 7, 2019
The writing is actually getting a little better! Whoo!
I really do appreciate the story.
I really do appreciate the story.
February 11, 2019
This has been a great series so far. I can't wait to finish it!
March 30, 2019
A great read that takes twists and turns continuously.
October 1, 2019
I enjoyed the story, but the writing needs work. Was great for the freebie it was, but I won't actually buy the sequels.
June 14, 2021
😱
I went though this one way to fast! I just couldn't stop! So many twists and turns and oh my gods!
I went though this one way to fast! I just couldn't stop! So many twists and turns and oh my gods!
November 28, 2021
Book Three i and the enemies keep changing. There is so much misdirection that I just want the story to end. Get to the end of the book but the series just goes on in another direction.
May 20, 2022
Great book, had such a good twist and really opened my eyes to the story. So much has happened in this book compared to the first two books and I'm really looking forward to books 4 and 5.
June 20, 2022
Engrossing
The pacing of this book is great and the straight forward prose makes for a quick read. The plot twists are great and always take me by surprise.
The pacing of this book is great and the straight forward prose makes for a quick read. The plot twists are great and always take me by surprise.
August 28, 2022
Twist and turns. Love,lost, betrayal. Couldn't put down.
May 16, 2023
2014. YAF. USA. Will not read more of this series.
July 12, 2023
Tressa story continues. Moving in ways quite unexpected. Excellent read.
January 2, 2025
Great series!!
September 20, 2016
Enjoyed this one as well, you never really know which direction Megg Jensen is going to take you. Tressa still gets worse and worse for me but the other characters keep me interested. Not sure if I like the direction the series is going from the ending but we will see.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews