While Blood and Royalty is the sixth in a series, it stands out very well as a stand-alone, with enough backstory to keep you in the loop, but not so much as to make reading this story impossible. Don't be afraid to jump straight into the story!
The tale of Dragoneers keeping the world from falling into disrepute has spread across the lands, and now the mad King Richard is on his way back, attempting to retake the lands he was forced from by his brother and their families. With a touch of insanity, he and the Nightcrawler are terrorising the islands and attempting to make Jenka's life a living hell.
This story is short, taking me less than eight hours of solid reading to get through it, and I was hooked from the start. Dragons, elves, battles between good and evil? Who wouldn't love that? Well-written and a wonderful pace, clearly the artwork of a master.
The characters are lively and realistic, people you would depend on if your life was in danger (Well, all but Richard). Jenka, Amelia and Clover are weird, March is solid and ready for anything, and the wyrms seem happy to go along for the ride. I loved Zah's role in the story, and Jericho's steadfast kingishness. And for hell's sake, who let the nine-year-old wield a magic sword?
With a graceful and heart-breaking ending, this is definitely one story you will want to read, and I will definitely be looking out for others in the series!
4.5/5