Dragons' Bane

Dragons' Bane #1

by Melody Jackson

What would you do if someone offered you unlimited power? Would you take it?

And more importantly, what price would you pay to keep it?

The Bane’s power is little more than a legend in the land of Calest, one known by many but believed by few. But with a rival country now threatening to invade and once-peaceful dragons attacking their cities, a fairytale may be their only option.

Lena Maye wants no part in finding the Bane. She's seen firsthand how it corrupted her own country, and only wants to be reunited with her father. But in order to find him, she must join forces with the distrusting and arrogant Blaze Montego...who needs her help to find the Bane.

With tensions rising on all sides and secrets slipping that could change everything they know about the world, can they find a way to work together and save Calest without being corrupted by the very force they're fighting against?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons

Paperback

First published September 1, 2016

About the author

Melody Jackson is a fantasy author and unofficial "crazy dragon lady". She lives in the unbearably hot state of Arizona with her crazy family, as well as a menagerie of animals that includes her four younger siblings, three cute chinchillas, and two cats. You can find out more about her and her books at http://melodyjacksonauthor.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Pauline Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Book Review
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Title - Dragons' Bane
Book Details - Ebook - 259 Pages
Author - Melody Jackson
Genre - Young Adult/FantasyFiction
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We start off with Lena. She didn't mean to steal a Dragon that was in her new friends bag, she just didn't expect to find one in it. Why would Dailen want to steal one anyway? Running for their lives from hoodlums they hit a dead end, they ran directly into Blaze. Cornered, Lena climbed up a rubble mound, little did she know she was climbing a dragon, that was sleeping. Actually not anymore, it wasn't. Only one thing for it, and out came the swords as the dragon attacked. Battered and bruised, Lena needed to do something. Lena hadn't used her "gift" that much, so would it work?
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Lena woke up and she noted she was in an icicle prison, the bars on the windows told her so. Blaze ... stearing at her, he decided to do a bit of interrogation.... why steal a dragon?
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Dailen walked in, he had something in his bag ... a baby white dragon, Lena called it Dez. Dailen wanted to know if she could talk to it, she didnt say, but all the while Lena and Dez talked in their minds, only they could hear, no one else knew. Sometime later a mysterious lady called Seri came and visited Lena, alone. Lena wanted to know more of why she was here and why she was kept captive. Turns out, yes, they are in a mountain, but because of her gifts used on the dragon for the world to see, she had sparked some interest. Seri decided to give her a tour of the mountain..... lead through a tunnel she comes upon a birds claw, olive and basil, a funny mix you would think.... so how and in what way were these people in the mountain use themselves as a collective and use the dragons? and Lena, she has 6 weeks to prove she can tame other difficult, ferocious dragons.. can she do so? Has she got faith? Or is the bracelet going to become her enemy?
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I was immediately all eyes and ears with the opening line .. "Whatever they tell you, I didn't mean to steal a Dragon." I was on the road to read quite a bit to do with dragons, sure, I have read a couple of books with dragons in them, but nothing that dominated the book as this does. The world building was quite good and I could imagine alot of what was going on, the structure of the story was sound and I enjoyed the main plot of the story. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who likes dragons, although in this book, the dragons are seen as dangerous creatures that you would never confront. I also recommend this to all YAs out there, this is a goodie, not too brutal, yet not too wishy washy either. I also recommend this book to anyone out there who enjoys fantasy fiction, as the author sends you down some glorious tunnels of make believe.

[Miranda Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragons’ Bane is the kind of story that draws you in and holds you captive until its completion. Filled with witty characters, amusing encounters, emotional reveals and secrets that holds you in suspense all the way throughout, it’s a great read for anyone. The dragons are unique and funny and add immensely to the story. The world is well thought out and created, as well as vividly described. And dragons living inside a dormant volcano? Brilliant.

I won’t spoil any of the book for you all, but I would say that if you’re looking for a fantastic way to pass an afternoon, you should seriously consider this book. It will be well worth the money.

--Miranda Marie, Author of the Fire Rain Chronicles

[L. S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the summary, I had two initial impressions.

First, that Dragon’s Bane was going to be a classic “Chosen One” story trope. Only the main character could solve all the problems. Second: the main character was going to become engrossed in an awful love story.

All things considered, I wasn’t wrong.

A young woman named Lena narrates how she didn’t mean to steal that dragon–and there it is. The reader’s hooked. How does one ‘accidentally’ steal a dragon? How does she not know that she stole a dragon? What circumstances led to that? The reader is asking a million questions, and they’re only a few pages in. Conflict’s established right off the bat. Not only for the chapter, but the novel as well.

The story premise is not wholly unique–but I like it. One country looking for a hostile takeover of another. People live in fear of infected dragons that want to burn their cities to the ground. A must-have quest for the one item to win the war for the underdogs–and Lena is the person to do that. There’s the possible evidence to support the “Chosen One” trope. I use the term “possible” because things seemed straightforward at first. Foreshadowing was in all the right places. Still, one of the two twists caught me off-guard. Kudos to the author here: it’s hard to do that to me. Later books could prove me wrong.

While not the most diverse of casts, Dragon’s Bane still contained more than most. Jackson was explicit when ensuring readers knew which characters weren’t white.

Grammar and punctuation are all solid. Dragon’s Bane has an excellent level of readability.

Characterization is solid as well. Each character has their own unique voice. They feel three-dimensional. The narrator, when the point-of-view switches away from Lena, feels like a character. Jackson made sure that the POV switches came at appropriate times. Not once did I ever feel lost or disconnected from the story when it switched from first to third person.

Story pacing was okay. A few points in the exposition were too drawn out. They slowed the story down too much. Then the action resumed and I forgot about it.

These are all very good things that make this novel stand out. There were some things later on that I felt weakened it.

At first the banter between Lena and another character, Blaze, was cute. They both have smart mouths and hot tempers. They don’t like each other: I get that. After a while, it became a chore to read. It was constant. It got so old so fast that I found myself gritting my teeth when they were in the same scene. I hated the way he treated her. I hated the way she let it all go and tried to “fix” him. I still do not like their relationship.

As for Blaze himself…much like the banter, his personality was bearable at first. Then he started taking the ‘brooding bad boy’ trope too far. Everyone seemed ready and eager to brush it off as ‘that’s Blaze,’ no harm no foul. I started to hate him. Still do, though the reason behind his actions gets explained. There was no excuse for his behavior. Later content could change my mind, but for now I stand by my opinion.

Actually, there’s one or two things that I hope get explained later. I loved the idea behind the cliff-hanger at the end, don’t get me wrong. I read the final few paragraphs, sat down, and wondered aloud: “then what was the entire point of all this?”

Dragon’s Bane was a good read. I enjoyed it despite the few personal problems I had. Jackson is a talented author, and I am excited to read more.

[Faye Fite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining read! Melody Jackson is an excellent author. I enjoyed her first book: A Dragon Within and was excited to read this one. I loved the concept (DRAGONS. Big dragons. Little dragons. Evil dragons. Good dragons. All the dragons).

However, I had a hard time connected with the characters. I found Blaze's character unlikeable (possibly borderline abusive, what with pushing Lena up against wall/torturing her when angry, though supposedly having feelings for her?). While he did the whole 'lot of pressure and a crummy life' thing going for him, I thought his behavior was inexcusable and was thus not super fun to read. Lena felt overly sassy at points. I love sass, but at some points it came across as annoying and petty. Each character did have redeemable points and they were fairly well developed, I just found some of their behavior problematic enough to make me not want to cheer for any of them. And I really like getting to cheer for characters.

That being said, each character voice was very well-defined. The writing was good and the plot concept exceptional. I enjoyed the world-building and the dynamics between people from various countries. While this is not a favorite book of mine, I would read more by this author.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excited to read another book by Melody Jackson. Enjoyed the storyline and intrigue. Now I've got to wait for the next one.

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Book provided free by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

I am frankly ashamed at how long it’s taken me to read this book. It took me a while to get into it, I won’t lie, but it was worth it, and I can’t wait to read the sequel!

The start of the book jumps straight into a chase scene, so very little explanation is given, and honestly we don’t get a whole lot throughout the rest of the book either. Little hints are dropped here and there, but on the worldbuilding spectrum, this book definitely errs on the side of less information, just barely keeping its balance on the cliff edge of intriguing mystery, lest it plunge into the sea of complete confusion. On the whole, though, there is just enough that you can piece together what’s going on, though I’d say it’s almost high fantasy-lite - although there are dragons and magic powers, there doesn’t seem to be a detailed magic system that you can really get to grips with, and I still have some questions about the political situation and the world in general.

The characters were well-done; in particular the way the several POV characters were written with distinct voices. Both main characters were fairly unlikeable, which made them a little difficult to connect to at first, but as we got more of their backstories and were able to glean more of their complexities, that improved, I really found myself rooting for them by the end! There may have been slightly too many characters - there were a few who weren’t that well-fleshed out and didn’t seem to do much - but I can only assume they come into their own in the sequels, which I’m very much looking forward to seeing!

The dragons, too, were full characters in their own right. There are several who take a prominent role, and, like the POV characters, each has its own distinct feel. Despite the little information given, the dragon ecosystem that could be gleaned was adorable - from the baby kit dragons who lightened the mood when it was getting too heavy, to the grumpy ancients with impeccable wit.

The plot simultaneously felt action-packed and slow in places, making it difficult to say how much time was passing, but towards the end it sped up hugely, with a quick succession of plot twist after revelation after plot twist that had me readjusting my entire understanding of the situation! I managed to guess a couple, but there were so many that it never got too predictable, right up until the final, gut-wrenching, cliffhanger, and it never got too predictable.

I think the book's main weakness overall is that it falls down a little as a book in its own right - it's glaringly the first in a series. With that said, however, in context it was a great start to a series I'm looking forward to exploring some more!

[Edna Pellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant story, brilliant characters, brilliant novel.

I’ve read lots of reviews for Dragons’ Bane on multiple platforms, and while they usually give it a fair rating (3.4-5), I don’t think the reviews themselves give this amazing book justice.

Dragons’ Bane is a high-fantasy following a spunky and sassy protagonist, Lena, as she does whatever it takes for her to find her father, who left her home country eight years before the story begins (I won’t spoil it by telling you why). That includes using her Gifts to hunt down a legend, and having to put up with less than desirable people and circumstances.

It’s a great premise and the overall plot and story is wonderful, but what I love most about this book, as well as its sequel (Dragons’ Might) is its characters. Lena and Blaze have both received quite a lot of flack for their interactions, as well as the fact that Blaze is abusive. However, this franchise does not at all glorify abusive behavior, and if you stick with it, you’ll find the exact opposite to be true.
And in addition to that, if you read between the lines a bit and really delve into the story, turning off the critic within you and just read, you’ll see all the breadcrumbs of character development, arc, foreshadowing, and backstory that Melody Jackson carefully and brilliantly scatters around.

But above all else, if you really can’t bring yourself to like Lena, Blaze, or this story, I would ask that you read the sequel, Dragons’ Might, before being quick to judge it. Character arcs aren’t necessarily something that happens in one book, especially not so with fantasy series, so reading the other book(s) may just change your approach to Dragons’ Bane.

Last note: I don’t deny that this book isn’t perfect, I don’t think I have ever read or ever will read a book that is. But I also don’t deny the fact that I, personally, cannot find a fault in it that would turn anyone away from reading it.

I 100% recommend it to anyone who likes dragons, adventures, in-depth characters, and incredibly thought-out plots.

[Chelsea Girard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review
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Review 5/5
Dragons Bane by Melody Jackson
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Melody Jackson's book one in the dragon series, Dragon's Bane, you will find out more than just dragons, you will find, them but you will also find love, compassion, remorse and fantasy as you read and follow the story.

I first found myself reading this book with a love for dragons. But what I didn't know is that this book would make a complete and utterly crazy Dragon Lady and have a sense of love for all-things Melody writes.

I could go on and on and on about how much I loved this book and how relatable readable and connect worthy this book was. I was blown away by how raw an intricate this book was through the grammar, how solid the book plot line was and how relatable the characters were. This book was something I couldn't put down and I didn't want to. Melody grabbed me, threw me down and gave me a book that I will forever remember and cherish as long as I live and as long as I read. I found this book to be very captivating in the sense of how creative and different it was in my opinion. I've met Melody before and had read one other book by her but her writing is just so intriguing and there was so much action that I wanted to dive into and just continue reading and I couldn't put it down no matter how many times I tried. Even in my dreams, I would think about what would happen next with Lena and Blaze and I really wanted to keep reading just to see what Melody would think of next.
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That being said you have to read dragons Bane and the rest of the books in the series because Melody is an author you will love and cherish and you want all her books on your bookshelf because I know I do.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is new to me. This book had action and intrigue. I thought the world was immersing and creative. I enjoyed the dragons also very much. I was trying to guess the ending (which I try to do a lot) and I was not right with this book. It kept me wanting more while I read on. * I received this book from the author---this is my honest review*

[S.K. Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable story featuring a young woman who finds herself in trouble when she steals a dragon. This sets her off on an adventure with many twists and turns. I would recommend this book to fantasy and action adventure lovers. Strong cast and a good storyline.

[Jessica Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gimme all the dragons!

[Geni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of the book, but the decision to give any sort of review or rating was entirely my own and solely because I genuinely enjoyed the book and was invested in it. If a book is good, especially if it’s not very well-known, I like to let people know so they can enjoy it too!
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Honestly, I didn’t expect a lot. Self-published books CAN be extraordinary...or often very, very bad. I figured it was somewhere in between: not necessarily bad, but entirely mediocre. Spoiler alert: it’s good.

The multiple POVs were a little jarring at first, but I quickly found myself engrossed. Immediately, the book got extra points in my head. The fact that it was a self-published book quickly slipped to the back of my mind (I didn’t find any typos or weird interior design). The pacing was excellent for the majority of the book and the rotating POvs meant it rarely dragged.

The characters are surprisingly good. The protagonists are multifaceted and genuinely interesting, which is nice. Lena, though I originally thought her to be the ‘overpowered Mary Sue that saves the day’ is quite...ordinary. I enjoyed the magical powers in it far more than I usually do with this kind of book and my suspension of disbelief remained unbroken. I enjoyed the telepathy far more than a certain popular MS book that involved magical powers and lost cities - it was actually well-done. The stakes are serious, the characters are hurting, but it’s not unnecessarily dark. Though technically a high fantasy, there’s very little lengthy exposition and it felt refreshingly uncliched for a book that used many common tropes. It’s not a dragon-centric book, but there ARE certainly plenty of dragons in there, and they’re fantastic. I hope there’s more of them in the next book.

As for the flaws: the author’s first person narrative voice sometimes can feel simplistic and slip into the dialogue, but that’s really one of the only clues that it hasn’t been combed through by a team of professional editors. It’s not like that at all times, though, especially in the 3rd-person POVs. No, seriously, the prose is not bad by any means and sometimes is quite good. Blaze’s character can be either borderline abusive or actually so and often over the top, but it’s not a bad-boy romance wish fulfillment story, so he’s treated as an actual character and there’s a comforting lack of romantic subplots in this book (for now). He does slam people into walls a little too frequently for seeming genuine, but later on you understand his reasoning a little more later. You see his POV frequently enough and I enjoyed learning more about his character and past - and seeing him both grow to be and revealed to be a more decent person than I first thought. The last fifty pages or so drags a bit and the “Oh wait, there’s a sequel!” bit came out of the blue, but I was able to forgive it that for keeping me perfectly entertained for the other three quarters. I’m excited to read the next book, though, so I’ll grant it that. The good bits outweigh the flaws and it’s definitely a solid novel (and especially for a self-published book anyway - it’s better quality than the average YA book that’s more edgy wish-fulfillment than actual plot). I really did love the characters and slowly learning more about the world. There’s minimal exposition, but just enough to keep it from being too jarring. You learn about both the characters and the world naturally enough.

Four stars for a surprisingly good quality (especially for the Kindle pricing!) book with a strong cast and a highly enjoyable and entertaining plot.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

"One of these days, I'm going to figure out your secret, Blaze Montego. It's just a matter of time."

What I really loved about this book was that there were a variety of scenes with no shortage on action. In fact many of these scenes kept me on my toes and didn't turn out how I expected them to, it was hard to put down because I wanted to know what happened next.

There was no shortage of characters in this book. You will find someone to love, someone to hate, and of course dragons! Lena, Blaze, Sari, and of course Dez (Dez is my favorite character by the way) and many more. In fact there was no shortage of characters or dragons in this book. The main characters, Lena and Blaze were excellent. I enjoyed their constant banter because they reminded me so much of a brother and sister. Some people hate this kind of trope but it is not one I am bothered by.

"If you are seeking the Bane, you will not find it here."

At times I had a hard time keeping up with all the characters. I kept getting distracted whenever a new character was introduced and often found myself having to go back a chapter or two to find out who they were. Not all the characters were developed to their full potential. I am hoping that the Sequel Dragons Might will give us insight to some of the side characters eventually. I also became distracted at different points because I felt like the story became overly wordy. I know it's a story, (smiles) what I mean is that many descriptions in the book were not necessary. They were distracting to the point that I would have to take a break. I have a very active mind so its easier for me to read books that are straight to the point.

Dragons' Bane is a character driven story which is also something I am not entirely used to. In fact this might be a first for me. So Kudos to Melody for getting me out of my comfort zone! I felt like the pacing was pretty good throughout the book, albeit a few times I felt jostled around because something just happened out of the blue and sometimes I wasn't sure what was going on. I still really enjoyed this book and I am excited to read the next one.

I refuse to give any spoilers but that ending destroyed me. WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME Mel's!? I will be reading the second book because I need to know what happens. If you pick Dragons' Bane up prepare yourself mentally for all the emotions. P.S. I cried.

[Jessica McDermitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full discosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review and some promotion. And once again, I am pleased as punch.

Often, self-published books end up being lower-quality than traditionally published books, but not this one. This one was great for so many reasons (one of which was, of course, the satisfyingly heavy and high-quality book itself).

I really enjoyed the main character. Lena could have easily been a cliche Sassy Female Lead, but she wasn't. I wish some of the other characters had been developed more, especially the ensemble characters (I love ensemble stories!), but there are more books to come, so maybe I'll get some more minor character development. The antagonist also could have been more developed and more present in the story, but she was a looming presence, so it worked. And I assume she will show up more in later books! And then we have our antihero, Blaze, who--well, I won't spoil it. Suffice it to say he's great. You'll have to read the books to find out what I mean.

(Also, I need to find out what happened in Lena's past! More backstory pleeeeease! Looking at you, Melody!)

I really appreciated that this book was clean. No grossness or even romantic subplots between the characters (for now?). There is a severe shortage of books that are just pure fun without a need for romance, and while I love a well-developed love story, it's refreshing to read a book without it now and then! In the author's novella, The Dragon Within, emotions seemed to be cranked on high, causing characters to overreact, but that wasn't the case in this story. I appreciated that, too!

Normally, I wouldn't read a book with as much magic as this one has in it. Most of the characters have "gifts" and some can communicate telepathically. But because of all the points in its favor, this is a minor quibble! A couple of word usage slip-ups jumped out to me as I was reading, like using "could care less" where "couldn't care less" would be appropriate--but that doesn't detract from the story either.

Tl;dr: I loved this story and I can't wait to pick the characters back up in book 2! You should definitely check this book out if you're into dragons. I'm excited to see the story develop over the next couple books!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review/promotion.
Lena's father has gone missing, and in order to find him she has to team up with a group of gifted youth, who are led by the arrogant Blaze Montego to help find an item thats responsible for the corruption of her own country. Enter into an intriguing world where dragons exist, and where "gifted" individuals are feared and rejected by their families. Follow alongside Lena as learns how to use her powers in order to go on a mission to save not only her father but, the world as well.
Melody Jackson has created a unique world, filled with equally unique characters. Not only does the world features dragons, but several different species of dragons are described, each with their own unique characteristic.
I adored the characters in this book. They were genuine and complex, making them easily relatable and to care about. I loved the main characters (Lena and Blaze) they were both so sassy, and looked forward to their interactions with one another. The character development of the main characters was exceptional but, I do wish that I knew a little more about each characters back story... They are both so mysterious. Maybe more will be revealed in the next book? I will say Blaze is so far my favorite, he is so grumpy and I love him for it. I also want to know more about the sub characters, they are just way too interesting.
Melody Jackson has created a unique world, and I cannot wait to see how the story progresses in the next book.

[Rhye Gabrielse · Rating 3 out of 5]

The part I loved about this book was the world. The provinces and the Empress, was very creative. I wished there was more dragon-riding within it, for instance, when Lena first rode a dragon, the experience was summarized, which frustrated me. I wanted to feel her excitement over it, but it was made into a small paragraph. Lena was slightly over sassy for my taste, and Blaze was abusive to her even though he liked her... I was scratching my head over it... I also wished the story wasn't so much centered around Lena and Blaze arguing — I yearned for more of the bigger picture. All in all, the world building was superbly done, and the plot twist with the bane and the traitor in the mountain. Woo! I didn't see those coming. I hope to see more in the vein of Dragons' Bane, especially the sequel!

[Elise - ABook&ACup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon!

[Manon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book!