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The Dragonwalker #1
Dragon Bones
Dragons have been gone from the world for centuries, though their power remains.
A war fought a thousand years ago removed the destructive threat of dragons, allowing fire mages to use the magic stored within their bones to protect the empire for millennia. The empire has known a fragile peace, held together by that ancient magic.
Fes has always longed for stability. Raised within the slums of the empire, taught to steal and hurt others to make his way, when he’s discovered by the emperor’s chief fire mage, he’s given a chance to use his particular gift for gathering lost dragon relics to become something more.
An encounter with a priest in possession of a dragon bone reveals the existence of a new power that threatens to return the long dead dragons to the world. Chased by the dangerous enemies, Fes travels into the bleak lands of the Dragon Plains before others can reach it. If he survives, what he discovers means the continued safety of the empire and a promise of wealth and freedom. If he fails, the deadly power of the dragons might return.
Yet, with a growing and unexplainable magic within him, it’s the promise of understanding who he truly is that might be the most valuable, only it’s the same power that leaves him with questions some within the empire don’t want answered.
A war fought a thousand years ago removed the destructive threat of dragons, allowing fire mages to use the magic stored within their bones to protect the empire for millennia. The empire has known a fragile peace, held together by that ancient magic.
Fes has always longed for stability. Raised within the slums of the empire, taught to steal and hurt others to make his way, when he’s discovered by the emperor’s chief fire mage, he’s given a chance to use his particular gift for gathering lost dragon relics to become something more.
An encounter with a priest in possession of a dragon bone reveals the existence of a new power that threatens to return the long dead dragons to the world. Chased by the dangerous enemies, Fes travels into the bleak lands of the Dragon Plains before others can reach it. If he survives, what he discovers means the continued safety of the empire and a promise of wealth and freedom. If he fails, the deadly power of the dragons might return.
Yet, with a growing and unexplainable magic within him, it’s the promise of understanding who he truly is that might be the most valuable, only it’s the same power that leaves him with questions some within the empire don’t want answered.
440 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 7, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
August 28, 2018
Dragon Bones
This book is the model example of an author not having any trust in his characters. The opening pages were the best. There was suspense, deep description and a sense of tone. I was entrapped and couldn't wait to read what was going to happen next. But I think I set my expectations too high for this book, because not only does the book's description lie to you, the story itself is but a hollowed out rush of events where the characters are so one dimensional they just allow the wind to blow them in whichever way it pleases.
Analogies aside, 'Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1)' has a great set up, albeit I think dragons are overdone to the point that every Sword & Scoercy these days has to have one. (Guess you can blame GoT for that). Anyway, 'Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1)' tells the story of a man living in the slums and has to steal to survive. Think Aladen only way less cooler. Fes, the main character, is supposed to be this petty thief with a history of violence which he contributes to getting his thieving jobs done. Only that's what the author tells us, but in the story, Fes is nowhere near this fearsome thug who intimidates others to do his bidding. In truth, Fes behaves no different from any YA insecure male who spends way too much time thinking about doing something rather than DOING something.
Speaking of introspection, this book is LOADED with characters introspecting! I hate books that waste page time with characters contemplating their goals rather than acting on them. This is a tell-tell sign of an author not trusting his characters enough to solve their own problems through their actions. As a reader, I want to see these characters in action, not sitting or standing around thinking about what they're about to do.
The descriptive setting of Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1) is your standard YA western European themed fantasy, or at least that's how I pictured it since the author didn't bother painting the picture. The main character lives in the slums because the author will constantly remind you that his characters live in the slums. If the author didn't bash its readers over the head on this repeated fact, I would've thought the characters lived in a standard European-inspired village or something.
And man is the dialogue wooden! This is by far the flattest dialogue I have ever encountered, it goes something like.
Man 1: "Did you get it?"
Man 2: "Did I get it? Yes, I got it."
Man 1: "Can I see it?"
Man 2: "Can you see it? No, you can't see it?"
Man 1: "I can't see it? Why can't I see it?"
Man 2: "Why can't you see it? Because I said you can't see it."
And it goes on and on and on like this. Fortunately, I could only stomach 15% of this book before deleting it off my kindle. I gave it shot, but it clearly wasn't for me.
This book is the model example of an author not having any trust in his characters. The opening pages were the best. There was suspense, deep description and a sense of tone. I was entrapped and couldn't wait to read what was going to happen next. But I think I set my expectations too high for this book, because not only does the book's description lie to you, the story itself is but a hollowed out rush of events where the characters are so one dimensional they just allow the wind to blow them in whichever way it pleases.
Analogies aside, 'Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1)' has a great set up, albeit I think dragons are overdone to the point that every Sword & Scoercy these days has to have one. (Guess you can blame GoT for that). Anyway, 'Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1)' tells the story of a man living in the slums and has to steal to survive. Think Aladen only way less cooler. Fes, the main character, is supposed to be this petty thief with a history of violence which he contributes to getting his thieving jobs done. Only that's what the author tells us, but in the story, Fes is nowhere near this fearsome thug who intimidates others to do his bidding. In truth, Fes behaves no different from any YA insecure male who spends way too much time thinking about doing something rather than DOING something.
Speaking of introspection, this book is LOADED with characters introspecting! I hate books that waste page time with characters contemplating their goals rather than acting on them. This is a tell-tell sign of an author not trusting his characters enough to solve their own problems through their actions. As a reader, I want to see these characters in action, not sitting or standing around thinking about what they're about to do.
The descriptive setting of Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1) is your standard YA western European themed fantasy, or at least that's how I pictured it since the author didn't bother painting the picture. The main character lives in the slums because the author will constantly remind you that his characters live in the slums. If the author didn't bash its readers over the head on this repeated fact, I would've thought the characters lived in a standard European-inspired village or something.
And man is the dialogue wooden! This is by far the flattest dialogue I have ever encountered, it goes something like.
Man 1: "Did you get it?"
Man 2: "Did I get it? Yes, I got it."
Man 1: "Can I see it?"
Man 2: "Can you see it? No, you can't see it?"
Man 1: "I can't see it? Why can't I see it?"
Man 2: "Why can't you see it? Because I said you can't see it."
And it goes on and on and on like this. Fortunately, I could only stomach 15% of this book before deleting it off my kindle. I gave it shot, but it clearly wasn't for me.
August 19, 2018
Great concept; Wooden Dialogue
I like the author’s previous work and looked forward to reading this. The premise, plot, world, characters, and magic are all interesting. The editing is really good too. The dialogue, however, practically ruined the book for me. It it so stiff, so fatally wooden in delivery that it left the characters looking flat and lifeless. Not only that, but there were almost no other speech verbs. Nothing spoken was whispered, growled, murmured, drawled, etc. - everything was “said”. Even then a brief noun-verb action can take a “said” and make it much richer, turning into something you can see. (Fes glared at her. “I promised you that I finish the job, didn’t I?” versus “I promised you I’d finish the job, didn’t I?”, Fes said.) One has emotion and visible action, the other is a script reading.
Perhaps this is an earlier work? I don’t recall his last series feeling this way. I’ll likely read the next book just to see what happens, and in the honest hope it’s written better. I won’t hurry to it though.
I can’t recommend this book, but I won’t warn you off of it either. To each their own reading enjoyment.
I like the author’s previous work and looked forward to reading this. The premise, plot, world, characters, and magic are all interesting. The editing is really good too. The dialogue, however, practically ruined the book for me. It it so stiff, so fatally wooden in delivery that it left the characters looking flat and lifeless. Not only that, but there were almost no other speech verbs. Nothing spoken was whispered, growled, murmured, drawled, etc. - everything was “said”. Even then a brief noun-verb action can take a “said” and make it much richer, turning into something you can see. (Fes glared at her. “I promised you that I finish the job, didn’t I?” versus “I promised you I’d finish the job, didn’t I?”, Fes said.) One has emotion and visible action, the other is a script reading.
Perhaps this is an earlier work? I don’t recall his last series feeling this way. I’ll likely read the next book just to see what happens, and in the honest hope it’s written better. I won’t hurry to it though.
I can’t recommend this book, but I won’t warn you off of it either. To each their own reading enjoyment.
August 21, 2018
A
Hard to rate. I liked the plot. The whole thing just needed better descriptive. The world was limited and hard to understand beyond the basics. Questions were asked but the answers were so unclear it was frustrating. The character seemed unfazed by the answers so I don't know if he actually understood them or just avoided clarifying in order to keep mystery to the book. The mc was fairly flat for the first part of the book but began to show growth toward the end. There wasn't a lot of connection between the characters and the reader. Relationships were confusing. This book has a good idea, it just needs better dialog and narrative to provide clarity to the reader. Still, it's interesting enough that I'm going to move on to book 2. Hopefully the momentum from the last part of the book will continue into book 2.
Hard to rate. I liked the plot. The whole thing just needed better descriptive. The world was limited and hard to understand beyond the basics. Questions were asked but the answers were so unclear it was frustrating. The character seemed unfazed by the answers so I don't know if he actually understood them or just avoided clarifying in order to keep mystery to the book. The mc was fairly flat for the first part of the book but began to show growth toward the end. There wasn't a lot of connection between the characters and the reader. Relationships were confusing. This book has a good idea, it just needs better dialog and narrative to provide clarity to the reader. Still, it's interesting enough that I'm going to move on to book 2. Hopefully the momentum from the last part of the book will continue into book 2.
October 23, 2019
This book is terrible. I don't understand how it is rated so high. The author has a'lot of interesting ideas and concepts but poorly executed them. The main character Fes is a Gary Stu. He has this combat prowess which is never explained and is able to at several times able to take out up to a dozen opponents out at the same with no damage and no exhaustion because he does this repeatedly. By the way he also has this ability if he gets "angry" enough his fighting becomes extraordinarily skilled. His personality flip flops consistently between this tough guy low IQ act to a caring protector I have an idea type. The female protagonist is so thin she's almost non existant. She CONSTANTLY complains how Fes left her to go work for a fire mage (cant remember his name). But in reality Fes came back to take her with him she just didnt want to go. The villains are typical tropes which isn't a bad thing but in this case it is. One of the villains Carter you meet early on and is the main antagonist through about halfway. Fes is the only one who knows what she is like apparently. She leads a bunch of mercenaries that provide inconveniences to the protagonist but after the halfway point she disappears but you constantly hear how this be her work because it couldnt possibly be anyone else. Then their is a female fire mage (again I forget the name because she is forgettable) working with Carter. You hear hints of her throughout the book but when you meet her she is so underwhelming. She never feels as a real threat. You hear constantly from the rebellion and the fire priest who Fes is working with that the empire is bad because the empire is oppressive and enslaved people and wants to rule over people (the rebellion wants to rule too so they come off as a bit of a hypocrite). The problem with all this is you never see it you only hear about it from others, Fes even says the same thing but is told "just believe me the empire is bad". Basically this book has neat ideas but very poor writing, I happened to list to the audio version and it is very very poor quality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2018
I felt like I was reading a middle school boy’s rough draft . The story line was good enough that I finished the book. There was no voice, character development, or depth of story development. It was slow and repetitive. I wondered, “Where was his editor? Did his publisher not even proof this?” Then I thought perhaps this was a young writer, but no. Neither is this his first publication. If you want a quick read you can skim just to get a story, then you won’t be disappointed.
August 12, 2018
With dragons long extinct, their treasured bones still bring power to the fire mages employed by the emperor. Fes works as a thief in the slums but soon realizes that true dragon bones seem to call to him, pulling him toward them. He is not the only one who notices this phenomenon and is hired by one of the empires strongest fire mages who has a use for his talent. It’s a marked improvement over the slums but he has left behind one of his only friends. This is an amazing and unique tale. The storytelling is outstanding and the characters all well-fleshed. Highly Recommended!
June 9, 2018
Fantastic
Really liked this first book in this new series. I loved the author's Cloud Warrior series and this has a very similar feel. Very excited!
Really liked this first book in this new series. I loved the author's Cloud Warrior series and this has a very similar feel. Very excited!
December 18, 2019
Surprising gem.
I only purchased this book because it was narrated by Christian Rummel. I am a fan of the genre and was looking to see what else he had narrated as I am a huge fan of his voice work.
I thought I would give it a shot and was very grateful that I did.
I found the story highly compelling and quite original. I often criticism the pace of novels, feeling they get bogged down in details, this book does no such thing, the pacing is, by my standards, perfect, and I had much difficulty putting the book down.
The characters were well developed and I became very attached to the protagonist as well as support characters.
My only minor critique is that the ending was a little abrupt, however I assume that it will tie in to the second book because of this. Its a small matter and didn't really detract from the overall experience. I will definitely be purchasing the second in this series soon.
I only purchased this book because it was narrated by Christian Rummel. I am a fan of the genre and was looking to see what else he had narrated as I am a huge fan of his voice work.
I thought I would give it a shot and was very grateful that I did.
I found the story highly compelling and quite original. I often criticism the pace of novels, feeling they get bogged down in details, this book does no such thing, the pacing is, by my standards, perfect, and I had much difficulty putting the book down.
The characters were well developed and I became very attached to the protagonist as well as support characters.
My only minor critique is that the ending was a little abrupt, however I assume that it will tie in to the second book because of this. Its a small matter and didn't really detract from the overall experience. I will definitely be purchasing the second in this series soon.
July 6, 2018
Dragon Bones (The Dragonwalker Book 1) Review
Dear D. K., Another excellent story with wonderful characters and exciting adventure. As usual the hero is confused about who he is and the powers he has. I don't know how you authors come up with such fantastic stories but I am certainly enjoying them. I highly recommend reading this book to anyone interested in reading a great story. Thanks for hours of entertainment.
Dear D. K., Another excellent story with wonderful characters and exciting adventure. As usual the hero is confused about who he is and the powers he has. I don't know how you authors come up with such fantastic stories but I am certainly enjoying them. I highly recommend reading this book to anyone interested in reading a great story. Thanks for hours of entertainment.
June 1, 2021
Fes is an orphan thieving to make a life in the slums of Anuhr, until he catches the eye of a fire mage, Azithan, who offers him a job. Fes starts earning good money as a collector of dragon relics for the empire. It was as though the relics and bones called to him so he was very good at his job. Then he was approached by a priest to take on a new job and accompany him on a journey to the dragon plains. Little was said about the venture but the money was good so Fes took the job. It was always about the money for him in the end, however he discovers much about the goings on in the empire and about himself during this voyage. The Empire had eradicated the dragons, now made sure to collect all dragon bones and relics for use by their fire mages but they must never be allowed to get hold of the dragon heart, said to be in the dragon plains, else they would resurrect the dragons, control them, breed them and have an endless supply of power for their fire mages to continue to dominate the Empire. And no matter how good Fes believed the empire to be, those who had lived other than in the city of Anuhr, as he did, knew otherwise. Thus all interested factions were graduating towards the plains and it was a race as to who would get to the dragon heart first. The Soldiers of the empire, the mercenaries, the rebels, the priest and Fes plus a very dangerous fire mage, Raina. The Emperor had amassed a huge amount of relics, he was called the dragon for a reason and only a dragon could unseat another dragon. But could Fes change his opinion about the Empire and side with the rebellion? The priest believed he should but Azithan had been good to him and he represented the empire to Fes. This is an amazing adventure story, a tale of self discovery and one filled with magic and dragon lore. I love the character of Fes and look forward to see him come into his own powers in the next book in the series! Oh and the ending is to die for!
January 21, 2019
This was a very entertaining story from an author I'm growing to like more and more, and that's a great thing because Holmberg is an insanely prolific author.
In this one, the main character is Fes. At the start, it seems like Fes is the stereotypical street thief archetype, and that's not a bad thing. As the story progresses, we find out that Fes has some special talents that allow him to find artifacts from the long-vanished dragons. Again, this is hardly groundbreaking material, but Holmberg manages to write an entertaining tale around these common tropes.
Soon Fes finds himself caught up in a quest to recover a very powerful dragon relic. He ends up teaming up with Alison, a woman with whom he has a lot of history, and this makes for some great character interactions.
And that's where I think this book does well. In terms of the plot and world, there's nothing that jumps out at you as wildly original, but I didn't care because I cared about the characters. At the beginning Fes is more of an anti-hero only in it for the money. As the story progresses, however, you see more and more of his character, and he develops into someone who's in it for something more than just the money. By the end, I found myself rooting for Fes and his comrades.
This book is also set against the interesting backdrop of a civil war of sorts within the empire. We don't get the full picture from either side in this story, but it does set up a conflict with great potential for the rest of the series.
Overall, this is the kind of simple but entertaining fantasy I enjoy reading. Holmberg is quickly becoming one of my favorite "comfort read" authors. It's the kind of fantasy I like: inspired by the classics, but with enough modern twists to make it feel fresh. I see a lot of potential in this series.
Rating: 8.5/10
In this one, the main character is Fes. At the start, it seems like Fes is the stereotypical street thief archetype, and that's not a bad thing. As the story progresses, we find out that Fes has some special talents that allow him to find artifacts from the long-vanished dragons. Again, this is hardly groundbreaking material, but Holmberg manages to write an entertaining tale around these common tropes.
Soon Fes finds himself caught up in a quest to recover a very powerful dragon relic. He ends up teaming up with Alison, a woman with whom he has a lot of history, and this makes for some great character interactions.
And that's where I think this book does well. In terms of the plot and world, there's nothing that jumps out at you as wildly original, but I didn't care because I cared about the characters. At the beginning Fes is more of an anti-hero only in it for the money. As the story progresses, however, you see more and more of his character, and he develops into someone who's in it for something more than just the money. By the end, I found myself rooting for Fes and his comrades.
This book is also set against the interesting backdrop of a civil war of sorts within the empire. We don't get the full picture from either side in this story, but it does set up a conflict with great potential for the rest of the series.
Overall, this is the kind of simple but entertaining fantasy I enjoy reading. Holmberg is quickly becoming one of my favorite "comfort read" authors. It's the kind of fantasy I like: inspired by the classics, but with enough modern twists to make it feel fresh. I see a lot of potential in this series.
Rating: 8.5/10
June 28, 2022
This is the first volume of the Dragonwalker series. For it to be the first volume, where it should have a lot of introductory plot arcs, quests and adventures, with a lot of character and world development, the opposite is true. This first volume is confusing, not very revealing and unfocused.
Fes, main character, is an orphan from the ghetto, that has had a bad life, so he is kind of a rogue-thief-enforcer. It seems that he is from an extinct "Dragon Walker" tribe/race.
Not much to note from this first volume. Although Fes is a criminal, he tries to protect the weak and kind. But the author is not very imaginative or original by using yet another "thief" main character that is mysterious (because of a lack of proper description and backstory from the author). Most of the people around Fes manipulate and exploit him. During the first volume kills and gets wounded more times than an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Fes has no healing magic or special abilities (magical skills). So there are so many fist fights and sword/knife fights, with bows arrows, blood, gore and death.
This series has seven volumes and the 7th. Volume was published on 2018. So this series is probably finished. This author is a quick writer/publisher, that does not polish and dedicate enough time and imagination toward his fantasy novel series. No inside illustrations, no maps, no additional information given. Each volume is close to 300 pages long and 25 chapters. So about 13 pages a chapter on average, but not enough information about characters or the fantasy world to actually feel invested in this story. Although it appears to be a fantasy novel series about Dragons, the pace is slow, the action is one sided (unlimited mercenaries and empire soldiers attack and attack and attack, without really knowing why).
Fes, main character, is an orphan from the ghetto, that has had a bad life, so he is kind of a rogue-thief-enforcer. It seems that he is from an extinct "Dragon Walker" tribe/race.
Not much to note from this first volume. Although Fes is a criminal, he tries to protect the weak and kind. But the author is not very imaginative or original by using yet another "thief" main character that is mysterious (because of a lack of proper description and backstory from the author). Most of the people around Fes manipulate and exploit him. During the first volume kills and gets wounded more times than an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Fes has no healing magic or special abilities (magical skills). So there are so many fist fights and sword/knife fights, with bows arrows, blood, gore and death.
This series has seven volumes and the 7th. Volume was published on 2018. So this series is probably finished. This author is a quick writer/publisher, that does not polish and dedicate enough time and imagination toward his fantasy novel series. No inside illustrations, no maps, no additional information given. Each volume is close to 300 pages long and 25 chapters. So about 13 pages a chapter on average, but not enough information about characters or the fantasy world to actually feel invested in this story. Although it appears to be a fantasy novel series about Dragons, the pace is slow, the action is one sided (unlimited mercenaries and empire soldiers attack and attack and attack, without really knowing why).
August 30, 2020
Fes collected dragon bones and other artifacts related to the dragons that used to roam the countryside and apparently created some havoc among people who lived and worked here. The man he worked for is a fire mage and these bones help him to create his magic fire. Fes (Fezarn) was a poor lad who needed the money from selling the dragon bones to live and eat. Fes had a friend who often followed him when he was doing a job for Horus, or one of the other mages he knew, named Alison. We are introduced to both of them right away. Horus comes up with a job for Fes that will take him out of the city and away from the marketplace that he knows so well. The promise is that he will be well paid for the job. He is to find an artifact called a dragon's heart and bring it back. This story is about that adventure away from his usual haunts. There is magic. There is also a lot of adventure in the trip, not all of it is fun. There are fire mages and soldiers following him and adventures in villages that have been abandoned following the demise and disappearance of the dragons. Not all of the spellbinding happens in the story. It is so well written that I could not stop reading. The adventures that Fes and Alison share are dramatic, magical and hard to believe. It is a great story all the way to its magical conclusion. I loved the story right up to its ending . It is a very entertaining read.
August 19, 2018
Good read and although it's definitely an open ending, at least it's not a cliff hanger! At first I didn't think I would be able to identify with any characters and before I knew it, I couldn't put the book down. I was late twice because I just could not put the book down. I would be reading and tell myself ill just read one chapter. 5 10 minutes, max. The next time I looked at the cloc k, it had been 2 hours. YOU Must Read!
Good read and although it's definitely an open endingnot a cliff hanger! At first I didn't think I would be able to identify with any characters and before I knew it, I couldn't put the book down. I was late twice because I just could not put the book down. I would be reading and tell myself I'll just read one chapter. 5 10 minutes, max. The next time I looked at the clock, it had been 2 hours. YOU Must Read!
Good read and although it's definitely an open endingnot a cliff hanger! At first I didn't think I would be able to identify with any characters and before I knew it, I couldn't put the book down. I was late twice because I just could not put the book down. I would be reading and tell myself I'll just read one chapter. 5 10 minutes, max. The next time I looked at the clock, it had been 2 hours. YOU Must Read!
July 31, 2019
enjoyed this but do have to agree with some other folks, sometimes dialog is not clear; answers to Fes' questions not clear at all. good story, concept is good but it seems as if the author hurried thru the story, just to get it done and out there. there are multiple grammatical errors. OMG Holmberg, please get a new editor or reading group or proofreader- as many books as you have written, I swear the proofing has gotten worse and worse over time. get it together dude, please. you write great stories.. slow down a little, tell your publisher to keep his pants on.. don't rush thru the story like this set appears..otherwise, i've read the 2nd and fixing to read the 3rd.. as I said.. it is a good story.
December 18, 2018
Dragon Bones
I so wanted to like this book. The story line has a lot of potential. I could not get through the book, though. The action sequences have a lot of gaps and it's understandable why the author had everyone keep Fes in the dark, but the way he went about it made Fes seem such an idiot. I had to stop reading when Fes' train of thought came through as a bunch of paragraphs ending in question marks. This book is great as a rough draft not a published work. I'd love to see this story line in a reorganized editing.
I so wanted to like this book. The story line has a lot of potential. I could not get through the book, though. The action sequences have a lot of gaps and it's understandable why the author had everyone keep Fes in the dark, but the way he went about it made Fes seem such an idiot. I had to stop reading when Fes' train of thought came through as a bunch of paragraphs ending in question marks. This book is great as a rough draft not a published work. I'd love to see this story line in a reorganized editing.
September 16, 2019
3.5 stars
Interesting premise, but the MC was just following the flow of events instead of being the one to have a plan and control over at least some of the.
This made him feel dull and stupid to me.
He kept being clueless about anything and everything.
Combined with pretty much all dialogue where the MC participates being not much more than bickering it made reading irritating quite a few times.
Still, the world is interesting and I will keep on reading the series to see if it gets better or maybe I could get used to what I don't like in book 1.
Interesting premise, but the MC was just following the flow of events instead of being the one to have a plan and control over at least some of the.
This made him feel dull and stupid to me.
He kept being clueless about anything and everything.
Combined with pretty much all dialogue where the MC participates being not much more than bickering it made reading irritating quite a few times.
Still, the world is interesting and I will keep on reading the series to see if it gets better or maybe I could get used to what I don't like in book 1.
November 19, 2019
Meh.
Unfortunately the MC has no brain and must rely on everyone to spell EVERYTHING out to him, yet every time we learn there may be another layer to the story nothing is revealed right away because *gasp* it has to be suspenseful. It's not.
Almost the entire cast of characters are completely forgettable. Actually, maybe they all are. By the end of the story I really only cared what happened to maybe 3 of them.
Despite those two (huge) drawbacks I'm going to try the second book to see if there's any improvement.
Unfortunately the MC has no brain and must rely on everyone to spell EVERYTHING out to him, yet every time we learn there may be another layer to the story nothing is revealed right away because *gasp* it has to be suspenseful. It's not.
Almost the entire cast of characters are completely forgettable. Actually, maybe they all are. By the end of the story I really only cared what happened to maybe 3 of them.
Despite those two (huge) drawbacks I'm going to try the second book to see if there's any improvement.
December 1, 2018
Overall, this is such a weird book.
There's this "rebellion" against the empire but its never even made clear why the empire needs rebelling against. We don't really see a lot of oppression and exploitation that would trigger it.
The main character is wooden. He just hems and haws his way through the book. He is an elite level fighter though the reasoning behind this is inadequately explained. And his character arc is basically a circle.
There's this "rebellion" against the empire but its never even made clear why the empire needs rebelling against. We don't really see a lot of oppression and exploitation that would trigger it.
The main character is wooden. He just hems and haws his way through the book. He is an elite level fighter though the reasoning behind this is inadequately explained. And his character arc is basically a circle.
December 30, 2019
By the Short Hairs..
There’s a lot to like about the characters and the world in this first book, but there is a level of discomfort with the ways that the main character is coerced, disregarded, accused and lead around that doesn’t quite line up with the strong, capable and intelligent person he is commented on being.. constantly. But, this is the start of a fairly long series, so I have my fingers crossed going into to book two
There’s a lot to like about the characters and the world in this first book, but there is a level of discomfort with the ways that the main character is coerced, disregarded, accused and lead around that doesn’t quite line up with the strong, capable and intelligent person he is commented on being.. constantly. But, this is the start of a fairly long series, so I have my fingers crossed going into to book two
January 17, 2021
Disappointing !I
A lackluster story line who has the most annoying character this author just went the long way around the barn trying to find the door . I couldn't finish it but I tried but the silliness was way to much I really hope you will enjoy this book better than I did because i just couldn't get into this book and the situations the author put his main characters through was unbelievable and outlandish at best !!
A lackluster story line who has the most annoying character this author just went the long way around the barn trying to find the door . I couldn't finish it but I tried but the silliness was way to much I really hope you will enjoy this book better than I did because i just couldn't get into this book and the situations the author put his main characters through was unbelievable and outlandish at best !!
August 25, 2021
What a wonderful book. I like that Dragons are gone but they can still use artifacts that are from Dragons for power unless you are born from the area of dragons. It is the start of a great new adventure. Fezarn what a strange name. He finds out it was the name of a great dragon once, but Fez is not interested in that he just wants to survive and make money since he lost his parents and even his brother. He finds out he is so much more.
April 15, 2022
a very interesting read
This story starts of with a young man who finds out he has a talent. Then what he does with that talent is what makes up this story. The adventure he goes on shapes his past and he learns things about himself that we’re lost. The struggle to achieve his goals causes him to grow in ways that he had no clue about beforehand. It ends on a good note. But it’s just the beginning.
This story starts of with a young man who finds out he has a talent. Then what he does with that talent is what makes up this story. The adventure he goes on shapes his past and he learns things about himself that we’re lost. The struggle to achieve his goals causes him to grow in ways that he had no clue about beforehand. It ends on a good note. But it’s just the beginning.
June 8, 2018
Little thief with big secret. Big heart too.
The first book is about a young man and his friends and an ability to know when he was close to real Dragon bones. A trip out of the city and he learns a great deal about himself. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Hard to put the book down.
The first book is about a young man and his friends and an ability to know when he was close to real Dragon bones. A trip out of the city and he learns a great deal about himself. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Hard to put the book down.
September 2, 2018
Interesting
This was an interesting read. I expected a little more action, but it may be warming up to that in the coming books. I love how it ended. I thought Fes may have given him the real thing, but no. You’d think he’d be more interested in his background that he knows nothing about.
This was an interesting read. I expected a little more action, but it may be warming up to that in the coming books. I love how it ended. I thought Fes may have given him the real thing, but no. You’d think he’d be more interested in his background that he knows nothing about.
October 18, 2018
Captivating
This book captures my interest, literally!! I was in the middle of reading another book when I came across this one. I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into the storyline, captivated!! The only way to escape was by finishing this book!
Fes is full of questions, I will be seeking the book in the series, searching for answers!
This book captures my interest, literally!! I was in the middle of reading another book when I came across this one. I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into the storyline, captivated!! The only way to escape was by finishing this book!
Fes is full of questions, I will be seeking the book in the series, searching for answers!
December 11, 2018
Meh
While a good premise and story, execution was lacking. Characters were shallow. Many passages repetitive. The only reason I gave it a. 3 star rating was for creativity.
And omg soo many question marks, and I don't mean figuratively. So many questions in this book, drove me nuts and made characters seem dull. Maybe I will read the next book in this series??
While a good premise and story, execution was lacking. Characters were shallow. Many passages repetitive. The only reason I gave it a. 3 star rating was for creativity.
And omg soo many question marks, and I don't mean figuratively. So many questions in this book, drove me nuts and made characters seem dull. Maybe I will read the next book in this series??
December 23, 2018
Okay idea mediocre execution
This is a conflicting book. The author has a good idea and interesting outlines of characters.
Unfortunately, he just isn't skilled enough as an author to put the pieces of the story together. Part of me wants to read his later books to see if he gets better but it was pretty painful read.
This is a conflicting book. The author has a good idea and interesting outlines of characters.
Unfortunately, he just isn't skilled enough as an author to put the pieces of the story together. Part of me wants to read his later books to see if he gets better but it was pretty painful read.
November 14, 2019
2.5 stars started out interesting enough. Clutched up around 40% then went no where before a terrible ending. Also is the main character suppose to be in his late teens? It seems very unlikely that he took on a dozen grown men and was able to walk away. There was so many things that just weren't believable in this book
January 30, 2020
Interesting start to a story
The story was very intriguing. Fes was a good main character - he learned a lot about his world as well as himself. His interactions with other characters help provide insight into who he is. The story is generally easy to read. The pacing is okay. Definitely want to see where this story goes.
The story was very intriguing. Fes was a good main character - he learned a lot about his world as well as himself. His interactions with other characters help provide insight into who he is. The story is generally easy to read. The pacing is okay. Definitely want to see where this story goes.
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