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The Avalonia Chronicles #3
The Return of the Dragon Queen
The epic conclusion of The Avalonia Chronicles is here . . .
War is on the horizon. Queen Morgana’s power grows every day, aided by her army and unseen dark forces. Illiador and Eldoren have fallen completely under her reign. There is no one who can stand against her now—except one.
Aurora Firedrake has finally come to understand the power she is capable of wielding, but is it too late? Stripped of her allies and those she holds dear, failure seems inevitable. To win the war for Avalonia, she must journey to the deepest parts of the Darklands to find a way to take back all she has lost, before Morgana opens the Book of Abraxas and releases the greatest evil the world has ever known.
Aurora, the Dawnstar, is all that stands between Avalonia and total destruction. But can she find the strength to unite her people and defeat Morgana and her wicked forces? Or will Avalonia be lost forever?
War is on the horizon. Queen Morgana’s power grows every day, aided by her army and unseen dark forces. Illiador and Eldoren have fallen completely under her reign. There is no one who can stand against her now—except one.
Aurora Firedrake has finally come to understand the power she is capable of wielding, but is it too late? Stripped of her allies and those she holds dear, failure seems inevitable. To win the war for Avalonia, she must journey to the deepest parts of the Darklands to find a way to take back all she has lost, before Morgana opens the Book of Abraxas and releases the greatest evil the world has ever known.
Aurora, the Dawnstar, is all that stands between Avalonia and total destruction. But can she find the strength to unite her people and defeat Morgana and her wicked forces? Or will Avalonia be lost forever?
472 pages, Hardcover
Published November 26, 2019
About the author
Farah Oomerbhoy
3 books821 followersFarah Oomerbhoy is the international bestselling author of The Avalonia Chronicles. Her first book, The Last of the Firedrakes, was originally published on Wattpad where it gained over two million reads and a Watty Award. Since publication, The Last of the Firedrakes and book two The Rise of the Dawnstar have gone on to win numerous awards, including matching silver medals in IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin Awards. Wielding her master’s degree in English literature and her love of the fantastical, Farah spends her creative time crafting magical worlds for young adults. She lives with her family in Mumbai, India but can often be found checking closets for magic portals to Narnia.
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September 3, 2019This book comes out exactly 2 years after I read the previous books and I have a vague recollection of plot and characters. I hate reading series that aren't out as a whole, solely because I have to reread the previous installments to remember what happened....
November 27, 2019
I read this cover to cover last night, very excited to read the ending of this trilogy. This book did not live up to the last two.
The story felt rushed, too many changes of direction with a quick fix for each. The author introduced characters, races, and other magic without background as if they were an after thought. The heroine regressed, did not grow, and made me want to slap her. How many times must we hear others tell her to believe in herself as that is the root of her power? There were annoying repetitions that the author used, "drawing deep down to find her power" yes we have heard that multiple times in the last book and this one. There was a hasty and poorly thought out romantic ending. If they have been betrothed this whole time how was he betrothed in the first book to someone else?
There were way too many mistakes that were haphazardly patched up. I was deeply disappointed in this book.
The story felt rushed, too many changes of direction with a quick fix for each. The author introduced characters, races, and other magic without background as if they were an after thought. The heroine regressed, did not grow, and made me want to slap her. How many times must we hear others tell her to believe in herself as that is the root of her power? There were annoying repetitions that the author used, "drawing deep down to find her power" yes we have heard that multiple times in the last book and this one. There was a hasty and poorly thought out romantic ending. If they have been betrothed this whole time how was he betrothed in the first book to someone else?
There were way too many mistakes that were haphazardly patched up. I was deeply disappointed in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2022
Nope, it didn’t take me three months to listen to this, I’ve just put off writing the review.
Still four stars in so many ways: the author’s lyrical and beautiful writing, the adventure, the subtle nods to and influences of great fantasy classics. I loved the descriptions of the clothes and the food which is more old school. Really wish GR did a ten star rating.
The heroine is a pretty focused YA heroine that has her eye on a guy, but still keeps her focus on defeating the evil of her soon to be magical kingdom. If course, with two beaus to choose from she chose my lesser favorite, but she's happy. Great minor characters abound.
However, I just can’t give the series an overall 4 stars. As enjoyable as it was, it didn’t have that intense emotional depth of a Harry Potter or Frodo. I liked the story, admire the writing, but at the end of the read I was not as emotionally invested in as I felt I should.
I still heartily recommend the series if you need a palate cleanser from bully YA stories with 16 year olds running the schools like vintage IBM, dweeby heroines that stand back as their soul mates cheat, and the other malarkey.
P.S.
The narrator is great; her voice is clear and sounds like what a young heroine should sound like. Odd thing happened around Chapter 20, it sounded like a new, much mature woman started narrating the book. It was odd and switched back to the other narrator so I don't know if it was my device or what.
Still four stars in so many ways: the author’s lyrical and beautiful writing, the adventure, the subtle nods to and influences of great fantasy classics. I loved the descriptions of the clothes and the food which is more old school. Really wish GR did a ten star rating.
The heroine is a pretty focused YA heroine that has her eye on a guy, but still keeps her focus on defeating the evil of her soon to be magical kingdom. If course, with two beaus to choose from she chose my lesser favorite, but she's happy. Great minor characters abound.
However, I just can’t give the series an overall 4 stars. As enjoyable as it was, it didn’t have that intense emotional depth of a Harry Potter or Frodo. I liked the story, admire the writing, but at the end of the read I was not as emotionally invested in as I felt I should.
I still heartily recommend the series if you need a palate cleanser from bully YA stories with 16 year olds running the schools like vintage IBM, dweeby heroines that stand back as their soul mates cheat, and the other malarkey.
P.S.
The narrator is great; her voice is clear and sounds like what a young heroine should sound like. Odd thing happened around Chapter 20, it sounded like a new, much mature woman started narrating the book. It was odd and switched back to the other narrator so I don't know if it was my device or what.
April 23, 2020
Sigh. I just finished this. I don’t know that I’ve ever before stuck with a series just for the hope it would get better. I guess I just really liked the idea behind this one. I was hoping the writing would be better and the characters more developed, but it was just more of the same. More characters, more powers, more types of magic, more places. And, therefore, more situations for Aurora wax on for paragraph after paragraph about her self doubt only to realize she had what she needed inside herself the whole time... again and again. I was hoping the ending would be tolerable, but it felt so cheap and convenient.
Even though there was that big war going on, none of the important good guys died... except Aurora’s friend, Vivienne. But, no worries about that because after they leave the place where she died, she isn’t really brought up again. Neither is Aurora’s cousin who had a thing with Vivienne. So, conveniently, we don’t have to deal with that. Any of the other people you might expect to not make it to the end, actually do. Including - spoiler alert- Aurora’s father. Apparently he was alive the whole time. And, she figures out how to get all the ancient elves out of the Dagger so they’re all back too and so is Aurora’s mom. Even Rafe starts to die and Aurora can’t save him because she knows that’s not allowed. Remember, bad things ALWAYS happen if you try to bring someone back from being too far gone? MAGIC COMES WITH A PRICE! Luckily some dead fae can do it for her without any of those consequences though, and they can make Rafe immortal too. So that’s nice. None of that tragic and beautiful Arwen and Aragorn nonsense here. And, just to go back a bit., Aurora is still, crushing on Rafe through this whole book. And he’s still being a selfish turd. He finally does consent to listen to her and admits he loves her too. That’s why he was being such a turd. The whole thing was ridiculously obvious - except to Aurora. (Can I just interject that when you have a story written in first person, ALL the information the reader has is from that persons thoughts and observations. So if something is obvious to the reader, you make your main character look really dumb if they don’t catch it.) Oh and to make it even more ridiculous, we find out that Aurora was betrothed to Rafe since birth? How did that work with his other betrothal? Remember? To the evil woman that he wouldn’t leave because his mom apparently liked her mom?
Anyway, Kalen, who has, unfortunately, become a mostly silent plot device, is apparently Tristans brother, and a super powerful elf. Tristan, who spends half of this book moping about Aurora not wanting to marry him (even though he doesn’t want to marry her either??) actually finds a badass warrior witch to fall in love with. So that’s helpful. Auroras uncle sort of dies but it’s so matter-of-factly mentioned out of the blue, (after its made clear that the bad guys can’t kill him because they need him) that you don’t actually believe it. And, then he shows up alive later, right on cue.
The dragon, doesn’t really do anything to help at all. Except, he lectures Aurora on and off and talks her out of her, “ I don’t think I can actually do anything” moods. He shows up at the end to burn up Morgana and the book. But, it makes you wonder why he didn’t do it earlier if it was so easy for him to destroy both the bad guys and his own book. He also comes along to help keep Kalen’s jerk dad from trying to make Aurora marry Tristan. I think he might have been more useful for the war part of the story though, right?
There’s so much. I really honestly wanted to like this. I was hoping the good characters would get some ��screen time” and we wouldn’t have to hear Aurora moan so much about her powers or Rafe... maybe she’d grow a bit. Maybe Rafe would turn out to NOT be such a turd since we’re supposed to like him so much. Sigh. As for any of the other people we found interesting in the other books, they’re mostly not in this one. They weren’t much a part of moving Aurora to the end of her story, so they’re just not in it anymore. Which is a shame, because most of my favorites became cameo appearances or bit characters for this.
Even though there was that big war going on, none of the important good guys died... except Aurora’s friend, Vivienne. But, no worries about that because after they leave the place where she died, she isn’t really brought up again. Neither is Aurora’s cousin who had a thing with Vivienne. So, conveniently, we don’t have to deal with that. Any of the other people you might expect to not make it to the end, actually do. Including - spoiler alert- Aurora’s father. Apparently he was alive the whole time. And, she figures out how to get all the ancient elves out of the Dagger so they’re all back too and so is Aurora’s mom. Even Rafe starts to die and Aurora can’t save him because she knows that’s not allowed. Remember, bad things ALWAYS happen if you try to bring someone back from being too far gone? MAGIC COMES WITH A PRICE! Luckily some dead fae can do it for her without any of those consequences though, and they can make Rafe immortal too. So that’s nice. None of that tragic and beautiful Arwen and Aragorn nonsense here. And, just to go back a bit., Aurora is still, crushing on Rafe through this whole book. And he’s still being a selfish turd. He finally does consent to listen to her and admits he loves her too. That’s why he was being such a turd. The whole thing was ridiculously obvious - except to Aurora. (Can I just interject that when you have a story written in first person, ALL the information the reader has is from that persons thoughts and observations. So if something is obvious to the reader, you make your main character look really dumb if they don’t catch it.) Oh and to make it even more ridiculous, we find out that Aurora was betrothed to Rafe since birth? How did that work with his other betrothal? Remember? To the evil woman that he wouldn’t leave because his mom apparently liked her mom?
Anyway, Kalen, who has, unfortunately, become a mostly silent plot device, is apparently Tristans brother, and a super powerful elf. Tristan, who spends half of this book moping about Aurora not wanting to marry him (even though he doesn’t want to marry her either??) actually finds a badass warrior witch to fall in love with. So that’s helpful. Auroras uncle sort of dies but it’s so matter-of-factly mentioned out of the blue, (after its made clear that the bad guys can’t kill him because they need him) that you don’t actually believe it. And, then he shows up alive later, right on cue.
The dragon, doesn’t really do anything to help at all. Except, he lectures Aurora on and off and talks her out of her, “ I don’t think I can actually do anything” moods. He shows up at the end to burn up Morgana and the book. But, it makes you wonder why he didn’t do it earlier if it was so easy for him to destroy both the bad guys and his own book. He also comes along to help keep Kalen’s jerk dad from trying to make Aurora marry Tristan. I think he might have been more useful for the war part of the story though, right?
There’s so much. I really honestly wanted to like this. I was hoping the good characters would get some ��screen time” and we wouldn’t have to hear Aurora moan so much about her powers or Rafe... maybe she’d grow a bit. Maybe Rafe would turn out to NOT be such a turd since we’re supposed to like him so much. Sigh. As for any of the other people we found interesting in the other books, they’re mostly not in this one. They weren’t much a part of moving Aurora to the end of her story, so they’re just not in it anymore. Which is a shame, because most of my favorites became cameo appearances or bit characters for this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2021
Ooh dang! This was epic! The climax was amazing & the ending was unexpected. Every lines gave me goosebumps. I really loved these series. Never knew that I'd come across such wonderful books!
October 8, 2020
I'M DONE WITH IT & I CAN FINALLY SAY IT!
I have waited so damn long so that I could read the last book in this AMAZING series; even though I had like a lot of school work I stayed up late at night somehow completed it finally. This series as a whole had a tight grip on me from the start {it was through The Avalonia Chronicles only that I discovered my love for reading & was my first book to read too so...that's something}.
As soon as I got my hands on the book I couldn't help myself by reading till I knew what was gonna happen next cause um...ya' know...how the 2nd book ended so that's that. This book literally played with my emotions throughout and I kind of liked/hated it😅. The only thing that I did not like that much was that some things felt a bit rushed...? like some things could've used like some time and give space for some build-up{idk}; also there were some revelations that had me staring into space, gasping & being shocked most of the time.
Anyway I'm glad to have gone through this journey of Aurora Firedrake and finally close it up; also if you wanna get into fantasy novels or reading in general...I would totally recommend reading 'The Avalonia Chronicles' by none other than @FarahOomerbhoy
I have waited so damn long so that I could read the last book in this AMAZING series; even though I had like a lot of school work I stayed up late at night somehow completed it finally. This series as a whole had a tight grip on me from the start {it was through The Avalonia Chronicles only that I discovered my love for reading & was my first book to read too so...that's something}.
As soon as I got my hands on the book I couldn't help myself by reading till I knew what was gonna happen next cause um...ya' know...how the 2nd book ended so that's that. This book literally played with my emotions throughout and I kind of liked/hated it😅. The only thing that I did not like that much was that some things felt a bit rushed...? like some things could've used like some time and give space for some build-up{idk}; also there were some revelations that had me staring into space, gasping & being shocked most of the time.
Anyway I'm glad to have gone through this journey of Aurora Firedrake and finally close it up; also if you wanna get into fantasy novels or reading in general...I would totally recommend reading 'The Avalonia Chronicles' by none other than @FarahOomerbhoy
July 27, 2020
Review coming soon.
November 27, 2019
I highly recommend reading!! I didn’t (and couldn’t) put the book down. Got me emotional at some points.. I love reading books that have this capability. The characters and storyline are amazing. You really bond with the characters and feel for them. It will be worth rereading the series if you have already read the previous novels- trust me!
December 2, 2019
Took a while to get into as it's been 2years since the previous book, but then it all came flooding back and I loved it!
I laughed, I cried, and had goosebumps. Farah you truly are an amazing author I love getting sucked into the magic you create! I'm sad this is the end of Aurora Firedrakes story but happy with the ending. I really hope you publish more books full of magic soon :)
I laughed, I cried, and had goosebumps. Farah you truly are an amazing author I love getting sucked into the magic you create! I'm sad this is the end of Aurora Firedrakes story but happy with the ending. I really hope you publish more books full of magic soon :)
December 11, 2019
A perfect conclusion to an amazing adventure! The book is well written and sucks you in for an amazing ride. Like the first two books that I read back to back I couldn't put this book down either. This is definitely a series I will read many times in the years to come and I am looking forward to reading the next book she writes!
February 20, 2020
I can't believe it's over! I absolutely LOVED this trilogy!! It was a beautifully detailed magical world and easy to follow not overly complicated which I highly appreciate. Everything that I wanted to happened, happened and I couldn't be happier and more in love! Bit heartbroken that it's over.
Goodbye to all my beloved characters.
Goodbye to all my beloved characters.
December 13, 2021
I rate it a 5 because it kept me very engrossed as I read it. This trilogy is an interesting coming of age story for this young woman. The constant uncertainty of the heroine and her constant struggle with her feelings I am sure would speak to young women trying to find their way in life. I am not sure that the images of power and the violence of the story is a good backdrop for them however. The power of violence used in this story is not the way to peace. Violence just engenders more violence. Also, I do not believe in fate and destiny as this writer does. As a Christian I believe in God's call to all of us into vocations and pathways for our lives. The ultimate power is love not violence and it is love that defeats evil.
April 22, 2020
The story is exciting and entertaining. I was intent on finishing the series, yet I'm not inclined to give more than 2 stars, perhaps 1 star is equally suitable. Why? The bad writing.
While Oomberhoy is good at descriptions, creating an intricate fantasy world, many plot twists, and diverse characters, her overall writing abilities are elementary. The book is filled with plot holes, inconsistencies, cliches, redundancies that get old of reading, poorly written paragraphs, foreshadowing that inherently reveals everything that's going to happen, saved by pure dumb luck of the perfect person showing up at the perfect time, immature characters that avoid and/or run away everytime something should be discussed - Hire a content editor next time, please!
Plot holes/Inconsistencies
This happens through the entire book. For example: Kalen is injured - the Alkana offers to heal him - everyone argues about not wanting Alkana to touch him (P.S. everyone argues about dumb little decision the entire novel) - Penelope realizes she doesn't have the ability to heal Kalen and she asks Alkana anyway - The Alkana then says she's not a healer and can't.
Wait, what? Why did she offer?
Or: Penelope says holding a portal up this distance takes a great amount of energy and therefore they should go through as-fast-as-possible - Aurora opens portal - Penelope turns to another and starts having a conversation what to do once she's through the portal (she couldn't have done this beforehand?) - Penelope goes through - Aurora stands there and thinks about how much energy she's using holding it open (has she gone through yet?) - still thinking about her energy by standing there doing nothing - we already know it takes a lot of energy, why is the author repeating all this? - I'm waiting - okay, finally goes through.
These inconsistencies happen in every chapter. The story has the most stupendously stupid decisions, actions, and events. Their group wouldn't survive a minute in the real world.
Poorly written
There are multiple paragraphs where every sentence within begins with "I... I... I... I..." and she often repeats these feelings of Aurora 3-4 times. It's painful to read.
Rafe, who in reality should be commanding his army, runs off with Aurora when it makes NO sense just so the author can put them together in the story. A good writer can create a better situation to bring two lovers together.
Foreshadowing that inherently reveals everything that's going to happen
Aurora, throughout the entire series, always knew a bad person the moment she saw them, ultimately ruining the surprise for the reader. If a character is to betray them 3 chapters later, she'll not like them when they're introduced. Spoils everything.
Saved by pure dumb luck of the perfect person showing up at the perfect time
Such explains itself. There's always someone to save them at the moment of death.
Immature characters that avoid and/or run away every time something should be discussed
I'm tired of poor writing like this. Give them a good reason to have distance. Give us a good conflict that's believable please!
Kalen learned something I won't reveal (spoiler), questioned why nobody told him (well, perhaps because they were in a different Kingdom when they learned (even though they told him the moment they saw him)), and now he's throwing a hissy fit and running into a dangerous forest when they need sleep for their journey the next day. What is his plan? To live the rest of his life under a log? Why not run to his room and cry like the adult he is? There was no reason for the author to have him run outside the castle walls (where nothing is out there except danger) to create unnecessary fighting scene? Least to say, they didn't get any sleep, yet were fully charged for the fight scene the next day.
While Oomberhoy is good at descriptions, creating an intricate fantasy world, many plot twists, and diverse characters, her overall writing abilities are elementary. The book is filled with plot holes, inconsistencies, cliches, redundancies that get old of reading, poorly written paragraphs, foreshadowing that inherently reveals everything that's going to happen, saved by pure dumb luck of the perfect person showing up at the perfect time, immature characters that avoid and/or run away everytime something should be discussed - Hire a content editor next time, please!
Plot holes/Inconsistencies
This happens through the entire book. For example: Kalen is injured - the Alkana offers to heal him - everyone argues about not wanting Alkana to touch him (P.S. everyone argues about dumb little decision the entire novel) - Penelope realizes she doesn't have the ability to heal Kalen and she asks Alkana anyway - The Alkana then says she's not a healer and can't.
Wait, what? Why did she offer?
Or: Penelope says holding a portal up this distance takes a great amount of energy and therefore they should go through as-fast-as-possible - Aurora opens portal - Penelope turns to another and starts having a conversation what to do once she's through the portal (she couldn't have done this beforehand?) - Penelope goes through - Aurora stands there and thinks about how much energy she's using holding it open (has she gone through yet?) - still thinking about her energy by standing there doing nothing - we already know it takes a lot of energy, why is the author repeating all this? - I'm waiting - okay, finally goes through.
These inconsistencies happen in every chapter. The story has the most stupendously stupid decisions, actions, and events. Their group wouldn't survive a minute in the real world.
Poorly written
There are multiple paragraphs where every sentence within begins with "I... I... I... I..." and she often repeats these feelings of Aurora 3-4 times. It's painful to read.
Rafe, who in reality should be commanding his army, runs off with Aurora when it makes NO sense just so the author can put them together in the story. A good writer can create a better situation to bring two lovers together.
Foreshadowing that inherently reveals everything that's going to happen
Aurora, throughout the entire series, always knew a bad person the moment she saw them, ultimately ruining the surprise for the reader. If a character is to betray them 3 chapters later, she'll not like them when they're introduced. Spoils everything.
Saved by pure dumb luck of the perfect person showing up at the perfect time
Such explains itself. There's always someone to save them at the moment of death.
Immature characters that avoid and/or run away every time something should be discussed
I'm tired of poor writing like this. Give them a good reason to have distance. Give us a good conflict that's believable please!
Kalen learned something I won't reveal (spoiler), questioned why nobody told him (well, perhaps because they were in a different Kingdom when they learned (even though they told him the moment they saw him)), and now he's throwing a hissy fit and running into a dangerous forest when they need sleep for their journey the next day. What is his plan? To live the rest of his life under a log? Why not run to his room and cry like the adult he is? There was no reason for the author to have him run outside the castle walls (where nothing is out there except danger) to create unnecessary fighting scene? Least to say, they didn't get any sleep, yet were fully charged for the fight scene the next day.
August 22, 2020
There are a lot of spoilers.
This book can best be described as a miserable copy of Harry Potter and at worst as a 13 year old’s fantasy.
The first book was promising.. a well established alternate universe, and characters you wanted to know more about. The second book had me raising my eyebrows like you really wanna do that ... and well the third book well.. it was below rock bottom.
There were numerous problems. The dialogue was uninspired and the lead characters made you want to drive a fist through the wall, while the secondary characters which are usually very important to add depth and intricacy to the storyline were cheaply used and ingloriously discarded.
Aurora is not someone I felt like rooting for very hard. She is first heaped with powers, suddenly looses it and then gets it back in the most yawn inducing, predictable way possible. Her constant longing for Rafe gets boring. Like woman get a grip on yourself there are more pressing matters. Also if you look closely he doesn’t really have much role. Yeah he is mentioned a lot of times.. but he honestly comes across like aurora’s chauffeur. Tristan just exists... barely. Like suddenly his story becomes quite interesting and he has a lot of powers but his story is not tapped to its full potential.Once again more characters are introduced, more powers, more places, without the existing ones being fully exploited. Classic case of quantity over quality .
You still read hoping it will pick up at some point but it just falls painfully flat on its face. The ending is extremely anticlimactic. The jaw dropping moments that are supposed to be there when a Saga culminates are non existential. It takes you reading two more pages to realise that something important happened. It’s very underwhelming. You get the impression that even the author was bored out of her mind and just wanted to finish it.
A characters death is very painful. But sometimes getting rid of that very important one backfires. (Not that the death of any character in this book would have bothered me much. I personally was rooting for rafe to be eliminated). Aurora’s father is alive as well. Yay!Somewhere in between rafe is almost about to die...Aurora dear is not able to heal him and just all of a sudden a bunch of dead fae queens pop out of nowhere and heal him and take it one step further.. they make him immortal.. just like that.
The great wise dragon gets a screen presence of grand total of three times. He might as well not have been ever mentioned.
So it ends with both of Aurora’s parents alive.. Tristan finds a random warrior witch with whom he falls in love with. Very conveniently.
His dad is adamant to get him still married to aurora so it is revealed that aurora was engaged to rafe when she was born itself.. like what?
All in all it was a clumsy attempt at a novel . I felt that a lot of concepts had been pilfered from Harry Potter including the names . Skip the book go read something else.
This book can best be described as a miserable copy of Harry Potter and at worst as a 13 year old’s fantasy.
The first book was promising.. a well established alternate universe, and characters you wanted to know more about. The second book had me raising my eyebrows like you really wanna do that ... and well the third book well.. it was below rock bottom.
There were numerous problems. The dialogue was uninspired and the lead characters made you want to drive a fist through the wall, while the secondary characters which are usually very important to add depth and intricacy to the storyline were cheaply used and ingloriously discarded.
Aurora is not someone I felt like rooting for very hard. She is first heaped with powers, suddenly looses it and then gets it back in the most yawn inducing, predictable way possible. Her constant longing for Rafe gets boring. Like woman get a grip on yourself there are more pressing matters. Also if you look closely he doesn’t really have much role. Yeah he is mentioned a lot of times.. but he honestly comes across like aurora’s chauffeur. Tristan just exists... barely. Like suddenly his story becomes quite interesting and he has a lot of powers but his story is not tapped to its full potential.Once again more characters are introduced, more powers, more places, without the existing ones being fully exploited. Classic case of quantity over quality .
You still read hoping it will pick up at some point but it just falls painfully flat on its face. The ending is extremely anticlimactic. The jaw dropping moments that are supposed to be there when a Saga culminates are non existential. It takes you reading two more pages to realise that something important happened. It’s very underwhelming. You get the impression that even the author was bored out of her mind and just wanted to finish it.
A characters death is very painful. But sometimes getting rid of that very important one backfires. (Not that the death of any character in this book would have bothered me much. I personally was rooting for rafe to be eliminated). Aurora’s father is alive as well. Yay!Somewhere in between rafe is almost about to die...Aurora dear is not able to heal him and just all of a sudden a bunch of dead fae queens pop out of nowhere and heal him and take it one step further.. they make him immortal.. just like that.
The great wise dragon gets a screen presence of grand total of three times. He might as well not have been ever mentioned.
So it ends with both of Aurora’s parents alive.. Tristan finds a random warrior witch with whom he falls in love with. Very conveniently.
His dad is adamant to get him still married to aurora so it is revealed that aurora was engaged to rafe when she was born itself.. like what?
All in all it was a clumsy attempt at a novel . I felt that a lot of concepts had been pilfered from Harry Potter including the names . Skip the book go read something else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2021
>Love triangle
>Plot twists
>Found family
>War
>Death in scarcity
If you like all of the above, this book is for you.
For me, this book did not live up to my expectations, but it was a fair enough end.
The love triangle was somewhat messy at first but it then converted to something enjoyable, but I have never been the biggest fan of love triangles.
The plot twists. The author has dropped bombs across the book. You will never be ready for them, the twists are always around the corner.
The found family trope is not my favourite but if you like it, the author has done a good job with it.
War. Damn the fights😍.
But there were barely any deaths. I mean, I don't want to lose my favourite characters either but a war to win back a whole kingdom is going to result in deaths, but there were barely any. A little unrealistic in that case.
But nonetheless (slight spoiler alert)Aurora did not choose the rude guy but the nice one. Good choice.
The author ended the book on a romantic note, which was not the ending Aurora deserved and neither one that really satisfied me.
>Plot twists
>Found family
>War
>Death in scarcity
If you like all of the above, this book is for you.
For me, this book did not live up to my expectations, but it was a fair enough end.
The love triangle was somewhat messy at first but it then converted to something enjoyable, but I have never been the biggest fan of love triangles.
The plot twists. The author has dropped bombs across the book. You will never be ready for them, the twists are always around the corner.
The found family trope is not my favourite but if you like it, the author has done a good job with it.
War. Damn the fights😍.
But there were barely any deaths. I mean, I don't want to lose my favourite characters either but a war to win back a whole kingdom is going to result in deaths, but there were barely any. A little unrealistic in that case.
But nonetheless (slight spoiler alert)Aurora did not choose the rude guy but the nice one. Good choice.
The author ended the book on a romantic note, which was not the ending Aurora deserved and neither one that really satisfied me.
November 27, 2019
Excited
OMG
Just finished 'Return of the Dragon Queen' it was such an amazing book and this third and final instalment to this series was definitely worth the wait. I loved ths twists, turns, the new characters and all the old favourites. It was a fitting end and I enjoyed the book that much that I had trouble putting it down.
Love love love this book and actually the whole series.
OMG
Just finished 'Return of the Dragon Queen' it was such an amazing book and this third and final instalment to this series was definitely worth the wait. I loved ths twists, turns, the new characters and all the old favourites. It was a fitting end and I enjoyed the book that much that I had trouble putting it down.
Love love love this book and actually the whole series.
July 15, 2020
I’m so bummed it’s over! This was a great conclusion to an excellent series. I really enjoyed this authors writing style and will look for titles she writes in the future. The strong heroine is young and grows a lot as she transforms into the leader that she must become. I liked that she shows flaws, yet seeks to do the correct thing. Lots of fun magical elements that enhance the story. All together a fun young adult series.
November 29, 2019
A fantastic story!
I can't believe this is it! I don't want Aurora's story to end, but it was a satisfying conclusion to a fantastic series. Thank you, Farah, for creating this beautiful world of Avalonia!
I can't believe this is it! I don't want Aurora's story to end, but it was a satisfying conclusion to a fantastic series. Thank you, Farah, for creating this beautiful world of Avalonia!
April 24, 2020
We are proud to announce that THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON QUEEN (The Avalonia Chronicles #3) by Farah Oomerbhoy is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
April 9, 2020
This is the third and the last book in Avalonia Chronicles and as the name suggest it has Dragon in it just one though not three like in Games of Throne. So Aurora our protagonist hae recently learned about her Dawnstar power which are even more formidable than high Fae Powers and also she is a Dragon Lord of Abraxas who can communicate and guide her in mind just like her Pegasus Snow. Aurora already was a powerful Mage and now she has powerful Fae magic of Dawnstar, so she has become a powerful contender to become the Queen of Illiador. But she has a grave task in hand to convince the other kingdom of Avalonia to fight with her to take back her kingdom. One would think why would anyone want to help her in fight which was not even theirs to begin with. There is reason they have a common enemy Evil Queen Morgana who seemingly wants to destroy Avalonia to control all Avalonia and she has alligned with Dark forces, Drakar. Even if Queen Morgana is not inflicting enough damage on Avalonia then she wants to raise Dark lord Dragath who the most powerful Fae couldn’t control(FYI Fae are more powerful than Mage). If Morgana find out the third key she will soon open the book of Abraxas and then Aurora will have to deal with the Dark Lords army which is no mean feat and even the light bringer our Dawnstar can’t defeat alone (or can she?) If this is not enough for you to pick up this book then there are two devastatingly handsome Prince’s who are vying for the affection of Princess Aurora Firedrake of Illiador. One is our loving Prince Rafael Ravenswood of Eldoren a mage, helper of the weak and other is a Dark Prince Tristan Nightshade of the Night Court who is a High Fae of Elite in Elfi which can kill any creature, human, mage, Drakaar or even dark Fae without blinking an eye. And Aurora is tied up between the two, Aurora heart goes to Rafe but she betrothed to Tristan and without both of their help she can’t fight Morgana. She needs as much as allies as possible otherwise if Dark lord is awaken Avalonia will fall into Dark times.
For more go to my blog. Link is in bio
For more go to my blog. Link is in bio
July 10, 2022
I really wanted to love the ending to this story. After loving the first two books in this series especially the second one, I was so disappointed with this one as the conclusion. I didn’t feel the characters were developed any further and I felt more and more disconnected from the main characters as the story went on.
Perhaps the author didn’t intend to overly focus on the romance, whatever the reason I didn’t feel invested in Aurora and Rafe though I liked Rafe in the first book and the potential there. I liked Tristan even more in the second book but it was like we were just starting to know him and then he was sidelined quickly, merely showing up to save the day when his high fae powers were required but otherwise given little thought. Then he suddenly seemed to be paired off with the witch at the end.
Abraxas also seemed to be almost forgotten about when it seemed like he’d play a more significant part in dealing with an end to Dragath and/or Morgana. After Dragath’s demise, I found it hard to believe that
Morgana’s army were going to be so difficult to stop as we were told. They didn’t seem to be either.
On the whole, I think the ending was too neatly wrapped up… I didn’t feel satisfied that Aurora and Rafe were consigned to a happily ever after even though I normally love a happily ever after and nor did it feel right that virtually all (except Vivienne, who we barely got to know anyway) escaped unscathed from the dark forces.
I’m still giving it three stars as I enjoyed the settings, the characters and the promise of a good tale, even though it failed to live up to my expectations. I wonder if it would have been any better if the point of view wasn’t just from Aurora’s perspective.
Perhaps the author didn’t intend to overly focus on the romance, whatever the reason I didn’t feel invested in Aurora and Rafe though I liked Rafe in the first book and the potential there. I liked Tristan even more in the second book but it was like we were just starting to know him and then he was sidelined quickly, merely showing up to save the day when his high fae powers were required but otherwise given little thought. Then he suddenly seemed to be paired off with the witch at the end.
Abraxas also seemed to be almost forgotten about when it seemed like he’d play a more significant part in dealing with an end to Dragath and/or Morgana. After Dragath’s demise, I found it hard to believe that
Morgana’s army were going to be so difficult to stop as we were told. They didn’t seem to be either.
On the whole, I think the ending was too neatly wrapped up… I didn’t feel satisfied that Aurora and Rafe were consigned to a happily ever after even though I normally love a happily ever after and nor did it feel right that virtually all (except Vivienne, who we barely got to know anyway) escaped unscathed from the dark forces.
I’m still giving it three stars as I enjoyed the settings, the characters and the promise of a good tale, even though it failed to live up to my expectations. I wonder if it would have been any better if the point of view wasn’t just from Aurora’s perspective.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2020
Good storyline, weak writing
I really enjoyed the actual story but the main character was such a weak crybaby up until the end. And her repeatedly breaking down then finding her strength got old pretty quickly. Anna the author spent way too much on these moments going into details about how the character felt every time. Yes, we know she thinks she can't and yes, we know she (and her flying friend) convinced herself to she can. I was so annoyed every time one of these scenes came up. There was so much writing at some points without the story moving forward at all. Just filler words and content. I find myself skipping whole sections too find the parts that mattered. Then there were some areas where it needed more detail or the author just used a shortcut to make something happen. At one point the main character needs to be stabbed by a dagger and instead of her making her way to the dagger, the bad guys just portals in and grabs her. How convenient. And she repeatedly says how she's not naive anymore and doesn't trust anyone, then follows her old friend into a dark hallway alone. The author took a very weak approach to that part of the story. There were a lot of random, convenient incidents. It just needed to be reworked in some areas to make this a good book, but overall I did enjoy the story itself.
I really enjoyed the actual story but the main character was such a weak crybaby up until the end. And her repeatedly breaking down then finding her strength got old pretty quickly. Anna the author spent way too much on these moments going into details about how the character felt every time. Yes, we know she thinks she can't and yes, we know she (and her flying friend) convinced herself to she can. I was so annoyed every time one of these scenes came up. There was so much writing at some points without the story moving forward at all. Just filler words and content. I find myself skipping whole sections too find the parts that mattered. Then there were some areas where it needed more detail or the author just used a shortcut to make something happen. At one point the main character needs to be stabbed by a dagger and instead of her making her way to the dagger, the bad guys just portals in and grabs her. How convenient. And she repeatedly says how she's not naive anymore and doesn't trust anyone, then follows her old friend into a dark hallway alone. The author took a very weak approach to that part of the story. There were a lot of random, convenient incidents. It just needed to be reworked in some areas to make this a good book, but overall I did enjoy the story itself.
March 3, 2022
Really good series
Although Aurora never stopped infuriating me with her numerous self doubts and at times stupidity (how many times do you have to have the dragon yell at you to believe), I thoroughly enjoyed this series. And in true romantic fashion, everyone ends up happy and all relationships tied in a pretty bow. Even though I saw the twists and turns coming from a mile away, watching them masterfully unfold was incredibly entertaining. Only two twists eluded me, involving Rafe and a certain family member, but I won’t spoil those.
The only real issue I have is the fact that I cannot picture Tristan’s face in my mind as I can most of the other characters. I feel as though his features were described less than any of the main characters. I’m not sure why, but every time I pictured him I see an impressively detailed figure with no face… weird.
Regardless, I will be recommending this series to my fellow lovers of fantasy and romance.
Although Aurora never stopped infuriating me with her numerous self doubts and at times stupidity (how many times do you have to have the dragon yell at you to believe), I thoroughly enjoyed this series. And in true romantic fashion, everyone ends up happy and all relationships tied in a pretty bow. Even though I saw the twists and turns coming from a mile away, watching them masterfully unfold was incredibly entertaining. Only two twists eluded me, involving Rafe and a certain family member, but I won’t spoil those.
The only real issue I have is the fact that I cannot picture Tristan’s face in my mind as I can most of the other characters. I feel as though his features were described less than any of the main characters. I’m not sure why, but every time I pictured him I see an impressively detailed figure with no face… weird.
Regardless, I will be recommending this series to my fellow lovers of fantasy and romance.
December 20, 2021
A perfect conclusion to an amazing book series! ♥
Before starting this book, I actually decided to re-read the entire series. I have been in a very long reading slump, so it has been a long time ago since I read anything, and I deemed it necessary for myself to re-read the first two books in this series in order to fully enjoy the finale. I LOVED re-reading the first two books and was totally ready to dive into this final book. I was absolutely blown away by this book. It wrapped up the story beautifully and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the emotions. I seriously could not put this book down, I finished it in one day because I was so engaged in the story.
10/10 would recommend everyone to read The Avalonia Chronicles! ♥
Before starting this book, I actually decided to re-read the entire series. I have been in a very long reading slump, so it has been a long time ago since I read anything, and I deemed it necessary for myself to re-read the first two books in this series in order to fully enjoy the finale. I LOVED re-reading the first two books and was totally ready to dive into this final book. I was absolutely blown away by this book. It wrapped up the story beautifully and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the emotions. I seriously could not put this book down, I finished it in one day because I was so engaged in the story.
10/10 would recommend everyone to read The Avalonia Chronicles! ♥
April 5, 2021
Read all three of these back to back so one review for all. With a premise we've read before - girl brought up in human world is thrust into magical one where she's supposed to save everyone because she's the most magic of them all.
What I liked was that Aurora actually put the hours in to learn her craft. So often in these books, the hero/heroine gets a couple of lessons and they're suddenly super. There was good political action and manipulation, lots of interesting supporting characters and solid world building.
Were Aurora and Rafe perfect? No, she did some really dumb stuff but she was 16/17. He also made some questionable choices but they were sincerely dedicated to the common good.
What I liked was that Aurora actually put the hours in to learn her craft. So often in these books, the hero/heroine gets a couple of lessons and they're suddenly super. There was good political action and manipulation, lots of interesting supporting characters and solid world building.
Were Aurora and Rafe perfect? No, she did some really dumb stuff but she was 16/17. He also made some questionable choices but they were sincerely dedicated to the common good.
February 9, 2021
I was super excited to read the conclusion after the first two books. However, I think it's been so long that I forgot the characters and what happened in the first two books but didn't go back to reread.
For some reason I thought that the book would be better written than what I read....From what I could recall from the first two books, I loved it and I thought the writing was decent. In this book, I found it basic and found myself skimming a lot. I think the character more immature than what I remembered...
The ending was ok, not bad but not as epic as I hoped it would be.
For some reason I thought that the book would be better written than what I read....From what I could recall from the first two books, I loved it and I thought the writing was decent. In this book, I found it basic and found myself skimming a lot. I think the character more immature than what I remembered...
The ending was ok, not bad but not as epic as I hoped it would be.
September 8, 2022
I remember years ago reading the first book on wattpad, I gave up on reading as I grew older and two weeks ago I took upon the challenge to continue my reading journey, and I went back to my favorite book (the last of the firedrakes) I’m so glad I got back to it the plot of these books are amazing and it had me stuck, I couldn’t put the book down at all, am so glad I got to finish it, very sad it ended, felt like I became a part of it, great books, definitely suggest it, hope one day it can be a movie!!
April 2, 2021
Dawnstar
Wow, this trilogy definitely worth the read. It is so refreshing to read a story where the author does not loose herself in her words. So many stories, authors spew out words where i the reader shakes her head and says ya da ya da ya da, skimming over the paragraphs. You do get to know all the characters, their strengths and weaknesses. Recommend this saga for all ages. Love this book
Wow, this trilogy definitely worth the read. It is so refreshing to read a story where the author does not loose herself in her words. So many stories, authors spew out words where i the reader shakes her head and says ya da ya da ya da, skimming over the paragraphs. You do get to know all the characters, their strengths and weaknesses. Recommend this saga for all ages. Love this book
February 26, 2023
Left me wanting more
The conclusion of the series was what I had been waiting for with bated breath. Everything was buttoned up nice and neat and everyone's story had a good explanation. But the only reason that I'm not giving it 5 stars is that it felt rushed; as if the author was trying to get to the end at a faster pace than the other two books. Overall it's a trilogy I'll be recommending to my friends.
The conclusion of the series was what I had been waiting for with bated breath. Everything was buttoned up nice and neat and everyone's story had a good explanation. But the only reason that I'm not giving it 5 stars is that it felt rushed; as if the author was trying to get to the end at a faster pace than the other two books. Overall it's a trilogy I'll be recommending to my friends.
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