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Dragonspeak: Isaac's Blessing
On the day of the vernal equinox, the fifth years of St. Daemonus are initiated into pastordom only after successfully sacrificing a dragon. In doing so, they become blessed, fusing a bit of the draconic spirit with their soul. Rebekah is ready to become a renowned apostle at the cost of one measly dragon’s life. She passes the equinox test with flying colors, soon discovering that Lord Jericho has greater plans for her. The Lord of St. Daemonus wishes her to become his primary servant—a powerful, blessed pastor who protects her Lord. Rebekah agrees, and pastors lead her to the harbor, where she will conduct a final, more necessary sacrifice. The last thing Isaac’s father left him with before shipping him to St. Daemonus was a notebook depicting an era when pastors lived in peace with dragons. Yet, because of the world around him, Isaac throws the notebook away and chooses to take the equinox test. When he fails miserably in front of his classmates, he bears one last glance at his father’s notebook, discovering a bigger secret about the Lord’s plan to sacrifice a student at the island’s harbor, during the dark hours of equinox night. While the world is rewarding Isaac for every little step he takes, his best friend, Boyd, has always been aware of Lord Jericho’s ultimate power over the church. In time, though he doesn’t want to, he’ll eventually have to leave his best friend behind because of his childish incompetence. After all, Isaac had taken the equinox test and sacrificed a dragon. His soul might be tainted. He might even be working with Jericho. In Isaac’s Blessing, three rogue students escape from the church of St. Daemonus while the horror surrounding them evolves into more than deceit.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
300 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2021
19 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Austin Valenzuela
11 books57 followersAustin Valenzuela is the author of the Dragonspeak series and other science-fiction/fantasy novels. He enjoys reading and writing fiction, learning about psychology and other non-fiction areas, immersing himself in other worlds, and most of all, spending time with family and friends. He grew up in the suburbs of Rosemount, Minnesota, then moved to his current residence in Tampa, Florida. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Grand Canyon University.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 27, 2022
Dragonspeak: Issac’s Blessing is a sprawling story remnisant of books like Eragone or The Wheel of Time series. This book is the expansive development of a short story from the authors past and the love for the world and the characters by the author is obvious from the first chapters.
Without giving too much away, this is a world built on lies and as our main characters slowly discover this, each must decide what they will do with this knowledge. This is also a radical reimagining of the dragons and their place in the world. Fans of dragon fiction will be rewarded by Dragonspeak.
There is action, intrigue, and philosophical debate enough to keep any reader hooked. Scenes are beautifully described and this is a world I would love to visit again. A bold tome for a new author but this book will pull you in and leave you wanting more.
Without giving too much away, this is a world built on lies and as our main characters slowly discover this, each must decide what they will do with this knowledge. This is also a radical reimagining of the dragons and their place in the world. Fans of dragon fiction will be rewarded by Dragonspeak.
There is action, intrigue, and philosophical debate enough to keep any reader hooked. Scenes are beautifully described and this is a world I would love to visit again. A bold tome for a new author but this book will pull you in and leave you wanting more.
January 28, 2022
This was an enjoyable book. Going into it, I expected a young-adult story, but I was surprised to find the subject matter to be a lot darker than that. The idea of sacrificing newborn dragons was intense, but it kept me interested because dragons are not usually depicted as so vulnerable. The world built around this concept is pretty intricate. It felt like a lot of time was put into writing an immersive landscape where I really felt the people there were alive. My only gripe would be the multiple protagonist we follow in the story. I found it hard to connect to a character as our hero changes so often. Besides that, it was a decent story that I would recommend to anyone that enjoys fantasy.
December 27, 2022
I received this book, from the author exchange for an honest review.
So, first thing I will say; fantasy is not my forte. It’s not for me. With that said, this story comes off as a YA fantasy that’s a little darker than expected. It was interesting I feel, to see dragons as the victims of sacrifice and cruel religion when they are usually so massive. I’ve always struggled with multiple POV and this one sadly was no different and it left characters like Boyd feeling way under developed. He was an interesting character but he should’ve perhaps been the focus of the story. Over all, I give this book 3.5 out of 5.
Thank you Austin, for the review copy!
So, first thing I will say; fantasy is not my forte. It’s not for me. With that said, this story comes off as a YA fantasy that’s a little darker than expected. It was interesting I feel, to see dragons as the victims of sacrifice and cruel religion when they are usually so massive. I’ve always struggled with multiple POV and this one sadly was no different and it left characters like Boyd feeling way under developed. He was an interesting character but he should’ve perhaps been the focus of the story. Over all, I give this book 3.5 out of 5.
Thank you Austin, for the review copy!
March 26, 2025
This book was so good and had me not wanting to put the book down! The world building style was so easy to follow and the story was super fun and exciting. It took me SO LONG to realize this was a loose retelling of a Bible story which I thought neat. Really great book. Would definitely recommend for those who like/want to get into fantasy.
February 13, 2022
Isaac’s Blessing is the story of three students; Boyd, Isaac and Rebekah, who live in a place where dragons are sacrificed as their soul provides power. These students are heading towards a test to determine if they will become an apostle to the Lord Jericho. Each chapter is told from a different point of view and encapsulates how well-done and ever-changing these characters can be.
I wasn’t able to fully connect with the writing here. There was a lot that was hard to process and whilst it was incredibly detailed there were a lot of puzzling scenarios that felt clunky and consuming. We also jump between first and third person perspectives and this was not handled well at all. I felt that these inconsistencies should have been picked up on fairly early in the writing process and did not help the story that the author was trying to tell.
The story was great however the writing itself did not do this justice.
I wasn’t able to fully connect with the writing here. There was a lot that was hard to process and whilst it was incredibly detailed there were a lot of puzzling scenarios that felt clunky and consuming. We also jump between first and third person perspectives and this was not handled well at all. I felt that these inconsistencies should have been picked up on fairly early in the writing process and did not help the story that the author was trying to tell.
The story was great however the writing itself did not do this justice.
December 2, 2021
Isaac's Blessing packs a complete package through its unique characters and its powerful, intertwining, suspenseful plot that keeps you turning pages as fast as you can read.
This book is the first book I've had the pleasure of reviewing from our website, and it is a story any fantasy reader would love to get their hands on.
It had a few good action scenes in it, and the characters were well written and unique. My favorite thing about this story is how it combined the plot, the detailed world-building, and the powerful characters altogether.
However, I feel that it could've had more action to make the story a little quicker-paced. There is some violence in the story towards animals, and in general, though it is relevant to the story, I would say it is more suited for young adults.
This book is the first book I've had the pleasure of reviewing from our website, and it is a story any fantasy reader would love to get their hands on.
It had a few good action scenes in it, and the characters were well written and unique. My favorite thing about this story is how it combined the plot, the detailed world-building, and the powerful characters altogether.
However, I feel that it could've had more action to make the story a little quicker-paced. There is some violence in the story towards animals, and in general, though it is relevant to the story, I would say it is more suited for young adults.
February 6, 2022
***contains some spoilers***
Three students, Boyd, Isaac, and Rebekah, live on an island where young dragons are sacrificed because their soul provides power to people. They are fast approaching a test that will determine if they become an apostle under Lord Jericho. Rebekah is a dedicated student and loyal to Jericho. She was blessed before her test and passes it with ease to become one of the most blessed there has ever been. Isaac loves dragons. He believes they serve a higher purpose and shouldn't be killed, and he wants to create change from inside the church. He is eager to do whatever he can to pass the test so he can do that, and while he passes it, he isn't blessed, and he doesn't understand why. Boyd is Isaac's best friend and also fond of dragons. He was among those blessed before the test but he refuses to take it and decides to run way instead.
Each chapter is told from a different point of view among Boyd, Isaac, Rebekah, and later, Jericho. The character development is well done, and I enjoyed seeing the different points of view. I found myself rooting for all three of them. I loved the world building, especially the scenes about the Dyra, spirits that live in the forest. You could tell the author loved this story, these characters, and took a lot of care in writing it.
There were some things that stood out to me that needed work. There were a lot of misspellings in the book. I noticed Rebekah was misspelled twice, and each time in a different way. An extra -s was added onto the end of words where it didn't belong. And more. While these misspellings weren't too annoying, they were enough to notice and take me out of the story.
Another thing I noticed is some parts were poorly written. For example, when I got to read from Jericho's point of view for the first time at 51%, it wasn't immediately clear who was speaking to him. I found myself stopping after every few paragraphs to process what I read and see if I could puzzle out what was going on. I decided to continue reading to see if it started to make sense, and it did, but it was clunky.
The book jumps back and forth from third person and first person quite a bit. I first noticed this happening around 45%, and it happened consistently throughout the remainder of the novel. There was even a sentence at 55% where it went from third person to first person in a single sentence! Along with this, italics are frequently used when people are thinking or when telepathy is being used, but this also isn't consistent. There were many times when italics weren't used at all, even after they were used in the previous paragraphs, and it caused some confusion before I figured out what was happening.
Around 61%, the description of the scenery became confusing. The author describes a firepit in the middle of the room, then says there is a stairwell in the center of the room. I was having a hard time picturing what it looked like, and eventually settled on putting the firepit further away from the center in my mind's eye. The description did not seem intentional.
If you're a Christian, you're going to notice a LOT of influence from Bible stories in this book. Isaac, his parents, Abraham and Sarah, and the sacrifice Abraham had to make towards the end of the book are all clearly inspired from the Bible. There were other religious elements as well, such as the description of Jericho's followers after they changed. They were supposed to be part draconic, but it was clear the author was inspired by the description of demons from popular media.
Overall, it was a great story. As I mentioned, the author clearly cared about it a great deal, and that showed in his writing. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you for a great novel!
Three students, Boyd, Isaac, and Rebekah, live on an island where young dragons are sacrificed because their soul provides power to people. They are fast approaching a test that will determine if they become an apostle under Lord Jericho. Rebekah is a dedicated student and loyal to Jericho. She was blessed before her test and passes it with ease to become one of the most blessed there has ever been. Isaac loves dragons. He believes they serve a higher purpose and shouldn't be killed, and he wants to create change from inside the church. He is eager to do whatever he can to pass the test so he can do that, and while he passes it, he isn't blessed, and he doesn't understand why. Boyd is Isaac's best friend and also fond of dragons. He was among those blessed before the test but he refuses to take it and decides to run way instead.
Each chapter is told from a different point of view among Boyd, Isaac, Rebekah, and later, Jericho. The character development is well done, and I enjoyed seeing the different points of view. I found myself rooting for all three of them. I loved the world building, especially the scenes about the Dyra, spirits that live in the forest. You could tell the author loved this story, these characters, and took a lot of care in writing it.
There were some things that stood out to me that needed work. There were a lot of misspellings in the book. I noticed Rebekah was misspelled twice, and each time in a different way. An extra -s was added onto the end of words where it didn't belong. And more. While these misspellings weren't too annoying, they were enough to notice and take me out of the story.
Another thing I noticed is some parts were poorly written. For example, when I got to read from Jericho's point of view for the first time at 51%, it wasn't immediately clear who was speaking to him. I found myself stopping after every few paragraphs to process what I read and see if I could puzzle out what was going on. I decided to continue reading to see if it started to make sense, and it did, but it was clunky.
The book jumps back and forth from third person and first person quite a bit. I first noticed this happening around 45%, and it happened consistently throughout the remainder of the novel. There was even a sentence at 55% where it went from third person to first person in a single sentence! Along with this, italics are frequently used when people are thinking or when telepathy is being used, but this also isn't consistent. There were many times when italics weren't used at all, even after they were used in the previous paragraphs, and it caused some confusion before I figured out what was happening.
Around 61%, the description of the scenery became confusing. The author describes a firepit in the middle of the room, then says there is a stairwell in the center of the room. I was having a hard time picturing what it looked like, and eventually settled on putting the firepit further away from the center in my mind's eye. The description did not seem intentional.
If you're a Christian, you're going to notice a LOT of influence from Bible stories in this book. Isaac, his parents, Abraham and Sarah, and the sacrifice Abraham had to make towards the end of the book are all clearly inspired from the Bible. There were other religious elements as well, such as the description of Jericho's followers after they changed. They were supposed to be part draconic, but it was clear the author was inspired by the description of demons from popular media.
Overall, it was a great story. As I mentioned, the author clearly cared about it a great deal, and that showed in his writing. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you for a great novel!
February 14, 2022
I don't typically read fantasy stories but this hooked me from the start. What I really loved about Isaac's Blessing is that the three main characters were strong. Isaac was a great main character, Boyd was an effective character, especially as a jaded character. Rebekah was a strong female heroine that changed as the story went on, for the better. All 3 characters grew.
I would have liked to see more of Jericho, and see what made him into the cold "God" he was. I could totally see this as a series.
I would have liked to see more of Jericho, and see what made him into the cold "God" he was. I could totally see this as a series.
March 7, 2023
It was a solid 3 stars for a YA fantasy. Love the whole concept of how people interact with the dragons and how they are connected to magic in this world. A few points that could be better: there was sometimes too much information being given and the story became a bit dragged out. Also, the relationship between the MC was not clear, as they are presented as friends, but honestly I could not feel it. Overall, I like the book and I'm intrigued to know what will happen next.
My ratings, from 0 to 10
* Characters: 5 - I wish we were able to connect more with them and to better understand their relationships
* Atmosphere: 8 - love the whole dragon + religion + cult + different dimensions of it
* Writing: 7 - as I mentioned, sometimes the pace was too drag out and slow.
* Plot: 6 - the main plot of the whole series is interesting, but for this book, there was too much of the same happening and not moving along.
* Intrigue: 7 - enough that I might go back to read other books in the series if they come out.
* Logic: 4 - I know the MC are supposed to be young, but for people that are trained to be super humans, they make such very bad illogical decisions.
* Enjoyment: 3 - with everything that I liked about this book, the slow pace and going around in circles about the relationships, I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped.
My ratings, from 0 to 10
* Characters: 5 - I wish we were able to connect more with them and to better understand their relationships
* Atmosphere: 8 - love the whole dragon + religion + cult + different dimensions of it
* Writing: 7 - as I mentioned, sometimes the pace was too drag out and slow.
* Plot: 6 - the main plot of the whole series is interesting, but for this book, there was too much of the same happening and not moving along.
* Intrigue: 7 - enough that I might go back to read other books in the series if they come out.
* Logic: 4 - I know the MC are supposed to be young, but for people that are trained to be super humans, they make such very bad illogical decisions.
* Enjoyment: 3 - with everything that I liked about this book, the slow pace and going around in circles about the relationships, I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped.
November 6, 2021
Fantasy isn't my typical genre of interest, but this intricately-woven novel drew me in and held my interest, the entire way through. I would highly recommend to all people, not just those that are into the typical fantasy genre. This is a wonderful novel, written by a very talented author! And will leave you wanting more, up until the last page.
April 18, 2022
Captivating
There wasn't anything I disliked about dragonspeak. The world building is so good. The characters had depth and really great character growth. The other realm we seen in this book is absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed it so much. And the last 30 percent of the book was heart breaking and nerve wrecking! I was so sad it ended. Lol I can't wait to see what happens next!
There wasn't anything I disliked about dragonspeak. The world building is so good. The characters had depth and really great character growth. The other realm we seen in this book is absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed it so much. And the last 30 percent of the book was heart breaking and nerve wrecking! I was so sad it ended. Lol I can't wait to see what happens next!
Read
January 23, 2023DNF'd at about 13%
In an effort to get through my gigantic TBR pile, I've decided if I am not getting into the book by the fifth chapter than I have to move on. Or if I have no desire to pick the story back up. While the premise seems intriguing, I am not hooked enough to keep going and find out what happens. I'm thinking that this is just not my cup of tea... or whiskey.
In an effort to get through my gigantic TBR pile, I've decided if I am not getting into the book by the fifth chapter than I have to move on. Or if I have no desire to pick the story back up. While the premise seems intriguing, I am not hooked enough to keep going and find out what happens. I'm thinking that this is just not my cup of tea... or whiskey.
January 28, 2024
Plot had/has? potential. A number of typos/wrong words? Scenes feel more like someone trying to describe a movie than creating an image with words. Not my cup of tea, but maybe someone else's? Did feel a bit like they took a badass woman, stripped her of her power, and attached her to the arm of the main guy, but maybe she gets her time in a later book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2022
This is a book for every fantasy lover. Austin's writing will take you back to the feelings you felt while reading Eragon. You'll be surprised by how dark the story really is and you'll enjoy every single moment of it.
May 16, 2023
This was such a unique twist on any story of dragons! I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it. It was well done and unique and I really enjoyed it! And who doesn’t love a good dragon read.
February 6, 2022
***contains some spoilers***
Three students, Boyd, Isaac, and Rebekah, live on an island where young dragons are sacrificed because their soul provides power to people. They are fast approaching a test that will determine if they become an apostle under Lord Jericho. Rebekah is a dedicated student and loyal to Jericho. She was blessed before her test and passes it with ease to become one of the most blessed there has ever been. Isaac loves dragons. He believes they serve a higher purpose and shouldn't be killed, and he wants to create change from inside the church. He is eager to do whatever he can to pass the test so he can do that, and while he passes it, he isn't blessed, and he doesn't understand why. Boyd is Isaac's best friend and also fond of dragons. He was among those blessed before the test but he refuses to take it and decides to run way instead.
Each chapter is told from a different point of view among Boyd, Isaac, Rebekah, and later, Jericho. The character development is well done, and I enjoyed seeing the different points of view. I found myself rooting for all three of them. I loved the world building, especially the scenes about the Dyra, spirits that live in the forest. You could tell the author loved this story, these characters, and took a lot of care in writing it.
There were some things that stood out to me that needed work. There were a lot of misspellings in the book. I noticed Rebekah was misspelled twice, and each time in a different way. An extra -s was added onto the end of words where it didn't belong. And more. While these misspellings weren't too annoying, they were enough to notice and take me out of the story.
Another thing I noticed is some parts were poorly written. For example, when I got to read from Jericho's point of view for the first time at 51%, it wasn't immediately clear who was speaking to him. I found myself stopping after every few paragraphs to process what I read and see if I could puzzle out what was going on. I decided to continue reading to see if it started to make sense, and it did, but it was clunky.
The book jumps back and forth from third person and first person quite a bit. I first noticed this happening around 45%, and it happened consistently throughout the remainder of the novel. There was even a sentence at 55% where it went from third person to first person in a single sentence! Along with this, italics are frequently used when people are thinking or when telepathy is being used, but this also isn't consistent. There were many times when italics weren't used at all, even after they were used in the previous paragraphs, and it caused some confusion before I figured out what was happening.
Around 61%, the description of the scenery became confusing. The author describes a firepit in the middle of the room, then says there is a stairwell in the center of the room. I was having a hard time picturing what it looked like, and eventually settled on putting the firepit further away from the center in my mind's eye. The description did not seem intentional.
If you're a Christian, you're going to notice a LOT of influence from Bible stories in this book. Isaac, his parents, Abraham and Sarah, and the sacrifice Abraham had to make towards the end of the book are all clearly inspired from the Bible. There were other religious elements as well, such as the description of Jericho's followers after they changed. They were supposed to be part draconic, but it was clear the author was inspired by the description of demons from popular media.
Overall, it was a great story. As I mentioned, the author clearly cared about it a great deal, and that showed in his writing. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you for a great novel!
Three students, Boyd, Isaac, and Rebekah, live on an island where young dragons are sacrificed because their soul provides power to people. They are fast approaching a test that will determine if they become an apostle under Lord Jericho. Rebekah is a dedicated student and loyal to Jericho. She was blessed before her test and passes it with ease to become one of the most blessed there has ever been. Isaac loves dragons. He believes they serve a higher purpose and shouldn't be killed, and he wants to create change from inside the church. He is eager to do whatever he can to pass the test so he can do that, and while he passes it, he isn't blessed, and he doesn't understand why. Boyd is Isaac's best friend and also fond of dragons. He was among those blessed before the test but he refuses to take it and decides to run way instead.
Each chapter is told from a different point of view among Boyd, Isaac, Rebekah, and later, Jericho. The character development is well done, and I enjoyed seeing the different points of view. I found myself rooting for all three of them. I loved the world building, especially the scenes about the Dyra, spirits that live in the forest. You could tell the author loved this story, these characters, and took a lot of care in writing it.
There were some things that stood out to me that needed work. There were a lot of misspellings in the book. I noticed Rebekah was misspelled twice, and each time in a different way. An extra -s was added onto the end of words where it didn't belong. And more. While these misspellings weren't too annoying, they were enough to notice and take me out of the story.
Another thing I noticed is some parts were poorly written. For example, when I got to read from Jericho's point of view for the first time at 51%, it wasn't immediately clear who was speaking to him. I found myself stopping after every few paragraphs to process what I read and see if I could puzzle out what was going on. I decided to continue reading to see if it started to make sense, and it did, but it was clunky.
The book jumps back and forth from third person and first person quite a bit. I first noticed this happening around 45%, and it happened consistently throughout the remainder of the novel. There was even a sentence at 55% where it went from third person to first person in a single sentence! Along with this, italics are frequently used when people are thinking or when telepathy is being used, but this also isn't consistent. There were many times when italics weren't used at all, even after they were used in the previous paragraphs, and it caused some confusion before I figured out what was happening.
Around 61%, the description of the scenery became confusing. The author describes a firepit in the middle of the room, then says there is a stairwell in the center of the room. I was having a hard time picturing what it looked like, and eventually settled on putting the firepit further away from the center in my mind's eye. The description did not seem intentional.
If you're a Christian, you're going to notice a LOT of influence from Bible stories in this book. Isaac, his parents, Abraham and Sarah, and the sacrifice Abraham had to make towards the end of the book are all clearly inspired from the Bible. There were other religious elements as well, such as the description of Jericho's followers after they changed. They were supposed to be part draconic, but it was clear the author was inspired by the description of demons from popular media.
Overall, it was a great story. As I mentioned, the author clearly cared about it a great deal, and that showed in his writing. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you for a great novel!
April 15, 2022
Dragonspeak is a story about three teens are who dedicated to succeed in their program. The big turning point in the school is sacrificing a dragon to gain it’s power. Isaac loves the dragons though, and he’s more interested in studying them rather than being powerful. We start out learning about the world and meeting our main characters. I was really engaged and loved what the author had created. Once the students realize the horrors that are behind their school, they embark on a mission to save the dragons from their awful fate. With such a strong premise, I was disappointed once I met the halfway mark. It took me days to finish this book, and every day I cared a little bit less about what was happening. I was so confused and had no idea what was going on. The ending was anticlimactic for me as well. I think this is a great story for young teens who are interested in the fantasy genre and dragons. I could definitely see some of my students enjoying this. Unfortunately, I just don’t think it was the right book for me.
Overall I give it a 2.5/5 stars - rounded to 3/5 for Goodreads.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I give it a 2.5/5 stars - rounded to 3/5 for Goodreads.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
March 18, 2022
Dragonspeak: Isaac's Blessing in a charming tale of three students who reach the culmination of their school's training program and have to decide what to do next as they prepare to sacrifice a dragon - is this truly the way the world is supposed to be? Each student has to face their beliefs and understandings of the world around them as they search for a way forward.
Overall, the storyline is nicely developed and interesting - it maintains its pace and keeps you interested in what happens to the three. The characters feel slightly simple, which would suit Middle Grade readers perfectly.
Unfortunately, (from an English teacher perspective) the writing is not as polished as it should be. There are errors of spelling, character names, switching between person in the middle of the writing, unclear sections of speech and description, and some generally awkward sections. This was distracting and definitely 'broke' the magic of the novel. This is a shame, because otherwise, it is a delightful story.
Overall, the storyline is nicely developed and interesting - it maintains its pace and keeps you interested in what happens to the three. The characters feel slightly simple, which would suit Middle Grade readers perfectly.
Unfortunately, (from an English teacher perspective) the writing is not as polished as it should be. There are errors of spelling, character names, switching between person in the middle of the writing, unclear sections of speech and description, and some generally awkward sections. This was distracting and definitely 'broke' the magic of the novel. This is a shame, because otherwise, it is a delightful story.
March 24, 2022
This book is a lot--at first you feel a bit out of your depth, because the world is so different to ours, and so is the world-order that precedes it. The very beginning is also disturbing, with the description of killing a small, helpless dragon. I'm not going to lie, I almost had to stop reading there, because the killing of innocent animals--even made up ones!--is very abhorrent to me.
Fortunately, the next scene has two new characters trying to figure out how to save the dragons from being sacrificed for their magic (or at least escape so they don't have to kill any dragons), which instantly had me on their side. From there on, it's a good fantasy/coming of age story, with three main characters who aren't just cliches.
There are some writing issues--at times it's not clear who the narrator is, and some of the descriptions are so involved that you lose the thread of what's happening.
But if you like dragons, the odds are that you'll like this book.
*Note: I received a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review. This did not affect my rating.
Fortunately, the next scene has two new characters trying to figure out how to save the dragons from being sacrificed for their magic (or at least escape so they don't have to kill any dragons), which instantly had me on their side. From there on, it's a good fantasy/coming of age story, with three main characters who aren't just cliches.
There are some writing issues--at times it's not clear who the narrator is, and some of the descriptions are so involved that you lose the thread of what's happening.
But if you like dragons, the odds are that you'll like this book.
*Note: I received a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review. This did not affect my rating.
June 13, 2023
I love dragons so this book was a given for something I’d read. I would like to say though it is a little bit dark. If you like darker stories and like dragons this book is for you. I honestly can’t wait to read more work from this author.
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