REVIEW: Dragonmark by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Centuries ago, Illarion was betrayed– a dragon made human against his will, then forced to serve humanity as a dragonmount in their army, and to fight for them in wars, hating everything about them. He's enslaved and separated from all family, even forced into a fey realm. Illarion's life will change when he meets his mate; however, lies, betrayal and more loss will plague their lives before they can find a chance at happiness.

I'm torn with Dragonmark. I enjoyed it so much as a good chunk of it is a POV retelling of Dragonbane. I will always admire Kenyon for her creativity and imagination to create such a detailed and connected world of characters; however, the narrative is becoming to complicated and at the same time formulaic.

Illarion is another tortured hero who has faced unimaginable heartache.  Enter the woman who will change all that. 

But wait!  Something horrific happens and they're separated :(

Time passes....

Then all is well!

I know this is the format for typical romances but the past few Dark Hunter books lack the umph of earlier titles in the series.  And at least for me, these aren't the page turners that I loved back in the day.  I still love to see appearances by favorite characters but I want a return to more focus. 

My complaint is that readers should have to have a chart to keep characters unraveled.  That Dragonmark is #27 of Dark Hunters, #1 in Dragon's Rising, and #5 in the Avalon series is just too confusing.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

REVIEW: Legion by Julie Kagawa

*Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair review*

Expected publication: April 25, 2017

Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone the love of a human and a former dragonslayer, at that. With ex-soldier Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.

In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against the dragon-slaying Order of St. George and her own twin brother Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known.

Legion is another strong entry to the series. Admittedly, I was worried after finishing Solider last year. There was a devastating cliffhanger. Kagawa does well balancing the action and overall plot tension between Talon, the Order of St. George and the general protection of the world with the other relationships of the narrative. There are significant changes to the love triangle between Ember/Riley/Garret which needed to happen.

The story calls for an interesting turn for all the characters and their fate leading into the final novel of the series. I remain curious to see how it will all end. Teens who enjoy urban fantasy (esp dragons) filled with action and a touch of romance definitely need to check out Legion as well as the others in the series.

Final rating: 4 out 5 stars

REVIEW: Soldier by Julie Kagawa

Book 3 in Kagawa's Talon series, Solider once again follows Ember and Riley, two rogue dragons on the run from Talon as well as their unlikely alliance with enemy-ex-soldier, Garret. This story continues their quest for truth and the plan to ultimately bring down Talon's oppression. While trying to regroup from the event of Rogue, the characters wrestle with personal feelings and some startling secrets that rock both the dragonslaying and the dragon world.

A lot of readers would sigh and say, "Another love triangle??" However, there is a complexity to the relationship dynamic between Ember, Riley and Garret. Ember is torn between these two because of her own split identity.  Spending 90% of her time in human form, Garret has challenged her beliefs about her human side.  One the contrary, her dragon calls to Riley and his own dragon-side, Cobalt - finally learning that they are destined to be life mates.  This is a lot of emotion for a young woman, especially while different factions are gunning for them.

What I enjoyed about Soldier was the suspense of the plot.  Talon is a deliciously evil villainous organization made even worse by their experiments and the fact that Ember's twin, Dante is tasked with leading the whole shebang. Toss in the bomb that St. George's patriarch is also in cahoots with Talon is highly entertaining. The final showdown was epic as was its tragic outcome.  I wasn't ready for that emotional roller-coaster nor can I wait for the fallout in the next book.  I can't wait to see how the next phase of this series develops based on the over big reveals at the end of this book.

This is very much Garret's book which makes sense to me now in light of the title and other events.  At first, I had some difficulty with some of the transitions throughout the narrative but in hindsight I now view these as artistically essential to the storytelling.

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Follow the author on Twitter: @Jkagawa



#soldier #talon #dragons #yalit #romance

REVIEW: Dragonbane by Sherrilyn Kenyon

The latest entry in Kenyon's Dark Hunter series; however, also brings together other story arcs, especially Lords of Avalon. I won't harp on the highly complicated--and rather overwhelming--background to the story.  The basic gist is that, Maxis Drago is the mysterious dragon who lives in the attic of Sanctuary.  As it turns out, he's estranged from his mate, Amazon warrior, Seraphina, who pops in unexpectedly needing his help locating their teenage kids. Too bad their existence is a shock to Max, but he is determined to help save them.

What follows is highly complicated but also formulaic for Kenyon's writing.  There are an abundance of characters--some old, some new--, as well as, an intricate mythology and vocabulary of terminology--not always expertly described. As a general fan of the Dark Hunters series, even I was confused at times.  It is bad when I need a chart!  Kenyon really needs to publish an updated volume to the Dark Hunter's Companion.

Max is Kenyon's characteristic wounded warrior.  He's powerful, intelligent, loyal, yet unforgiving. He's been through hell and lived to tell the tale. All the drama and lore behind his role as the Dragonbane was rather confusing.  I think I understand but this is definitely one of those books where I'll have to revisit it again, probably before the follow up is published. Per typical Kenyon, Max and Sera are ill-fated lovers from the start but they are destined to end up together. The turn around for all of the heartache and betrayals is a bit quick but expected. Sera was rather irritating, at least in my opinion--not one of my favorite Kenyon heroines.

I did think it was interesting how events in this book are ultimately setting up for an important series arc.  I look forward to subsequent books to discover the implications of all the twists and turns. Overall, I liked that Max finally got his own book. I remain a fan of the series and am in awe of Kenyon's large scale world-building and character development.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars



#Dragonbane #DarkHunters #SherrilynKenyon #mythology #dragons #fantasy #bookreview #romance