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J

Julio Genao

January 27 2014

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1391939606i/8478433.png" width="400" height="500" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> be careful what you wish for. when i read ms. durreson's marvelously inventive and promising free novella <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/18372675.The_Lodestar_of_Ys" title="The Lodestar of Ys by Amy Rae Durreson" rel="noopener">The Lodestar of Ys</a>, i bemoaned the hurly-burly nature of the story—rushing from one interesting locale to another, abandoning nicely-realized settings and characters alike, just as i was growing to appreciate them. now? now i've got the opposite complaint. but that's all i can really say without spoilers. i can't talk about this book the way i want to without maybe ruining the story for people who might never even notice what bothered me, and the fact remains that nearly everyone i know really, really likes it. with good reason, too. for all my issues, there's still an awful lot i really liked about this story. thus: i've hidden my charbroiled criticism under a spoiler-tag—for being spoilery, but also because my joking around might give you the impression that i hated this book—when in fact i did not. not even close. no—my frustrations are all writerly in nature, and so of mostly no concern whatsoever to anyone who doesn't obsess over this shit for a living. so for sure skip the spoiler if you don't care to read a review focused primarily on technique and execution. ok? ok: <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="63344081-cf66-4676-ba1b-984e5e02e0e8" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="63344081-cf66-4676-ba1b-984e5e02e0e8">this is a good book marred by poor editing. when i say 'poor editing,' i don't mean that the book was full of typos. those are the responsibility of proofreaders and line editors. as with nearly every book i've ever read from this publisher, the line editing and proofing in this novel was just fine. but editing—content editing—is something else entirely, and when i invoke the term here i mean that the integral pieces that make up the story as a whole—the tone, the pacing, the plot, the characters—were not as refined as they needed to be to avoid very common and very irritating mistakes that drive people like me—editors—absolutely apeshit. it begins beautifully. ms. durreson has created another terrific setting, with interesting characters and lovely imagery. the setup, the back-story, the opening chapters—all wonderfully compelling, and way fun to read. but then a series of missteps—an excessive turn of phrase here, or a character behaving in a manner inconsistent with his established personality—begin creeping in. these niggly little problems are mostly tolerable, given that they don't occur with any frequency until well into the middle third of the story—but then something happens that brings all of these tiny issues into sharp relief: the plot stops moving. the story lingers too long in one spot—and then rushes forward again, with little in the way of logical progression. which meant that i found myself with plenty of time to reflect upon deficiencies i'd been having too much fun to notice before. zombie apocalypse, everyone—zombie apocalypse! run for your lives! except for the parts where our immortal love-interest alagard spends all his time flouncing around like a rebellious teenager bcuz reasons—but also to disguise the fact that he really, really wants to get his guts fucked-out by tarn, our dragon hero. his hysteria was charming when he was an incorporeal elemental—but horribly, horribly annoying when he joined a group of people having a bit of trouble trying not to get killed by the risen dead. luckily, they all stumble into a place of safety, where there is now time for everyone to discuss their feelings about everything and also have plenty of buttsex on account of bathing facilities. desert valley! populated entirely by badass swordswomen who can kill you in the face! in a magical yet derelict fortress built thousands of years ago! where they all hang out. for nearly six chapters. during which it is decided there must be a grand feast. with dancing. because—as my gregarious caribbean peoples would say—a little armaggedon's hardly an excuse not to have a fuckin party, cousin. which is the perfect opportunity for our dragon-god hero and his desert-elemental boyfriend—immortals, the pair of them—to spend pages and pages squabbling like deranged hens— —and that's another thing: what the actual fuck is up with alagard, anyway? what a little punk bitch! who in their right mind wants to mess about with a nasty piece of work like that more than once—never mind every day for weeks, while the world is coming apart at the seams and everyone is in mortal peril? we are talking about someone who summons a friggin' sandstorm to scour the skin from your flesh when he's annoyed with you. ...speaking of vile-tempered power-bottoms, whither sethan? how the hell are you going to introduce three incredibly potent and engaging characters, expertly induce us to love and/or detest them—and then bloody disappear their asses for the next 60 percent of the novel like a south-american dictator? and who do i need to email about why the sex is so bad? which, it is—sorta—but always in the exact same way: torridly. overwritten, in other words, while the prose nearly everywhere else is elegant, understated, and amusingly dry. it's like the sex scenes were written by another hand altogether. for example... ...well, look—i'm gonna go ahead and do something exceptionally lazy and ill-mannered here and just paste the transcript of a peevish rant i perpetrated upon a friend towards the end of the book, because it covers the majority of my issues with the sex scenes, and illustrates my overall point: every author needs someone they trust to tell them things, like, 'hey, this is too much,' or 'hey, not enough of the good stuff here,' or 'this makes no sense at all, buddy.' every. author. every. where. including me. because otherwise, shit like this happens: HIM: Read [Durreson's] short in <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/18518473.Steamed_Up" title="Steamed Up by Amy Rae Durreson" rel="noopener">Steamed Up</a>, if you haven't already ME: i’ll need to if only to apologize for the review i feel coming-on for this one i'm reading now i mean... i don't know what happened to the writing the sex scenes especially i have notes because i knew you wouldn’t believe me He came with a gasp, burying his face against Tarn’s neck as wet heat flooded the space between them. flooded, you see. with—at most—two tablespoons of cum. HIM: I believe you. You're a pissy fusspot, but you don't lie. ME: Tarn exploded against him... y’know. like a dragon. with explodeycum. “Oh, shit, there’s the wet spot. You could have cleaned up first...” …yes, as multi-millenial desert spirits are wont to complain HIM: Maybe dragons produce more volume. ME: “passages” and “wet heat” and—as always—“preparation.” HIM: Ah well ME: and this, which i annotated simply with a ‘Jesus:’ He’d had some thought of teasing Gard, of stopping to demand that Gard tell him he liked him, belonged to him, loved him... THESE ARE THE THOUGHTS OF AN IMMORTAL DRAGON WHO HAS FUCKED, LIKE, 40 MILLION PEOPLE IN HIS LIFETIME HIM: I cannae defend that ME: Then Gard’s spine arched, and his body tightened around Tarn, his moans dying into a sudden silence, before a hot wave splattered against Tarn’s belly, splash on splash as Gard’s fingers locked onto his shoulders, his nails scoring Tarn’s flesh. WAVES. SPLASH AFTER SPLASH. ENDLESS. FONT. OF JIZZ. HIM: It's a classic ME: this one’s fun: Only Gard’s voice gasping his name kept him human... ...because otherwise he would transform into a ten-ton dragon and crush a laggard into a bloody paste as he inadvertently exploded the keep. ...ok, even though i typed that maybe 30 seconds ago, i can't remember what word autocorrect turned into ‘laggard’—but it was probably really, really bitchy. HIM: No doubt ME: He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Have you any idea how awkward it is trying to scrub dried spend off yourself when you have an angry teenager trailing you wherever you go?” No, I don't, because 'spend' is water-soluble and not like unto acrylic nail polish, mr. sissybritches HIM: Yes, but volume tho ME: “There are some things only a lover or the eyes of God should see. The Savattin made it a matter of shame and power. It was beautiful once. My father’s most famous poem, the one that brought him the Shah’s favor, was called ‘The Unveiling.’ It was about my mother.” HE’S TALKING ABOUT A FUCKING BURKA. THERE IS A BURKA IN THIS BOOK. “Nobody respects me,” Gard complained. HAVEN’T THE FAINTEST IDEA WHY. MAYBE YOU SHOULD COMPLAIN ABOUT IT SOME MORE. Tarn stared at him, startled. He had not expected this, for all he regarded Cayl and Sethan as his. FIRST MENTION OF SETHAN IN 150 PAGES (they disappeared once gard and tarn started fuckin) HIM: You are in a froth ME: i cannot deny it; i feel really let-down He was ready for Gard’s cock, or his fingers, and was unprepared for what he got instead. (gard licks his butthole) my comment on that one: He's immortal. Had countless lovers across the span of millennia. But rimming?—GOOD HEAVENS, NEVER IN ALL MY DAYS. HIM Right. ME this one is fun too: Only his grip on the end of the bed and Gard’s arms wrapped tightly around his hips kept him standing... …ALSO HIS LEGS HIM: Poor Amy ME: yes. her editor let her down. big-time. none of these problems are catastrophic on their own. The first blunt press of Gard’s cock was beautiful, and Tarn groaned and pushed up to meet him, riding the burn until Gard slid deep into him, filling him like a pillar of fire. like a pillar, dude like a pillar of fire. all the fucking is in flamey metaphor. bcuz dragon. HIM: I get it ME: last one the note on this one is simply, ‘kill me’ It wasn’t until Gard lifted his face, his eyes damp and a little frightened, that Tarn realized he was speaking in languages that had been extinct for thousands of years. It took long minutes before he could find a modern word, and all he could manage was to snarl, “Mine.” no peacoat? no sassy secretary? no jory? what sort of mary calmes novel is this? ... anyway. that was the last notation. something else stupid happened and i didn’t have the energy to write it down. basically gard being a pissy idiot again. i’m abandoning it. how does it end? HIM: I haven't read it yet ME: *gasp* oh fuck, i’m sorry! so sorry! shit. i thought—for sure, i thought... fuuuuuuuck! my bad!!! HIM: Heh ME: gah. i am so, so sorry. i hate spoilers. with the fire of a thousand dragon cockpillars. HIM: No spoilers. This is all sex stuff ME: true. right. ok. cool. HIM: I assumed there would be sex stuff ME: me too. but i didn’t expect it to be all … swoony and hyperbolic and... flammable, like that. he was so turned on he nearly BURST INTO FLAMES WHEN HE CAME with his FIERY PILLAR HIM: I hate when that happens ME: it was REALLY HOT *rimshot* HIM: Your problem is you haven't read enough dragon sex... which, you know, maybe—but i still stopped reading this at around the 80 percent mark. despite ms. durreson's characteristic wealth of talent and imagination—and i feel i must make this point absolutely clear: she is one to watch—this novel is a prime example of what can happen to an otherwise wonderful story without proper editorial stewardship. ms. durreson is not to blame, here. because it's very nearly impossible for any one writer to catch every single misstep in their own work—of any length, never mind a full novel—without an editor, or several beta-readers, or both. because the real work of writing is in the editing—not in the typing. and good editing takes time. a lot of it. this book felt rushed, unpolished, and undisciplined, and it's a goddamned shame. when i complained about all those chapters spent hangin-out in the desert keep, dancing and bickering and fucking and bickering some more, my friend compared it to a similar problem with <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/18372675.The_Lodestar_of_Ys" title="The Lodestar of Ys by Amy Rae Durreson" rel="noopener">The Lodestar of Ys</a>: <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="cce620ec-d773-44bd-91e3-f38d890c6fc6" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="cce620ec-d773-44bd-91e3-f38d890c6fc6">the endless honeymoon tour of various islands almost entirely comprised of ill-tempered conversations and then fucking, which makes it all better, naturally.</label> my review of that story? "great—but this author must have run out of time." </label> tl;dr: despite my despair, it is my opinion that immortal dragon gods with big dicks in any story written by ms. amy rae durreson will always win all the things. yes, there are annoying bits—but if you're not a writer or an editor i expect they probably won't annoy you very much at all. if you enjoyed Lodestar of Ys, you should certainly give Reawakening a shot— because everything that was wonderful about that story is even more so in this one. i just wish the same couldn't be said about what wasn't.</["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>

t

ttg

December 27 2013

4.5 stars - For fantasy fans, Reawakening is a pretty smashing novel, filled with beautiful exotic settings, creatures of lore (dragons!), fighting gods, battlemaidens, the walking dead, and a dark menacing villain that can infiltrate your heart. It’s got sword fights, daring escapes across the desert, a developing romance (and yes, sexy times), and most of all, a lot of adventure. Tarn the dragon is awakened after centuries of sleep to find his treasured hoard depleted and the world having moved on without him. While on an evening flight, he gets the taste of something new, something strange and spicy and hot, an angry desert spirit that is NOT HAPPY to have a dragon invading his sandy domain. Tarn is quite smitten by the spirit’s irate attempts to kick him out, and the dragon vows to return to the desert to woo him properly and make him part of his new hoard. And thus Tarn’s adventure begins, as he changes into his human form and joins a trade caravan bound for the same desert that he’s madly crushing on. His wooing plan has started. He just has to find his angry spirit. But when they arrive, the desert is a much different, far more deadly place than the warm, welcoming realm it had been on his first post-sleep flight. The dead are rising and attacking travelers, and Tarn finds that things look eerily similar to a war he’s fought before. That’s the gist of the beginning of the story, and it just takes off from there. I personally found the blurb with the book confusing, and I didn’t quite know what to make of it. I came into this 100% because I loved Durreson’s free fantasy novella <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/18372675.The_Lodestar_of_Ys" title="The Lodestar of Ys by Amy Rae Durreson" rel="noopener">The Lodestar of Ys</a>. That was a wonderful story, so I bypassed the blurb, and dove in, feeling pretty safe that the author could provide a good fantasy story for her first full-length novel, and I’m happy to report that it was a great read. I would qualify this story as fantasy first, romance second, although don’t worry romance fans, it has a lot of that (plus quite a few intimate scenes.) But the weight of the story is one that is fantasy, about a dragon’s quest to rebuild his world and his heart, and to conquer an old enemy. Along the way, he not only meets his match in Alagard, the fierce yet very flirty desert spirit, but also picks up a crew of wonderful side characters, each who have their own distinct personality, from the older sworldswoman Ia to flirty young buck Dit to haughty yet caring caravan leader Sethan. For people who bemoan the lack of diverse characters or developed female characters in m/m, I definitely recommend this book because it has a wide array of rich characters, including a lot of queer male and female side characters. (Sethan’s caravan has a bit of a reputation of being a safe haven for those who are “sparkly” or who prefer same-sex partners, so there are a lot of couples in the background.) As for the main romance, Tarn and Gard’s back-and-forth is pretty sparkly on its own. Gard’s fierce need for independence makes him come off more fiery than Tarn ironically (since Tarn is the one that can breathe fire), but Tarn is like a giant Great Dane—someone who is so powerful (even in his limited human form) that he’s far more relaxed compared to Gard’s bouncing, flitting energy. (Although even ancient dragons can get a little jealous, lost, and sad at the thought of his beloved not wanting him back.) Durreson’s writing is smooth and clean, and paints a bright world in full color, even when that world is dune upon dune of endless white sand. It’s a very creative, imaginative story, and for those who like being transported to other worlds, you can find safe passage here. My only down points are that at some points in the middle of the story (and the novel is over 89,000 words), the journey did feel a little rambling. I also often found myself having a hard time reading the name of Ia, one of the side characters—my eyes would blow right over her name, and I had to restart a lot of the paragraphs where she is featured. And you can call me a heathen, but I almost could have done without some of the sex scenes. They were all well written, but some of them felt a little extended or filler-ish compared to the rest of the story. But overall, I think it’s a really great fantasy novel, and would definitely recommend it for those who are m/m fantasy fans, especially ye olde dragon fans, since Tarn gets to have some fun scenes in dragon form. With what I’ve seen so far, I think Durreson is a bright new star in m/m fantasy writing. I’m looking forward to whatever world she unveils next. Review to be up this week over at <a href="http://boysinourbooks.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Boys in our Books</a>: <a href="http://boysinourbooks.com/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1388425705i/7832382.jpg" width="300" height="121" alt="BioB" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

V

Vivian

January 24 2014

DRAGONS! Yes, I'm very predictable. I <3 Dragons. This is a suitably diverting tale of evil that surfaces and those who fight it. Tarn, is the first dragon. He reawakens after a long, long, long slumber. Unsure why, he flies out to investigate. Things have changed dramatically. As he journeys, he finds that which he covets most--Alagard. More importantly he needs to fight the rising evil, and along the way he acquires a new hoard. The story is engaging and thoughtful. One can certainly see similarities between the story and modern day peoples: Bedouins, Persians, Arabs, and Kurds. There are several parallels between this story and issues in the Middle East. But, the story focuses on Tarn and his new life he is building. My favorite characterization was Alagard, though I was pleased with Tarn's draconian patience. And their interactions are filled with amusing banter. Favorite quote: <blockquote>“Civilization needs fighting men to protect it,” Tarn tried, but he was talking to Gard’s retreating back."</blockquote>

H

Heller

January 27 2014

4.5 This is exactly what I needed to read right now. Just a fantastic fantasy story, that's basically battle for control of the world. Very good vs evil/light vs dark. I loved Tarn the dragon so very much. He's ancient, he's lonely and he's been asleep for a thousand years. The world has cracked and been remade in his absence and he's only a fireside story of legend, but something woke him up and whatever that was is waking up other things that want more than just to be loved. Alagard, the Desert Storm, is all kinds of snarky attitude. Fabulous. This has such rich characters, with lush settings and an epic story. The world building was totally solid and I hope there's more to the series. I know we got a bit more of the story from the notes at the end but I'd like more please.

K

K.J. Charles

March 02 2014

I don't generally read dragons or high fantasy but this came strongly recommended, for which I am glad. Lovely characters in a vividly drawn, well constructed world about which I'd be glad to read more (Sethan and Cayc's story please!). There was a real sense of melancholy about Tarn's endless existence and need for love. And even though the romantic conflict hinged on communications failure, that's pretty fair when the communicators are a millennia-old dragon and the spirit of a desert. Great fun by a terrific voice. Gobbled down in two sittings.

M

January 04 2014

Well, that was properly fantastic. Durreson has written a remarkable fantasy novel filled with all the best fantasy tropes; magic, dragons, gods, warrior-priestesses, epic battles, etc. All set against the backdrop of a richly detailed world with distinct cultures and histories. The protagonist is a powerful Dragon called Tarn who awakes from a thousand-year sleep to a changed world and finds a desert spirit he wants to court. But he also finds that an ancient enemy has crept back into the world. It's eminently readable. With a great cast of secondary characters. Somewhere around 35% I just got sucked in and didn't come up for air until I'd finished. Then, as icing on the awesome cake, we get a deliciously antagonistic relationship between Tarn and his desert spirit, Alagard. It's also smoking hot in places (pun not intended). So basically, it's all my favourite things in one book. If you like fantasy as a genre, then do your self a favour and read this.

J

John The Cosmic Wanderer

January 31 2014

This book has been sitting in my reader since January and I do not know why I ignored it. I'm a huge fan of the fantasy genre and mixed with m/m romance makes this book perfect for me. Fantastic world building! Great characters! I hope there is going to be more of the gay dragons. :) 5 Sparkling Stars!

M

M'rella

January 19 2014

The book started so well, with dragons and desert spirits and old lore; it promised a grand adventure. The Dragon King wakes from his slumber and sets out on a quest. We learn ancient history of this world. We travel to remnants of the ancient kingdom. We meet new characters as Dragon King joins a caravan to cross into a desert. We stumble upon a victim of a vicious attack - Gard, the desert spirit, who is now under complete control of the evil Shadow. But then? Oh, when all else fails, call for zombies and endless running in the desert. Sex is plentiful but awkward. Zombies are everywhere. <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1458612200ra/18508127.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> Dragon King won't quit speaking Yoda. More desert and sandstorms, <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1458612788ra/18508170.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> more zombies, as we lose characters from the beginning of the book to author's forgetfulness(?). Where is Sethan? (I was SO into him!) <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1423270415i/13602852._SY540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> Will Gard ever shut his venomous mouth, there is a war going on around, after all, things to kill, things to do (pardon the pun). Why some of the dead turn zombies and some (like Enis) don't? Predictable villains. Very predictable villains. Yes, you know who you are, little witch! Out of all the characters so vividly introduced in the beginning of the book, only a handful (if even) stay with us through the very end. *Checked with Julio's review about sex bits. The whatever sex I gave up reading is indeed awkward according to him. I am not alone, go me! I skipped a lot, made the book so much more compact :D

C

Christina

June 11 2014

3.5 Stars This was a fun and lighthearted fantasy. Tarnamell (Tarn), king of the ancient dragons, wakes after being asleep for over a thousand years. The Shadow is defeated, but not without loss. Friends, lovers, and soldiers have long passed. Tarn finds himself lonely. He seeks out to learn more of this new world and to gather a new hoard. This is where he meets the desert spirit, Alagard (Gard). He is feisty and has youthful quality about him. Tarn wants nothing more than to have Alagard and his desert as part of his hoard, however Alagard is fiercely independent and protective of his desert and is adamant that this never happens. Even though there is a romance in the story, it takes a back seat to the fantasy/adventure plot, but it's intertwined in a way that makes sense to the story. While traveling with a caravan of merchants, Tarn discovers that the Shadow has returned. Tarn not only needs a new hoard, but is now on a mission to find the shadow and destroy it. The story was on the simplistic side as far as the main conflict goes. Even so, I loved Tarn's voice and all the side characters in this. They were unique and strengthened the story. I rounded down because there were several parts of the book that dragged and bored me. The other reason is I thought the ending was anticlimactic. <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="bf6a860f-0b6b-4554-832c-5f18027ea5f1" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="bf6a860f-0b6b-4554-832c-5f18027ea5f1"> There was a huge build-up of Tarn coming face to face with the Shadow, but then there wasn't much of a battle. Tarn was hurt and Gard came to the rescue. Meh, it was over too fast and everyone went on their way. </label> Everything was tied up too neatly and it was hard for me to accept it.

A

Ami

January 13 2016

High fantasy is not high on my priority of favorite genre. However, I do like to challenge myself from time to time, to read outside of my comfort zone. I'd like to be surprised, and I did, several times (most notably with my now loving historical MM). But either it was my not favoring the genre or Durreson's writing just didn't click with me (I have only read two of her stories and they weren't that memorable to me either), this one was just okay in my book. Not blown-away nor interested with the sequel.

Reawakening

Comming soon...

Reawakening Reviews (130)