Dragon's Oath

House of Night Novellas #1

by P.C. Cast (co-author), Kristin Cast (co-author)

The all-new House of Night Novellas will delve into the backgrounds of some of the Tulsa House of Night's most important - and mysterious - professors. Beginning with Dragon Lankford, DRAGON'S OATH tells the story of the House of Night's formidable fencing instructor and warrior, whose mercy for one beast in the past will come back to haunt him in the future.

Genres: Vampires, Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Fiction, Supernatural

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

PC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!

Reviews

[~Calliope~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Vorgeschichte von Dragon Lankford, Schwertmeister und Krieger aus der "House of Night" -Reihe.
Obwohl diese Novelle schnell gelesen ist, gab es zwischendrin immer mal wieder Episoden, die mir etwas langatmig vorkamen.
Dann aber wieder gab es auch Szenen, die ich richtig gut und spannend fand.
Was mir auf jeden Fall gefallen hat, ist, dass die Geschichte in der Vergangenheit spielt, um 1830.
Als Zusatz zur eigentlichen Buchreihe ist Dragons Geschichte ein schöner Bonus!

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, let me say that I hate the House of Night series. So, if you look at it that way, a 2 star rating really isn't that bad. Still. It wasn't good.

For those of you who have read the HON books, this is Dragon and Anastasia's story. For those of you who haven't read the series...lucky you.

It's got all of the usual House of Night mumbo-jumbo in it. It reads like a wiccan coca-cola commercial. If the whole world could just get together and hold hands, then everything will be ok! Whatever.

I know what you're thinking. Why the #*@! did you read the book if you hate House of Night? Ok. There's a perfectly rational explanation for this.

I recently moved, so I'm just now getting to know my neighbors. I finally met a really nice lady (who just happens to have kids the same age as mine! Score!), and she noticed that I was reading some book in a paranormal series. She told me she loves those kinds of books, too. Bonus! Then she told me that she loved the House of Night series. *balloon deflates* Hey, nobody's perfect, right? Anyway, she sort of assumed that I liked the series, because I admitted that I had read the books. I may have neglected to mention that I would rather eat hot coals than read another one. Sooooo. I did a nice thing for once in my life, and told her that there was new House of Night novella that just came out. I should have remembered that no good deed goes unpunished.
She bought it.
She loved it.
She gave it to me to read next...'cause she's nice. Dammit!

As I saw it I only had three choices.
1)Fess up. Which would mean essentially telling her that she has horrible taste in books.
2)Lie. Wait a week or so. Give the book back. Pretend that I had read it. And then pray to God that she didn't ask me any questions.
3)Suck it up. At least it was only a novella, right?

So I decided to just suck it up. Did I mention that our kids are the same age?
Now I only have to worry that she'll buy the next House of Night book when it comes out. Did I mention that she's super-duper nice? Oh God...I feel sick. See, kids? This is how a lie can snowball on you.

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mercy is stronger than your sword.”
The beginning of the love story between Bryan ‘Dragon’ Lankford and Professor Anastasia. Dragon was just a young fledgling who was already a master on sword fighting and a heartbreaker. A bit older Anastasia is already a professor and she does not believe in violence. Still she will give Dragon a chance.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a name like "Dragon's Oath" you would expect there to be a dragon, but nope! This book is about vampires. Only this vampire world is not like any other that I've read before. The vampire society (the House of Night) is more like a reclusive group of mages more than anything. "Dragon" is a guy who is aspiring to be a warrior for the clan - he fights like a dragon, thus the name. He's also an arrogant heartbreaker, so Anastasia (the professor of spells) decides to cast a spell that will break any infatuation that his fellow students might have for him. In the process, Anastasia meets his future self and learns that their fates are intertwined. Aww. Unfortunately, that knowledge is also delivered to an evil enemy lurking in a nearby town.

This is a good example of how a novella can accomplish a lot in a few amount of pages. I had a good sense of who each of the MCs was and what his/her motivations are. I even got a glimpse of the bigger plot for the series, or so I thought. When I glanced through the other books for the author, it seems the House of Night series is about a character named Zoey - not Dragon and Anastasia - so I am confused about how/where this novella fits in. Thank Google! It seems I stumbled upon this novella at the wrong time! It turns out that Dragon is a character in the series, but this novella doesn't fit in until after book 8!! So whoops! No wonder I was a little confused. I did like the author's writing style, so perhaps I'll put the House of Night series on my TBR.

[CαthεεBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

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My (High!) Opinion : So, this is the first book in the House of Night Novellas series, which is a story set in the the Cast's House of Night world, which is awesome.


First, let me say I really like the HoN (House of Night) series by the Casts. And i was really excited when my library contacted me to say this book had arrived in my account. I almost screamed. Okay, maybe not, but I was really happy. I had really high expectations and *drum rolls* I loved it!


I even thought the book was better than the HoN series. I thought Dragon/Bryan Lankford was sooooooo cute! All arrogant and funny *grin*. And Anastasia was all peaceful, and beautiful. So, I really liked the characters.


The writing was, from my opinion, better than the one in the HoN. It was soft, and also fast-paced, and I liked the way the author used Dragon's arrogance.


And don't you love the cover? I hope that'S Anastasia, because she is so beautiful. And I hope that's Dragon's sword. It'S awesome.


I thought Dragon's decision was heart-breaking. I almost cried. Poor him; he *SPOILY SPOLIER* lost Anastasia, and betrayed Nyx *Okay, you can continue*.¸


Anyway, I am hoping the next House of Night Novella will be as good as this one.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always been a fan of the House of Night series so I was looking forward to reading more about another character. Admittedly when I found out this book was Dragon’s story, I was a bit hesitant but I actually really enjoyed his story. With this novella only being 160 pages, I flew through the book and found I enjoyed Dragon’s story a lot more because it didn’t drag. It was a nice short and simple read and just what I needed.

Dragon for me has always been a likeable character and after losing Anastasia he did start to change, especially in Awakened….I felt like he kind of lost his way. I actually started to dis-like him in the last book with how he treated Rephaim and turning his back on Zoe so I felt this was a great time for the Cast’s to introduce Dragon’s past.

Dragon’s story shows you he was marked and how he matures into the person you see in the House of Night books but most importantly, we find out how he met and fell in love with Anastasia. Although I felt they were quiet brief and short scenes, I do feel they showed the readers what they were meant to show…it’s all about love. The bond the couple share is strong and unbreakable, so to lose Anastasia the way he did, no wonder Dragon’s struggling with her death. I actually glad we got to see how they fell in love because now, I feel I can sympathize with Dragon more as a character and have a better understanding of what he’s going through. The end of the book does leave readers wondering what choice’s Dragon will choose in the next House of Night books and I for one am looking forward to seeing what happens.

Overall, this book is a great addition to the House of Night Series and I highly recommend it to any fans of the series.

[Maria Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been looking forward to this novella for a while now. Dragon Lankford was my favorite of Zoe's instructors. I always knew there was more to him than beat the eye. This is the story of how he came to be a vampire & how he fell in love with his Anastasia. The mother daughter team tie the modern day story line in perfectly. it is truely a great read!

[Jess - The Hexed Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella. It was just plain beautiful. The present time parts are absolutely heartbreaking but learning the story behind Dragon and Anastasia was truly a gift from the authors.

[Ta || bookishbluehead · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I last read a House of night book and it took me some time to get back into this world. In my opinion it was a quick but mediocre read. It shows the love story between Dragon and Anastasia.

It didn’t feel like it was dragging along, it is a short book. But somehow, I couldn’t get a real connection to the characters and felt like they were very generic. I remember having problems with the Casts writing style when I read House of Night and now I was reminded, that it just isn’t for me.

[belle ☆ﾐ (thisbellereadstoo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay. i liked that we know more about dragon and anastasia's romance. it was sweet but i wasn't necessarily connecting much with them. also, i appreciated that none of the major house of night characters were present in the novella.

books in the series:
1. dragon’s oath: ✰✰✰
2. lenobia’s vow: ✰✰½
3. neferet’s curse: ✰✰✰
4. kalona’s fall: ✰✰✰

[Selin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Güzeldi ve ben bu kitabın daha çok pc cast tarfından yazıldığını düşünüyorum...
Uslubu iyiydi,hikayeyide sevdim değişik bir havası vardı ve yazarların önceki kitaplarndaki gibi saçmalıklar ve sırf sayfa sayısı artsın diye yapılmış şişirmeler yoktu. Ancak yinede ikilinin çabuk aşık olduklarını ve ejderhanın bir anda değiştiğini düşünüyorum...
Sonunun iyi bitmesini isterdim,mutlaka okunması gerekmez ama gece evinden daha güzeldi kesinlikle,zoey artık baydı...

[Jessthebookslover · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Casts never fail to surprise me. There writing style always a pleasure to read.
Going back to this world, thanks to this FANTASTIC novella, was heart-warming and heartbreaking at the same time. I might have to plan a re reading session of the entire series soon.

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't worth the trouble of carrying it home from the library. While it seems to be about Dragon, it's actually about his romantic entanglement with his professor. Although there is little age difference between Dragon and Anastasia, there is the reiteration of the breaking of professional boundaries, just as there was between Zoey and the Poet Loreate, Loren. The Casts seem to think this is an appropriate plot line because it is the second time it has been employed.
Yes, age would be a very important factor in vampire novels because the vampires are almost immortal. So far none of them have shown much maturity for their advanced age-Dragon is still under the evil headmistress's spell despite the fact he has lived for a hundred years with Anastasia. Apparently he was a slow student, or she lost her preceptive powers as time went on, because Nefret had both of them confused, and then Dragon is willing to overide his oath and his sneaking distrust of Neferet. The closest thing we have to peeking into a love matured by a lasting long term relationship is on the cloistered Isle of Skye, which has a fairy tale quality about it. There is no social evolution evident in vampire culture.
One of my discomforts with this series was reading about Zoey with a man four years her senior, especially for the first time. There are some good reasons for statory rape laws, because there is a threshold of development, emotionally and physically that people pass in their own time. The law seeks to protect minors from experienced predators. The rules about students and teachers are also put there for good reason. Pop culture tends to exagerate girls getting grades by office hours with male professors, but it never really explores what this says about female education-if you beelive that women are as smart as men, why would they take this path unless they were simply lazy? And at what cost to their self esteem? What meaning would a diploma based on prostitution provide one?
But Zoey and Dragon weren't seeking to seduce their instructors in grade prostition. Zoey was being undermined by Nefret, and Loren was Nefret's tool. Zoey's self esteem is tanked out very briefly, but only because of her fear that others will think she is a 'ho. Zoey's concerns are very animalistic-she fears her own desires and projects them on to her peers. When she has given it up to Loren, she is mostly concerned about being torn apart from or by her pack. As usual she's saved from any introspection by Impending Doom.
In Dragon's Oath, the male saves his professor from harm, several times, a Warrior motif, but one that leaves one doubting Anastasia's abilities. And she isn't in control of her sexuality any more than Zoey is, because she pursues Dragon, or allows him to pursue her. In the 1890's sexuality of any kind usually debarred female school teachers from teaching. Male teachers might be married, but the women were not allowed the priviledge and paid far less. There is no real historical sensitivity in Dragon's Oath.

[AB · Rating 2 out of 5]

The following disclaimers apply to the following review: I've never read anything by either author, I have no idea what series this book belonged too and therefore read it as more of a stand-alone novel, and I won this as a Goodreads First Read.

I've read worse. At least this was relatively short- though not short enough.
All I could think about was the term 'fluffy bunny,' which is a "pejorative expression used since at least 2001 in Wicca (and in Neopaganism generally) to refer to adherents of the religion who are thought to be superficial or faddish. They are considered to dislike darker elements and emphasise goodness, light, eclecticism and elements taken from the New Age movement, or follow it as a fad." - Wikipedia

There was absolutely nothing happening for the vast majority of the novella. Most of it was unnecessary dialogue and tedious descriptions about made-up spells with moronic rhymes. But if you throw in a bunch of amateur couplets, it makes everything MAGIC!!! oh wait, 'magick.' No. Lame. Stop it.

The characters were very generic. You had the bad guy who was obsessed with dark power and fed his dark beast blood, not to mention that he was a rapist. You have the wise, gorgeous, and innocent earth-affiliated priestess who is nothing but purity and goodness and peace. And then there's the good, handsome young guy who has to find himself and his inner balance. Lame!
Speaking of the characters, they had no unique characteristics whatsoever. Their distinctive, complex personalities? Non-existent.

The romance? Typical. The good, pretty girl takes one look at a future image of some gorgeous boy and falls in love within, what, a day? No. Shut up. I'm so sick and tired of this bull in my books. Knock it off, this love at first sight because omg-they're-hot bull is the #1 way to #$@% up your novel.

By the way, if I see the words "magick" or, god forbid, "vampyre," ever again, I will tear someone's hair out.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

I never really connected with Bryan "Dragon" Lankford in the full length novels, he seems distant, cold and more then a little aloof.
Except ,of course, to Anastasia.

Then I read this novella and I saw him in a whole new light.

While at the beginning he is an arrogant, spoiled son of an English Earl, that soon changes. As his world comes crashing down, he finds out the hard way that he is not near as important as he thought he was.

Anastasia was a Quaker until she was Marked by Nyx. A compassionate pacifist who thinks little of Dragon, his conceited arrogance or his penchant for violence.

Anastasia sees another side to him when she learns she is his saving grace, quite literally. She was shown by the goddess Nyx what Dragon will become with out her and it was not good. Not good at all.
He will become a heartless killing machine, killing without conscience or mercy.

At the end of this story,I hurt for him and yet was happy that he had become the "good" version of himself. One blessed by the goddess Nyx.

I have already read the novel *Hidden (House of Night #10) and know what destiny awaits Dragon. It is heartbreaking yet beautiful.

This is so well written. It has a better flow then most of the full length novels. If you are a fan of this series then this is a MUST READ. A companion piece to let you see into the life and love of Bryan "Dragon" Lankford and his Anastasia.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I read these in the right order. I read the House of Night books 1-12 and then started the Novellas. It would probably be more fitting timeline wise to read these in a different order. Though that might drop secrets out of order, I'm not sure. Regardless, I don't know if helped or hindered that I knew future events while reading this book. I'm not normally a fan of Novellas as I prefer longer stories and don't feel like I get enough from short stories, however, this one worked and perhaps that is because I knew the whole 1-12 books stories prior. This one was a short story but a very isolated and rather than feeling rushed like most short stories are, it honestly just felt like it could have been a few chapters cut from the original books. The additional info was wonderful and it's making more excited for the additional Novellas.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read but an enjoyable book.  
Both characters Bryan aka Dragon and Anastasia are strong headed characters but with the darkness looking to destroy them both I wonder if Dragon will be strong enough to ward off evil and protect Anastasia too or will he have to make a choice? I guess I will have to continue to see.

[Daniela Rosas · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Juramento do Dragão" é um livro que conta uma das memórias mais fortes de um dos professores da Casa da Noite de Tulsa, Dragão Lankfort.
Neste livro ficamos a conhecer como é que Dragão foi transformado e como foi o seu quarto ano na Casa da Noite de Tower Grove em St.Louis no ano de 1833. É durante o "funeral" do iniciado Jack, que morre às mãos de Kalona, que o Dragão Lankfort, após a morte da sua sacerdotisa e companheira Anastasia, que também é morta por Kalona, fica completamente descontrolado e desconsolado e jura vingar a morte da sua amada.
A partir daqui ele dá-nos a conhecer a sua memória e o momento em que fica a conhecer Kalona, na forma de espírito. Dragão sente-se responsável pelo mal que se levantou das profundezas da terra e que só causou dor e sofrimento, pois se ele tivesse tomado outras decisões numa certa altura nada daquilo poderia estar a acontecer.
Este é um livro repleto de amor, dor, sofrimento, ódio, mas acima de tudo de esperança de que um dos guerreiros mais fortes da Casa da Noite de Tulsa possa terminar com o malvado Kalona, pois quando um guerreiro jura ele cumpre a sua promessa.
Durante todo o livro temos muitos momentos de poesia lindíssima, que ocorrem durante os rituais de sacrilégios, que Anastasia tinha que realizar.
É um livro lindíssimo, e que com muita pena minha é um stand-alon. Adorava ficar a saber mais sobre a vida do Dragão.
Tenho realmente pena que as autoras não tenham decidido continuar com a história deles (Dragão e Anastasia).

[Jordan Tomasi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Not sure if I liked this one more than others just because it centers on different characters, but I liked the simplicity of it. Good length for the backstory for Dragon. Still not the most amazing writing ever, but a cute enough love story.

[Sassy Mystic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed a lot of punch for a Novella, an enjoyable read

[Fern A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this to meet a Reading Rivalry prompt of a book with a sword on the cover. Somehow got through it but not for me at all. Felt a bit like reading fan fiction.

[suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You must be brave to find the peace that you crave."

Let me start this by saying that I do genuinly think that the House of Night series is bad - to the point that it makes a full circle and it's almost good. I don't believe any pleasures in life should be guilty but I think this series might still be one of mine.

It was super interesting to learn more about Dragon, he was one of the most fascinating characters to me in the whole series and in that regard, this didn't disappoint me. And I do think this novella at least was better written than the actual books. Though that could be partly due to translation too; I read the series in Finnish and this in English as the novellas have never been translated into my language.

Anastasia on the other hand is still a bit myserty and I would have loved to learn more about her and why exactly Dragon loves her so much.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so nice being back in the world of The House of Night! I loved hearing more about Dragon and Anastasia’s story! I’ve missed the world of The House of Night!!

[Nyxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

HON novella- a guilty pleasure read for me!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

House of Night Novellas:
Dragon's Oath: ★★★★☆
Lenobia's Vow: TBD
Kalona's Fall: TBD
Neferet's Curse: TBD

“Mercy is stronger than your sword.”

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can be found here at Booked J.

Continuing on with my House of Night reread (and in the case of some books, or these novellas, first time reading) with Dragon's Oath! To be perfectly honest with you guys, I'd been procrastinating reading the novellas for YEARS. We're talking almost a decade because I'm nothing if not consistently trash at keeping up with series.

It took me forever to get to Dragon's Oath, because, well, I didn't care for Dragon Lankford a majority of the time in general during the original series run. He rubbed me the wrong way. This changed with his Other World counterpart in Lost and, of course, the way his story arch ended in the original series run. Naturally, I got curious and sucked it up by finally reading Dragon's Oath.

I'm glad I did! I'm beginning to feel a bit hungover from the excellence that is the series' later years (and the superior sequel series: House of Night Other World) and felt like Dragon's Oath absolutely added an extra layer to the series. It was nice seeing the backstory to Dragon and Anastasia's romance; how Dragon came to be marked, how they came to know one another, how they fell in love.

Everything sort of clicks and shifted into focus for me throughout Dragon's Oath and I can honestly say that my opinions of Dragon have changed a bit more with it. Seeing Anastasia's quest for peace and her early stages as a professor, seeing Dragon's growth from before he was marked into his time as fledgling and then, of course, as a vampyre, was truly sweet. I thought the way that their romance blossomed was a really, really nice touch.

Plus, I am a sucker for opposites attracting one another. Give me all the softies who put the more arrogant/angry at ease. Experiencing how they came to be was truly a delight. There was a little of everything, despite its length: romance, action, magic, hope, loss and more. All of these moments really excel at bringing both Dragon and Anastasia to life.

My only complaint is that it was only a novella. I wish we'd had a full length novel, to give their connection more time to grow. I'm grateful for Dragon's Oath, though. It definitely adds something to what made Dragon's reactions, and anger and pain, so potent during his final arch in House of Night.

[Pflanzis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragon's Oath ist eine Kurzgeschichte im House of Night-Universum. Erzählt wird die Vorgeschichte der Professoren Dragon und Anastasia im historischen Setting. Ich habe sehr gerne mehr über das Kennenlernen der beiden gelesen. Und im Gegensatz zur Hauptreihe gibt es endlich mal kein Love Triangle oder ähnliches.
Prolog und Epilog, die an die Geschehnisse nach Awakened anknüpfen, lassen mich allerdings wieder traurig zurück. Ich bin gespannt, was in den nächsten Bänden der House of Night-Reihe mit Dragon passiert. Ich mochte ihn von Anfang an sehr gerne.

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is something absolutely wonderful about a short story from the House of Night series – it doesn’t have enough room or enough people to be nearly as awful as the main series. Yes, this book hereby gets the prize for being the first House of Night book that I DON’T think will inspire an invading alien species to wipe us out because the universe needs to be spared our bullshit.

This makes the book good in comparison to the series – but not good.

As I say with every short story as part of a series, I look for a point. What does this story add to the larger story of the books? Why should readers read this book as part of a greater whole? Because the best short stories both add to the larger series, without being essential (so a reader can skip them without being lost in the main plot but still add interesting new elements to the main story).

And I can’t say I see a big point on this book. We get an insight into Dragon and Anastasia… but firstly both of these characters are dead. It’s not like they’re characters who are going to have continued affect on the book series. Secondly, they’re not exactly influential characters. I honesty would find it bemusing if any fan of the series (of course I find “fans” of this series bemusing in general) could genuinely say they were intrigued by these characters. I mean, beyond “she loved Dragon and she died” what pertinent information did we have about Anastasia? What was so intriguing or important about her that anyone really needed to read her story?

The same applies to Dragon – was there any reason to care about this character? Like Anastasia, he was a cardboard cut-out of a character – the guy who can use a sword. That was his pretty much only definition of him.


Read More

[Hayden Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/2...

Seriously. How awesome-looking is that?!


Now, for the review. . . .

DRAGON'S OATH took me exactly 28 minutes and 17.5 seconds to read. That's it. No joke. I timed myself. That being said, there's not a whole lot of new and exciting content. It almost seemed like a short story to me, one with a lot of really extended, unnecessary detail.

The first chapter and the epilogue were in present-day HoN, and chapters two through eight were back when Dragon was Marked and all the chaos that ensued. (I know. Eight chapters. That's it?) Nevertheless, the novella was really well-written, and although it lacked length, it made up for it in plot and characterization. The primary reason DRAGON'S OATH wasn't five pages was because every chapter ended on the left page, the right page after was blank, the left page after had an illustration, and the right page started the next chapter. So, basically, about three pages are blank per chapter, which just seems lazy on PC's part.

That all being said, PC and Kristin Cast's latest miniature (literally) installment in the House of Night series was thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed reading about the spell casting and about the Darkness, a prominent theme in current House of Night books (AWAKENED, I'm sure DESTINED as well), and I'm sure we'll hear more about that in future books. I look forward to DESTINED!

[Lala · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh!" She breathed a long, awestruck breath. "They are so beautiful." With a trembling hand, she reached out and traced the new tattoos of the fully Changed vampyre beside her. "What are they? What do they look like?" he asked. "Dragons," she said. "They look exactly like dragons."

Cute. I enjoyed this very short little glimpse into the younger Bryan “Dragon” Lankford. As well as glimpsing Bryan we get to see Anastasia and how they came to be together. It was a very sweet little tale. I would have loved to have read this story much earlier on in the series. I found that this story brought me closer to both Bryan (Dragon) and Anastasia and I think had I read this earlier I would have felt closer to these characters, and therefore appreciated their sacrifice more. I do however, look forward to going back to the beginning of the HON series and re-reading it. Perhaps then I can embrace these characters as much as I do the young fledglings :D

I realize I was supposed to read this prior to reading Destined (I did not, I recommend that you do) but I can see there were some set ups for what takes place in Destined. Well done. And Bryan…as a young man…quite swoon worthy!

"Your death has broken me; the dragon is all I have left to be"