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Fireborn #1
Dragon Whisperer
A fantasy novel full of mystery, magic, dragons and romance.
Dionelle is unique: she was born immune to fire. Shortly after marrying Reiser and moving to his ranch on the outskirts of a large city, a corrupt noblewoman forces Dionelle to work with dragons in order to keep the peace in her kingdom. Being a dragon whisperer strains Dionelle's new marriage because Reiser is terrified for her safety, while Dionelle grows to love her task. But when Dionelle suddenly goes missing, Reiser forges an allegiance with the very beasts he fears, Dionelle's beloved dragons, in order to find her.
Dionelle is unique: she was born immune to fire. Shortly after marrying Reiser and moving to his ranch on the outskirts of a large city, a corrupt noblewoman forces Dionelle to work with dragons in order to keep the peace in her kingdom. Being a dragon whisperer strains Dionelle's new marriage because Reiser is terrified for her safety, while Dionelle grows to love her task. But when Dionelle suddenly goes missing, Reiser forges an allegiance with the very beasts he fears, Dionelle's beloved dragons, in order to find her.
- GenresFantasy
234 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2013
8 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Vanessa Ricci-Thode
13 books69 followersVanessa is a Nebula Award-winning word sorceress who loves a good story. She’s a Halloween enthusiast and a bookish geek who loves dragons, dogs, astronomy, and travel. If she’s not hibernating, she can be found in her butterfly garden, achieving her final form as a garden witch. To learn more, visit her website thodestool.ca or follow her on social media @VRicciThode
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 29, 2024
Dragon Whisperer by Vanessa Ricci-Thode is the first book in the author’s Fireborn series. This first book introduces the reader to a fantastical world of magic, dragons, and the people who communicate with them.
Dionelle is immune to fire, which makes her uniquely suited to communicate with dragons. Though her new husband, Reiser, fears for her safety, Dionelle is certain the dragons won’t hurt her, which is an accurate assessment of her talent. However, there is more afoot than meets the eye, and soon Reiser has to learn about what his wife’s job entails quickly in order to keep their farm and fortunes secure.
I really enjoyed the dragons portrayed in this book as somewhat inscrutable but also temperamental. It was a nice mix of ancient wisdom and occasional pettiness. The point of view shifts between Dionelle and Reiser neatly, showing each of these two characters hopes and fears. It’s a little bit of a spoiler, but I definitely had a preferred POV, and when that character was off screen for a chunk of the book, I found it a little disappointing at first. But the other character eventually started to grow on me.
If you enjoy female-centered fantasy novels that are epic in scope, check out Dragon Whisperer and its sequels.
Dionelle is immune to fire, which makes her uniquely suited to communicate with dragons. Though her new husband, Reiser, fears for her safety, Dionelle is certain the dragons won’t hurt her, which is an accurate assessment of her talent. However, there is more afoot than meets the eye, and soon Reiser has to learn about what his wife’s job entails quickly in order to keep their farm and fortunes secure.
I really enjoyed the dragons portrayed in this book as somewhat inscrutable but also temperamental. It was a nice mix of ancient wisdom and occasional pettiness. The point of view shifts between Dionelle and Reiser neatly, showing each of these two characters hopes and fears. It’s a little bit of a spoiler, but I definitely had a preferred POV, and when that character was off screen for a chunk of the book, I found it a little disappointing at first. But the other character eventually started to grow on me.
If you enjoy female-centered fantasy novels that are epic in scope, check out Dragon Whisperer and its sequels.
January 23, 2024
This novel is a slow burn (haha) story that investigates family dynamics and relationships and how that carries over to married life. As newlyweds, Dionelle and Reiser have to get to know each other and find a happy balance in an arranged marriage while Dionelle is still figuring out her fire magic and discovering the art of dragon whispering.
My favourite part of this story is the rich dragon culture and lore. I love the pretty descriptions of the dragons, their attitudes towards humans (If you displease us, you burn! Huh, you didn't burn. Well now you're just interesting!), their love of beauty and their shiny cities in the mountains, and realistic details like how giant creatures can't all congregate in one area without wiping out all the wildlife.
If you like figuring-out-adulthood stories, magic, and dragons, this novel is for you!
My favourite part of this story is the rich dragon culture and lore. I love the pretty descriptions of the dragons, their attitudes towards humans (If you displease us, you burn! Huh, you didn't burn. Well now you're just interesting!), their love of beauty and their shiny cities in the mountains, and realistic details like how giant creatures can't all congregate in one area without wiping out all the wildlife.
If you like figuring-out-adulthood stories, magic, and dragons, this novel is for you!
February 13, 2025
Ricci-Thode is a wonderful storyteller, and from me, that is the first and foremost of writing compliments.
I very much enjoyed this book! The tone starts gentle, somewhat distant, and with a homey quality that reminds me of books I read as a child, then, into action and defiance, and twists and turns, with lovely touches of nuance and spark.
There are some social elements that I imagine the writer is writing differently now, but for a book written in 2009, I got the intent and found it delightful. And if anything has aged well, it is love, dragons, and the phrase, "painfully neutral."
The biggest content note would be regarding an estranged sister whose behavior is linked to "madness" but again, it was written in 2009 and I know and trust this author and am very excited to continue the series.
I very much enjoyed this book! The tone starts gentle, somewhat distant, and with a homey quality that reminds me of books I read as a child, then, into action and defiance, and twists and turns, with lovely touches of nuance and spark.
There are some social elements that I imagine the writer is writing differently now, but for a book written in 2009, I got the intent and found it delightful. And if anything has aged well, it is love, dragons, and the phrase, "painfully neutral."
The biggest content note would be regarding an estranged sister whose behavior is linked to "madness" but again, it was written in 2009 and I know and trust this author and am very excited to continue the series.
March 11, 2023
Dragon Whisperer is about the highs and lows of a new relationship, two people figuring out how to be a unit while still remaining independent. There really is incredible depth in Reiser and Dionelle’s relationship. I never knew whether to root for them to strengthen their bond or dissolve their relationship, and it was a (sometimes frustrating!) joy watching them figure out how they wanted their new marriage to be.
Full disclosure: I am a friend and writing pal to Ness, and also the new official Loremaster of the Fireborn series (yes Ness, I am taking that title and running with it).
Full disclosure: I am a friend and writing pal to Ness, and also the new official Loremaster of the Fireborn series (yes Ness, I am taking that title and running with it).
October 19, 2023
A great fantasy story, especially if you like dragons (who doesn't?!) I loved the names the dragons gave themselves. Perfection! The real charm of this book is the relationship story. It explores what happens AFTER the fairy-tale wedding. The couple has to learn to live together and find common ground between their differences (like a real marriage). Except for them, it's much more challenging because they live under an oppressive ruler, in a time of political strife, with haughty dragons and meddling demons to contend with.
March 18, 2023
Is it tacky to review my own book? Eh, idgaf. I had to read it again this year to do a new polish for the re-release so it should count toward my reading challange, heh. And why didn't I give myself 5 stars? I wrote this book 14 years ago. It was first published 10 years ago. This is a good solid fantasy debut, but friends, I can write so much better now. The next book is out in May, hope you'll come along for the ride!
January 9, 2024
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I found the relationship part of this book very appealing. They have their struggles and living under a terrible leader. The adventure aspect of the story was amazing and there are dragons. That is a good feature in most fantasy novels. I love the names for the dragons. I did see a little bit of editing issues, but that did not take away from the story for me. The characters are enjoyable and relatable.
January 13, 2025
Dnf. Tried to get into this to help cure my dragon hang over. It wasn't adult enough for me. It was tough forcing myself to read this. I decided to just put it down... boo
July 13, 2025
Nice. This gave me major Skyrim vibes, and I found myself picturing this story taking place mostly in Whiterun, in the fields just outside of the city. It just fits perfectly and I was able to place the settings that show up in the story very easily.
To me, Dragon Whisperer feels like a relatively surface-level universe which leans heavily into clichés. The plot is simple, the writing and vocabulary is simple, there is no need to break out the dictionary for this one. To me these aren't always necessarily negative traits - clichés are clichés for a reason, and dragons are awesome pretty much no matter the circumstance, but the lack of depth and attention to detail is worth mentioning to me. It struck me for sure.
My favourite part of this novel is the way Ricci-Thode characterizes the dragons as prideful creatures, while still accepting and communicating with humans despite believing them to be an inferior species. Maybe I'm not so familiar with typical dragon tropes, but that's one I hadn't seen too much of before. A close-ish second is Reiser's growth and progression from fearing and avoiding the dragons to working with them and finding companionship in them. I think it was really sweet how Resier, Dionelle, and Ondias ended up warming up to the dragons and creating a deeper connection with them than the average human would.
I suppose I'm a little biased toward Vanessa Ricci-Thode's work, as she and I share heritage in the tri-cities. I was able to score a signed copy of Dragon Whisperer from my local Indigo, and I guess it's really cool to read fantasy stories written by authors who share backgrounds with myself. I hear she's an important figure in the scene of KW literature, co-founding KW writers alliance and launching Bookfest. I appreciate that, and that's a big reason why I was so interested in Dragon Whisperer. It's a good piece of work, very fun and enjoyable.
To me, Dragon Whisperer feels like a relatively surface-level universe which leans heavily into clichés. The plot is simple, the writing and vocabulary is simple, there is no need to break out the dictionary for this one. To me these aren't always necessarily negative traits - clichés are clichés for a reason, and dragons are awesome pretty much no matter the circumstance, but the lack of depth and attention to detail is worth mentioning to me. It struck me for sure.
My favourite part of this novel is the way Ricci-Thode characterizes the dragons as prideful creatures, while still accepting and communicating with humans despite believing them to be an inferior species. Maybe I'm not so familiar with typical dragon tropes, but that's one I hadn't seen too much of before. A close-ish second is Reiser's growth and progression from fearing and avoiding the dragons to working with them and finding companionship in them. I think it was really sweet how Resier, Dionelle, and Ondias ended up warming up to the dragons and creating a deeper connection with them than the average human would.
I suppose I'm a little biased toward Vanessa Ricci-Thode's work, as she and I share heritage in the tri-cities. I was able to score a signed copy of Dragon Whisperer from my local Indigo, and I guess it's really cool to read fantasy stories written by authors who share backgrounds with myself. I hear she's an important figure in the scene of KW literature, co-founding KW writers alliance and launching Bookfest. I appreciate that, and that's a big reason why I was so interested in Dragon Whisperer. It's a good piece of work, very fun and enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews