Liberator

Dragons of Starlight #4

by Bryan Davis

For years, tales of DRAGONS from another world kidnapping and enslaving humans have been circulating in Jason Masters’ world, while for a slave girl named Koren, the stories of a human world seem pure myth. Together, these two teens will need to bridge two planets in order to overthrow the draconic threat and bring the lost slaves home. The Time Has Come As the long-awaited invasion of human forces looms, Jason, Koren, and Elyssa struggle to alert the soldiers to an unforeseen menace on the planet of Starlight—a deadly illness that already has Koren in its grip. Starlighter Cassabrie harbors a secret she believes can counter the dragon king Taushin’s latest maneuverings, but she can disclose little of her risky plan. As Cassabrie fights to save her people, the dragon Magnar works to move the Starlight prophecy in his favor. His actions could make the plight of humans even more perilous. Wishing only to free the slaves and bring peace, a few young warriors are poised to face three armies as they battle for control of two worlds. Can love, faith, and courage be enough? Will Cassabrie be humanity’s last hope?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Young Adult, Christian Fiction, Christian Fantasy, Christian, Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2012

About the author

Bryan Davis is the author several speculative-fiction series, including Dragons in Our Midst, Oracles of Fire, Children of the Bard, Dragons of Camelot, The Reapers Trilogy, The Time Echoes Trilogy, Tales of Starlight, Dragons of Starlight, the Oculus Gate, Not So Famous Dog Tales, Astral Alliance, and Wanted: Superheroes.

Bryan and his wife, Susie, have homeschooled their four girls and three boys.

Bryan was born in 1958 and grew up in the eastern U.S. From the time he taught himself how to read before school age, through his seminary years and beyond, he has demonstrated a passion for the written word, reading and writing in many disciplines and genres, including fantasy, theology, fiction, devotionals, poetry, and humor.

Reviews

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Video Review: https://youtu.be/Wew-Ghpcz4Y

****Actual Rating 4.5****

While I said in my review of Diviner that that one was my favorite in this series so far, well, it just got dethroned to second by this amazing, heartbreaking, hard to swallow at times, yet so, so powerful and beautiful end to this series. I teared up and inwardly cheered as these characters hurtled to their amazing end and was deeply satisfied by the end.

These characters aren’t the same people they were back in Starlighter, and I know they will continue to grow and live in my heart and mind long after I close the book. They go through the toughest trials and hardships and despite it all they come out the other side all the more braver, stronger, wiser, and compassionate then they were before, humans and dragons alike. It’s hard and beautiful and I loved every page and second of it.

I honestly don’t know what else to say except I love this book and this series and am so, so glad I reread it this year. I HIGHLY recommend this series and will be rereading it again! Also recommend reading this series alongside the Tales of Starlight series (which I hope to read the last book sooner rather than later!) to gain a bigger picture of the world and characters. Plus they’re amazing too!


‼️Content‼️

Violence: fighting with swords (not detailed); injuries and blood (not detailed); characters nearly drown; characters kill dragons (not detailed); a character is tortured with shocks (not detailed); humans and dragons are attacked by and fight other dragons (not detailed); a character is crushed to death (not shown or detailed); people are frozen or burned to death; dragons are blown up and bits of them fall around the characters

Sexual: it’s implied the humans are forced to be “breeders” to produce more slaves for the dragons (never shown or detailed); kisses on the cheek and knuckles; a kiss (not detailed)

Drug/Alcohol: a character has the magical power to hypnotize dragons and humans

Other: magic; magical creatures, places, objects, and abilities; people are enslaved by dragons; characters are chained up; characters use magically enhanced fingers for a cure; some characters are spirits; a dragon uses a connection to see through another dragon’s eyes; death and grief; a character is an emotional and mental manipulator; a disease ravages humans’ bodies with sores, a rash, pain, and pieces of flesh and body parts rot away (not to semi detailed); explosions

[Rachel Guisewite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good series overall. Confusing and weird romance storylines with unsatisfying resolutions.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always approach the last book of a series with a certain amount of trepidation. Writing a review for one is also a source for anxiety. Somehow I need to convey how amazing a book is without giving anything away for its preceding books. So, for my review of the conclusion to Bryan Davis’ Dragons of Starlight quartet, I’m going to try to focus on what I thought of Liberator itself and not just as part of the series. I will simply note that once again Mr. Davis has managed to avoid both having his ending leave the reader with more questions and having everything wrap up too conveniently, leaving readers with the warmth of a series well done.

In Liberator, the war between the dragons and the humans is escalating. In attempt to halt the army of rescuers, the dragons have infected various slaves with a deadly disease. Among the sick is Koran, the Starlighter, and suddenly the rescue efforts becoming divided. Some are racing to find a cure, and others are continuing on a march to overthrow the evil dragon Taushin. And time is running out.

When you read books by Mr. Davis, there are always two strengths you can count on: an ensemble cast of vividly well-rounded characters, and strong Biblical truths flawlessly incorporated in stories of swords and dragons. In the case of Liberator, some of these truths were much harder to reconcile than usual. Namely the line, “Sometimes justice triumphs over mercy.” In many ways, I think all four books have been leading to that line and that idea. Mercy and grace are at the heart of Christianity, and extending mercy is often portrayed as a Christian trait. So it’s hard and little scary to consider the idea that justice might come first. However, as I thought it over, I realized that even in the case of God’s mercy, it occurs after justice has been served, and I felt Mr. Davis showed this clearly as justice was served on the slavers and destroyers, and not the entire race of dragons.

As for the characters, all of the main characters are wonderful examples of the distinction between young adult and teenager. Even though they are young, the Masters boys, Elyssa, Koran, Walter, and all the others, never once turn away from the adventures and destinies set before them. Honor, courage, loyalty, and love are traits they learn to rely on as they set out to free an entire world. While I would say that overall, the intended audience for Dragons of Starlight is probably a bit older than a series like Raising Dragons, these are the sorts of books you read aloud to the kids and look forward to seeing reenacted in the living room.

Reblogged from my site: www.myrdan.com
My thanks to Zondervan for providing me a review copy of Liberator, in return for my honest opinion of this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liberator is a wonderful conclusion to the Dragons of Starlight series. Packed full with lessons of sacrifice and love. Most of all It's about Mercy and justice and how the two go hand in hand, you can't have one without the other. It's a race against time for Jason, Koren, Elyssa, and friends to stop Taushin's rule, and they race to find a cure for a disease that threatens to wipe out the slaves and all humans on Major four. Major Four has sent an army to battle against the dragons, but are unaware of the disease that has been unleashed. The disease already has Koren in it's grasp. Will she discover the truth of mercy and justice? will she unravel the mystery behind Taushin? and most of all will she be able to find a cure for the disease before it kills everyone including herself? She learns quickly that in order for the cure to work someone will have to pay the ultimate sacrifice. A must read series.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometime in the middle of Diviner , this book's predecessor, I gave up trying to understand the plot.  I just...stopped.  Now, I read the first two books of this series back last January and April, so I'd been away from the series for awhile.  But still.  I'm wondering if I didn't manage to miss an important plot element somewhere along the way, because much of what I was reading in Diviner and Liberator made me go "Um...what?"

 

At this point, I think not trying to understand the plot actually helped me enjoy this book.  If I had gone through and tried to piece it together, I would have been more annoyed than I already was.  Now, none of this is a good thing.  I just accepted it because the alternative was rereading the entire series.

 

My review of Diviner hardly covered all the issues I had with it, and most of these issues still pertain to this book.  Here are the things that annoyed me, in no particular order:

 

1. Many characters are so righteous and noble all the time.  ALL THE TIME.  Especially Jason and Elyssa.  This is Christian fiction--I get it.  But just because you're trying to promote Christian ideals in your book doesn't mean your characters can be better-than-ideal humans.  No, humans aren't that noble.  They make mistakes.  The point of Christianity isn't perfect people being perfect all the time.  It's imperfect people growing and becoming better people.  (For the record, there is some great Christian fiction about imperfect, human people.  Like this, this, and this [this one isn't published as a Christian fiction but it could be counted as such].)
2. For a book with characters that have such strong morals, the morals of this book are actually pretty screwed-up in places.  Mainly, the whole thing about "Well, since the slaves have a very rational fear of being independent and therefore are skeptical about the creepy magical girl offering them liberty, they don't deserve freedom!"  What?  No.  If you had lived your whole life as a slave, the idea of "let's go to another planet and be free, whatever that means" would freak you out, too.  It would freak anybody out.  So would the odd magic and the scary dragons.  These people had reasons to be afraid, and saying they don't deserve freedom is like saying that a dog doesn't deserve to go to the vet because he's scared of it.
3.  This: "Still, with so few dragons, every male needed to find a proper mate to help populate Starlight, and only one or two intelligent females remained available."  Um...what?  All the female dragons are turning into mindless monsters?  When did that start happening?  Am I the only one who finds this more than a little concerning?
4. There's an evil dragon named Beth.  BETH.  'Nuff said.
5. The writing was disorienting.  We'd be in one scene, with a certain set of characters, in a certain place, and then suddenly more characters would appear out of nowhere.  Apparently they were there all along, but it felt to me like they popped up out of thin air. 
6. How does a society not advanced enough to have invented the microscope know to (and how to) sterilize things to not spread germs?
7. Wait...that Goodreads blurb has a typo.  It says human's where it should say humans'.  *fixes typo*  Wait...is this on the back of my book?  *goes to check my copy*  Oh, come on.  There's a typo on the back cover, too.  Editors, anyone?  Editors?

So, what did I like about this?  The cool setting.  I love the mix of science fiction and fantasy.  Koren's character development.  Because she was one character who seemed realistic, who had moral growth.  And because of that, I could connect to her.  Also, the relationship dynamic between Magnar and Arxad is interesting, but I wish it would've gotten more attention.

Even though this book annoyed me, I have loved some of this author's other books.  Which is why this made me happy:
 

 

Overall, this was a "meh" type of book that got on my nerves in several ways.  It's more of a 2.5 star book, but I rounded up.

 

Similar Books: Raising Dragons, The Door Within, Seraphina

[Georgann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying ending to a rather slow moving series.

[Peyton Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10. The Benefile are so cool.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, am I at the end of this amazing series already? It seems like just a short while ago, I was being introduced to Koren, a slave who's trying to find out the truth and Jason, a boy from Major Four who's trying to find out what happened to his brother. And now, Koren has realised that she's a Starlighter and Jason is playing a major role in the liberation of slaves on Starlight. And we've been introduced to so many characters, most of whom have grown throughout this series.

In the final book, a lot of events are happening.

Oh, you wanted more detail right? Well, the soldier's from Major Four are here, the Benefile have been released and Taushin is still plotting something. All this will lead to one final, major collision that ends most of the problems that our characters are facing now.

In the book, there's a lot of talk about how Cassabrie is unpredictable and hard to understand, but personally, I thought she was one of the most straightforward characters. In fact, I thought that Koren was more unpredictable (really, helping Taushin again?). I'm trying to understand her, but I don't understand how even after all she's learnt, she still thinks she can out-wit Taushin by pretending to work with him. Basically, Cassabrie expressed my feelings when she said

"Are you listening to yourself? You put your own wrists in manacles! Koren, how many more times are you going to enslave yourself? You think you won't be persuaded to join the darkness, but your bonds say otherwise."

As for the other characters, wow, you can really see how they've grown. And if you're interested in the love life of Jason, just know that there's a really sweet ending in store for him.

The topic that caught my eye the most in this book would be the racism. Literally, racism, as in dragons versus humans. I think by this book, it's clear to the reader that the dragons aren't cardboard characters, they're characters that change and grow just like the human characters. Yet sadly, it seems like while Axard and Magmar are slowly getting over their prejudices about humans, the humans are still far away, with quite little progress (except for Tibalt). I think this is because the book focuses on the liberation of humans rather than inter-species coorporation, but it was just a topic that struck me. It's certainly not a main theme in this series.

Before I end, I want to share this lovely quote from the book.

"I was speaking about idolatry. For some, their idol is a grudge that is nursed and prepared for the day of wrath. For others, it is an end to suffering, or a beloeved person, or perhaps the idea of love itself. Any idol is able to turn a mind from the Creator, so they must all be purged by choice or smashed through trials, and only then will darkeness turn to light."

You probably shouldn't pick up this book staight away, the plot is quite confusing without prior knowledge. What you should do is to read the entire series. Start with Starlighter, move on to Warrior, and finish Diviner before you pick up this wonderful book!

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

And don't forget! My book giveaway of Starlighter and Diviner closes in one week from now on the 12/9/2012!

First posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Sic Transit Gloria · Rating 1 out of 5]

tl;dr: Just don't.

The only thing I liked about this book was that it marked the end of a horrible series. Now on to things I didn't like.

Besides the bad pacing, flat characters and lack of a descriptive setting, there were a few things that really stuck out to me, which is remarkable, because those things are usually enough to completely kill any enjoyment of a book on their own. No, what I really disliked is that this book is trying far too hard to be of a religious theme, and still manages to fail to convey anything at all. The world of the series is set up to be loose and unstructured so that the author may twist it to his whims to display what metaphors he pleases. Unfortunately, this is painfully obvious. All of the magic and/or miracles (the book never really described what the special things happening were) follow no rules at all, and could best be described as a giant, over-laying "deus ex machina". If you enjoyed how the Inheritance cycle laid out the rules of magic and then followed those rules rigorously, then you will agree with me: this wishy-washy, whatever-is-plot-necessary-goes sort of magic is ridiculous.

This bending over backwards to make a point is more prevelant than that, though. Really, the whole series could have been over in Book 2 without any mention of "Exodus", "Alaph", "The Benefile", and more. These things added nothing to the story besides complications and confusion. It just felt so arbitrary. On every back cover of the books of this series was the description from Book 1, the thing about Koren and Jason and freeing the slaves. I imagine that this is supposed to be the plot of the series, but it isn't, because all the other things crowd it out.

Despite all this sacrifice-of the characters, plot, pacing, setting, and sense-I have no idea what Bryan Davis is trying to say. Supposedly, this book is "Christian Fiction", but I honestly cannot see a connection. Taushin was the devil, that was obvious, at least, thanks to several characters specifically pointing that out. But then was Cassabrie supposed to be Jesus? Or was that Alaph? What was Arxad supposed to be? Or Elyssa? What was the point of Exodus? Was there any significance to Marcelle? I don't know, and the books aren't going to tell me.

At least it's over. Now I can get on to books I actually enjoy.

[Christie Hagerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a complicated series, following various humans and dragons through two different worlds, some of them changing their loyalties as the story unfolds. It's definitely not a book you can pick up and understand without having read the three that come before it, and even then it can get a little confusing. I'd recommend not waiting too long between each book.

There are spiritual truths sprinkled throughout this fantasy story about heroes and villains, hope and despair, sacrifice and risk. In chapter 5, a wise dragon speaks about idolatry:

For some, their idol is a grudge that is nursed and prepared for the day of wrath. For others it is an end to suffering, or a beloved person, or perhaps the idea of love itself Any idol is able to turn a mind from the Creator, so they must all be purged by choice or smashed through trials, and only then will darkness turn to light.

In chapter 9, a father comforts his daughter with these words when she questioned why the innocent sometimes suffer:

...although you suffered as an innocent babe, you were still in heaven's embrace. no one is born alienated from the Creator. Alienation results from a choice to serve evil. Although we both wept and wailed in the throes of disease, this truth brought comfort: Suffering is measured by days or weeks or months, but heaven lasts for an eternity.

I found myself highlighting great quotes throughout the book, as the characters struggled to free the slaves, cure disease, live up to their individual callings, determine who could be trusted, and ultimately, reconcile their worlds with the Creator who designed them.

With a lot happening on different levels, this last book will keep you on your toes as you follow the exciting adventures in this conclusion to the "Dragons of Starlight" series.

PARENTAL RATING: PG-13. Dragons are enslaving human adults and children, and often their treatment is quite cruel. The descriptions aren't particularly violent, but you may want to read through this one a bit if your child is particularly sensitive.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, courtesy of netGalley.com.

[Meagan Myhren-Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liberator

Dragons of Starlight Book 4

By Bryan Davis





Starlight is about to change forever. The disease unleashed by Exodus is striking down the slaves. Jason and Elyssa are heading north to warn the soldiers of Major 4 of the deadly new threat.

The usurper dragon king Taushin has a plan that will bring one of the Starlighters under his power. Who will succomb to his treachery Koren or Cassabrie?

When Magnar crosses the border of the Northlands to aid the soldiers the Benefile are released to exact justice upon the dragons of the Southlands. But when the Benefile realize that the slaves are carrying a deadly disease that could kill the soldiers they begin freezing the slaves. But how far will justice go before it is satisfied? And will mercy have no say in the battle?

The liberation of Starlight comes at a great cost to all, but who will prevail in the end? And who is the true Liberator?

Liberator is an exciting conclusion to the Dragons of Starlight series. The various efforts come to a head as loyalties are tested and alliances are formed. Will the Masters family ever be brought together again or will they forever be separated by the dragons of Starlight? Will the treachery of Orion be discovered?

Mercy is the greatest gift that anyone can give? But can the lesson be learned and accept in time?

I received a copy of this book through the Z Street Team program. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

My main problem is that this series started out with so much potential and the author dragged this out between four books (and it doesn't work split up, you basically need to read it all in one go), when it could have been cut down to 3 or even 2 books.

Magnar's sudden change CAME OUT OF NOWHERE and, personally, I related more to the dragons throughout the book cause the human characters throughout most of the series state "We cannot trust them, they are evil" when the dragons they are allying with are STANDING RIGHT THERE!
[was this because they were "whispering"? I dunno, cause it was never stated outright, just implied since the dragons never reacted]

The human characters did things just as wrong as the dragons did, the only difference was they were doing it the "right" way. (ends justifies the means? okay yes, at some points, but there needs to be more clear differences between good and evil characters)

All the characters sounded the same, there were a lot of times where I couldn't figure out who was talking because a lot of the humans (and even the dragons) had similar tones and ways of talking.

All-in-all I would go back and change my ratings on the first three books to 1 because of the overall series. It just doesn't work. Which is unfortunate, because I have liked Bryan Davis' previous books.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the ending to this series. It was sad at times but very satisfying. Bryan Davis even left enough stories untold that he was able to create a trilogy to finish them off. I really enjoyed his writing and while it is not my all time favorite series of his, it still beats most books hands down. The characters were developed, the connections made, and justice served by the end. The struggles were real, and while in another world, were fully accessible and relateable to the the reader. His writing was superb as always, drawing you in until it is the only world that exists at the moment. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in this story and really appreciated the struggles that the characters went through because they helped me to think out my own thoughts. Always a worthwhile read. Thank you for another wonderful story Bryan Davis!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selfless love and sacrifice, adventure and action, dragons. What more could a girl ask for? Jason, Elyssa, and Koren are fighting to free the slaves from bondage still, with the climax coming up, as they also learn to set themselves free from bondages that don't have physical chains. They also learned to turn to the Creator in their time of trials and to trust in him. There were only a couple of things in this series that I felt was strange but this was a good ending to a series that I followed from the beginning. Love this cover too. I don't know why, but it keeps catching my eye, causing me to stair at it. I think it is my favorite cover at of the series.

In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free through the Z Street Team through Zondervan.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liberator by Bryan Davis is the fourth and final book in the Dragons of Starlight series. Though it is always sad when a favorite series of mine is done Mr. Davis does a great job with the conclusion. I loved the book and look forward to reading more of his books. Specifically his newest book in the Children of the Bard series, From the Mouth of Elijah. If you haven’t read any of Mr. Davis’s other book I would suggest doing so ASAP! But back to Liberator. All in all this is a must read if you’re a fan of Bryan Davis and the Dragons of Starlight series. If you haven’t read the first three books in the series you should do so immediately. I absolutely LOVED this book!

[Bethany Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final book in the Dragons of Srarlight series by Bryan Davis.

I really loved this book. It was such an amazing adventure and an even better conclusion. It rapped the series up for me and I could not put it down for the last 5 chapters. It was that amazing for me.

Throughout the whole series I could not have imagined what would happen and how it could end. I loved the characters even more in this book. Even though I did not understand some of their decisions till later, it was exciting to read how those decisions are played out and work out.

Every good book..loved it and the whole series.

[Ella Mollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn’t his best series, however I still love how Bryan Davis writes, that is for certain. But I had to wait though reading 4 books for Jason and Elyssa to finally get married!? And it was kind of a shock to read, and I quote ‘“ I hereby formally surrender to the liberators from Major Four. I release all claims to ownership of any humans, and I abdicate my rule and hand it over to Koren the starlighter.”’ It was sad when so many of the friends from Major Four died, although now that I think of it most where just former slaves of starlight which stinks. I think it was an okay book and altogether and decent series.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic conclusion to a terrific series! Picking up right where Book #3 left off, Liberator takes us again into the world of Starlight where dragons and humans battle not only with each other, but sometimes with themselves. I was a tad confused in the beginning of the story as I couldn't remember exactly where the characters were at the end of the last book, but about a third of the way in I was once again fully immersed. Recommended highly for young and old alike!

[ShingetsuMoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book and I give it a 3.5. This has been a good series but it's hard to get attached to Koren as a character when all she does throughout this book is object to everything everyone else says and rejects all the help they offer in favor of her own methods.

The religious analogies in this book were too obvious and heavy-handed as well. Bryan Davis would have been better off making things far more subtle.

This is an ok series but it was hard to get into the characters sometimes.

[Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great conclusion to the series, I quite enjoyed it.

If you liked this book you may also like:...

Dragons:
- Masters & Slayers (Tales of Starlight) by Bryan Davis
- Raising Dragons (Dragons in our Midst) by Bryan Davis
- The Fire within (The Last Dragon chronicles) by Chris d'Lacey
-Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini

Christian Fantasy:
- By Darkness Hid (Blood of Kings) by Jill Williamson

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good ending. I hated how my library took FOREVER to get it. I loved the way the author wraped everything up and it brought a good sense of closure to the series. However, does Koren ever get married? At least Jason has a happy ending (married) and with his whole family too. I just love christian fiction, especially when it had dragons!

[Brie Donning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite this being the only book I've read, I still feel in love with the characters and felt the themes.

The thing I most one to know that I didn't find out is the ages of Jason and Elyssa and Koryn. I first imagined them to only be early teens but they must somewhat older than that.

I'll have to read the rest of the series someday.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful finish to the Dragons of Starlight series. It is my favourite of the series, and Mr. Davis' works never fail to impress me. I'm eager to begin reading Tales of Starlight, in which I hope will lie the solutions to many unanswered questions.

[Michael McBride]

*faints from epicness*

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh...

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though it's been quite awhile since I read #3 and it took me awhile to remember everyone and what was going on. Definitely a series I would recommend.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great conclusion to a thrilling series! Every moment was filled with action and suspense right up to the end.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great conclusion for a wonderful series

[Jacob Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good ending to a good story