Bard's Oath

Dragonlord #3

by Joanne Bertin

In The Last Dragonlord and Dragon and Phoenix Joanne Bertin created a world unlike our own, where Dragonlords soar in the skies above the many realms of the land. The Dragonlords’ magic is unique, giving them the ability to change from dragon to human form; to communicate silently among themselves; and other abilities not known to mortals. For many millennia, the Dragonlords have been a blessing to the world, with their great magic and awesome power. And though they live far longer than the humans who they resemble when not in their draconic state, these fabled changelings are still loyal to their human friends. Now in Bard's Oath, their magic is not the only power abroad in the world. And not all the magic is as benign as theirs. Leet, a master bard of great ability and vaulting ambition, has his own magic, but of a much darker nature. Years ago, death claimed the woman he loved, setting him on a course to avenge her death, no matter the consequences. Now, mad with hatred and consumed by his thirst for revenge, Leet has set in motion a nefarious plot that ensnares the friend of a Dragonlord, using his bardic skills . . . and dark powers only he can summon, to accomplish his bitter task. Raven, a young horse-breeder friend of the Dragonloard Linden Rathan, is ensnared by Leet and under the bard’s spell, is one of the bard’s unwitting catspaws. When accused of a heinous crime, Raven turns to Linden, and while Dragonlords normally do not meddle in human affairs, Linden comes to Raven’s aid, loath to abandon him in his time of desperate need. But Raven, and others victimized by Leet, are at the mercy of human justice. Can even a Dragonlord save them from a dire fate before it is too late?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure, Magic, Epic Fantasy

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

I was born in 1953 in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. I was there for a very short time, though, as my parents soon returned to their home in Stamford, CT. I've lived most of my life since then in one town or another in Connecticut.

I've held a variety of jobs from working in factories (no fun) to painting comic books back in the days when the color separating was done by hand (also no fun, but did I ever get some great double-takes when asked "So, what do you do for a living?") to a couple of years in a second job as an assistant goatherd on a dairy goat farm (fun). For the past twenty years or so I've worked in libraries--just can't get away from books!

My ambition is to make enough money from my books that I can quit my day job and write full time.

Reviews

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 40%. What we have here is a chasm between my expectations and what the author delivered. It was an okay book if you like horses, horses, and more horses, but I was hoping for dragons, dragons, and more dragons.

I’d eagerly anticipated this book for a decade and even did a reread gearing up for it. Perhaps the building expectations over so much time is what led to my downfall.

[Cece]

holy shit... I've been waiting on this for a decade... A DECADE!!!

11/28/2012
OMG I GOT IT! IT'S IN MY HANDS! I CANNOT WAIT TO READ IT!

[Nigel · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Apologies, I meant for this review to be short, but by the end it was quite long and descended into me ranting...)

I'm not going to lie. I do not consider Joanne Bertin to be a particularly good author. If she hadn't snared me whilst I was young and impressionable with the Last Dragonlord, I would not have read Bard's Oath this week.

However, 15 years ago snare me she did, and she did so with the storyline. Having read LD again a month ago, even that has lost it's appeal. However it still has a plot, it has some character development, and in a general but important way - something happens in this book.

I have a few key disgruntlements with this book:

1. Nothing happens in this book. In her other books, there is clear a plot for the goodies and a plot for the baddies, climaxing in the big show down. In this book, 33% of the way in (thanks Kindle app for giving me percentages) and still nothing has happened, we are still in a contextual piece. Until the last third of the book, our traditional heroes barely feature, and most of the time is spent with Raven and some other random characters. And what is the finally of this book? Some sort of lame murder mystery showdown?!

2. The characters?! There is absolutely zero character development in this book. Who are the main good guys? At the start, it felt like the Dragonlords were not the feature characters, and that this story was about Raven. I guess that could have worked. But as the book progresses, and definitely throughout his court scene, Raven is but a side character who plays no part in freeing himself! Is the main character then Otter, who is a Bard etc? No, because again he isn't an active participant for most of the middle of the book, and doesn't even play a key part other than to NOT play the harp in the final scene. Is it the Dragonlords then, whose boring journey to the boring horse fair we are forced to endure for half the book, and who suddenly get active in the last third to save Raven's boring life?

I guess Leet is the main bad buy? Least we get some character development with him, as his boring old harp - the background of which we don't know for most of the book - corrupts him. Least we know he is motivated by revenge and so on. But it's hard to get too bothered by "Gull the Blooddrinker" when we don't even know what he has done till the last 5% of the book. Sorry Joanne, saying that stories of Gull send shivers down [insert boring good guy name] here, is not good enough to engage your audience.

19/03/13 Edit: Jaida? Otter was married? And Linden and Otter have never talked about it before? And Leet was jealous? And Joanne didn't feel any back story was required here to engage us in this love triangle? Love triangles are possibly the main thing Joanne Bertin can write about (relatively)? Although arguably the lack of love stories in this book is probably part of the reason why it comes out so poorly...

3. "Dragonlord's Orders". And let's pretend that the concept even makes sense. I am so sick of "Dragonlord's Orders". Joanne's standard Get Out of Jail Free card is played at least twice that I can remember, when there is no clear reason for a side character to help, or to tell the truth, out comes the Dragonlord's Orders to enable the person. A person who usually has a "twinkle in their eye", or who our Dragonlord somehow knows is looking for those two words.

4. The stupid bloody animals. Joanne is obviously an animal lover. We've all been subjected to her turning horses, and in this book "brothers-in-fur", effectively into characters themselves. But then, because these characters are so intelligent and powerful, Joanne needs to get them out of the scene before she can do anything with them. Raven's horse needs to be removed from the scene before he can be ambushed. Pod's dog needs to be removed before there can be a boring chase scene between herself and that random madman who is never really explained.

5. Cassori. Rann. Kella. Lleyd. Why on earth can't Joanne move away from these characters. She has an entire universe, generated from her imagination, to choose from. Yet we end up with these same characters appearing in all the books.

6. What the hell was that scene about with the merlins? Am I right in saying that it was some emotional scene in the context of the Last Dragonlord, which Joanne threw into BO, without any build up at all? Oh Maurynna, love, I'm so sorry for something that the audience read about 15 years ago.

Things that were surprisingly missing from the book:
- No flash backs to Rani and whatever
- Linden's sword, Tsan Rwhatever wasn't mentioned once
- Linden didn't nearly lose his soul to Rathan in some boring dragony bit, ending in him almost uselessly shouting "Rathan remember your promise"
- No new dragonlord's were found in the making on this book
- Poor old Shan didn't get any parts, not even to be fed an apple or for Linden to dodge a bite
- Sadly, no use of the phrase "Keelhaul"

[Kai Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost feel that two stars is too kind. I loved her first two books, but this book...I don't think I've ever read a book that's actually made me utter out loud "UGH this is so BORING!!!" I heard she had a loss in the family that put her in a depression...and this book seems to reflect it. It really feels like she was almost saying "no...I have to write this....my readers are expecting me to finish it so I will." The writing doesn't flow like her first two books...it almost feels like she was suffering a writers block but wrote the book anyway. I haven't even finished it and I'm not sure that I will but halfway through and they are still at that damn horse fair....

I had hoped for more dragonlord explanation...why are new dragonlords not being sensed by truedragons? How many more are there? What about that little river dragon? Instead...I got a horse fair. After looking forward to this for a decade....I am disappointed.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

So here it is. After 10 years of re-reading Last Dragonlord and Dragon and Phoenix, I finally get to see what happens next. Was it worth the wait? I'm not sure. After thinking about it for the past few days, I just feel like something was missing from this book. Some intangible quality that the other two books had that drew me in instantly. The characters seemed less colourful, the world was less magical, and the adventure was on a much smaller scale. There were also not enough dragons; at least not until the end.

The story felt rushed in some parts, like parts were just skipped over. This usually occurred during the portions dealing with Maurynna and Linden (my favourite characters) and then the parts devoted to Pod and Leet were drawn out and too detailed. I didn't really understand the role of Pod until the end and even then her part could have been reduced to focus on the more central story.

Criticism aside, I still enjoyed this book and am a huge fan of the series. I will continue to re-read them for years to come. I sincerely hope that Bertin is not yet finished with her story of Linden and Maurynna and that there are many adventures to come.

[Ranting Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

Joanne Bertin’s debut book, The Last Dragonlord, was published back in 1998. Two years later, the sequel, Dragon and Phoenix, was released and those of us who’d read them eagerly awaited more. And waited. And waited. And eventually I gave up hope of ever getting my hands on the third book that was promised when Dragon and Phoenix was released. Imagine my shock and glee this past November when I saw on the coming releases list a little-heralded title by an author many people have forgotten about, but whom I remembered very fondly. Finally, twelve years after I had read the previous book, I could have the next adventure!

Bard’s Oath is the third book in the Dragonlord series, and opens about a year after the end of Dragon and Phoenix. Linden, Maurynna, Shima, Otter, and Raven are planning to meet up at a large horse fair, the first time they’ve all been in one place since their last adventure. But what fun would it be for us readers if something didn’t go horribly wrong? Raven is framed for murder by someone wielding dark magic, and it’s up to his friends to clear his name and catch the true murderer before he’s handed over to the hangman.

A captivating world
Bertin, even after her hiatus, is still a fantastic worldbuilder. The Five Kingdoms are richly detailed with a host of original characters and differing cultural values. The Dragonlords are a small group of were-dragons, and because of their magical abilities (including incredibly long lives), Dragonlords are considered to be a rank above royalty and serve as international arbiters in the Five Kingdoms. After all, who wants to argue with someone who can change into a dragon and eat you if you piss them off? Much of the action in this book takes place in a kingdom called Cassori, which is a hyper-rank-obsessed realm. So you can imagine how handy it is to have a trio of Dragonlords on your side when you’re a common man in legal trouble like Raven. More so than in previous books, Bertin takes some time to fill out the social mores and obligations surrounding the official rank of Bard in the Five Kingdoms, which was nice to see.

Writing is not like riding a bike!
There are some issues with Bard’s Oath that I don’t recall being there in the first two books. At this point in the series, Bertin has a large cast of characters, and there are many points of view. For a book that’s 430 pages long, having eight or more characters who get point of view at least once is overboard (at least for me). As there was in Dragon and Phoenix, there’s a separate storyline in Bard’s Oath that only connects with the main plot fairly late in the book. However, where in Dragon and Phoenix the secondary plot was essentially a separate book that just happened to be bound in between episodes of the main plot, here the secondary plot is not terribly compelling. Its tie-in to the main plot line is fleeting and a thing of convenience, and for that level of convenience I’d say that you could have skipped the entire second plot and been just as content. The first half of both Bertin’s previous books tend to drag a bit as she sets things up in small pieces here and there. Bard’s Oath drags more than that. However, I will say that the second half of the book was tightly paced and well done. I’ll blame the initial clutter of the novel on the fact that it took twelve years to write. There are passages which are nice and fun but don’t really add to the plot. This is something I’d expect out of fan fiction, but when there’s such a gap between books, I can’t entirely fault the original author for doing it.

Why should you read this book?
This is not a good book to pick up on its own. Bertin doesn’t go back and connect the dots or do any explaining for potential newcomers. Why can Linden shape shift into a dragon? What’s a Llysanyin? Without reading the first two books, you will never figure these things out. However, since the first two books are worthwhile reads, this is hardly a chore. For those of us who have read the first two books (albeit a few years ago) Bard’s Oath is a fun return to a well-loved world (at least, I love it well). While it’s not the masterwork I had hoped for after twelve years’ wait, it has certainly whet my appetite for more! Let’s just hope the fourth book doesn’t take another twelve years. But even if it does, I’ll still happily read it.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is set in the same world and follows the same characters as Bertin's previous two books, but it works well as a stand-alone story. Here we find Dragonlords (people who are half dragon and can shift between forms) Linden, Maurynna, and Shima and their human compatriot Raven caught up in the vengeful machinations of Leet, a master bard who has found a way to use dark and dangerous magic to achieve his ends. Bard's Oath is a wonderful mixture of high fantasy and detective story, with great characters and world-building.
The pace for the most of the book is somewhat slow, but I found it not only effective, but extremely enjoyable. There are many characters and plot threads, and the leisurely pacing gives the reader time to really get to know all of it and to savor each element. There's a strong sense of place and a richness to the cast of characters that makes the world and its people feel very real and alive. The writing also had a warmth and vividness to it that I loved. Sitting down to read Bard's Oath felt like going to visit a favorite town filled with friends, which makes me a little sad to have finished it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dude, where's my plot?

I count Dragon and Phoenix as one of my favorite books of all time; I've read it over and over. I've been waiting for the follow up with bated breath, lo these many years, until I'm practically given up hope for it to ever arrive. I almost didn't believe it when Goodreads sent me the announcement that it was coming out. I couldn't wait to get to it, and...then I did.

Can't wait to find out what happened to Yesuin and Xu, Shei-Luin and Xahnu? What about Miune? How is Jehanglan faring as it struggles with civil war? Think those might be important questions? Well, too bad, because the author doesn't!

That's right--after the cliffhanger end of Dragon and Phoenix, Bertin jumps forward and sideways, and leaves all of that mess behind. I suspected we had a problem when they didn't even mention other characters in the recap prologue. I'm hoping there's a #4 coming that will shift back to the rest of the story, but for Bard's Oath, Bertin decided to build on her already-impressive cast of characters and add literally dozens more for us to keep straight. She echoes back to The Last Dragonlord, so at least it isn't entirely new, but I don't see why we had to hit the reset button. Even then, the whole thing felt like a pile of short stories that only wound together at the very end, and even then, half of them were complete unnecessary. One sub-plot, for example, wound through the entire book before only mattering in the most peripheral fashion possible--it could have been handled with a few asides, rather than taking up all the space it did and leaving me wondering what the hell was going on. Not to mention that the entire plot moved at a snails pace, and only really picked up and tied together at the very end. I was deeply, seriously disappointed, although I recognize that part of this may be because I had such high hopes. After the sting of disappointed fades, I'll read it again and see if I like it better the second time. Right now, though, all I can hope for is that Bertin has another novel in the works to redeem herself and get the whole series back on track.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truly, the title should've told me everything. Bards, in the other books of this universe, were supporting characters for the Dragonlords' 'big bad adventures/showdowns against evil magic for the fate of both their souls.' Here the bards- and other 'normals' in the Five Kingdoms- take the spotlight.

The problem is that without the focus on the Mary-Sue-dorable Dragonlords and their fate-of-many-kingdoms challenges, other elements of Bertin's storytelling fall apart. Her books were always very slow to develop- while readers know Rann is in danger, eg., it's not until right before the bad guys bite it that anyone among the good guys figures this out. Similarly the trek through Jenghalan weaves a long meandering plot path as all the other pieces fall into place, before BOOM, the party scatters to prepare for the finally-unfolding climax.

Which was fine when we were spending much of our time with petulant Emperors, evil mages, undiscovered fledgling Dragonlords, scheming concubines... etc. But... Beast-Healers? A dozen different nobles? And the hardest thing most Dragonlords have to do is make a long distance flight or two?

The other reason this book really lacked suspense or excitement was Bertin's attempt to make an interesting choice with Leet- having him not start out as quite-totally-evil and be influenced by Gull into the acts that stage the main conflict so far as our Heroes are concerned. BUT- this means we don't really get what it is he wants (and what he originally wants turns out to be rather stupid, to boot- no wonder Gull is able to convince him that he needs to up the stakes.) And as a bonus it slows the development of the plot even further.

In the end, the inclusion of characters I liked- Rann especially- and the usual Mary Sue trappings- brothers-in-fur! Why not! -meant I was glad I read it for the sake of closing the loop on a series that 12 year old me had loved.

[Fleurbleues · Rating 3 out of 5]

To say I was disappointed in this book is a bit of an understatement. After waiting for a decade for this book to come out I expected something wonderful. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this book. When the book was good it really was good, but when it wasn't it really wasn't. The biggest issue I had with this book was that it was incredibly slow in the beginning. It took a long time to get to the good stuff, but once it did I actually don't feel she rushed it. I think this book was more suited for a novella and that it was pretty fluffed up.

I also think a big problem with this book is that it really didn't continue with where Dragon and Phoenix left off. There are still a lot of loose ends to finish from the second book. None of which are addressed here. This wouldn't be a problem but it took so long for this book to come out and it looks like there may not be any more or we'll have to wait just as long for the next one that it's quite possible those threads will never be finished/finished in twenty years.

I actually did think the horse stuff was neat, but that's probably due to my enjoyment of horses in general. Horses are basically my life when I'm not reading or writing. However, they were used to the detriment of the book, slowing it down rather than adding anything really interesting.

I actually think Joanne Bertin's writing has improved overall and I felt it jumped around significantly less than the previous book Dragon and Phoenix something I'm happy with. However, there was something stilted about her writing, especially the dialogue and it felt stiff sometimes. There was something off about it. Overall though I was entertained but it was my least favorite in the series (hopefully so far).

[DemetraP · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first 2 books in the series were much better. This 3rd book focused on the character of Raven, Maurynna's childhood friend who ends up with the magical Llysanyin horse. Frankly, he bored me.

I wanted to read a book about the Dragonlords and Maurynna and Linden Rathan's relationship. Instead, I was forced to spend a lot of time in the mind of a murderer. There was no romance in this book.

Most of the book was told from Raven's point of view. And a 13 year old Beast Healer. I'm still not sure why the 13 year old Beast Healer was in the story. It seemed like she was there just to "pad" pages and make more of a story. We already knew who Gull the Blood Drinker was, the fact that they were lost in his evil forest didn't add anything to the story.

Basically everyone wanders around trying to prove Raven is innocent of murder. Not much Dragonlord stuff happens. The character of Shima is interested in a woman, but we don't find out what happens there either. Shima is there just to flirt and we don't get to know them very well. Pity.

I recommend book 1 The Last Dragonlord which had very fun dragon details and world building and romance with his soul twin Maurynna. Book 2 was good too. I do not recommend book 3. I only gave it 2 stars because I enjoyed seeing Linden and Maurynna's characters again.

[Michelle B]

A little bummed...

love, love, love the first two books in the series. I literally checked for YEARS for news about the long awaited Bards Oath. Honestly, compared to the others, the first half of the book feels like a way too long prologue. not nearly as exciting, and so little is about the dragonlords-they're basically secondary characters this time, and the huge introduction of Shims last book and the potential for awesome stories of him as the newest dragonflies were completely passed over. I was looking forward to their journey home, his introduction as the first dragonflies from jehanglan, and the amazing stories that could come along with that. Oh well...this book it was handy having people around to occasionally mindspeak and use their influence, I suppose....but that's mostly all the dragonlords you get this time around.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, but I wasn't really in love with it. I felt the ending just sort of fizzled out. I was really excited about the fact that it was taking place at a horse fair, but it wasn't as prominent as I was expecting. The climax of the story was alright, but I feel the resolution is what kind of killed it for me.

[Dulce Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first two back in 2000... I can't believe we finally get to read the last book in the trilogy! I am just soooooo happy!

[Mark]

Only waited 12 years for this one. Hope it's worth the wait. Going to have to re-read the first 2 books in the series in preparation.

[Terry McGarry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book, and it's great to see this series continued.

[Shadow Jubilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG, the third book is out? I can NOT believe it.

[Kailash Maharaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been trying for years to read this full series. I think I started the first one while I was still in high school over 2 decades ago. Finally managed to get them all and finally finished the trilogy.
The first two books were great. The concept of weredragons is great and The Last Dragonlord and the Dragon and the Phoenix did a great job of focusing on the lives and challenges of these rare individuals. With the Bard's Oath there were several characters brought that were strung together from the expanse of the whole trilogy. This is great as a conclusion as it ties everything together. The disappointing thing about this book is that it introduced all these characters in such detail but when it came to giving them all a pivotal role in the outcome of the story that is where Bertin lets the reader down.
While building on the characters and creating the links, Bertin takes us on a rather laboured journey. The characters that we have come to know and love from the first two books are set aside as supporting acts. It is as if the author wrote three quarters of the book and realised that she spent too much time on these new characters and plots so she once again called upon her favourites to close the story. A decent story yes, a great conclusion to an otherwise wonderful trilogy... no.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book honestly felt like it should have been the fourth, not the third, in this series and I can only hope that there is a fourth coming at some point to fill in some holes left from the first two books. Considering that this book was a decade in the making, I have some hope that this will still happen.

For the most part, this was a good book, but it got a three star instead of a four star rating because I was expecting something that would close up all the loopholes left by the previous two books in this series. Mostly in regards to the country of Jehanglan, what happened to the the baby found by the little water-dragon? What happened with the civil war? Why are the True Dragons no longer sensing Dragonlords (weredragons) in the making? So many questions... I mean, some of the main characters of that book just *poof* no mention, gone without a trace.

Otherwise... the book was dark and often times tragic in places, but fun and amazing in others! I love the idea of beast-healers and their brothers-in-fur. It wasn't so much about the Dragonlords as it was about Raven (which was ok, he grew on me by the end of the 2nd book), the Bards, and ... horses. Lots of horses.

[Kathryn McConaughy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Watching these characters run around is entertaining, but the way the story is structured drove me nuts. Half a dozen to a dozen characters had almost enough information to solve the entire problem for more than half of the book, but because they didn't push for the answer to one more question (despite actually thinking about asking the question, in some cases) they didn't solve it. Why did none of them share the relevant pieces of info with each other? Why didn't Kella tell an adult, any reasonable adult, what had happened?

And at the end, when everyone is running all over looking for evidence, if they had just found the one most relevant piece of evidence (the 'murder weapon') they wouldn't have needed any of the rest of it. I feel like the only reason Linden had to go to the scene of Gull's original crimes was to loop Pod in somehow, as otherwise that whole subplot really had no reason to exist...

There is a LOT of jumping from POV to POV here. It was really noticeable to me as I was reading. And the characters don't really have distinctive voices, which makes it harder to keep track of whose POV you are reading and who knows what about what's happening.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic from the beginning to the end, even when I needed frequent breaks for the suspense! Just like the previous two books, even when I could guess what was coming I was excited to have those expectations met. It never took away from the story. Some of the twists and turns were unexpected as well like in the previous books. Joanne Bertin weaves such amazing tales so expertly. I truly delight in the ways all the pieces fit together in the end. These books don’t disappoint. I have the first novel in paperback and I’ve re-read it over the years and now that I’ve read the other two books in the trilogy I think they’ll be ones I revisit from time to time whenever I miss Some of my very favorite characters. Now I’m left with a huge void because I don’t think anything can compare to my favorite Dragonlords, bard Otter, Raven and so many more. Aside from Leet, Tirael and Romissa there’s no shortage of characters that I’m very fond of. The only thing I wish Bard’s Oath had more of was a glimpse into Pod’s life with Kiga after it was all said and done. 10/10 recommend the Dragonlord Trilogy. It’s chef’s kiss!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

An idyllic horsefair is an opportunity for our Dragonlords to spend more time with their truehuman friends. When a mysterious and sinister harp and a decades old grudge boil over into an insidious creeping trap...

Why I started this book: Realized this week, that Bertin had written a finale to her series a decade later.

Why I finished it: Favorite characters, but I hate the slow build where different characters had pieces of the puzzle, but never followed up, or talked to each other and it just slowly piled up. Probably very realistic, but I was reading a book about Dragonlords so it wasn't appreciated.

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I enjoyed about this book is the last hundred pages wherein the author explains to us the “howdoneit,” since we pretty much know the who and the why to begin with. It is that telling that is well done, while the first 3/4s of the book is very sluggish in the telling of the subtext. It took me almost a month to read that first 3/4 portion and a couple hours to read that final hundred, which tells me exactly what I have related above this. I would expect this to be the last installment of this series. As an aside, for me personally, the story of revolving it around a horse race got me to at least keep reading. Too bad we never see the race(s).

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun third story set in the Dragonlords' world. Very interesting premise that keeps you reading. My only complaint is that Bertin uses the authorial trope of not having her characters remember things way too often. Whether it's dreams (which it's understandable you'd forget) or meetings, or noticing things, most of her characters seem to be walking around in a kind of daze in which they don't remember anything of importance for a very long time. Doing that occasionally builds tension; doing it often is annoying to me.

[Anita Woodall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Book

I am very glad to finally read this third book in the Dragonlord series by Joanne Bertin ! It is just as good as the previous two books in the series. This book left me wanting more stories about these characters.I still wonder if Raven and Maylinn will fall in love and get married? What a wedding that would be!

[Indy]

After falling in love with Joanne's first two books and then waiting so many years for this one, I was highly disappointed and decided after subjecting myself to almost two hundred pages, that I did not want to finish. It became so tedious that reading felt more like a chore than anything else.

[Michaell Baumler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was also hard to put down

[AnnMarie Willems · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Censored]! This was an amazing follow up for it's predecessors but totally different genre! If you like scary stories, this is definitely for you!

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK. I didn't know this book had finally been released until I saw it on the bookshelf at my local bookstore last week. I read Bertin's first two Dragonlord books when I was in high school, so when I saw "Bard's Oath" on the shelf, I shrieked loudly enough to frighten some nearby customers. I don't read many paperback books these days, but I bought this immediately.

First: I still absolutely love this world. I love Linden and Maurynna and Shima and Lleld and all the Llysanyins. I love Otter and Raven and Kella and Rann. I liked the intro/story so far bit at the beginning because while I have read the first two books at least 3 times each, it has been a while. I liked the overall story of vengeance and magic and bad guys being defeated.

Now for the however.

What was the point behind any of Pod's scenes? Just to continually interrupt the flow of the rest of the story so she could be rescued by Linden yet again? I didn't really like how her background was handled, either. Instead of waiting until the book was at least half way through for Linden to verbally explain how they met, I wish at least a little more than "he rescued me" to have been explained when Pod was first introduced. I really liked her character and her familiar, but I didn't like how she seemed to exist only for Linden to rescue. Unless there's a 4th book that runs with the possible plague and need for King's Blood plants, I really don't understand why ANY of those scenes were included. Linden could have found the area on his own.

That was my major problem with the book. The other problems involved stilted dialogue and a few too many, "Hey, what a coincidence" moments.

The part of me that still loves the earlier Dragonlord books loves this one, too. I really do. Once I step back from that, though, I just can't rate it any higher.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe Joanne Bertin has finally finished Bard's Oath! I read her first two books in high school back in the early 2000s and had practically given up hope of the third book ever getting published.

Overall it was okay, but the story develops at a slower pace than I remember for the first two books. I also had trouble jumping back into the series and remembering who all the characters were, but luckily there is a brief summary of the second book before the story even begins to refresh the reader's memory.

As usual, Bertin writes from the POV of a number of characters, so it was disconcerting at first to see how she would tie everyone's story threads together, but when the plot came together in the second half of the novel, I became much more invested in the story.

I must say, though, I did want more Mauryanna/Linden time...they practically spent zero time together by themselves. Given that they were the main characters in the first book (and sort of in the second book), this time it feels like they took a back seat. In fact, it didn't seem as if any of the characters stuck out as the main character(s); Bertin divides her time pretty evenly between all of them. Perhaps that's why it was harder for me to engross myself in the story...it's usually easier (in my experience at least) when there's a main character of some sort for me to focus on.

I'm hoping for a fourth book...Shima needs to find his soultwin too right? :)