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Scales of Fate #1
Scales of Fate: The Chosen Prince
A young dragon prince is forced to choose between the call of his heart and the duty to his crown.
Once in a generation, the dragon kingdoms are called upon to offer their finest prince to remain celibate and compete for the betrothal of the future Empress. Plucked from obscurity, dragon princes Uzzin and Razzan vie to become the Chosen Prince of their kingdom. Amid the competition, Razzan's heart is captured by an alluring and mysterious drake while facing the trials of maturity in a palace awash with tantalizing princesses. Will he navigate his burgeoning desires, a deadly rival, and a clandestine love, or will temptation be his downfall?
This novel contains many explicit and erotic scenes involving dragons and drakes, not humans or shifters. Additionally, there are a few scenes with intense violence. Mature audiences only.
Once in a generation, the dragon kingdoms are called upon to offer their finest prince to remain celibate and compete for the betrothal of the future Empress. Plucked from obscurity, dragon princes Uzzin and Razzan vie to become the Chosen Prince of their kingdom. Amid the competition, Razzan's heart is captured by an alluring and mysterious drake while facing the trials of maturity in a palace awash with tantalizing princesses. Will he navigate his burgeoning desires, a deadly rival, and a clandestine love, or will temptation be his downfall?
This novel contains many explicit and erotic scenes involving dragons and drakes, not humans or shifters. Additionally, there are a few scenes with intense violence. Mature audiences only.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2024
17 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 9, 2025
Well this was certainly an exotic one
Let’s get the obvious thing out of the way: I am aware this is erotica. Yes, a good part of this book is filled with mentions of mating, and there is a part where the protagonist gets a lesson on pleasing a female, not to mention the book is full of sexual references and some jokes. This is NOT a book for children.
Now that we got that out of the way, we can commence the regularly scheduled review. Scales of Fate is a relatively new dragon book that I have seen people compare to Wings of Fire, and after reading it, I can see why. The concept, and even some of the characters, are pretty similar to WOF, whether that be unintentional or intentional is unknown to me.
To put it simply, this book is basically Wings of Fire for adults. In a world of dragons, there exists a custom all dragons follow. Eight dragon tribes send eight worthy young adults to compete against one another for the paw of the celestial princess, a legendary dragon who is the heir to the throne of the celestial kingdom. Each dragon is taken from their homes and thrown into a glamorous life as they are trained and given the skills they need to best survive this game.
A young dragon, not yet mature, named Razzan, and his brother, are selected to take part in this competition, after being deemed worthy by their mother, and their life underground is cut short as they enter a world of royalty. Together they must train and perform at top form to continue impressing the queen, for only one brother can prevail. Oh, and one more thing, in accordance to the rules, the two brothers must save their virginity in order to qualify. The pressure is on, with their grumpy uncle constantly roughing them up during training, and their dragoness companion constantly trying to get them to falter and succumb to their urges.
Along the way, we meet the king and queen, and Razzan, constantly eclipsed by his brother, hides a secret relationship he’s formed with a lowly servant.
The writing in this book is without a doubt phenomenal, every scene is oozing with emotion and care. You will laugh, you will blush, and you may even cry a little too. This book BLEW me away, I could not stop reading it, it was fantastic. Books like these only inspire me to continue perusing my craft, and when I publish my first book, I can proudly say that this book is one of the books that inspired me.
What an incredible read. Excellent work, really. I hope I can write just as awesome someday
Let’s get the obvious thing out of the way: I am aware this is erotica. Yes, a good part of this book is filled with mentions of mating, and there is a part where the protagonist gets a lesson on pleasing a female, not to mention the book is full of sexual references and some jokes. This is NOT a book for children.
Now that we got that out of the way, we can commence the regularly scheduled review. Scales of Fate is a relatively new dragon book that I have seen people compare to Wings of Fire, and after reading it, I can see why. The concept, and even some of the characters, are pretty similar to WOF, whether that be unintentional or intentional is unknown to me.
To put it simply, this book is basically Wings of Fire for adults. In a world of dragons, there exists a custom all dragons follow. Eight dragon tribes send eight worthy young adults to compete against one another for the paw of the celestial princess, a legendary dragon who is the heir to the throne of the celestial kingdom. Each dragon is taken from their homes and thrown into a glamorous life as they are trained and given the skills they need to best survive this game.
A young dragon, not yet mature, named Razzan, and his brother, are selected to take part in this competition, after being deemed worthy by their mother, and their life underground is cut short as they enter a world of royalty. Together they must train and perform at top form to continue impressing the queen, for only one brother can prevail. Oh, and one more thing, in accordance to the rules, the two brothers must save their virginity in order to qualify. The pressure is on, with their grumpy uncle constantly roughing them up during training, and their dragoness companion constantly trying to get them to falter and succumb to their urges.
Along the way, we meet the king and queen, and Razzan, constantly eclipsed by his brother, hides a secret relationship he’s formed with a lowly servant.
The writing in this book is without a doubt phenomenal, every scene is oozing with emotion and care. You will laugh, you will blush, and you may even cry a little too. This book BLEW me away, I could not stop reading it, it was fantastic. Books like these only inspire me to continue perusing my craft, and when I publish my first book, I can proudly say that this book is one of the books that inspired me.
What an incredible read. Excellent work, really. I hope I can write just as awesome someday
February 10, 2024
Full of gripping anticipation
The Vermillion Kingdom produces numerous princes, and while they are technically royalty, the dragons are undistinguished, with only a qualifying few selected for occasions requiring male heirs. Even after Razzan and his cave mates become selected after fierce competitions, the candidates dwindle further to just Razzan and his brother Uzzin. The pair undergo intense training in preparation for competing against princes of foreign kingdoms to be mated to the Celestial Princess, the next in line as Empress of the realms. Whoever becomes Emperor would exert immense influence, so the princes' training intensifies with conspiratorial challenges designed to whittle the pair down to a single Chosen Prince representing the kingdom. Not only is prowess in combat and etiquette tested, but also chastity is demanded of the princes, so it does not help that a peculiar servant drake has caught Razzan's complete attention...
Leaving the steamy scenes aside, the plot is genuinely enjoyable with unpredictable events scattered into the routine life of the princes, who are often ensnared by their own beastly nature and left in precarious situations and in danger of becoming weeded out. The main romance appears commonplace at first--a prince falling for a servant? I think I've read or watched enough stories like that--but what sets it apart and has me deeply invested is the sheer emotions conveyed through the author's descriptions of all the five senses. The dragons' facial expressions or postures; their musky or flowery scents; their grumbling or purring; their scales' rough or smooth texture; their routine life experience's sour or sweet tastes. All these descriptions are thoroughly immersive and I feel transported right into the realm to spectate the princes up close.
What also roots me into my reading seat is the foreboding suspense and anticipation. The chastity demanded of the princes runs contrary to their nature and urges (probably should have expected this from an erotica), so the blooming romance between Razzan and a servant drake must be kept hidden, as must their stolen moments together. Razzan's bubbling anxiety from the unknown and unfamiliar of his relationship, as well as his fear of being caught, disqualified, or something worse, are convincingly imparted by the author. More than a couple times, I feel fear just as Razzan does of his hidden relationship's becoming discovered, then feel relief just as he would when successfully evading consequences.
The story ends on a bittersweet note but sets up the stage for a promising sequel. I very much look forward to it and would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romances starring dragons. Reader discretion advised, of course.
The Vermillion Kingdom produces numerous princes, and while they are technically royalty, the dragons are undistinguished, with only a qualifying few selected for occasions requiring male heirs. Even after Razzan and his cave mates become selected after fierce competitions, the candidates dwindle further to just Razzan and his brother Uzzin. The pair undergo intense training in preparation for competing against princes of foreign kingdoms to be mated to the Celestial Princess, the next in line as Empress of the realms. Whoever becomes Emperor would exert immense influence, so the princes' training intensifies with conspiratorial challenges designed to whittle the pair down to a single Chosen Prince representing the kingdom. Not only is prowess in combat and etiquette tested, but also chastity is demanded of the princes, so it does not help that a peculiar servant drake has caught Razzan's complete attention...
Leaving the steamy scenes aside, the plot is genuinely enjoyable with unpredictable events scattered into the routine life of the princes, who are often ensnared by their own beastly nature and left in precarious situations and in danger of becoming weeded out. The main romance appears commonplace at first--a prince falling for a servant? I think I've read or watched enough stories like that--but what sets it apart and has me deeply invested is the sheer emotions conveyed through the author's descriptions of all the five senses. The dragons' facial expressions or postures; their musky or flowery scents; their grumbling or purring; their scales' rough or smooth texture; their routine life experience's sour or sweet tastes. All these descriptions are thoroughly immersive and I feel transported right into the realm to spectate the princes up close.
What also roots me into my reading seat is the foreboding suspense and anticipation. The chastity demanded of the princes runs contrary to their nature and urges (probably should have expected this from an erotica), so the blooming romance between Razzan and a servant drake must be kept hidden, as must their stolen moments together. Razzan's bubbling anxiety from the unknown and unfamiliar of his relationship, as well as his fear of being caught, disqualified, or something worse, are convincingly imparted by the author. More than a couple times, I feel fear just as Razzan does of his hidden relationship's becoming discovered, then feel relief just as he would when successfully evading consequences.
The story ends on a bittersweet note but sets up the stage for a promising sequel. I very much look forward to it and would recommend this book to readers who enjoy romances starring dragons. Reader discretion advised, of course.
February 28, 2024
Title has Erotica. *Reads book*
...
This just feels like a dragon's natural rite of passage into adulthood!
/jk
Jokes aside, this books is well written with its twist and turn captivating reader in its every chapter. The story here mostly the well known prince-servant relation in a royal castle, but still feels fresh with the added twist and turn from its setting and plot. The overarching plots keep the readers on their toe. Neat stuff.
While I jest about this story is just about natural rite of passage into adulthood, it's also the strong point of this book. Erotica scene without reason is just boring. and might just make reader feel taken back if not careful. But the meticulous planning from the author has weave each erotica scene into appropriate places while having each of those scene uniquely different from each other!
Plus, how many books you read has non-shifter dragon just being steamy with each other? Few I reckon, and that's plus for me.
...
This just feels like a dragon's natural rite of passage into adulthood!
/jk
Jokes aside, this books is well written with its twist and turn captivating reader in its every chapter. The story here mostly the well known prince-servant relation in a royal castle, but still feels fresh with the added twist and turn from its setting and plot. The overarching plots keep the readers on their toe. Neat stuff.
While I jest about this story is just about natural rite of passage into adulthood, it's also the strong point of this book. Erotica scene without reason is just boring. and might just make reader feel taken back if not careful. But the meticulous planning from the author has weave each erotica scene into appropriate places while having each of those scene uniquely different from each other!
Plus, how many books you read has non-shifter dragon just being steamy with each other? Few I reckon, and that's plus for me.
March 22, 2024
Let me just start with the elephant in the room. This is an erotic book that doesn’t fade to black. The book doesn’t pull any punches in that regard and gets explicit. This book should not be read by minors.
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Now that I’ve got that out of the way. This book really surprised me. I fully expected this book to pretty much only be explicit scenes back to back with minimal plot in between. I can happily say that this is not the case. Yeah, the characters spend large parts of the book aroused and there are some really good explicit scenes in this book, but they are that good because the overarching plot and tension is so great. So much so that I can fully say that the erotic scenes are just a bonus on top of a great book.
The book follows the dragon Razzan, prince of the Vermillion kingdom, as he competes with his brothers to become the chosen prince of the Vermillion kingdom that gets to compete for the heart of the elusive celestial princess. One of the requirements to be eligible for this title is to remain ‘pure’ and not mate with anyone. Things get complicated when our humble prince encounters a servant drake that he takes a fancy to.
Razzan is a really likeable and rootable character. A true underdog in the face of his main rival Uzzin. His relationship with the servant drake Lilliar is very sweet. You truly get a sense that the stolen moments with Lilliar are a reprieve from the burdens placed on the princes. The characters in this book are pretty great in general. Many of them have layers and complex motivations that get revealed throughout the book.
If I had to give criticism, it would be that the first couple chapters felt very exposition heavy in a pretty unnatural way. Once this is out of the way, you are left with a great book that is well worth the clunky expository start.
I’m very much looking forward to more books in this series. The Vermillion kingdom is only one of eight kingdoms that are waiting to be explored. The concept of having non-shifter dragon erotica with an actual plot is pretty unheard of and I would love to read more of it.
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Now that I’ve got that out of the way. This book really surprised me. I fully expected this book to pretty much only be explicit scenes back to back with minimal plot in between. I can happily say that this is not the case. Yeah, the characters spend large parts of the book aroused and there are some really good explicit scenes in this book, but they are that good because the overarching plot and tension is so great. So much so that I can fully say that the erotic scenes are just a bonus on top of a great book.
The book follows the dragon Razzan, prince of the Vermillion kingdom, as he competes with his brothers to become the chosen prince of the Vermillion kingdom that gets to compete for the heart of the elusive celestial princess. One of the requirements to be eligible for this title is to remain ‘pure’ and not mate with anyone. Things get complicated when our humble prince encounters a servant drake that he takes a fancy to.
Razzan is a really likeable and rootable character. A true underdog in the face of his main rival Uzzin. His relationship with the servant drake Lilliar is very sweet. You truly get a sense that the stolen moments with Lilliar are a reprieve from the burdens placed on the princes. The characters in this book are pretty great in general. Many of them have layers and complex motivations that get revealed throughout the book.
If I had to give criticism, it would be that the first couple chapters felt very exposition heavy in a pretty unnatural way. Once this is out of the way, you are left with a great book that is well worth the clunky expository start.
I’m very much looking forward to more books in this series. The Vermillion kingdom is only one of eight kingdoms that are waiting to be explored. The concept of having non-shifter dragon erotica with an actual plot is pretty unheard of and I would love to read more of it.
April 11, 2024
I can't rate this book too poorly. I like the writing style. The ways things are written are often quite appealing. That said, I can't stand anything else about the book. The plot, the characters, and the setting are all extremely unappealing, and I do not like erotica. I also have qualms about the consistency of the narrative. There are also a few typos, but not enough to take a star off. With all of these flaws I would not ordinarily rate the book above a 1 star review, but it has the unusual attribute that I can generally open the book to a random page and find something that is appealingly phrased.
September 26, 2025
About halfway through reading this book, I decided I was going to start this review with some stupid joke about horny dragons.
But holy. Shit.
I did NOT expect this book to slap me across the face like that. And truly, I am at a loss as to how I ought to approach my thoughts on this book.
I mean first and foremost I will reiterate what others, including both the book description and author have stated: This is an adult book. There are very frequent and very explicit scenes. And to be completely honest, they were all written pretty damn well. My only qualm in the core romantic interest was that I did wish to actually see more of the developing relationship between Lilliar and Raz early on in the book, rather than be told it was there, but at the time I read that part I cut it slack since it's "just an erotic novel."
Oh boy howdy was that a poor estimation of this book. I couldn't even care less about that now, given the emotional whiplash I'm going through after finishing. And I feel I should note that while the erotic scenes were quite good, what made them good was the characters—which is exactly how it should be, in my opinion. Descriptions got a bit too flowery for my tastes at times, but I can hardly fault it for that. The relationship between Lilliar and Raz was truly sweet, and I got very emotionally invested in them before long, despite the rather quick nature of it.
Stellar worldbuilding, which did take a little bit to slog through at first, but that's to be expected in the first book of a series, and I'm invested enough now that I need to see more. The dragons and drakes are VERY cleverly written, 100% not human, a fact you are perpetually reminded of in their culture and behaviors, while still remaining very relatable. Easy 10/10 for the dragons.
More important: Incredible characters—Raz is sweet, innocent, naive, and highly endearing, with Lilliar being an incredibly fascinating counterpart and foil to him. Even the side characters were extremely well written, with none of them falling into cardboard cutouts of tropes and cliches; each one had nuance and little details that made me like them, even if I was rooting against them.
The plot absolutely floored me by the end, especially since going into this I feared and half suspected the plot to just be "Horny Dragons do Horny Dragon things."
Which, yeah, the spicy scenes were quite lovely in my opinion.
10/10. Highly recommend. I NEED the rest of this series, and I will be ordering the hardcover for book 2 as soon as I can get to my local bookstore—while silently praying that Shaidan Barnes will grace us with the full, potentially lengthy series this promises to be.
Now excuse me while I go scream into a pillow.
But holy. Shit.
I did NOT expect this book to slap me across the face like that. And truly, I am at a loss as to how I ought to approach my thoughts on this book.
I mean first and foremost I will reiterate what others, including both the book description and author have stated: This is an adult book. There are very frequent and very explicit scenes. And to be completely honest, they were all written pretty damn well. My only qualm in the core romantic interest was that I did wish to actually see more of the developing relationship between Lilliar and Raz early on in the book, rather than be told it was there, but at the time I read that part I cut it slack since it's "just an erotic novel."
Oh boy howdy was that a poor estimation of this book. I couldn't even care less about that now, given the emotional whiplash I'm going through after finishing. And I feel I should note that while the erotic scenes were quite good, what made them good was the characters—which is exactly how it should be, in my opinion. Descriptions got a bit too flowery for my tastes at times, but I can hardly fault it for that. The relationship between Lilliar and Raz was truly sweet, and I got very emotionally invested in them before long, despite the rather quick nature of it.
Stellar worldbuilding, which did take a little bit to slog through at first, but that's to be expected in the first book of a series, and I'm invested enough now that I need to see more. The dragons and drakes are VERY cleverly written, 100% not human, a fact you are perpetually reminded of in their culture and behaviors, while still remaining very relatable. Easy 10/10 for the dragons.
More important: Incredible characters—Raz is sweet, innocent, naive, and highly endearing, with Lilliar being an incredibly fascinating counterpart and foil to him. Even the side characters were extremely well written, with none of them falling into cardboard cutouts of tropes and cliches; each one had nuance and little details that made me like them, even if I was rooting against them.
The plot absolutely floored me by the end, especially since going into this I feared and half suspected the plot to just be "Horny Dragons do Horny Dragon things."
Which, yeah, the spicy scenes were quite lovely in my opinion.
10/10. Highly recommend. I NEED the rest of this series, and I will be ordering the hardcover for book 2 as soon as I can get to my local bookstore—while silently praying that Shaidan Barnes will grace us with the full, potentially lengthy series this promises to be.
Now excuse me while I go scream into a pillow.
February 27, 2024
This turned out a really good surprise with much more than meets the eye.
Don't get fooled by the subtitle of genre, it is, even if unmistakable enough to warrant adult rating, only a part of the narrative processes.
While the erotic scenes are very present and well-written, they serve an endearing yet impossible romance catching protagonists while rank and duty create crushing obligations. While this looks like a common trope, it turns out there is more than that.
The story unfolds in a society of violent customs, the first two chapters quickly make this point. Yet it is most often veiled behind the appearances of royal court rituals and plots, it sometimes reappears suddenly, a reminder it was never truly gone. Even out of those moments, the social setting has its lot of awkward situations.
How the protagonists' relation evolves and desperately tries to find its place when it seems to have none, was truly gripping and nearly crushing.
Some doors remain open though, and we shall see...
This is nicely done with small hints peppering it, not obvious but coalescing neatly at the right moment to resolve some of the lingering interrogations and bring a sort of relief. Twists and false leads keep the expectation all along, no predictability spoiling the tale.
Don't get fooled by the subtitle of genre, it is, even if unmistakable enough to warrant adult rating, only a part of the narrative processes.
While the erotic scenes are very present and well-written, they serve an endearing yet impossible romance catching protagonists while rank and duty create crushing obligations. While this looks like a common trope, it turns out there is more than that.
The story unfolds in a society of violent customs, the first two chapters quickly make this point. Yet it is most often veiled behind the appearances of royal court rituals and plots, it sometimes reappears suddenly, a reminder it was never truly gone. Even out of those moments, the social setting has its lot of awkward situations.
How the protagonists' relation evolves and desperately tries to find its place when it seems to have none, was truly gripping and nearly crushing.
Some doors remain open though, and we shall see...
This is nicely done with small hints peppering it, not obvious but coalescing neatly at the right moment to resolve some of the lingering interrogations and bring a sort of relief. Twists and false leads keep the expectation all along, no predictability spoiling the tale.
January 4, 2025
Many of my opinions are the total opposite of some other reviews, which probably says more about me than the book. But maybe this review will be helpful for people who think in similar ways!
My favourite aspects of the book were the the world beyond the central relationship. The world-building was decent, the overall premise of "brother vs brother, fighting for something they might not actually want" was intriguing and full of juicy moral dilemmas.
There are some violent scenes early on which are probably not what most people are looking for in a book tagged as romance/erotica. Furthermore, at risk of saying too much, the ending is twisty and turny and not the straightforward "happily ever after" payoff one might expect from a romance. But I really liked these aspects a lot. They have strong emotional effects, and that's the kind of thing I look for when I read. I do wonder if the final plot twist could have been foreshadowed more effectively though; it was super cool as I was reading, but felt kinda cheap in a way once I started thinking more.
I don't read, uh, this kind of book often, so bear in mind that's where I'm coming from. But the romance didn't really do it for me. This part of the review might make my demisexuality blatantly obvious! It was too love-at-first-sight and too lust-over-connection for my liking. It could be argued that this is a good thing: this book does a great job at making dragons not feel like humans in the way they navigate their instincts and see the world. This is an aspect of it: dragons are slave to their carnal desires, and that includes mating! But it's a tradeoff, because it was so good at that aspect that it lost a lot of the relatability I'd need if I wanted to fully appreciate the love and lewd side.
I would have also preferred the naughty scenes to be far fewer with more buildup in between. The first few were new and exciting in a coming-of-age sort of way, but it got to a point where these scenes got too frequent and I'd glaze over them. But then again, some people might feel like there isn't enough.
Overall my experience was "woah, this is a pleasantly unpleasant surprise!" in the beginning, "hmm, maybe this isn't for me after all" in the middle, and "never mind, this is pretty cool again" by the end.
My favourite aspects of the book were the the world beyond the central relationship. The world-building was decent, the overall premise of "brother vs brother, fighting for something they might not actually want" was intriguing and full of juicy moral dilemmas.
There are some violent scenes early on which are probably not what most people are looking for in a book tagged as romance/erotica. Furthermore, at risk of saying too much, the ending is twisty and turny and not the straightforward "happily ever after" payoff one might expect from a romance. But I really liked these aspects a lot. They have strong emotional effects, and that's the kind of thing I look for when I read. I do wonder if the final plot twist could have been foreshadowed more effectively though; it was super cool as I was reading, but felt kinda cheap in a way once I started thinking more.
I don't read, uh, this kind of book often, so bear in mind that's where I'm coming from. But the romance didn't really do it for me. This part of the review might make my demisexuality blatantly obvious! It was too love-at-first-sight and too lust-over-connection for my liking. It could be argued that this is a good thing: this book does a great job at making dragons not feel like humans in the way they navigate their instincts and see the world. This is an aspect of it: dragons are slave to their carnal desires, and that includes mating! But it's a tradeoff, because it was so good at that aspect that it lost a lot of the relatability I'd need if I wanted to fully appreciate the love and lewd side.
I would have also preferred the naughty scenes to be far fewer with more buildup in between. The first few were new and exciting in a coming-of-age sort of way, but it got to a point where these scenes got too frequent and I'd glaze over them. But then again, some people might feel like there isn't enough.
Overall my experience was "woah, this is a pleasantly unpleasant surprise!" in the beginning, "hmm, maybe this isn't for me after all" in the middle, and "never mind, this is pretty cool again" by the end.
February 29, 2024
I liked *parts* of this book. The developing romance between the main character and his love interest is legitimately sweet, and there are some cool moments, especially in the last 30% or so of the book. Unfortunately, the story tries much too hard to be smutty and as a result, it trips over its own feet when it tries to have dramatic, non-sexy character drama. If you like the idea of dragon erotica, it's worth checking out, but if that's not your thing, approach with both an open mind and caution.
August 31, 2024
In my search for more dragon books, I stumbled upon this one. The cover art is so well drawn and its a self-published book, so I decided to support the author and artist, and purchased it. It's an adults-only book, as it has very explicit sexual content, but I'm not a prude, so it's nothing I can't handle. The story is about a competition to choose a prince from the varied dragon kingdoms to become engaged to the most important of dragon princesses, but the main character meets a drake and falls for her during training for the competition. So how was the story overall? Well, I put the review under a spoilers tag because I can't really discuss my thoughts about it without spoilers regarding the story, so fair warning if you have not read the book, massive spoilers ahead.
Unfortunately, the book wasn't what I expected in the long run. To go into further detail, the book started off rather average. Not bad but not great either. It sets up the plot while explaining about the world that these dragons live in. It's a bit too heavy in exposition early on, I think details we learn early on could have been told later during the story to help it flow better from the start. There's also how it has a pretty dark beginning with a gruesome death, which sets off a character, the Vermillion Queen, instantly as a loathsome villain, and I was starting to dread her being in the book too much. Fortunately, it's afterwards that the story really picks up, when main character Razzan and one of his brothers, Uzzin, are chosen for this competition to become the husband-to-be of the Celestial princess, daughter of the Celestial Empress, apparently the most powerful and high-up of the dragon kingdoms.
From then on it's all about training, mainly in combat, by their drill sergeant scar-faced uncle Jayve, while being tended to and in the proximity of many princesses, as young adult male dragons get hit extra hard by hormones and can barely control their sexual urges, but it is there where Razzan meets Lilliar, a drake (basically a dragon with no wings) servant, with whom he makes an instant connection, and a good chunk of the story is their growing relationship. It's here where I feel the author shined most and where the story is at its best, the middle part of the book. The story is well told, and the interactions are great, such as seeing moments of Jayve letting his guard down around his two pupils and being more down to earth, and seeing the rivalry between Razzan and Uzzin start to simmer down as the two find common ground (a talk they had later in the book was a highlight for me and one of the best moments in the book, in my opinion), and the growing relationship between Razzan and Lilliar which goes beyond Razzan's nigh uncontrollable hormones, the author doing a great job in how their relationship develops and the rapport they build. And sure, the sex is well written too, the author certainly has a knack for that, though there was a lot of sex talk and dragons being aroused, I'd ay maybe a bit too much of it (more than any actual sex, in fact), so either toning it down a bit or adding more sex scenes could have helped balance it out. The addition of their king and father, Atyrith, was a most welcome one, he had great chemistry with Razzan and Uzzin, and is arguably the nicest and kindest person towards them both, and the fact that he's basically a shameless dirty old dragon adds a touch of humor to his character that is very welcome. Another character I liked a lot was Razzan and Uzzin's younger brother, the childish and energetic Cheth, so it was a bummer that he only appeared very little in the book.
So despite a pretty dark and slow start, the book then picked up and it was shaping up nicely. It had a stumble here and there but nothing egregious, and I was enjoying the story and especially the characters, looking forward to what would happen next. And what happened next was the last third or so of the book. Like, wow. I don't remember ever reading a book that went in the direction this went, from a rough start to a great middle and to a series of events that became the total opposite of happy and cheerful. I have read hundreds of books in my life, and while this is my 111th review in this site, I'm reviewing only books I have read after having made an account on this site; overall, the last third and ending of this book has to be one of the saddest, most dour, grim, depressing I have ever read. Everything just goes downhill, from needless deaths that don't need to happen but end up happening because the females of the Vermillion royalty are deranged bloodthirsty sociopaths and nobody can say no to them, and the deaths render Uzzin's character development pointless, as I daresay he had actually better character development than Razzan did even though Uzzin never got any chapters or even scenes seen from his own point of view. Then there's the amount of trauma and gaslighting heaped on our main character, who ends up changing for the worse in the end, going from a kind-hearted young dragon eager to do right by others to a borderline emotionless meat puppet for the Vermillion princess. Even worse, Razzan's love interest turns out to have been a sham all along, a manipulative scam artist who was just as bad as the Vermillion females or possibly even worse, and she's in big part responsible for everything that happens in the last third of the book despite clearly having the power to prevent it and achieve an outcome that could work for everybody, and the fact that she's supposed to be the endgame, the goal for these princes to achieve, makes it worse, because she absolutely does not deserve a happy ending. In the end we're left with almost no likable characters, Razzan's siblings are all dead because the Vermillion females simply felt like it and their kingdom is a terrible place to live in (this is made pretty clear even early on), Razzan's a mere shell of his former self and is unlikely to ever recover from it, and all the villains got exactly what they wanted. And oh yeah, add to that that the Vermillion queen is a control freak in many ways, including that just about every Vermillion dragon, maybe including her husband, is born/hatched from her, which makes every instance of Vermillion dragons engaging in sex with one another be an incestuous act, and that really took away from a bunch of the erotic parts of the book.
I really, really hate having to write a review like this, especially because I have engaged in conversation with the book's author and he's a very nice and cool person, I wish more authors could accept a negative review as he does. He told me that he likes tragedies, which explains the direction the book took. But nothing about the story or the synopsis indicated or hinted that it was going to be a tragedy. I went into the book expecting a wholesome romance with likable characters, it appealed to me with or without the erotic parts, but the last third of the story, unfortunately, ruined everything that came before, and I was in a surly, forlorn mood for a good long while after finishing the book. Books are my escape from the stresses of daily life and from any ad news I may end up receiving for whatever reason, so the last thing I want when reading a book is to get depressed about it.
This book was looking like a pretty strong 4 out of 5 stars, but the last third and ending dealt it a massive blow. I'm rating it a 2 out of 5 rather than a 1, mainly because the author was pretty nice and he showed that he can definitely write a good story with likable characters, but now I do wonder if he could manage an ending that won't make me feel like I got my heart punched out. But as this is the first book of a series, with his enjoyment of tragedies and how this one ended, I'm rather apprehensive about future books. I'll probably pick up and read the second one when it comes out, in part because, well, the author would have to work pretty hard to write an even more mean-spirited last third and ending than the one in this book, so it'll probably just be uphill from here. At least I hope so.
Unfortunately, the book wasn't what I expected in the long run. To go into further detail, the book started off rather average. Not bad but not great either. It sets up the plot while explaining about the world that these dragons live in. It's a bit too heavy in exposition early on, I think details we learn early on could have been told later during the story to help it flow better from the start. There's also how it has a pretty dark beginning with a gruesome death, which sets off a character, the Vermillion Queen, instantly as a loathsome villain, and I was starting to dread her being in the book too much. Fortunately, it's afterwards that the story really picks up, when main character Razzan and one of his brothers, Uzzin, are chosen for this competition to become the husband-to-be of the Celestial princess, daughter of the Celestial Empress, apparently the most powerful and high-up of the dragon kingdoms.
From then on it's all about training, mainly in combat, by their drill sergeant scar-faced uncle Jayve, while being tended to and in the proximity of many princesses, as young adult male dragons get hit extra hard by hormones and can barely control their sexual urges, but it is there where Razzan meets Lilliar, a drake (basically a dragon with no wings) servant, with whom he makes an instant connection, and a good chunk of the story is their growing relationship. It's here where I feel the author shined most and where the story is at its best, the middle part of the book. The story is well told, and the interactions are great, such as seeing moments of Jayve letting his guard down around his two pupils and being more down to earth, and seeing the rivalry between Razzan and Uzzin start to simmer down as the two find common ground (a talk they had later in the book was a highlight for me and one of the best moments in the book, in my opinion), and the growing relationship between Razzan and Lilliar which goes beyond Razzan's nigh uncontrollable hormones, the author doing a great job in how their relationship develops and the rapport they build. And sure, the sex is well written too, the author certainly has a knack for that, though there was a lot of sex talk and dragons being aroused, I'd ay maybe a bit too much of it (more than any actual sex, in fact), so either toning it down a bit or adding more sex scenes could have helped balance it out. The addition of their king and father, Atyrith, was a most welcome one, he had great chemistry with Razzan and Uzzin, and is arguably the nicest and kindest person towards them both, and the fact that he's basically a shameless dirty old dragon adds a touch of humor to his character that is very welcome. Another character I liked a lot was Razzan and Uzzin's younger brother, the childish and energetic Cheth, so it was a bummer that he only appeared very little in the book.
So despite a pretty dark and slow start, the book then picked up and it was shaping up nicely. It had a stumble here and there but nothing egregious, and I was enjoying the story and especially the characters, looking forward to what would happen next. And what happened next was the last third or so of the book. Like, wow. I don't remember ever reading a book that went in the direction this went, from a rough start to a great middle and to a series of events that became the total opposite of happy and cheerful. I have read hundreds of books in my life, and while this is my 111th review in this site, I'm reviewing only books I have read after having made an account on this site; overall, the last third and ending of this book has to be one of the saddest, most dour, grim, depressing I have ever read. Everything just goes downhill, from needless deaths that don't need to happen but end up happening because the females of the Vermillion royalty are deranged bloodthirsty sociopaths and nobody can say no to them, and the deaths render Uzzin's character development pointless, as I daresay he had actually better character development than Razzan did even though Uzzin never got any chapters or even scenes seen from his own point of view. Then there's the amount of trauma and gaslighting heaped on our main character, who ends up changing for the worse in the end, going from a kind-hearted young dragon eager to do right by others to a borderline emotionless meat puppet for the Vermillion princess. Even worse, Razzan's love interest turns out to have been a sham all along, a manipulative scam artist who was just as bad as the Vermillion females or possibly even worse, and she's in big part responsible for everything that happens in the last third of the book despite clearly having the power to prevent it and achieve an outcome that could work for everybody, and the fact that she's supposed to be the endgame, the goal for these princes to achieve, makes it worse, because she absolutely does not deserve a happy ending. In the end we're left with almost no likable characters, Razzan's siblings are all dead because the Vermillion females simply felt like it and their kingdom is a terrible place to live in (this is made pretty clear even early on), Razzan's a mere shell of his former self and is unlikely to ever recover from it, and all the villains got exactly what they wanted. And oh yeah, add to that that the Vermillion queen is a control freak in many ways, including that just about every Vermillion dragon, maybe including her husband, is born/hatched from her, which makes every instance of Vermillion dragons engaging in sex with one another be an incestuous act, and that really took away from a bunch of the erotic parts of the book.
I really, really hate having to write a review like this, especially because I have engaged in conversation with the book's author and he's a very nice and cool person, I wish more authors could accept a negative review as he does. He told me that he likes tragedies, which explains the direction the book took. But nothing about the story or the synopsis indicated or hinted that it was going to be a tragedy. I went into the book expecting a wholesome romance with likable characters, it appealed to me with or without the erotic parts, but the last third of the story, unfortunately, ruined everything that came before, and I was in a surly, forlorn mood for a good long while after finishing the book. Books are my escape from the stresses of daily life and from any ad news I may end up receiving for whatever reason, so the last thing I want when reading a book is to get depressed about it.
This book was looking like a pretty strong 4 out of 5 stars, but the last third and ending dealt it a massive blow. I'm rating it a 2 out of 5 rather than a 1, mainly because the author was pretty nice and he showed that he can definitely write a good story with likable characters, but now I do wonder if he could manage an ending that won't make me feel like I got my heart punched out. But as this is the first book of a series, with his enjoyment of tragedies and how this one ended, I'm rather apprehensive about future books. I'll probably pick up and read the second one when it comes out, in part because, well, the author would have to work pretty hard to write an even more mean-spirited last third and ending than the one in this book, so it'll probably just be uphill from here. At least I hope so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2025
I like it! There’s a lot to improve, but also a lot to enjoy.
One note first; if you’re just coming of Wings of Fire’s level of written violence and gore, this will be a step up. Not a huge leap, but there was at least one scene I had to put down for a day or two because it was a bit much for me. I think that’s appropriate for more adult material–it does serve to set the brutal stakes while carefully toeing the line of gratuitous. But if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing, this is probably not your book. It also DOES NOT overlap with the sexuality, which is good.
First of all, why a reader is probably here: the erotic element. Sexuality is present constantly throughout the book, to the point it sometimes feels a little forced. It does pay off, though, in several well-written sex scenes. They are masterfully fluid, well described, and as my writing teacher would say, “pure cinema”. The more numerous fight scenes are similarly well written, using much of the same talents, though show a much better flow of tension. That would be my one critique of the sex scenes; they escalate very fast. I’d like to see more tension building, deepening touches, rather than a jump straight from the constant background anticipation to someone getting fucked.
The characters are charming. Lilliar, the love interest, stands out as full of personality in every scene she appears, our main character Razzan has a pleasant rumble, and the supports are also fun to read, if a little predictable. They all are, to some degree– there isn't much to help most of the characters stand out from their archetypes. I’d love to see more little quirks. What does Jayve do when not training? What's Uzzin always dreamed of doing outside (other than fucking)? The King is the one standout: his eccentric philosophizing, strange knowledge, and preaching on the benefits of true sex bring a delightful and unique chaos to every scene he's in. I’d never mistake him for any other weird father. More like him, please!
Razzan, our protagonist, could especially use some more pizzazz. His agency is limited by the situation he's put in, but we're also shown very few attempts to think beyond this. In particular, it isn't until the morning of the final showdown that he starts considering alternate possibilities that I’d been screaming at him the whole book. Still, like Lilliar, I found myself charmed by his himbo naivete, which coexisted and balanced with the frustration. At least he's cute.
The weirdest part of this book was it's bio essentialist gender stuff. The princes are angry and horny because they're made that way, supplemented by a diet of raw meat. And the dragonesses are powerful temptresses who can drive men mad with a scent. The males are allowed to fight it–that's some of how Razzan shows his heroism and his brother his cruelty–but it still comes off as overly exaggerated to a level that put me off. It didn't seem to reflect the complexities of gender and sexuality, and tiptoe too close for comfort to the rhetoric used to exclude or limit trans folks. Maybe it's just someone else’s sex thing.
The best part of this book are its internal politics, the ongoing rivalries and background agendas that all click together masterfully in a finale that slowly reveals more and more, leading to a satisfying “Aha!” moment before the big reveal, even for someone as poor at predictions as me. This seems to be a combination of Barnes’ talent for smooth action and well-built worlds.
Speaking of, the worldbuilding is great. I definitely see the comparison to Tui Sutherland’s rich works. There's plenty of detail given to the Vermillion kingdom and it's economy and culture, enough you can believe there's a whole world working away behind the scenes. The broader worldbuilding with all eight Kingdoms tempts my curiosity and satisfies my love for dragon diversity, though it is a bit hard to parse; I’d love to see maps, dragon guides, anything to help visualize and summarize. Still, the detailed and specific encounter with the Halcyon dragon gives me hope that that knowledge will build up as the series goes on, even without reference sections.
Minor, but if I ever reread this book, I'm going to have to pen over every use of the word “orbs”. Please just say eyes. I promise it won't feel too repetitive, and it’ll be definitely less creepy.
Overall, this book was an interesting and fun read, if a bit of a struggle. There's plenty to improve, but this is a promising start. And mad respect for Barnes having the courage to put this out there and give it their all. If you're a fellow writer, it's definitely worth the read as education. If you're just a fan of the genre, you'll probably still come away from this one charmed. I hope to see Barnes’ talent only grow for the sequel!
One note first; if you’re just coming of Wings of Fire’s level of written violence and gore, this will be a step up. Not a huge leap, but there was at least one scene I had to put down for a day or two because it was a bit much for me. I think that’s appropriate for more adult material–it does serve to set the brutal stakes while carefully toeing the line of gratuitous. But if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing, this is probably not your book. It also DOES NOT overlap with the sexuality, which is good.
First of all, why a reader is probably here: the erotic element. Sexuality is present constantly throughout the book, to the point it sometimes feels a little forced. It does pay off, though, in several well-written sex scenes. They are masterfully fluid, well described, and as my writing teacher would say, “pure cinema”. The more numerous fight scenes are similarly well written, using much of the same talents, though show a much better flow of tension. That would be my one critique of the sex scenes; they escalate very fast. I’d like to see more tension building, deepening touches, rather than a jump straight from the constant background anticipation to someone getting fucked.
The characters are charming. Lilliar, the love interest, stands out as full of personality in every scene she appears, our main character Razzan has a pleasant rumble, and the supports are also fun to read, if a little predictable. They all are, to some degree– there isn't much to help most of the characters stand out from their archetypes. I’d love to see more little quirks. What does Jayve do when not training? What's Uzzin always dreamed of doing outside (other than fucking)? The King is the one standout: his eccentric philosophizing, strange knowledge, and preaching on the benefits of true sex bring a delightful and unique chaos to every scene he's in. I’d never mistake him for any other weird father. More like him, please!
Razzan, our protagonist, could especially use some more pizzazz. His agency is limited by the situation he's put in, but we're also shown very few attempts to think beyond this. In particular, it isn't until the morning of the final showdown that he starts considering alternate possibilities that I’d been screaming at him the whole book. Still, like Lilliar, I found myself charmed by his himbo naivete, which coexisted and balanced with the frustration. At least he's cute.
The weirdest part of this book was it's bio essentialist gender stuff. The princes are angry and horny because they're made that way, supplemented by a diet of raw meat. And the dragonesses are powerful temptresses who can drive men mad with a scent. The males are allowed to fight it–that's some of how Razzan shows his heroism and his brother his cruelty–but it still comes off as overly exaggerated to a level that put me off. It didn't seem to reflect the complexities of gender and sexuality, and tiptoe too close for comfort to the rhetoric used to exclude or limit trans folks. Maybe it's just someone else’s sex thing.
The best part of this book are its internal politics, the ongoing rivalries and background agendas that all click together masterfully in a finale that slowly reveals more and more, leading to a satisfying “Aha!” moment before the big reveal, even for someone as poor at predictions as me. This seems to be a combination of Barnes’ talent for smooth action and well-built worlds.
Speaking of, the worldbuilding is great. I definitely see the comparison to Tui Sutherland’s rich works. There's plenty of detail given to the Vermillion kingdom and it's economy and culture, enough you can believe there's a whole world working away behind the scenes. The broader worldbuilding with all eight Kingdoms tempts my curiosity and satisfies my love for dragon diversity, though it is a bit hard to parse; I’d love to see maps, dragon guides, anything to help visualize and summarize. Still, the detailed and specific encounter with the Halcyon dragon gives me hope that that knowledge will build up as the series goes on, even without reference sections.
Minor, but if I ever reread this book, I'm going to have to pen over every use of the word “orbs”. Please just say eyes. I promise it won't feel too repetitive, and it’ll be definitely less creepy.
Overall, this book was an interesting and fun read, if a bit of a struggle. There's plenty to improve, but this is a promising start. And mad respect for Barnes having the courage to put this out there and give it their all. If you're a fellow writer, it's definitely worth the read as education. If you're just a fan of the genre, you'll probably still come away from this one charmed. I hope to see Barnes’ talent only grow for the sequel!
February 5, 2024
Let me start by saying that I have no idea how to write a review for an erotica. But here we go xD
This book certainly wasn't expected, but it was very welcome. Usually, dragon on dragon erotica doesn't make its way into novels sold on Amazon but instead tends to stay on sites like Sofurry and Furafinity.
This is the story of Razzan. A prince from the Vermillion kingdom, and one of their representatives in the upcoming celestial tournament where each kingdom competes to marry the celestial empress's heir. The celestial emperor and empress are sort of the central governing power and every kingdom wants to put one of theirs on the throne. This book has Razzan grow into the role of representative, learning to fight, learning court culture....and other skills. This brings me to the elephant in the room. The erotica...there's plenty of that xD
You see, male dragons are sorta slaves to their bodily urges and have a hard time controlling themselves when they get in the mood if they don't know how to control it. This of course leads to many detailed sexual situations, which I have to seriously give credit for. There is not a single cut-to-black in this book. I know some people I talked to were initially worried about that, but every single NSFW scene is described down to the smallest detail.
But it's not purely that, it's also a romance novel. While in the Vermillion court, his heart starts beating for the servant drake Lilliar.
The plot is not simply just setup for explicit scenes. There is actually a story in the novel, which is appreciated.
Now the characters. Razzan was great as a protagonist. He's a clear contrast to his brother in that he treats everyone kindly, and he tries to deal with situations logically, based on what he knows and has learned. Emphasis on that last part, cause he has spent most of his life underground, which leaves his social skills as a mess at times.
Lilliar was a light in the darkness compared to most of the court, and whose personality can provide Razzan with a much-needed reprieve from the rigidness of court culture. But as the blurb says, she is not without secrets.
I'm not going to lie. There were points when I felt uncomfortable with the situations that Razzan was in, the situations that were presented to him, how he acted, and how others acted towards him. But this book is clever as all hell. Pretty much everything that happens and how characters act has a logical reason that will be revealed. I feel like there are constantly new layers that reveal themselves the more I think about it, and makes me go "Oooooh, so that's why". Sorry if that sounds vague, but I simply can not hint about it too much. It is worth reading for sure.
For anyone who might be wondering if the book contains any different species. It does, but it also sorta does not. Humans exist in the kingdom, but they're treated as background noise and have no impact on the story. You have dragons and drakes, the latter missing any wings.
Now there are still a few aspects that were left vague. As well as a few things characters did that are hard to just forgive. It is a big comfort though that this is going to become a series and that a sequel is already in the works. Of course, what makes someone uncomfortable differs from person to person, so I urge people to not let my 4-stars speak too loudly and instead read it yourselves and form your own opinion. This is a good start for a series. :)
4 stars
This book certainly wasn't expected, but it was very welcome. Usually, dragon on dragon erotica doesn't make its way into novels sold on Amazon but instead tends to stay on sites like Sofurry and Furafinity.
This is the story of Razzan. A prince from the Vermillion kingdom, and one of their representatives in the upcoming celestial tournament where each kingdom competes to marry the celestial empress's heir. The celestial emperor and empress are sort of the central governing power and every kingdom wants to put one of theirs on the throne. This book has Razzan grow into the role of representative, learning to fight, learning court culture....and other skills. This brings me to the elephant in the room. The erotica...there's plenty of that xD
You see, male dragons are sorta slaves to their bodily urges and have a hard time controlling themselves when they get in the mood if they don't know how to control it. This of course leads to many detailed sexual situations, which I have to seriously give credit for. There is not a single cut-to-black in this book. I know some people I talked to were initially worried about that, but every single NSFW scene is described down to the smallest detail.
But it's not purely that, it's also a romance novel. While in the Vermillion court, his heart starts beating for the servant drake Lilliar.
The plot is not simply just setup for explicit scenes. There is actually a story in the novel, which is appreciated.
Now the characters. Razzan was great as a protagonist. He's a clear contrast to his brother in that he treats everyone kindly, and he tries to deal with situations logically, based on what he knows and has learned. Emphasis on that last part, cause he has spent most of his life underground, which leaves his social skills as a mess at times.
Lilliar was a light in the darkness compared to most of the court, and whose personality can provide Razzan with a much-needed reprieve from the rigidness of court culture. But as the blurb says, she is not without secrets.
I'm not going to lie. There were points when I felt uncomfortable with the situations that Razzan was in, the situations that were presented to him, how he acted, and how others acted towards him. But this book is clever as all hell. Pretty much everything that happens and how characters act has a logical reason that will be revealed. I feel like there are constantly new layers that reveal themselves the more I think about it, and makes me go "Oooooh, so that's why". Sorry if that sounds vague, but I simply can not hint about it too much. It is worth reading for sure.
For anyone who might be wondering if the book contains any different species. It does, but it also sorta does not. Humans exist in the kingdom, but they're treated as background noise and have no impact on the story. You have dragons and drakes, the latter missing any wings.
Now there are still a few aspects that were left vague. As well as a few things characters did that are hard to just forgive. It is a big comfort though that this is going to become a series and that a sequel is already in the works. Of course, what makes someone uncomfortable differs from person to person, so I urge people to not let my 4-stars speak too loudly and instead read it yourselves and form your own opinion. This is a good start for a series. :)
4 stars
March 15, 2024
A very solid entry into a new seires.
After a rough first chapter The Chosen Prince caught wind in his wings and soared into a pleasant story. At times a touch gruesome, at other times living up to its genre in spades, the book presents an engaging narrative from start to finish. Razzan's very fish-out-of-water (prince-out-of-burrows?) situation lends itself very well to both his and the reader's intorduction to the world, and his development - as well as the contrast to his brother - is interesting to follow, and side characters carry their own distinct personalities into the mix as well.
The romance between Razzan and Lilliar is developed in a very organic and believable, and, most importantly, endearing. Much as I usually don't favour romantic plots, these two's relationship was one I found myself rooting for, despite the precariousness of the arrangement. I came in knowing the NSFW scenes would be very much present and very much NOT fade-to-black, and they do deliver. Make no mistake, though - they both fit and complement the story, and it would not have been the same without. They manage provide a narrative tension, and while they could be called indulgent, they are not superfluous.
The world of dragons is harsh in this book, though how much of it is general-world things, and how much a Vermillion thing remains to be explored in sequels. The musings on the draconic nature provided an interesing perspective on possible dualities, and though some charcters in-world would disagree, I enjoyed those musings - in both theory, and shown in practice.
Some parts of the book felt too telly instead of showy, and at times the narrative mentioned something as though not strictly from Razzan's POV, but those weren't common enough to be a glaring issue. The prose itself was mostly fluid and pleasant to read, with some very neat passages sprinkled throughout.
The foreshadowing was done very well, and it took me only a little shorter than the protagonist to catch on to a certain thing. After that puzzle pieces fell into place, and conclusions were drawn, but that does not weaken the book or make it overly "predictable" - indeed, good foreshadowing enhances storytelling, and here it was aptly handled.
Scales of Fate: The Chosen Prince was an engaging flight through the trials and tribulations of a dragon discovering himself in more ways than one. I am looking forward to book 2 to explore other parts of this world, and meet another prince.
After a rough first chapter The Chosen Prince caught wind in his wings and soared into a pleasant story. At times a touch gruesome, at other times living up to its genre in spades, the book presents an engaging narrative from start to finish. Razzan's very fish-out-of-water (prince-out-of-burrows?) situation lends itself very well to both his and the reader's intorduction to the world, and his development - as well as the contrast to his brother - is interesting to follow, and side characters carry their own distinct personalities into the mix as well.
The romance between Razzan and Lilliar is developed in a very organic and believable, and, most importantly, endearing. Much as I usually don't favour romantic plots, these two's relationship was one I found myself rooting for, despite the precariousness of the arrangement. I came in knowing the NSFW scenes would be very much present and very much NOT fade-to-black, and they do deliver. Make no mistake, though - they both fit and complement the story, and it would not have been the same without. They manage provide a narrative tension, and while they could be called indulgent, they are not superfluous.
The world of dragons is harsh in this book, though how much of it is general-world things, and how much a Vermillion thing remains to be explored in sequels. The musings on the draconic nature provided an interesing perspective on possible dualities, and though some charcters in-world would disagree, I enjoyed those musings - in both theory, and shown in practice.
Some parts of the book felt too telly instead of showy, and at times the narrative mentioned something as though not strictly from Razzan's POV, but those weren't common enough to be a glaring issue. The prose itself was mostly fluid and pleasant to read, with some very neat passages sprinkled throughout.
The foreshadowing was done very well, and it took me only a little shorter than the protagonist to catch on to a certain thing. After that puzzle pieces fell into place, and conclusions were drawn, but that does not weaken the book or make it overly "predictable" - indeed, good foreshadowing enhances storytelling, and here it was aptly handled.
Scales of Fate: The Chosen Prince was an engaging flight through the trials and tribulations of a dragon discovering himself in more ways than one. I am looking forward to book 2 to explore other parts of this world, and meet another prince.
February 21, 2024
I read this book in 4 hours, I guess that tells a lot. And not about the length, at 380-ish pages, it's no short story.
I was completely hooked after the first two chapters.
The worldbuilding strikes a really decent balance with blending the familiar medieval-inspired themes with the violent, sometimes cruel nature befitting of dragons. They don't feel like yet another human civilization dressed up as flying lizards, they think and behave differently, which I found refreshing.
There is enough lore and background information in the setting that makes me excited to learn more - I could easily read stories of different characters that are set in the same world, maybe even different time periods of the setting as well.
Pretty much all of the named characters felt sometimes surprisingly multi-faceted and layered to me, which I greatly enjoyed discovering. You handily built up a first impression on everyone, then proceeded to contrast that with later events, and use Raz as the vessel through which the readers realize at the same time as he does, that nobody is exactly like they first seem.
The ending twist felt a bit easy to guess, but I think it was built up reasonably well, I'm glad it didn't just come out of nowhere, at least not for me.
I also really like the lots of political intrigues going on, influential characters have an agenda, and I also appreciated the philosophy of contrasting the beastly nature of dragons with their civilized aspects, done through characterization.
Overall I had a lot of unexpected fun reading your book, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, so thank you for your efforts, really. It feels like you've put a lot of thought into coming up with many details to the story, the world and its inhabitants, and the effort shines through. I had a great time, can't wait to have more. :)
I was completely hooked after the first two chapters.
The worldbuilding strikes a really decent balance with blending the familiar medieval-inspired themes with the violent, sometimes cruel nature befitting of dragons. They don't feel like yet another human civilization dressed up as flying lizards, they think and behave differently, which I found refreshing.
There is enough lore and background information in the setting that makes me excited to learn more - I could easily read stories of different characters that are set in the same world, maybe even different time periods of the setting as well.
Pretty much all of the named characters felt sometimes surprisingly multi-faceted and layered to me, which I greatly enjoyed discovering. You handily built up a first impression on everyone, then proceeded to contrast that with later events, and use Raz as the vessel through which the readers realize at the same time as he does, that nobody is exactly like they first seem.
The ending twist felt a bit easy to guess, but I think it was built up reasonably well, I'm glad it didn't just come out of nowhere, at least not for me.
I also really like the lots of political intrigues going on, influential characters have an agenda, and I also appreciated the philosophy of contrasting the beastly nature of dragons with their civilized aspects, done through characterization.
Overall I had a lot of unexpected fun reading your book, and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, so thank you for your efforts, really. It feels like you've put a lot of thought into coming up with many details to the story, the world and its inhabitants, and the effort shines through. I had a great time, can't wait to have more. :)
April 6, 2025
I've been looking for a book with actually dragons in a romantic context for a long time now, so it's great to see someone actually attempting to pull off a story, and the end result is very positive.
The beginning is the weakest part of the book, before character interactions begin to form and our protagonist takes shape, we're left with only an amorphous understanding of where this story is headed. But as time goes on, eventually we reach the point where everything settles into place and I'm deeply invested in the emotionally riveting conflicts and rewards.
The dialogue does tend towards the campy side, partly breaking my immersion at occasional intervals. It's not without its flaws, but the experience itself is professional enough that they did not prevent me from finishing the book.
I hesitate to even mention this, but the author is weirdly reliant on peeing oneself as a trope early on in the story, though eventually it never gets brought up again.
The last issue I had is with the pacing towards the end. As the story dips down, emotionally, we expect one last rising climax to break through the myopathy. But somehow, the story instead just resolved itself, in a somewhat confusing way, though it is still mostly satisfying.
Despite all these flaws, the heartfelt characters, the physicality of movements, the raw unbridled emotionality, and the deep romance all come together to form a delicious and giddy joy of a read that left me hungry for more. Reminding me of books from my childhood (with a few more adult themes), Scales of Fate was exactly what I was looking for, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to experience it.
I wouldn't say no to some more homoerotic subtext, or just plain text, in the future (and possibly a little more care for dragons'... Bodily functions).
May the wind lift your wings.
The beginning is the weakest part of the book, before character interactions begin to form and our protagonist takes shape, we're left with only an amorphous understanding of where this story is headed. But as time goes on, eventually we reach the point where everything settles into place and I'm deeply invested in the emotionally riveting conflicts and rewards.
The dialogue does tend towards the campy side, partly breaking my immersion at occasional intervals. It's not without its flaws, but the experience itself is professional enough that they did not prevent me from finishing the book.
I hesitate to even mention this, but the author is weirdly reliant on peeing oneself as a trope early on in the story, though eventually it never gets brought up again.
The last issue I had is with the pacing towards the end. As the story dips down, emotionally, we expect one last rising climax to break through the myopathy. But somehow, the story instead just resolved itself, in a somewhat confusing way, though it is still mostly satisfying.
Despite all these flaws, the heartfelt characters, the physicality of movements, the raw unbridled emotionality, and the deep romance all come together to form a delicious and giddy joy of a read that left me hungry for more. Reminding me of books from my childhood (with a few more adult themes), Scales of Fate was exactly what I was looking for, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to experience it.
I wouldn't say no to some more homoerotic subtext, or just plain text, in the future (and possibly a little more care for dragons'... Bodily functions).
May the wind lift your wings.
June 11, 2024
If you're a fan of the Wings of Fire series, this book will likely feel familiar, in spite of (and to a degree because of) the way it approaches and handles sexual encounters between dragons. This is not a book that will answer all of your questions, and not just because of a twist ending that lays the groundwork for the rest of a series that is almost certainly forthcoming. The dragons have curious ideas about incest and chastity that do not make clear sense from a biological or cultural perspective, and dragons are apparently (unique among animals) incapable of arousal until they reach adulthood. The author is clearly more of a furry than a zoologist, but then so is his audience.
The actual relationship between the two leads is very cute and believable. Their chemistry and attraction is believable, and has an interesting interplay of power dynamics, with the male lead being royalty compared to the female lead's servant status, juxtaposed with her maturity and confidence measured against his youth and naivety. If you're a fan of mild femdom and even milder dubcon, you'll find a lot to like. You'll also probably enjoy the way the narration never lets you forget that the characters are dragons, they have dragon bodies, dragon senses, and dragon cultural hangups. This is not a story that could believably be written about humans (though perhaps it could be believably written about Drow).
All in all, I enjoyed my time, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
The actual relationship between the two leads is very cute and believable. Their chemistry and attraction is believable, and has an interesting interplay of power dynamics, with the male lead being royalty compared to the female lead's servant status, juxtaposed with her maturity and confidence measured against his youth and naivety. If you're a fan of mild femdom and even milder dubcon, you'll find a lot to like. You'll also probably enjoy the way the narration never lets you forget that the characters are dragons, they have dragon bodies, dragon senses, and dragon cultural hangups. This is not a story that could believably be written about humans (though perhaps it could be believably written about Drow).
All in all, I enjoyed my time, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
April 24, 2025
I just recently finished this book and the emotional roller coaster that was going on was amazingly done. Never read too many erotic books (this being the second or third "book"). The genre of this book is not like 50 shades of gray erotic but does entail some scenes not meant for children. I saw the cover artist (great artist and creator) posted the art work for this book and did some digging on it. I read the description and figured if it was similar to Wings of Fire (started but haven't finished), it would be worth my attention.
The story was well driven and never held anything stagnate for a long period. All the characters are well created with their own personalities that are not common from one another or from different stories and description were well made and clear.
Looking forward to reading the second one and writing a review on that one as well.
Please keep up the amazing the work and will let you know how my thoughts on the second book.
The story was well driven and never held anything stagnate for a long period. All the characters are well created with their own personalities that are not common from one another or from different stories and description were well made and clear.
Looking forward to reading the second one and writing a review on that one as well.
Please keep up the amazing the work and will let you know how my thoughts on the second book.
August 26, 2025
The overall arc is surprisingly well refined and the finale twisted not only the story's plot, but my opinion of the book in just the same manner, leaving me astonished and craving for a continuation. The storytelling was a little shaky up until then, and certainly rough around the edges in a smaller scope, but that can be easily excused by this being among the author's first major publications.
If the plot is any indication on what to expect of the next installments, the series is on a promising path towards becoming a memorable experience, especially with experience honing narrative and character development.
And because the explicit content was discussed so woefully often in past reviews, let me add my two cents on that topic: I like it. Even if I found the latent sexuality a bit too strong in presence at most times, choosing not to omit sexuality is a brave move that makes this book stand out among many others. Besides, it contributes to the plot greatly, without dragging the plot into being "just about sex". I think the author stroke a good balance with a topic that most simply avoid.
If the plot is any indication on what to expect of the next installments, the series is on a promising path towards becoming a memorable experience, especially with experience honing narrative and character development.
And because the explicit content was discussed so woefully often in past reviews, let me add my two cents on that topic: I like it. Even if I found the latent sexuality a bit too strong in presence at most times, choosing not to omit sexuality is a brave move that makes this book stand out among many others. Besides, it contributes to the plot greatly, without dragging the plot into being "just about sex". I think the author stroke a good balance with a topic that most simply avoid.
October 25, 2025
I LOVED THIS BOOK! The main characters are adorable together and it was fun seeing them grow to like each other. I was also VERY impressed at how smutty this book is as I've never seen so much dragon on dragon action in an actual published book before. So be very AWARE THIS IS A BOOK FOR ADULTS! That being said the world building is nice and give lots of room for future books and the twist at the end is both very unexpected and a bit sad BUT I'm confident the author will make it useful in the end.
March 14, 2025
First off, I love dragons, I love erotica. I also like to keep it short and simple. So:
What I enjoyed is the world-building, the story and of course, the adult material, both the lewd scenes and the deeper (heh) emotional moments this book provides. I was pretty much hooked since the beginning and it was a fun read up until the end, which also didn't turn out as I expected. And my brain loves to predict, a lot.
I can't wait for more and I'm thankful that we're given a dragon erotica series.
What I enjoyed is the world-building, the story and of course, the adult material, both the lewd scenes and the deeper (heh) emotional moments this book provides. I was pretty much hooked since the beginning and it was a fun read up until the end, which also didn't turn out as I expected. And my brain loves to predict, a lot.
I can't wait for more and I'm thankful that we're given a dragon erotica series.
December 4, 2024
To dobra książka a na pewno najlepsza wręcz jeśli chodzi o erotykę jedyny zarzut to dziury fabularne, bardzo mało sex scene(tylko jedna jest reszta to gry wstępne) i oczywiście brak planów kontynuacji sensownej (o comic czy grze albo minimum animacji nie wspomnę
September 3, 2025
Woof. What a rollercoaster.
Also hot diggity damn, not often I run into novels that don't feature a single human (or human adjacent) character and don't feel like humans in costumes. This book nailed it.
Also hot diggity damn, not often I run into novels that don't feature a single human (or human adjacent) character and don't feel like humans in costumes. This book nailed it.
April 2, 2024
A "mother" dragon squashes her son in this. This book needs better TWs.
August 7, 2025
A single sentence to summarize this book:
Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.
Where there is desire, there is darkness. The deeper the longing, the deeper the shadows.
Yet do not despair. Perhaps just beyond the next turning, an unexpected light awaits.
For those who seek a tale of dark majesty told through the eyes of a dragon, this is a journey you must not overlook.
And when it ends, you may find yourself already yearning for the next.
Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.
Where there is desire, there is darkness. The deeper the longing, the deeper the shadows.
Yet do not despair. Perhaps just beyond the next turning, an unexpected light awaits.
For those who seek a tale of dark majesty told through the eyes of a dragon, this is a journey you must not overlook.
And when it ends, you may find yourself already yearning for the next.
May 5, 2025
In a way, The Chosen Prince is akin to a simple but well-cooked dish. It’s clear that the cook spared no expense on the ingredients and prepared them well, but didn’t manage to get the salt and spices just right, which resulted in the dish having a noticeably unbalanced flavor.
The “ingredients” are high quality: the forbidden love affair feels exciting and convincing, Razzan’s forced competition with his clutchmate carries a tang of regret, and the story of our prince learning of the wider world and navigating the intrigues of palace life ties everything together quite neatly.
The dish is skillfully prepared: the chef masterfully enhanced the flavor of the otherwise ordinary dish with a touch of mystery, slowly cultivating suspicion in the reader before presenting them with a puzzle to solve. The characters were interesting, and their interactions felt natural, even though some of them didn’t have enough depth or presence. However, that was probably caused by the modest size of the book and some troubles in space allocation, which shall be brought up later. The prose was of a quality that neither impedes the reading experience nor elevates it to some previously unseen heights, which in my book, qualifies as "good".
The spices, however, are all slightly off: where the chef should have rounded the taste off with the strategic application of world trivia, they instead opted for adding more spice in the form of horny dragons, which on its own is a nice thing to have, yet in this particular case, it felt like some aspects of the story were neglected to devote more attention to the aforementioned horny dragons.
In general, Scales of Fate: The Chosen Prince doesn’t set out to do something overly elaborate, but what it does, it does well enough to make one eager to learn more of its world and characters, a desire that the story doesn’t always accommodate or acknowledge. This, in turn, makes The Chosen Prince an unmistakably good read, but one that didn’t quite reach its full greatness. I believe the story deserves a high 3 or a low 4. However, since it's succeeded by The Scarred Prince, which improved on all shortcomings of its predecessor, I decided to give it a 4.
The “ingredients” are high quality: the forbidden love affair feels exciting and convincing, Razzan’s forced competition with his clutchmate carries a tang of regret, and the story of our prince learning of the wider world and navigating the intrigues of palace life ties everything together quite neatly.
The dish is skillfully prepared: the chef masterfully enhanced the flavor of the otherwise ordinary dish with a touch of mystery, slowly cultivating suspicion in the reader before presenting them with a puzzle to solve. The characters were interesting, and their interactions felt natural, even though some of them didn’t have enough depth or presence. However, that was probably caused by the modest size of the book and some troubles in space allocation, which shall be brought up later. The prose was of a quality that neither impedes the reading experience nor elevates it to some previously unseen heights, which in my book, qualifies as "good".
The spices, however, are all slightly off: where the chef should have rounded the taste off with the strategic application of world trivia, they instead opted for adding more spice in the form of horny dragons, which on its own is a nice thing to have, yet in this particular case, it felt like some aspects of the story were neglected to devote more attention to the aforementioned horny dragons.
In general, Scales of Fate: The Chosen Prince doesn’t set out to do something overly elaborate, but what it does, it does well enough to make one eager to learn more of its world and characters, a desire that the story doesn’t always accommodate or acknowledge. This, in turn, makes The Chosen Prince an unmistakably good read, but one that didn’t quite reach its full greatness. I believe the story deserves a high 3 or a low 4. However, since it's succeeded by The Scarred Prince, which improved on all shortcomings of its predecessor, I decided to give it a 4.
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