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Rise of the False King: An Epic Dragon Fantasy Saga
Trapped and alone, Dusk must watch as his greatest enemy ascends the throne, using the stolen magic of the dragons to claim it. Suddenly, the world is thrust into an all-out war.
Will Dusk be able to stop the new king before he lays waste to the world?
I never thought my friends would betray me. After weeks of traveling together and bonds formed in the heat of battle, I thought I knew them. But the moment I arrive at Emerald Deep, everything begins to unravel.
And danger is coming.
Then, just when we're close to our goal, my friends hesitate. Tired of them stopping me from reaching my goal, I send them away. However, no sooner had I sent them away than I found myself captured and imprisoned.
The False King stands before me and I can see the world burning to ash in his eyes. If he takes over Alamond, the world will fall.
Will Dusk be able to stop the new king before he lays waste to the world?
I never thought my friends would betray me. After weeks of traveling together and bonds formed in the heat of battle, I thought I knew them. But the moment I arrive at Emerald Deep, everything begins to unravel.
And danger is coming.
Then, just when we're close to our goal, my friends hesitate. Tired of them stopping me from reaching my goal, I send them away. However, no sooner had I sent them away than I found myself captured and imprisoned.
The False King stands before me and I can see the world burning to ash in his eyes. If he takes over Alamond, the world will fall.
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 10, 2024
entertaining fun YA fantasy story
Rating: 4🌈
The Rise of the False King is the third book in Eoghan R. Cunningham’s YA epic fantasy adventure and it’s one I highly enjoyed. I was happy to have the fourth novel released so I could go quickly onto the next section, as this flows smoothly through one novel into the next.
It’s also definitely geared towards a younger reader. While there’s a romance brewing and romantic elements among other characters, there is still no rawly sexual scenes but kissing and anything else is “off page” or left to the imagination. And that main romance is most definitely a slow burn type of relationship, frankly due to the naïveté of the one character and the hidden secrets of the other.
The characters are very relatable and well defined, if not a certain type of epic character. Dusk, the escaped slave, has undergone the biggest challenges and changes in his life. Magic has come to him in the form of a crystal and a White Dragon. Now he’s hunted by several villainous factions, one lead by an evil man so deadly it might threaten the entire world. Also with him is Tara, a warrior formerly of the King’s Guards, and Lex, a young man of hidden background but clearly wealthy and not used to being on his own.
The author has a real knack for writing exciting action sequences, which is great because Dusk and his friends, but mostly Dusk, fall into trouble frequently.
The many storylines weave together a growing mythology of dragons, humanity, and magic undone that’s tragic for many and is still being played out. I’m throughly invested in this rich tale and the how the author is going to bring the stories that have been “told” in the narrative alive through the adventures of his characters.
One aspect that pops out, at least for me, is that certain actions or events are “telegraphed” in the story much like you’d see it in a movie like Scary Story. Where you yell at the screen, the villain is in the closet because, obviously that’s what’s going to happen. Here, if the dragon says don’t go in the bog. Or wherever. You just know the gang is heading to the bog.
Did narrative stuff like this ruin my enjoyment? No. I just wish I had “narrative” popcorn to throw and I merrily read right along.
Each book ends on a cliffhanger so having all but the last book released is great. One more to go.
This series was previously published under the title "The Crystalline Dragon saga" by Blake R. Wolfe. Although the title and cover are different, the content remains the same.
The Crystalline Dragons Saga-5 books:
- [x] Curse of the Dragon's Eye #1
- [x] Mist, Shadow, and Deep #2
- [x] Rise of the False King #3
- [x] The Queen of Darkness #4
- [ ] Fall of the Crystal Moon #5-June 6,2024
Rating: 4🌈
The Rise of the False King is the third book in Eoghan R. Cunningham’s YA epic fantasy adventure and it’s one I highly enjoyed. I was happy to have the fourth novel released so I could go quickly onto the next section, as this flows smoothly through one novel into the next.
It’s also definitely geared towards a younger reader. While there’s a romance brewing and romantic elements among other characters, there is still no rawly sexual scenes but kissing and anything else is “off page” or left to the imagination. And that main romance is most definitely a slow burn type of relationship, frankly due to the naïveté of the one character and the hidden secrets of the other.
The characters are very relatable and well defined, if not a certain type of epic character. Dusk, the escaped slave, has undergone the biggest challenges and changes in his life. Magic has come to him in the form of a crystal and a White Dragon. Now he’s hunted by several villainous factions, one lead by an evil man so deadly it might threaten the entire world. Also with him is Tara, a warrior formerly of the King’s Guards, and Lex, a young man of hidden background but clearly wealthy and not used to being on his own.
The author has a real knack for writing exciting action sequences, which is great because Dusk and his friends, but mostly Dusk, fall into trouble frequently.
The many storylines weave together a growing mythology of dragons, humanity, and magic undone that’s tragic for many and is still being played out. I’m throughly invested in this rich tale and the how the author is going to bring the stories that have been “told” in the narrative alive through the adventures of his characters.
One aspect that pops out, at least for me, is that certain actions or events are “telegraphed” in the story much like you’d see it in a movie like Scary Story. Where you yell at the screen, the villain is in the closet because, obviously that’s what’s going to happen. Here, if the dragon says don’t go in the bog. Or wherever. You just know the gang is heading to the bog.
Did narrative stuff like this ruin my enjoyment? No. I just wish I had “narrative” popcorn to throw and I merrily read right along.
Each book ends on a cliffhanger so having all but the last book released is great. One more to go.
This series was previously published under the title "The Crystalline Dragon saga" by Blake R. Wolfe. Although the title and cover are different, the content remains the same.
The Crystalline Dragons Saga-5 books:
- [x] Curse of the Dragon's Eye #1
- [x] Mist, Shadow, and Deep #2
- [x] Rise of the False King #3
- [x] The Queen of Darkness #4
- [ ] Fall of the Crystal Moon #5-June 6,2024
August 9, 2024
Rise of the False King (Crystalline Dragons Saga 3)
By Eoghan R. Cunningham
UwU Publishing, 2024
After the stunning betrayal and revelation with which book 2 ended, Cunningham turns the story around dramatically. The most important outcome of this is that Dusk finally realizes two important things: Tara and Lex actually care about him; and his dream of living out life on a quiet farm somewhere is probably not his destiny. As our friends carry on their attempt to escape from one war-torn country into another, Dusk is beginning to understand that he is more than he has ever imagined. And with that realization comes the certainty that his magic will not be put aside, and will not bring him peace and quiet any time soon.
Oddly enough, the tone in this third installment of the Crystalline Dragon saga is lighter, despite all the mayhem and violence our plucky trio (and Maribel, the gentle mare) confront. There is a little more snarky humor in the bickering among the three travelers (when they’re not saving each other’s lives), and the language gets a little more modern and idiomatic. I was delighted that at last Dusk wakes up to Lex’s real feelings for him, which were obvious to everyone but him (who, after all, has spent most of his life as a salt-mine slave worker).
All three of the main characters keep evolving, and as the author reveals more about each one to us, they take shape both individually and in relation to their quest partners. It is only at the end, however, in another stunning revelation, that we understand why Tara and Lex have so deeply committed themselves to Dusk’s quest.
The cliffhanger ending didn’t really annoy me, because I knew we’d have one. Plus, the author dropped a real zinger of a surprise ending, which whetted my appetite for book 4 and which is already on my Kindle. Dusk will have to keep convincing himself that he’s worthy, and destined for something much greater than he ever imagined. It’s clear that he’s being underestimated by his enemies, and watching that play out will be highly entertaining.
By Eoghan R. Cunningham
UwU Publishing, 2024
After the stunning betrayal and revelation with which book 2 ended, Cunningham turns the story around dramatically. The most important outcome of this is that Dusk finally realizes two important things: Tara and Lex actually care about him; and his dream of living out life on a quiet farm somewhere is probably not his destiny. As our friends carry on their attempt to escape from one war-torn country into another, Dusk is beginning to understand that he is more than he has ever imagined. And with that realization comes the certainty that his magic will not be put aside, and will not bring him peace and quiet any time soon.
Oddly enough, the tone in this third installment of the Crystalline Dragon saga is lighter, despite all the mayhem and violence our plucky trio (and Maribel, the gentle mare) confront. There is a little more snarky humor in the bickering among the three travelers (when they’re not saving each other’s lives), and the language gets a little more modern and idiomatic. I was delighted that at last Dusk wakes up to Lex’s real feelings for him, which were obvious to everyone but him (who, after all, has spent most of his life as a salt-mine slave worker).
All three of the main characters keep evolving, and as the author reveals more about each one to us, they take shape both individually and in relation to their quest partners. It is only at the end, however, in another stunning revelation, that we understand why Tara and Lex have so deeply committed themselves to Dusk’s quest.
The cliffhanger ending didn’t really annoy me, because I knew we’d have one. Plus, the author dropped a real zinger of a surprise ending, which whetted my appetite for book 4 and which is already on my Kindle. Dusk will have to keep convincing himself that he’s worthy, and destined for something much greater than he ever imagined. It’s clear that he’s being underestimated by his enemies, and watching that play out will be highly entertaining.
May 7, 2025
I liked the first book well enough by here at the midpoint I have lost my patience. Dusk is increasingly becoming a Mary Sue, mastering every skill he comes across (archery, reading, fishing) and while in the first book he was a slave who found a magical item, by this one he is the descendant of a king who was allowed to take the item because he was deemed worthy. it's increasingly cliched and the writing is not strong enough to carry it through. The villains are particularly ham-fisted but really all of it is hard to read. The world building has become convoluted and I just can't anymore.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews