Storm Dragon

Kundalis #1

by Frances Pauli

Karin knows she’s gone completely insane—nuts—absolutely batshit crazy, when she spots an insidious blue dragon twining through the trees at a rest stop in the Cascade Mountains. Despite agreeing to join her roommate at a psychic fair, she’s never believed in anything metaphysical. She’s pretty sure the Reiki treatment she succumbed to has brought on a frighteningly realistic hallucination—until they roll their mini-van in the middle of I-90, and she is rescued from the vehicle by the same monstrous blue figment of her imagination.

She awakens to find that she’s been delivered to a cabin high in the mountains instead of to a proper hospital. The “doctor” looking out for her is more of a new-ager than a physician, and the people who own the house, including the urban highlander version of Fabio, don’t have any intention of letting her leave.

Faced with the unimaginable, and strapped to an all-too-real dragon, Karin must decide how to tame the beast or risk losing herself to it forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Urban Fantasy, Romance

170 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2014

About the author

Frances Pauli writes books about animals, hybrids, aliens, shifters, and occasionally ordinary humans. She tends to cross genre boundaries, but hovers around fantasy and science fiction with romantic tendencies.

Her work has won four Leo awards, two Coyotl awards, and has been nominated for an Ursa Major award.

She lives in Washington State with her family, a small menagerie, and far too many houseplants.

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've wanted to read this book since I first saw the cover, it's gorgeous and I love dragons and I'm very glad I did it because it was a very interesting book.

The story was fascinating, the characters were richly developed, not everything was as it seemed and I was honestly surprised at some of the twists the story took and I have to say this book turned out to be a nice surprise for me because from the description of the book I was expecting something else. How refreshing it is to be completely surprised by a story, to not be able to predict what will happen next. I only wished that the book had more informations about Kundalini energy, it was very interesting .

The romance side in this book I really didn't like it very much it's a bit boring and has no really emotions. I had a hard time grasping Karin as a character. Even though the novel is written in the first person, so you're literally in her head all the time, I couldn't really tell what kind of person Karin is, well she did annoy me sometimes. There are some chapters about Karin and her struggle to understand her dragon that I like, and I really wish that the book was much bigger. I loved the ending and I can't wait for the next book to show up.

[Mark Engels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I frequently turn to the back of a book and read the ending. Then, if I find my interest piqued, I go back to the beginning and start reading to discover how the author leads me there. That was the case with this book, whose poignant, relatable message especially in these trying times resonated with me. With author Pauli striking a skillful balance between humor and suspense, readers will get to meet a snarky heroine, her scaly blue foil and the man trying to keep peace between the two of them. Main character Karin must come to terms with who--and what--she is, limitations and all, if she has any hope of saving her friends. And the man she’s come to love.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for now, really should get to read next books to have a better idea
First of all disband all thoughts of sexy dragon shifters! That is the standard we (or at least I) usually think of when dragons meet paranormal romance, but not here!
I actually felt a tad bit cheated when I realized this wasn't going to be the usual 'waking up mated with the drop-dead gorgeous dragon-boy' plot, but I soon realized I had actually found something better and definitely more interesting and original.
Kundalis are spiritual dragon shaped 'spirits' who can actually materialize and become physical in our world but need to find an human anchor to sustain them. There is lots to say about them, but I don't want to reveal too much!
The focus in this book is the female protagonist, her character growth, her coping with the new and hard reality of having to cooperate with a foreign entity inside her own body and her finding the strenght to accept and actually take into her own hands her fate. The romance side is sweet and charming but doesn't play a big role for now.
I appreciated the novelty of the story, how it was written and the various characters, but this book is relatively short and doesn't actually reveal all the 'secrets' the Kundalis have in store or even their purpose for coming into our plane of existence. It doesn't end in a cliffhanger so don't be scared, you actually feel pretty satisfied with the ending once you finish reading (I did!), but still not all answers are given and that makes it difficult for me to give a definite 5 stars to the book for now.
I really look forward to know more about this amazing world, about its characters and their Kundalis counterparts. I really hope the next books will keep up with this great start and that the heroine will keep being true to herself and relatable.

[Brandee (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5 Stars**

Kundalis: Storm Dragon wasn't what I was expecting when I saw dragons. But that wasn't a bad thing. I failed to make the connection between Kundalis/kundalini and Enlightenment. I don't know that much about chakras, astral planes and the metaphysical. Karin didn't either though, so I was learning right along with her.

Karin doesn't understand the how or the why she ended up as an anchor for Blue, her dragon. The Kundalis are the manifestation of energy - representing enlightenment. Blue takes Karin on a journey. We don't know Blue's end goal exactly, but Karin learns a lot and has Orrin Birch along for the ride. It was interesting watching Karin learn to cope with being an anchor - what all it entailed. She showed maturity in handling both Blue and the others like her, she came across.

Luckily, she had some help from Orrin, the doctor who took care of her following the accident. He had knowledge that aided Karin in what to do now that she's on this 'path'. He really helped her with understanding how to handle things like 'riding' and 'projecting' as well as understanding more about her dragon.

This is a very unique concept for a fantasy/romance. We don't yet understand why the Kundalis are awakening and I look forward to learning more about that. The romance was sweet - learning about soul mates and meeting on an astral plane. I'm interested to see where Karin's romance will go. I am assuming this is the first in a series since there's many questions left unanswered. Although it did wrap up nicely, I still want to know more and what happens next.

**I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

[Carrie (Book Fairy) Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Lines “The new guy had an attitude. Not surprising. He looked like a movie star, and I’d never quite trusted anyone that pretty.”

“Maybe I’d always known, but I spied the one star I needed. It looked exactly like all the others, and yet, was nothing like them.”

“I have a monster inside me.” I sniffed. A tear may have leaked out. “It’s not inside you. It is you.”

“I stood in a circle of stares and my dragon swirled around my feet neither rampant, nor restrained. Simply mine.”

“Then maybe we can begin to heal!”

What a extremely great different read! I will admit I was slow going about giving this book a chance but IM SO GLAD I DID! It was a great read that I really loved. It was different, something that I can honestly say I have never read before! I've read dragon books before but, this was nothing like those. Karin's whole world turns upside down literally when she's in a car wreck. She wakes up in a strange place where there are people talking of chakras, breathing, enlightened, and dragons. Then she gets eaten by a dragon literally. Then she comes to find she wasn't eaten by a dragon but joined with one. CRAZY RIGHT! Karin is not the only one! This books shows her journey to truly healing! A amazing DIFFERENT dragon book! If you want something different then this is the book for you!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review (Coffee&Characters)

FOUR BLUE FAIRIES

[Lynne Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I did find that editing was needed to tighten this book up, it in no way took away from the enjoyment I took from this novel. Good clean fun with plenty action, just the way I like my urban fantasies! I was immediately drawn into the story from the get go, and enjoyed the colourful cast of characters. I particularly loved the mystical elements to the story, and I'm left with enough threads unfinished that I'm eager to read the next one. There's just a tiny smidgen of romance.

If you're looking for a female lead who isn't perfect and has plenty of flaws (which opens the door to personal growth!!), but has a good heart and wants to learn, you will thoroughly enjoy this book!

[Katherine Seppala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sucked in right at the start, amazing writing, flows nicely and the conversations don't drag on like they do in some books. First book of hers to read and won't be the last!!

[Cyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

GENRE: Urban Fantasy
THEME: Dragons
RECEIVED: Tour
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
3.5 stars

REVIEW:
This was a very different dragon story than I was expecting, the idea of dragons connecting to human and not actually having them shift was a much-appreciated change. I love when an author can take you from the norm and create a unique world, however I’m not familiar with chakras and meditation, it was interesting to learn about it from a dragon point of view.

Kundalis: Storm Dragon follows Karin a young woman who was on a trip with her friend to a fair. But after her reiki treatment she starts to see visions of a something big and blue. Trying to rid of the thoughts they head back on the road but get in a terrible accident in which she is saved by the very blue creature she saw in her vision. She wakes up in an unfamiliar place being treated by a man named Orrin who doesn’t strike her as a normal doctor. She learns the truth about her survival and that she has been chosen to be an anchor (bearer) to a powerful dragon.

Karin is a great female lead; she is stubborn, strong and in the end takes on a load of responsibility. When the readers first meet Karin she is confused and frightened, she has a lot to learn about why she has been chosen as an anchor to one of the most powerful of the dragons as well as how to handle the dragon itself, whom she names blue. The most interesting relationship with Karin had to be her and blue, their interactions were unusual as they spoke to each other inside Karin’s head. Blue is a born leader and wants Karin to act as such, but Karin wants to go home and not deal with the fact she is now attached to him. Their bickering and challenging towards each other causes a lot of problems but also makes them learn how to work together.

There are quite a few secondary characters but none really caught my interest as much as Karin and Blue did. There is Orrin who is the one constant and guide for Karin, he wants to help her but is frustrated that he can’t see the dragons or be like those who are like her. Their relationship changes over time and I feel there is going to be something big with him in the future books. There are also many other anchors like Karin who have their own dragons, like Cade who wanted Karin to be his mate and Li whose black dragon challenges blue. I’m hoping we get more insight on how they all came to be with their dragons and more interactions with Karin and Blue in the future books.

The villain of this story isn’t much a villain as it is an uncertainty of why the dragons are all awakening and what do they really want. The dragons seem to have a lot of control over their anchors but I think Karin is going to change that and maybe discover the reason for their existence.

Overall this first book in the series has a ton of potential, the main protagonist will hook you into the story immediately. There is a bit of romance but not as much as I would of hoped, however I’m interested to see what happens with Karin and if her heart will change after what happens. The pace was action packed from beginning to end and even though it took me a bit to understand what was going on, I liked the concept and look forward to continuing this series.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is an urban fantasy series that is a fast paced action adventure story that will keep you hooked. Fans of the Dark King series by Donna Grant and Thea Harrisons Elder Race series will enjoy Kundalis: Storm Dragon by Frances Pauli.

[Rebecca Fyfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover, as you can see, is beautiful, and although the book was only an ARC copy which still hadn't had its final edits completed, I found it to have few, if any grammatical or spelling errors. The book was very well written and a delight to read. In fact, once I got past the first few pages and started to understand the story a bit more, I became thoroughly engrossed in the book. I read it within a couple of hours and pretty much didn't want to put it down until I finished the story. I highly recommend it if you like the idea of reading a dragon story that has an interesting twist on the idea of what a dragon really is.

Spoiler (Don't read beyond this point if you don't want to read a spoiler): My favorite line in the book: "We are not enlightened. We are broken." (That may not be an exact quote; it's just from memory.)

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Frances Pauli pushes the boundaries on a genre and gives you something interesting and intriguing to mull over in your mind. This story is mainly about Karin and the situation she is in but there is a gentle undercurrent of a love story within the midst.

There is enough information given to you as a reader that you can fully keep up with the story and the developments in the plot as well as the character development too.

Karin's reaction to some of the situations she finds herself in is comical but fully understandable. She has her own path to follow and to my dismay, some of the others have their own paths which are in a different direction to Karin's at the moment.

An exceedingly well-written contemporary fantasy that will suit all fans who want something on the little bit different side.

[Shawn Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book at an independent bookseller's fair at Evergreen State College. The premise seemed interesting, and the cover art is striking.

I enjoyed the book, but there were some issues with both typos (scared / sacred, etc) and typesetting. One chapter is entirely centered instead of left justified for no discernible reason.

The story is good, but I found some of the dialogue and actions of the characters a little stilted. The protagonist, Karin, makes some choices that I found bewildering. However, I really don't know how people are supposed to act around dragons in central Washington State, so I could be wrong.

I am interested in reading a sequel at some point in the future, so the story hooked me that much.

[ariesmagic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a very early copy of this one from a publisher rep and it's taken me a couple months to finally say I'm not interested. (Very unprofessional, I know).

I tried really hard to get into this one and finish it but there didn't seem to be an endgame and the main character was not fun to read about. Or read with..? This has a first person POV so we see into her head and her thoughts and the story were just too inconsistent and all over the place.

As the critics say: great concept, weak execution. I'd be more interested reading a cleaned up/edited version.

Regardless, I do hope to continue and finish the story. I'll update my review if that ever happens.