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Dawn of Dragons #1
Requiem's Song
Weredragons, men call them. Monsters. Cursed ones. People who can turn into beastly reptiles.
In an ancient world just rising from darkness, they are everywhere. Some wander the plains with clans of mammoth hunters. Others are born in riverside huts. Some live across the ocean where seafaring tribes are discovering the secrets of bronze and writing in clay. Everywhere their curse is the same--people who can grow wings, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons.
And everywhere, they are hunted. They hide in forests and caves, dispersed. Many are alone, unaware that others exist. They are shunned, afraid, dying . . . until a group of these lost souls binds together and stands tall.
A blacksmith in a world of stone tools. A mammoth hunter exiled from her tribe. A traveling juggler and a wandering warrior. An elderly druid and an outcast prince. They are weredragons. They are cursed and hunted. Together they will forge a new tribe, a home for their kind. A dawn of dragon rises. The nation of Requiem is born.
In an ancient world just rising from darkness, they are everywhere. Some wander the plains with clans of mammoth hunters. Others are born in riverside huts. Some live across the ocean where seafaring tribes are discovering the secrets of bronze and writing in clay. Everywhere their curse is the same--people who can grow wings, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons.
And everywhere, they are hunted. They hide in forests and caves, dispersed. Many are alone, unaware that others exist. They are shunned, afraid, dying . . . until a group of these lost souls binds together and stands tall.
A blacksmith in a world of stone tools. A mammoth hunter exiled from her tribe. A traveling juggler and a wandering warrior. An elderly druid and an outcast prince. They are weredragons. They are cursed and hunted. Together they will forge a new tribe, a home for their kind. A dawn of dragon rises. The nation of Requiem is born.
300 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2014
345 people are currently reading
1720 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Arenson
148 books877 followersDaniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. The Huffington Post has called his writing "full of soul." He's written over forty novels, most of them in five series:
EARTHRISE — They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win. Start reading with Earth Alone, the first novel in this military science fiction series.
REQUIEM — Welcome to Requiem, an ancient kingdom whose people can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem is explored in six trilogies, which can be read in any order. If you're new to Requiem, you can start reading with Requiem's Song (you can download it for free). For fans of dark, gritty fantasy like A Game of Thrones.
MOTH — Discover Moth, a world torn between day and night—its one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless darkness. For fans of classic fantasy worlds such as Middle Earth and Narnia. Start reading with Moth, the first novel in this epic fantasy saga.
ALIEN HUNTERS — Got trouble with aliens? Call the Alien Hunters. A group of scruffy mercenaries, they'll remove the pest for you. Low rates. No questions asked. Start reading with Alien Hunters, the first book in this space opera series. For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
KINGDOMS OF SAND — Enter a world of sand and splendor, a world where gladiators battle in the arena, where legionaries and barbarians fight for glory, and where empires rise and fall.
EARTHRISE — They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win. Start reading with Earth Alone, the first novel in this military science fiction series.
REQUIEM — Welcome to Requiem, an ancient kingdom whose people can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem is explored in six trilogies, which can be read in any order. If you're new to Requiem, you can start reading with Requiem's Song (you can download it for free). For fans of dark, gritty fantasy like A Game of Thrones.
MOTH — Discover Moth, a world torn between day and night—its one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless darkness. For fans of classic fantasy worlds such as Middle Earth and Narnia. Start reading with Moth, the first novel in this epic fantasy saga.
ALIEN HUNTERS — Got trouble with aliens? Call the Alien Hunters. A group of scruffy mercenaries, they'll remove the pest for you. Low rates. No questions asked. Start reading with Alien Hunters, the first book in this space opera series. For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
KINGDOMS OF SAND — Enter a world of sand and splendor, a world where gladiators battle in the arena, where legionaries and barbarians fight for glory, and where empires rise and fall.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
March 9, 2018
These notes apply pretty much for the whole series.
Some good things:
- Daniel Arenson can make a battle feel very alive and exciting - lots of action and imaginative description of how a battle might play out.
- The concept for the series, with people who are persecuted because they can shift between a human and dragon form, is rich with potential and pretty interesting.
- The description of demons and dragons was quite visually stimulating, I could definitely see these creatures.
That is all.
Seriously.
I came in to the series (I read the 3 books in the Dawn of Dragons series, which is the 1st trilogy in the World of Requiem) thinking I would get some really fascinating literature about people and dragons in a sort of high fantasy, and will admit that setting it in the bronze age could really pose some interesting challenges and limitations for the characters.
And boy, was I thoroughly disappointed.
The author's technique and execution of a concept which had great potential. I've seen a number of people complain about the ultraviolence of the book and series in general. The violence itself was not an issue for me - it was the fact that the only time anything actually happened was in battle scenes. Outside these, basically nothing but whining, or if something interesting like rebuilding a home/nation or even just some meaningful conversation occurred, it only received a pitiful few pages before the author flooded the world with another desperate attack. It's a shameful display of an inability to write or develop anything remotely interesting when the only time anything happens is during a fight. Life exists outside battle, even during wartime. This was basically left unexplored - all down time was basically spent in preparation for the next battle, or was glossed over in a matter of a page or two. That the author has some sort of revulsion to explore the (sometimes lengthy) passages of time between fights is at once annoying to read and kind of sad.
On a very direct note, the author has clearly only one concept of how people cry - STINGING TEARS. It becomes exceedingly tiring to open a book and see characters cry on nearly every page, but that is only compounded upon when the descriptor of this action is nearly always "his/her eyes stung". There are a plethora of ways to describe a character crying - does this need to be the one used literally 98% of the time? On top of this, it's when EVERY character is subject to this, it completely annihilates any individualism. The characters became exceptionally boring because all they ever do is cry or fight - their individual characteristics either have no chance to shine, because they're all slight tweaks of the same whiney, teary base, so they all look like the exact same person with differing physical characteristics. Not interesting whatsoever, and I had no desire to connect to any of them.
Furthermore these characters are driven far too much by ultimate imperative. It seems every action is one of "I must do this for my loved ones/my nation/the earth itself", with events that are not necessarily of utmost importance being treated like "end of the world" situations. The actual importance of these events is diminished with great speed, because every action is at this 10/10 level of imperative. As such, after about 3 "ohmygodtheworldisending" events, you just stop caring. There's no buildup, no literary foreplay - it's just driving in at full speed and leaving you sitting there after the event wishing that something interesting would happen, rather than just being bombarded by increasingly meaningless action. All you get for slogging through battle after battle is a few pages of clunky exposition, or teary-eyed whiny characters thinking about just how dire their situation and clutching desperately at any hope that they'll wake up the next day just to see everything come crashing down again.
The concept for the series is interesting. I wish the execution had anything remotely interesting to speak of.
Some good things:
- Daniel Arenson can make a battle feel very alive and exciting - lots of action and imaginative description of how a battle might play out.
- The concept for the series, with people who are persecuted because they can shift between a human and dragon form, is rich with potential and pretty interesting.
- The description of demons and dragons was quite visually stimulating, I could definitely see these creatures.
That is all.
Seriously.
I came in to the series (I read the 3 books in the Dawn of Dragons series, which is the 1st trilogy in the World of Requiem) thinking I would get some really fascinating literature about people and dragons in a sort of high fantasy, and will admit that setting it in the bronze age could really pose some interesting challenges and limitations for the characters.
And boy, was I thoroughly disappointed.
The author's technique and execution of a concept which had great potential. I've seen a number of people complain about the ultraviolence of the book and series in general. The violence itself was not an issue for me - it was the fact that the only time anything actually happened was in battle scenes. Outside these, basically nothing but whining, or if something interesting like rebuilding a home/nation or even just some meaningful conversation occurred, it only received a pitiful few pages before the author flooded the world with another desperate attack. It's a shameful display of an inability to write or develop anything remotely interesting when the only time anything happens is during a fight. Life exists outside battle, even during wartime. This was basically left unexplored - all down time was basically spent in preparation for the next battle, or was glossed over in a matter of a page or two. That the author has some sort of revulsion to explore the (sometimes lengthy) passages of time between fights is at once annoying to read and kind of sad.
On a very direct note, the author has clearly only one concept of how people cry - STINGING TEARS. It becomes exceedingly tiring to open a book and see characters cry on nearly every page, but that is only compounded upon when the descriptor of this action is nearly always "his/her eyes stung". There are a plethora of ways to describe a character crying - does this need to be the one used literally 98% of the time? On top of this, it's when EVERY character is subject to this, it completely annihilates any individualism. The characters became exceptionally boring because all they ever do is cry or fight - their individual characteristics either have no chance to shine, because they're all slight tweaks of the same whiney, teary base, so they all look like the exact same person with differing physical characteristics. Not interesting whatsoever, and I had no desire to connect to any of them.
Furthermore these characters are driven far too much by ultimate imperative. It seems every action is one of "I must do this for my loved ones/my nation/the earth itself", with events that are not necessarily of utmost importance being treated like "end of the world" situations. The actual importance of these events is diminished with great speed, because every action is at this 10/10 level of imperative. As such, after about 3 "ohmygodtheworldisending" events, you just stop caring. There's no buildup, no literary foreplay - it's just driving in at full speed and leaving you sitting there after the event wishing that something interesting would happen, rather than just being bombarded by increasingly meaningless action. All you get for slogging through battle after battle is a few pages of clunky exposition, or teary-eyed whiny characters thinking about just how dire their situation and clutching desperately at any hope that they'll wake up the next day just to see everything come crashing down again.
The concept for the series is interesting. I wish the execution had anything remotely interesting to speak of.
March 6, 2016
I'm not sure what to think about this book, like many of the other reviewers here.
Although I read this book in one sitting, it was mainly because I had a seven-hour train journey to get through, and, honestly, the writing is fairly decent, for the most part.
There are several other good parts of the story:
- the idea is very unique. People who can turn into dragons is something that hasn't been done often before and, unlike other reviewers, I feel that the hatred towards them isn't that unrealistic. Let's face it, how many people wouldn't be afraid and try to at least contain people who could turn into flying. Fire-breathing death machines.
- the descriptions of the imagination behind the was very interesting and it allowed a clear mental image.
Although not a pro as such, I didn't find anything particularly upsetting with the rude language or gore. It was pretty graphic at times, but no one was claiming this book is for children.
And now for the negatives:
- the repetition. Whilst most of the book is fairly well written, there were several points where I was reading the exact same sentence as before. I don't care how one character's sister doesn't count as a woman, she's more like a warthog, especially when it's the third time I've heard it.
- the rules of turning into a dragon are fairly vague. It's established fairly early on that ropes or chains prevent a character from turning into dragon if they don't want to face dismemberment, but clothes transform as well and are present after transformation as well. One character's sword transforms with him, but another's homemade spear doesn't. What's even worse is that the author acknowledges this, with a promise of a later explanation which never comes.
Similarly at the end
- character development. Not much of it, and what does exist is forced. I especially hated
This book wasn't awful; I did manage to read the whole thing, but there were certain aspects that really held it back. So long as such things don't bother you, and you want an easy read, I would recommend this. Otherwise, I'd look for something else.
Although I read this book in one sitting, it was mainly because I had a seven-hour train journey to get through, and, honestly, the writing is fairly decent, for the most part.
There are several other good parts of the story:
- the idea is very unique. People who can turn into dragons is something that hasn't been done often before and, unlike other reviewers, I feel that the hatred towards them isn't that unrealistic. Let's face it, how many people wouldn't be afraid and try to at least contain people who could turn into flying. Fire-breathing death machines.
- the descriptions of the imagination behind the was very interesting and it allowed a clear mental image.
Although not a pro as such, I didn't find anything particularly upsetting with the rude language or gore. It was pretty graphic at times, but no one was claiming this book is for children.
And now for the negatives:
- the repetition. Whilst most of the book is fairly well written, there were several points where I was reading the exact same sentence as before. I don't care how one character's sister doesn't count as a woman, she's more like a warthog, especially when it's the third time I've heard it.
- the rules of turning into a dragon are fairly vague. It's established fairly early on that ropes or chains prevent a character from turning into dragon if they don't want to face dismemberment, but clothes transform as well and are present after transformation as well. One character's sword transforms with him, but another's homemade spear doesn't. What's even worse is that the author acknowledges this, with a promise of a later explanation which never comes.
Similarly at the end
- character development. Not much of it, and what does exist is forced. I especially hated
This book wasn't awful; I did manage to read the whole thing, but there were certain aspects that really held it back. So long as such things don't bother you, and you want an easy read, I would recommend this. Otherwise, I'd look for something else.
January 18, 2016
Excellent Plot!
The title didn’t suggest anything to me at all in the beginning but as I read the book it became clear to me that it was a song of freedom for the weredragons. This was my first fantasy read and I’m not disappointed. I tend to read books that leans closer to reality and shy away from books that are difficult to imagine or out of my comfort zone. For the first half of the book I was hooked on to the different imagery and characters in the book, but after that I was terribly disappointed because of several reasons:
The details were too vivid and gory
Nothing seemed to be going on well for the weredragons and only three chapters were dedicated to their small victories. I wished there were more moments like that which would have equalised the monotony of evil.
The book fits well into the fantasy genre and is written from the point of view of weredragons who are looking for the ‘escarpment’ which is their home. The weredragons believe they possess the magic to shift which others call as a curse. The writing tends to weigh heavily down the reader because of its cruelty and wrath, however, the language is clear and convincing.
Will I read the next book in the series? Maybe.I feel I need to be really really inspired to read the next book. If you are *unlike me* a fantasy book lover, i am sure you’ll love it.
The title didn’t suggest anything to me at all in the beginning but as I read the book it became clear to me that it was a song of freedom for the weredragons. This was my first fantasy read and I’m not disappointed. I tend to read books that leans closer to reality and shy away from books that are difficult to imagine or out of my comfort zone. For the first half of the book I was hooked on to the different imagery and characters in the book, but after that I was terribly disappointed because of several reasons:
The details were too vivid and gory
Nothing seemed to be going on well for the weredragons and only three chapters were dedicated to their small victories. I wished there were more moments like that which would have equalised the monotony of evil.
The book fits well into the fantasy genre and is written from the point of view of weredragons who are looking for the ‘escarpment’ which is their home. The weredragons believe they possess the magic to shift which others call as a curse. The writing tends to weigh heavily down the reader because of its cruelty and wrath, however, the language is clear and convincing.
Will I read the next book in the series? Maybe.I feel I need to be really really inspired to read the next book. If you are *unlike me* a fantasy book lover, i am sure you’ll love it.
July 3, 2014
Daniel Arenson became my favorite fantasy author since the day I read "song of Dragons"
I think even if you did not read the first trilogy you can still love this new one.
The story sounds very prehistoric. Rocs, Sabertooth tigers and I havent seen mammoths yet but I am sure they will appear in the next book.
This the beginning of the Vir Requis and how built their empire. Five dragons joined forces to create a home for those who can grow wings, breath fire and fly as dragons. It is really interesting seeing how the Vir Requis went from living in the wild to raising the first columns of Requiem.
I felt like I was reading a history book about Requiem. It feels very real, like it really happened.
Five star review for Daniel Arenson. Either these books will become a movie or a tv show on scfi channel.
"May our wings forever find your sky Daniel."
I think even if you did not read the first trilogy you can still love this new one.
The story sounds very prehistoric. Rocs, Sabertooth tigers and I havent seen mammoths yet but I am sure they will appear in the next book.
This the beginning of the Vir Requis and how built their empire. Five dragons joined forces to create a home for those who can grow wings, breath fire and fly as dragons. It is really interesting seeing how the Vir Requis went from living in the wild to raising the first columns of Requiem.
I felt like I was reading a history book about Requiem. It feels very real, like it really happened.
Five star review for Daniel Arenson. Either these books will become a movie or a tv show on scfi channel.
"May our wings forever find your sky Daniel."
March 5, 2017
5.3.2017 - 3,5*
Člověk by řekl, že kniha tak brutalní a přesto s dobrým dějem, skvělými bojovými scénami, tak živými popisy (a věřte mi, místy bych se bez toho obešla. Třeba jen... démoni? Oh my.) a charaktery, kterým fandíte a sledujete je se zatajeným dechem, taková kniha by ode mě měla dostat pět.
Ne?
Problém je, že ta kniha je tak brutální a zaměřená na akci, a pouze akci, že to opomíná vše ostatní. Charaktery jsou fatalistické a drží jednu myšlenku, a pokud se na chvíli odvrátí od své nenávisti/pomsty/zahořklosti nebo zášti, padne deprese a to není zas o tolik lepší. Ano, většina knihy je napsaná v bezvýchodné situaci, ale damn, život přeci jen není o beznaději.
Svět, postavy, které rozehrály svou hru, všechny detaily, které autor pečlivě připravil, a veškeré originální myšlenky, které se tam objevují, jsou pak tak nějak... zahozené, zahlcené v neustálém proudu násilí a akce, která jako by nepřestávala.
Nevím, co přesně mi na tom vadí a co by knihu udělalo lepší, ale není to ani příběh, který by ode mě dostal 5*. Ach ano, ponořila jsem se do něj a viděla jeho průběh před očima, postavy byly různorodé a věrohodné, o to divněji se cítím, když tomu nemůžu dát více, než 3*.
Člověk by řekl, že kniha tak brutalní a přesto s dobrým dějem, skvělými bojovými scénami, tak živými popisy (a věřte mi, místy bych se bez toho obešla. Třeba jen... démoni? Oh my.) a charaktery, kterým fandíte a sledujete je se zatajeným dechem, taková kniha by ode mě měla dostat pět.
Ne?
Problém je, že ta kniha je tak brutální a zaměřená na akci, a pouze akci, že to opomíná vše ostatní. Charaktery jsou fatalistické a drží jednu myšlenku, a pokud se na chvíli odvrátí od své nenávisti/pomsty/zahořklosti nebo zášti, padne deprese a to není zas o tolik lepší. Ano, většina knihy je napsaná v bezvýchodné situaci, ale damn, život přeci jen není o beznaději.
Svět, postavy, které rozehrály svou hru, všechny detaily, které autor pečlivě připravil, a veškeré originální myšlenky, které se tam objevují, jsou pak tak nějak... zahozené, zahlcené v neustálém proudu násilí a akce, která jako by nepřestávala.
Nevím, co přesně mi na tom vadí a co by knihu udělalo lepší, ale není to ani příběh, který by ode mě dostal 5*. Ach ano, ponořila jsem se do něj a viděla jeho průběh před očima, postavy byly různorodé a věrohodné, o to divněji se cítím, když tomu nemůžu dát více, než 3*.
October 14, 2021
When I started this book, which I did without knowing a single thing prior, I thought that I would be reading songwriting like Eragon turns out I was wrong, though there was an evil king that has a very dark secret and the characters were enjoyable and the concept was interesting it was not only it's own thing but a treat for all dragon lovers.
August 15, 2015
I originally rated this book higher, however after a few days of reflection, I realized I didn't really enjoy it at all. I love stories about dragons, but this wasn't so much about dragons (or people who can morph into dragons) as it was about abuse and violence. There might have been one or pages with a happy thought, otherwise everyone (and I mean everyone) was either starved, beaten, locked up, burned, ripped apart, raped, eaten by demons, self-flagellated, or some combination of the above and more. I know that bad things happen in books to propel the storyline along. This was not the case here. By the end, my picture of all the characters was of scarred, bruised and battered people wandering around waiting for the next wave of abuse to come. I can't imagine what tale the author is trying to tell, and I don't care to subject myself to the violence and abuse to continue with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2015
Too repetitive
Author repeats the same descriptions over and over and over. Felt like it was filler for a short story. Pretty disappointing.
Author repeats the same descriptions over and over and over. Felt like it was filler for a short story. Pretty disappointing.
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November 3, 2022
[ to review at a later date - perhaps even re-read and review at a later date as well, though not urgent ]
February 28, 2019
I’m really glad I started this series. There could be a bit more back story but the action and the storyline are gripping and make you want to know what’s going to happen to the main characters. I’m impressed by the concept and how the author has brought so many magical creatures together and yet made them very distinct in their positions in the story. I’m diving straight into the second book.
May 19, 2020
Kept me turning the pages. A few surpris
es near the end. Looking forward to the next book. Got this through Voracious Readers.
es near the end. Looking forward to the next book. Got this through Voracious Readers.
February 17, 2016
This book was a HUGE surprise. I honestly had very low expectations based on both the cover art and the synopsis. The cover art because, while it's a cool looking dragon, it really made me think this was going to be kind of a cheesy young adult styled novel. Then, when I first started, the main character that it started with was a young girl (10 I think). But that whole idea quickly changed around when
As for the synopsis, maybe it was just poorly written, being about weredragons and whatnot, but it didn't strike me with much confidence. But this book is brutal. There are some pretty awful things going on, though it's really about rising above adversity. The prose is quite good too. The author clearly enjoys describing things, especially nasty demons. And boy are they ever uniquely nasty.
Probably not the deepest of characters and while the plot was fairly original (compared to the myriad of Chosen One fantasy novels at least) it wasn't without fault. Sometimes I thought some parts were dumb or some dialogue was poor, but overall, this book is really good. I struggled to decide whether I would rate it 4 or 5 stars on goodreads, when I'd probably do 4.5, I decided to round up. I will absolutely be reading the next in the series, and maybe all of the series in this universe. I hope they hold up just as well as this one.
As for the synopsis, maybe it was just poorly written, being about weredragons and whatnot, but it didn't strike me with much confidence. But this book is brutal. There are some pretty awful things going on, though it's really about rising above adversity. The prose is quite good too. The author clearly enjoys describing things, especially nasty demons. And boy are they ever uniquely nasty.
Probably not the deepest of characters and while the plot was fairly original (compared to the myriad of Chosen One fantasy novels at least) it wasn't without fault. Sometimes I thought some parts were dumb or some dialogue was poor, but overall, this book is really good. I struggled to decide whether I would rate it 4 or 5 stars on goodreads, when I'd probably do 4.5, I decided to round up. I will absolutely be reading the next in the series, and maybe all of the series in this universe. I hope they hold up just as well as this one.
July 28, 2014
As I got this book for free, I'll give an honest review. I found that with so many POVs, it made the beginning of the book confusing and hard to follow. There wasn't any plot twists and I didn't find the build up tense or exciting, if there was a build up.
The reason why I didn't just give this book a one star is because the concept was, I found, fresh and interesting. Maybe there are other books about weredragons, but as I don't usually read these kinds of books, I don't know.
The reason why I didn't just give this book a one star is because the concept was, I found, fresh and interesting. Maybe there are other books about weredragons, but as I don't usually read these kinds of books, I don't know.
December 30, 2016
There's a lot more vivid gore, violence, and ugly in this book than I generally like to read, but my curiosity for where this story was going won out and I stuck it through. I'm not sure that its enough to have me read more though.
March 3, 2017
Strange story about weredragons. Very different approach blending weres and dragons. Not convinced it works.
January 19, 2025
Another new author for me & I enjoyed the story. However I found Laira's story to be very sad. I did find it to be well written and I enjoyed l the Weredragons, cursed reptiles & dangerous fire breathers. The characters were very well developed and the book sucked me right in & kept the pages turning.
When new stars start appearing and shining in the night sky, they start forming the shape of a dragon, then the new constellation Draco is born. Normally that wouldn’t be a bad thing but with the stars change, a curse, an evil sickness overcomes many. Now some are forced to hide in shame. These poor souls obtained a foul magic through no fault of their own, now they possess the ability to transform into reptiles. They could become Dragons!
When Laira and her mother stole into the woods, they thought they were far enough from the camp of the Goldtusk tribe that they wouldn't be seen or overheard as they slipped into the cool waters of a lake. They called on their magic and their bodies grew, forming claws, fangs, scales and wings! Laira was so happy. Fire rumbled in their throats as their transformation into dragons began. Then they enjoyed their freedom and excitement in their new forms, sporting beneath the surface of the lake. It was wonderful and it gave them a powerful feeling of freedom. Overwhelmed by the magic, Laira raised her wings and leapt into the air, she couldn’t help it! Flying powerfully, she went above the treetops and danced in the wind. Her mother was horrified and she began to shout at Liara to stay below the treetops before she was seen. Liara however was so happy with her change. A joyous cry came from her, Laira raised her head and loosed a pillar of flame into the sky. Then the distant screech of a Roc, a foul feathered creature, larger than the largest dragon with claws and beaks that could rend even dragon flesh, alerted Laira that she'd been seen! Riding the Rocs were Goldtusk warriors, patrolling the skies above the camp and now they headed straight for the pair. Then they had to release their dragon forms, and they fled into the woods, but alas they were captured and returned to the camp, where Laira was forced to watch as her mother was bound to a pyre and set on fire. Her bindings prevented her from taking her dragon form and the flames consumed her. Then Laira was at the mercy of the Goldtusk tribe. After years of abuse, beatings and humiliation at the hands of Zerra, leader of the Goldtusk tribe, Laira was weak and starvation had caused her growth to be stunted and the beatings had broken her bones, including her jaw. Now it was shattered and crooked because it had healed badly which left her with a deformed face. Finally Laira was able to escape her captivity. After many days of hiding and creeping, covered in mud and excrement, she evaded her pursuit and made her way to freedom, hiding during the day and flying at night.
The rest of Laira's tale is a little better. My heart ached for her as she suffered. I literally jumped for joy when she escaped.
When new stars start appearing and shining in the night sky, they start forming the shape of a dragon, then the new constellation Draco is born. Normally that wouldn’t be a bad thing but with the stars change, a curse, an evil sickness overcomes many. Now some are forced to hide in shame. These poor souls obtained a foul magic through no fault of their own, now they possess the ability to transform into reptiles. They could become Dragons!
When Laira and her mother stole into the woods, they thought they were far enough from the camp of the Goldtusk tribe that they wouldn't be seen or overheard as they slipped into the cool waters of a lake. They called on their magic and their bodies grew, forming claws, fangs, scales and wings! Laira was so happy. Fire rumbled in their throats as their transformation into dragons began. Then they enjoyed their freedom and excitement in their new forms, sporting beneath the surface of the lake. It was wonderful and it gave them a powerful feeling of freedom. Overwhelmed by the magic, Laira raised her wings and leapt into the air, she couldn’t help it! Flying powerfully, she went above the treetops and danced in the wind. Her mother was horrified and she began to shout at Liara to stay below the treetops before she was seen. Liara however was so happy with her change. A joyous cry came from her, Laira raised her head and loosed a pillar of flame into the sky. Then the distant screech of a Roc, a foul feathered creature, larger than the largest dragon with claws and beaks that could rend even dragon flesh, alerted Laira that she'd been seen! Riding the Rocs were Goldtusk warriors, patrolling the skies above the camp and now they headed straight for the pair. Then they had to release their dragon forms, and they fled into the woods, but alas they were captured and returned to the camp, where Laira was forced to watch as her mother was bound to a pyre and set on fire. Her bindings prevented her from taking her dragon form and the flames consumed her. Then Laira was at the mercy of the Goldtusk tribe. After years of abuse, beatings and humiliation at the hands of Zerra, leader of the Goldtusk tribe, Laira was weak and starvation had caused her growth to be stunted and the beatings had broken her bones, including her jaw. Now it was shattered and crooked because it had healed badly which left her with a deformed face. Finally Laira was able to escape her captivity. After many days of hiding and creeping, covered in mud and excrement, she evaded her pursuit and made her way to freedom, hiding during the day and flying at night.
The rest of Laira's tale is a little better. My heart ached for her as she suffered. I literally jumped for joy when she escaped.
November 18, 2018
Let me start by saying I really did not enjoy the narrator. He is skilled, with a good assortment of voices, but I think his character voice choices were not very good. Particularly the female characters. One of the main characters, who does have a legitimate reason for her voice to sound... Impaired, actually sounds like an adolescent male orc with huge tusks affecting the voice rather than the actual physical explanation.
Okay, story.
I could be wrong, but I believe this is the first book Daniel wrote in this world. With that in mind, I was expecting shallow characters, random, dead-end sub- plots, and clumsy, sloppy prose.
I'm very happy to say this book has none of those problems!
What it does have is a big, sprawling cast, a deep history, and complex characters.
In many ways, I'm reminded of A Game of Thrones, but that I feel there wasn't enough time spent on any one thing.
Just from the way its written, I can see there is a wealth of history and character motivations and magic and I just wish more of it had made it into the book.
As it is, it feels like I've just watched a film adaptation that hints at all these awesome things but doesn't actually explore any of them.
I expect much of this is built on with successive novels, but again, I feel that this story was too big to have been told in a 100k word novel.
Now, for my one true gripe about the story:
The Dragons.
Now, I understood going into it that the story was about were-dragons and not true dragons, so, okay, weird idea, but I get it.
But
Where are the true dragons?
There's not a word in the entire book even mentioning true dragons.
Do they exist?
If not, how can you explain the existence of a were-dragon? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Now, the bigger issue I have, is why would plain, ordinary rope stop a were-dragon from transforming into their dragon form? It doesn't make any sense. The change is magical in nature, how does ordinary rope prevent it?
I kept expecting an explanation, but none ever came.
And why can humans kill them so easily?
I could go on about this, but the short version is I have tons of questions about the Dragons that were not addressed in any way, shape, or form in the book.
In the end, I'm glad I read it, but I don't know if I'll be continuing the series.
Okay, story.
I could be wrong, but I believe this is the first book Daniel wrote in this world. With that in mind, I was expecting shallow characters, random, dead-end sub- plots, and clumsy, sloppy prose.
I'm very happy to say this book has none of those problems!
What it does have is a big, sprawling cast, a deep history, and complex characters.
In many ways, I'm reminded of A Game of Thrones, but that I feel there wasn't enough time spent on any one thing.
Just from the way its written, I can see there is a wealth of history and character motivations and magic and I just wish more of it had made it into the book.
As it is, it feels like I've just watched a film adaptation that hints at all these awesome things but doesn't actually explore any of them.
I expect much of this is built on with successive novels, but again, I feel that this story was too big to have been told in a 100k word novel.
Now, for my one true gripe about the story:
The Dragons.
Now, I understood going into it that the story was about were-dragons and not true dragons, so, okay, weird idea, but I get it.
But
Where are the true dragons?
There's not a word in the entire book even mentioning true dragons.
Do they exist?
If not, how can you explain the existence of a were-dragon? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Now, the bigger issue I have, is why would plain, ordinary rope stop a were-dragon from transforming into their dragon form? It doesn't make any sense. The change is magical in nature, how does ordinary rope prevent it?
I kept expecting an explanation, but none ever came.
And why can humans kill them so easily?
I could go on about this, but the short version is I have tons of questions about the Dragons that were not addressed in any way, shape, or form in the book.
In the end, I'm glad I read it, but I don't know if I'll be continuing the series.
October 25, 2017
I honestly don't know how I feel about this book. Requiem's Song was many things, though I'm not sure 'fun' or 'enjoyable' were among them. I actually received this eBook for free after signing up for the author, Daniel Arenson's, mailing list, and I'm a little glad that I didn't spend money on it.
The story predominantly focuses on the rise of Requiem, a tribe composed of people who had been dubbed 'weredragons.' As their name may imply, weredragons are men with the ability to shape-shift into dragons. And no, they don't change during the full moon like werewolves. In truth, they're more like animagus from the Harry Potter series. They can shift at will by drawing upon some kind of inner magic. In truth, I do like the idea. Changing into a dragon sounds like a very cool ability--something worth daydreaming through class about. Unfortunately, a majority of the people in the world of Requiem's Song (its name is never mentioned) would heavily disagree with me, and this is a major problem I have with the book as a whole.
Literally everybody in this book hates weredragons. And I don't mean they just hate them. No, I mean they really f*cking hate them. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this because it is admittedly understandable. Dragons are big, strong, and they can breathe fire and do tons of damage. However, Arenson focuses so much on the brutality of the way weredragons are treated that it makes it difficult for me to understand why people hate weredragons so much. All the main characters are treated so poorly and they struggle just to get by on account of their ability to turn into a dragon. They're hunted, abused, and victimized so much, and they never really do anything to warrant the treatment they receive. There's not much depth to it. The people of the city-state of Eteer hate dragons on account of their religion, but the northerners across the sea from Eteer seem to hate weredragons because why the hell not? I mean sure, some people are bound to hate dragons, but everybody? Especially when the dragons have done nothing to hurt anybody? That makes no sense. Hell, the humans act worse than the weredragons. I remember near the beginning of the book when one of the characters, Jeid, flies to a village to try to save someone whom he had been told was a weredragon only to find out that the victim in question was not actually a weredragon, and they had just lured him into a trap. He barely gets away with his life.
Why? Why would they do that? What did he do to you people? There's no apparent rhyme or reason for it. The book never mentions any weredragons terrorizing villages or kidnapping people before. There was no Dragon War, no Dragon Holocaust, no Dragon anything. Why is this happening? Why target Jeid specifically? What has he ever done to anyone in that village? Apparently nothing. They just hate him because, "Ew, dragons." I'd like something a bit more complicated than that. It makes the humans seem very one-dimensional and just plain evil for evil's sake.
And as if that weren't enough, this brutality never stops. Just when you think things are starting to look up for a character, shit happens. Bad shit. Bull shit. Mammoth shit. Any kind of shit you can imagine. It just falls from the sky in big brown clumps and sticks to everything. Especially Laira. I swear there were hardly any redeeming qualities in this book. The characterizations were nothing extraordinary, and there were not enough slow, quiet, or funny moments to give me a break from the fighting and cruelty. Of course, I don't mind action sequences in books, and these action sequences were actually pretty well-written. I didn't have that much trouble envisioning the characters or their environs, and they were very fast-paced. But there were just too many of them for me, and not enough reflection, character-development, or even just sight-seeing. It was just one thing after another. Even if a character finally gets a break for a minute or two, we quickly cut away from that and focus on this other character who's getting his face bloodied again. This book was in desperate need of comic relief. Or hell, not even a comic relief. Just a friendship, a new discovery, a romance, a car ad--anything really. Something to distract from all the brutality. I actually had to resort to making jokes about the book just to get some kind of enjoyment out of it. I didn't really care about any of the characters, so I didn't even feel bad about it.
I also wasn't a big fan of the antagonist, Angel. She's the Queen of Demons.
Angel.
The Queen of Demons.
It's supposed to be ironic, I think, but it sounds silly. I wasn't really intimidated by her. She was just disgusting. And really really horny for some reason. Don't ask, please.
King Raem was also pathetic, both as a person and as a villain. Is he really content to let Angel's demons destroy his city and eat and rape his civilians? He keeps claiming that he's "purefying" his city of the weredragon menace, but it seems to me that anyone with half a brain cell could see that what he's doing is wrong. His character motivation was just weak and conflicting . There doesn't really seem to be a point to his outrage. He keeps saying that weredragons are an abomination unto his god, Taal, but that excuse only goes so far before Raem ends up making himself look like a foolish bigot.
Again, I don't know how I feel about Requiem's Song. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. The writing was decent and the action sequences were much better than those of the last book I read (The Way of Shadows), but it just wasn't satisfying. Even at the very end, , I don't feel like anything really happened. I think it's because I never really connected with any of the characters, and the only things that really left any kind of impression on me were the cruelty and how disgusting Angel and her demons were. If this book is any indication of what future installments are like, then I think I'll probably just stop here. The other books may be good, but this one did not sell me on that point.
(And I'm sorry, but I can't get over this. Angel, the Queen of Demons? Seriously? Did Arenson really think that sounded okay? Because it's not. *Sigh* I don't suppose there's another villain in the same universe by the name of "Porkie, the Pig King of the Slaughterhouse"? I don't mean to dwell on this, but it's so... stupid.)
The story predominantly focuses on the rise of Requiem, a tribe composed of people who had been dubbed 'weredragons.' As their name may imply, weredragons are men with the ability to shape-shift into dragons. And no, they don't change during the full moon like werewolves. In truth, they're more like animagus from the Harry Potter series. They can shift at will by drawing upon some kind of inner magic. In truth, I do like the idea. Changing into a dragon sounds like a very cool ability--something worth daydreaming through class about. Unfortunately, a majority of the people in the world of Requiem's Song (its name is never mentioned) would heavily disagree with me, and this is a major problem I have with the book as a whole.
Literally everybody in this book hates weredragons. And I don't mean they just hate them. No, I mean they really f*cking hate them. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with this because it is admittedly understandable. Dragons are big, strong, and they can breathe fire and do tons of damage. However, Arenson focuses so much on the brutality of the way weredragons are treated that it makes it difficult for me to understand why people hate weredragons so much. All the main characters are treated so poorly and they struggle just to get by on account of their ability to turn into a dragon. They're hunted, abused, and victimized so much, and they never really do anything to warrant the treatment they receive. There's not much depth to it. The people of the city-state of Eteer hate dragons on account of their religion, but the northerners across the sea from Eteer seem to hate weredragons because why the hell not? I mean sure, some people are bound to hate dragons, but everybody? Especially when the dragons have done nothing to hurt anybody? That makes no sense. Hell, the humans act worse than the weredragons. I remember near the beginning of the book when one of the characters, Jeid, flies to a village to try to save someone whom he had been told was a weredragon only to find out that the victim in question was not actually a weredragon, and they had just lured him into a trap. He barely gets away with his life.
Why? Why would they do that? What did he do to you people? There's no apparent rhyme or reason for it. The book never mentions any weredragons terrorizing villages or kidnapping people before. There was no Dragon War, no Dragon Holocaust, no Dragon anything. Why is this happening? Why target Jeid specifically? What has he ever done to anyone in that village? Apparently nothing. They just hate him because, "Ew, dragons." I'd like something a bit more complicated than that. It makes the humans seem very one-dimensional and just plain evil for evil's sake.
And as if that weren't enough, this brutality never stops. Just when you think things are starting to look up for a character, shit happens. Bad shit. Bull shit. Mammoth shit. Any kind of shit you can imagine. It just falls from the sky in big brown clumps and sticks to everything. Especially Laira. I swear there were hardly any redeeming qualities in this book. The characterizations were nothing extraordinary, and there were not enough slow, quiet, or funny moments to give me a break from the fighting and cruelty. Of course, I don't mind action sequences in books, and these action sequences were actually pretty well-written. I didn't have that much trouble envisioning the characters or their environs, and they were very fast-paced. But there were just too many of them for me, and not enough reflection, character-development, or even just sight-seeing. It was just one thing after another. Even if a character finally gets a break for a minute or two, we quickly cut away from that and focus on this other character who's getting his face bloodied again. This book was in desperate need of comic relief. Or hell, not even a comic relief. Just a friendship, a new discovery, a romance, a car ad--anything really. Something to distract from all the brutality. I actually had to resort to making jokes about the book just to get some kind of enjoyment out of it. I didn't really care about any of the characters, so I didn't even feel bad about it.
I also wasn't a big fan of the antagonist, Angel. She's the Queen of Demons.
Angel.
The Queen of Demons.
It's supposed to be ironic, I think, but it sounds silly. I wasn't really intimidated by her. She was just disgusting. And really really horny for some reason. Don't ask, please.
King Raem was also pathetic, both as a person and as a villain. Is he really content to let Angel's demons destroy his city and eat and rape his civilians? He keeps claiming that he's "purefying" his city of the weredragon menace, but it seems to me that anyone with half a brain cell could see that what he's doing is wrong. His character motivation was just weak and conflicting . There doesn't really seem to be a point to his outrage. He keeps saying that weredragons are an abomination unto his god, Taal, but that excuse only goes so far before Raem ends up making himself look like a foolish bigot.
Again, I don't know how I feel about Requiem's Song. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. The writing was decent and the action sequences were much better than those of the last book I read (The Way of Shadows), but it just wasn't satisfying. Even at the very end, , I don't feel like anything really happened. I think it's because I never really connected with any of the characters, and the only things that really left any kind of impression on me were the cruelty and how disgusting Angel and her demons were. If this book is any indication of what future installments are like, then I think I'll probably just stop here. The other books may be good, but this one did not sell me on that point.
(And I'm sorry, but I can't get over this. Angel, the Queen of Demons? Seriously? Did Arenson really think that sounded okay? Because it's not. *Sigh* I don't suppose there's another villain in the same universe by the name of "Porkie, the Pig King of the Slaughterhouse"? I don't mean to dwell on this, but it's so... stupid.)
April 18, 2025
I was surprised that the library accepted my request to buy this book. Part of my excitement when reading it was just knowing that this book became available when I thought if might never be.
This book was incredible! The plot was engaging but simple enough to understand what's going on. The action scenes were vividly described and had a great use of pathos.
Now I am usually biased when any story has dragons. So the fact that this book is told from the point of view of people who can turn into dragons has me on the edge of my seat. There was so much more to the story, though! One setting is in a wilderness with animals from the Ice Age and human tribes who ride rocs (giant vulture-like birds). The other setting is similar to and Ancient Greece city-state ruled that recently mastered iron works. In both places, the reader sees how weredragons are hated and hunted with heavy prejudice. Daniel Arenson has done a phenomenal job portraying a world similar Ancient Times and make it actually magical.
The main factor that makes a story great, though, is a really great villian; and this book had several! It honestly felt like those older Disney villians that were not too complex and you knew they were both evil and powerful.
The Requiem world that Daniel Arenson introduced in this book is amazing and I can't wait to read more of his books!
This book was incredible! The plot was engaging but simple enough to understand what's going on. The action scenes were vividly described and had a great use of pathos.
Now I am usually biased when any story has dragons. So the fact that this book is told from the point of view of people who can turn into dragons has me on the edge of my seat. There was so much more to the story, though! One setting is in a wilderness with animals from the Ice Age and human tribes who ride rocs (giant vulture-like birds). The other setting is similar to and Ancient Greece city-state ruled that recently mastered iron works. In both places, the reader sees how weredragons are hated and hunted with heavy prejudice. Daniel Arenson has done a phenomenal job portraying a world similar Ancient Times and make it actually magical.
The main factor that makes a story great, though, is a really great villian; and this book had several! It honestly felt like those older Disney villians that were not too complex and you knew they were both evil and powerful.
The Requiem world that Daniel Arenson introduced in this book is amazing and I can't wait to read more of his books!
July 31, 2019
85%
There weren't many books, even short, I've read within 24 hours.
It was also the first time for me with dragon shifters instead of the usual take on dragons. It also has a strong 'witch hunt' vibe with the weredragons being hunted down. Despite the length (shortness?), there's some worldbuilding though much of this book is about fighting, often down to gory detail. Yet, there's something gripping in the tale of a few underdogs thought (and taught to see themselves) cursed and the three main antagonists were the type I loved to hate. Just the same (and it's one of the reasons I'm not going to 5*) I'd like to know more about what caused some of them to have so much hatred for the weredragons. I get that the setting and the hunt for them is similar to witch hunts and it's mostly about fear of the unknown but they seem to have a stronger reason which we don't see.
There weren't many books, even short, I've read within 24 hours.
It was also the first time for me with dragon shifters instead of the usual take on dragons. It also has a strong 'witch hunt' vibe with the weredragons being hunted down. Despite the length (shortness?), there's some worldbuilding though much of this book is about fighting, often down to gory detail. Yet, there's something gripping in the tale of a few underdogs thought (and taught to see themselves) cursed and the three main antagonists were the type I loved to hate. Just the same (and it's one of the reasons I'm not going to 5*) I'd like to know more about what caused some of them to have so much hatred for the weredragons. I get that the setting and the hunt for them is similar to witch hunts and it's mostly about fear of the unknown but they seem to have a stronger reason which we don't see.
May 13, 2020
A fantasy novel with a good pace. Each chapter focuses on one character, and they are all interrelated in one way or another.
We follow the main character of Laira who has led a tortured life so far, but grows in grit and determination as she fights to survive in a world where she is deemed a diseased monster.
Others are in various states of torment and pain, revenge and anger.
There is a fierceness throughout this book that is enjoyable, however I personally found the demon horde parts to be so disgusting and vile I struggled to enjoy reading about them.
Overall, if you are a fan of dragons, enjoy a grim fighting spirit and don't mind a bit of violence and gore, this is a great read.
We follow the main character of Laira who has led a tortured life so far, but grows in grit and determination as she fights to survive in a world where she is deemed a diseased monster.
Others are in various states of torment and pain, revenge and anger.
There is a fierceness throughout this book that is enjoyable, however I personally found the demon horde parts to be so disgusting and vile I struggled to enjoy reading about them.
Overall, if you are a fan of dragons, enjoy a grim fighting spirit and don't mind a bit of violence and gore, this is a great read.
May 6, 2022
No villain (and there are at least 4) has any redeeming qualities. They are cruel, evil, power-hungry, ego-centric, and hypocritical. They seem to do things because they can and because it causes pain to others, and because they feel entitled (either through their hatred, strength, or narrow-mindedness). At no point does the reader feel sympathy for them or their situation, just a constant sense of disgust and disbelief.
Every protagonist has major trauma in their past: abuse, persecution, constantly being hunted. This has led to a lack of self-worth, belligerence, an inability to fit in; yet also, in the end, creates a determination to prevail against the odds.
We see a lot of wounds and poisoning--blood constantly spilled--yet our protagonists continue to survive and fight.
It would be nice to hear another sound besides yowling come from our protagonists when they're hurt, because every time an arrow pierces them, or a claw slashes them, or something rips off a chunk of them, all I can think of is a screaming cat.
Also, the descriptions of the demons becomes truly tedious, given that every description is a repetition of the last.
Every protagonist has major trauma in their past: abuse, persecution, constantly being hunted. This has led to a lack of self-worth, belligerence, an inability to fit in; yet also, in the end, creates a determination to prevail against the odds.
We see a lot of wounds and poisoning--blood constantly spilled--yet our protagonists continue to survive and fight.
It would be nice to hear another sound besides yowling come from our protagonists when they're hurt, because every time an arrow pierces them, or a claw slashes them, or something rips off a chunk of them, all I can think of is a screaming cat.
Also, the descriptions of the demons becomes truly tedious, given that every description is a repetition of the last.
June 4, 2023
In a word: disappointing. I loved the premise and, indeed, the first half of the book. Good build up and good characters introduced. BUT…once the demons were released into city it seemed like the author ran out of ideas. Descriptions got re-used time and time again, battles were fought over and over. For some reason the demons were incredibly horny and we were expected to believe that the king would/could copulate with the Queen - a creature of stone and fire - at her insistence despite her being completely inhuman, disgusting and acting like a spoilt monster. AND it ended on a complete cliffhanger. I won’t be buying the next in the series and I won’t be searching out any other titles by this author. It seems a shame for such a potentially good storyline to be ruined in this way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2021
There are so many bad reviews about this book that I hesitated to bother with it, but hey, it was a freebie, so no loss other than a few hours of reading time, right?
Well, some of the negative views have merit. This is a brutal, bloody book; the bloodshed is relentless. Arenson's descriptions of the demons are repetitive, annoyingly so.
With that said, I found myself strangely enchanted by the characters. Most of the main characters are better developed than one often finds in this genre. The plot is decent, if somewhat predictable.
Would I recommend paying full price for this book? Probably not. But if you can get it at a steep discount, you'll get plenty of value.
Well, some of the negative views have merit. This is a brutal, bloody book; the bloodshed is relentless. Arenson's descriptions of the demons are repetitive, annoyingly so.
With that said, I found myself strangely enchanted by the characters. Most of the main characters are better developed than one often finds in this genre. The plot is decent, if somewhat predictable.
Would I recommend paying full price for this book? Probably not. But if you can get it at a steep discount, you'll get plenty of value.
October 12, 2017
-One-dimensional characters
-Characters which were not lovable, even the "heroes"
-Weird plot
-Many unnecessary plot elements
-Jumbled writing
-Too many plotlines
-Confusing descriptions
As you can see, I had many problems with this book. I don't think I've ever given a book 1 star before, but there's a first time for everything. If I wanted to compare Requiem's Song to anything, I guess I would say it's like Seraphina, but Seraphina was better executed in a million different ways. Don't read this, read Seraphina. That should be your takeaway from this review.
-Characters which were not lovable, even the "heroes"
-Weird plot
-Many unnecessary plot elements
-Jumbled writing
-Too many plotlines
-Confusing descriptions
As you can see, I had many problems with this book. I don't think I've ever given a book 1 star before, but there's a first time for everything. If I wanted to compare Requiem's Song to anything, I guess I would say it's like Seraphina, but Seraphina was better executed in a million different ways. Don't read this, read Seraphina. That should be your takeaway from this review.
September 20, 2020
Cool concept - people turning into dragons due to some mystical astronomical event. Interesting pre-medieval/bronze age world. While the world and situation are interesting, the pervasive prejudice against people with the ability to transform makes this a very dark and depressing read. While some may enjoy reading about people being beat, killed, cast out, etc., due to prejudice, I am not one of those people. The real world has too much of this (just read the daily news); I read to escape and be lifted up, not further depressed.
September 22, 2018
Review of: Requiem's Song
I enjoyed the book very much, I usually read mostly Sci-fi, but I have a thing for dragons. Some of the demon acts and descriptions were kinda gross, make sure you have a strong stomach, but the writing is very creative. I probably would have given one more star, but I hate when a writer stops th e story at an exciting event to start the next book. Sorry!
I enjoyed the book very much, I usually read mostly Sci-fi, but I have a thing for dragons. Some of the demon acts and descriptions were kinda gross, make sure you have a strong stomach, but the writing is very creative. I probably would have given one more star, but I hate when a writer stops th e story at an exciting event to start the next book. Sorry!
September 20, 2017
Dragons and demons
I read the full story but not sure if I liked it. Too over the top with violence and general nastiness. The characters were like exaggerated cartoon characters, the evil king, the good princess, the wicked queen of the demons, the trying to be a hero boy etc. I am sure lot's of readers will like this though so give it a go, if you like that sort of thing.
I read the full story but not sure if I liked it. Too over the top with violence and general nastiness. The characters were like exaggerated cartoon characters, the evil king, the good princess, the wicked queen of the demons, the trying to be a hero boy etc. I am sure lot's of readers will like this though so give it a go, if you like that sort of thing.
February 12, 2020
This is the beginning!
This is a refreshing take on Dragons and humans! This is also my first weredragon story. :) What I love about this series is that it starts at the beginning of the mythology and world building. Most stories start with a big deal in the middle ages and then go back to the beginning and present the backstory. I so thrilled to be at the beginning!
This is a refreshing take on Dragons and humans! This is also my first weredragon story. :) What I love about this series is that it starts at the beginning of the mythology and world building. Most stories start with a big deal in the middle ages and then go back to the beginning and present the backstory. I so thrilled to be at the beginning!
March 25, 2020
Really liked the concept of weredragons and loved the idea of the timeline being Bronze Age! Unfortunately the characters are shallow tropes and abruptly the story abandons all attempt at fantasy 100 pages in and goes full horror-torture-porn. So unless that's your jam, this is some of the worst writing I've encountered in a while.
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