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Griffin Corps #1
Rise from Ruin
When a prank bonds Harper Tavros to a fierce griffin instead of the dragon she always dreamed of, she must battle her doubts and rise to the front lines, forging an unbreakable alliance to save her country from impending doom.
Together we fly, divided we fall.
All Harper Tavros ever wanted was to be a dragon rider.
But after a prank goes wrong, she ends up soul bonded to a griffin. Now, she'll have to learn an entirely new skillset before she ends up on the front lines of a war her country is slowly losing.
If she's going to make a difference, she'll need to rise up from the ruin of her dreams and embrace a new path. One that includes her accidental bondmate, an utterly ridiculous, insanely brave griffin. But in order to form a strong enough bond to defend their country, they'll need to keep the pressures of war, loss, and doubt from tearing them apart. Because the only way Harper and her griffin will survive is together.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Melissa Olthoff is a science fiction and fantasy author who delights in sneaking in romance wherever she can. She is a lifelong geek and a veteran of the United States Air Force, both of which are incredibly useful when writing. Her degrees in meteorology and accounting are slightly less applicable to writing but absolutely useful when it comes to supporting her family. In 2023, she took second place in the annual Baen Fantasy Adventure Award Contest with her story “Fall from Grace” and won the Imadjinn Award Best Short Story in 2023 and 2024. She is published by Baen, Chris Kennedy Publishing, Hit World Press, and Three Ravens Publishing, and is best known for her novels in the Four Horsemen Universe, the Blood & Armor Series, the Salvage Title Universe, and Hit World Valkyries, as well as numerous short stories.
Together we fly, divided we fall.
All Harper Tavros ever wanted was to be a dragon rider.
But after a prank goes wrong, she ends up soul bonded to a griffin. Now, she'll have to learn an entirely new skillset before she ends up on the front lines of a war her country is slowly losing.
If she's going to make a difference, she'll need to rise up from the ruin of her dreams and embrace a new path. One that includes her accidental bondmate, an utterly ridiculous, insanely brave griffin. But in order to form a strong enough bond to defend their country, they'll need to keep the pressures of war, loss, and doubt from tearing them apart. Because the only way Harper and her griffin will survive is together.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Melissa Olthoff is a science fiction and fantasy author who delights in sneaking in romance wherever she can. She is a lifelong geek and a veteran of the United States Air Force, both of which are incredibly useful when writing. Her degrees in meteorology and accounting are slightly less applicable to writing but absolutely useful when it comes to supporting her family. In 2023, she took second place in the annual Baen Fantasy Adventure Award Contest with her story “Fall from Grace” and won the Imadjinn Award Best Short Story in 2023 and 2024. She is published by Baen, Chris Kennedy Publishing, Hit World Press, and Three Ravens Publishing, and is best known for her novels in the Four Horsemen Universe, the Blood & Armor Series, the Salvage Title Universe, and Hit World Valkyries, as well as numerous short stories.
558 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2025
12 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 27, 2025
This is quite a fun fantasy adventure that blends Military Fantasy with Animal Riding (in this case: Dragons and Griffins). My pitch for the book would be Michael R. Miller's "Songs of Chaos" meets Elizabeth Moon's "Sheepfarmer's Daughter".
The characters in this book are really strong. The POV character of Harper Tavros is expecially fun to read, as she brings humor, emotion, and vibrance to the scene. But what makes her work especially well is her connection to her Griffin "Felix". Felix has such a fun personality that when he speaks its either hilarious or really sweet. Their dynamic is really when the book worked best.
There are other side characters who work here, including particularly Keaton and Dimitri, who I thought stood out the most.
This book is light on plot, as it moves decently at the beginning, stalls to a near halt in the middle, and then really ramps up fast at the end. I see what Olthoff was going for here, focusing it on Harper's time in the academy/learning the military aspects. That being said, if the plot that's at the end had started in the middle, necessitating Harper and her team go on a rescue mission earlier and making more of a quest, I think it would have worked much better.
The military atmosphere of the book is really well done. Melissa Olthoff writes from experience, and I think that people who are in the military or have family who have worked in the military will in particular appreciate what Melissa does in this book.
The descriptions of the connection between rider and griffin/dragon was excellently handled in this book, and I appreciate that Olthoff decided to focus on this element of the worldbuilding, instead of on another area that wouldn't have worked as well here.
There is a decent amount of foul language here. Not as much as it could have been considering the military atmosphere here, but its certainly present throughout the book.
Overall, a very entertaining book with really a charming concept and entertaining lead characters in Harpy and Felix. 8 out of 10.
The characters in this book are really strong. The POV character of Harper Tavros is expecially fun to read, as she brings humor, emotion, and vibrance to the scene. But what makes her work especially well is her connection to her Griffin "Felix". Felix has such a fun personality that when he speaks its either hilarious or really sweet. Their dynamic is really when the book worked best.
There are other side characters who work here, including particularly Keaton and Dimitri, who I thought stood out the most.
This book is light on plot, as it moves decently at the beginning, stalls to a near halt in the middle, and then really ramps up fast at the end. I see what Olthoff was going for here, focusing it on Harper's time in the academy/learning the military aspects. That being said, if the plot that's at the end had started in the middle, necessitating Harper and her team go on a rescue mission earlier and making more of a quest, I think it would have worked much better.
The military atmosphere of the book is really well done. Melissa Olthoff writes from experience, and I think that people who are in the military or have family who have worked in the military will in particular appreciate what Melissa does in this book.
The descriptions of the connection between rider and griffin/dragon was excellently handled in this book, and I appreciate that Olthoff decided to focus on this element of the worldbuilding, instead of on another area that wouldn't have worked as well here.
There is a decent amount of foul language here. Not as much as it could have been considering the military atmosphere here, but its certainly present throughout the book.
Overall, a very entertaining book with really a charming concept and entertaining lead characters in Harpy and Felix. 8 out of 10.
May 14, 2025
I can’t say enough positive things about Melissa Olthoff’s forthcoming novel, Rise from Ruin. The novel started as a short story and was expanded to novel length with two sub story arcs. Part I is Fall from Grace. This is a post apocalyptic world, with almost no modern technology but with the ability to breed dragons and griffins. There is a war going on between two competing geographic regions. Harper Tavros grew up always wanting to be a dragon rider, and as she nears the time to bond with her chosen dragon as the top dragon rider student, a school “prank” shatters her dream, as she is bonded with a griffin. Most of her dragon riding skills are useless, and she is kept back for a year. The rest of part I lays out the completion of her time at the academy.
I’ve read that one difference between science fiction and fantasy is the former focusses on plot while the latter focuses on character. I feel that if this were a typical military science fiction, the plot points of part I would take up 40-50 pages, as opposed to half the book in Rise from Ruin. But it’s fantasy with a touch of romance, with incredibly rich development of the characters, which includes dragon riders, griffin riders, scouts, dragons and griffins. Harper’s mischievous bonded griffin, Felix/Atticus, is a strong personality effectively pairing with Harper. The rhythm of a military academy is well drawn, and demonstrates Olthoff’s experience in the air force.
In Part 2, Rise from Ruin, Harper has graduated and goes out in the field, where she quickly is involved in the ongoing hot war. There is plenty of action, twists and turns, that kept me engrossed and kept me up later than I would have liked because I had to find out how things ended. This is really quite masterful, with well written characters, compelling relationships, humor, and action. I think the author is reflected in Harper to some degree, especially when she says ” Oh, I’m going to cause all the trouble.” [And she does!]
I want to thank Baen for my eARC, and this is an honest review. If I did not make it clear, I highly recommend this book, and suggest you preorder, or at least add it to your TBR pile.
I’ve read that one difference between science fiction and fantasy is the former focusses on plot while the latter focuses on character. I feel that if this were a typical military science fiction, the plot points of part I would take up 40-50 pages, as opposed to half the book in Rise from Ruin. But it’s fantasy with a touch of romance, with incredibly rich development of the characters, which includes dragon riders, griffin riders, scouts, dragons and griffins. Harper’s mischievous bonded griffin, Felix/Atticus, is a strong personality effectively pairing with Harper. The rhythm of a military academy is well drawn, and demonstrates Olthoff’s experience in the air force.
In Part 2, Rise from Ruin, Harper has graduated and goes out in the field, where she quickly is involved in the ongoing hot war. There is plenty of action, twists and turns, that kept me engrossed and kept me up later than I would have liked because I had to find out how things ended. This is really quite masterful, with well written characters, compelling relationships, humor, and action. I think the author is reflected in Harper to some degree, especially when she says ” Oh, I’m going to cause all the trouble.” [And she does!]
I want to thank Baen for my eARC, and this is an honest review. If I did not make it clear, I highly recommend this book, and suggest you preorder, or at least add it to your TBR pile.
July 6, 2025
A bit disappointing as there was a lot of early promise in the story hook and the universe of the novel is quite interesting - a post-apocalyptic USA with dragons, griffins and more. However, the writing keeps being too teenage angsty for the whole of the book, and starts being somewhat annoying after a while, and the whole storyline with villainous villains who really were missing only their villain hats, heroic heroes and over the top daring rescues just dents all the credibility towards the end. Probably a sequel or more are planned based on the ending - which to be fair is at a decent tbc point- but I have no plans to keep reading more from this series.
Overall, a strong start and lots of promise that get lost soon with very cliched characters and over the top action narrated in a teenaged angsty voice that grates more and more as the book goes on.
Overall, a strong start and lots of promise that get lost soon with very cliched characters and over the top action narrated in a teenaged angsty voice that grates more and more as the book goes on.
July 25, 2025
Note: I was provided a free copy for review; however, I will do my best to provide an honest and unbiased review. Thank you to Baen for the opportunity to read and review this book!
My first Baen book! I enjoyed this one.
First things first, this book was pretty different from my usual, focusing more on military fantasy and animal companions and all kinds of other things I don’t typically read about, so it was a breath of fresh air for me. As for the book itself, I really enjoyed the characters. The duo of Harper and her griffin, Felix, is a fantastic pairing of protagonists and I loved the dynamic between the two of them—now, I kind of want a griffin companion. The other characters are great too: the various instructors, friends, enemies, and frenemies. I really enjoyed the relationships between all of them, especially with Harper. The dialogue especially helped this to pop, which felt very authentic to what I would expect from characters like these. I also really enjoyed the voice of Harper itself; this is a first-person POV, and the narration really helped to enhance the presentation of Harper as a character. The action here is also very well done. I’m not usually too much into military-type stuff, or aerial combat, but the fact that it was done here through dragons and griffins gave it enough of a unique flavor that made me enjoy it more than I otherwise might have. Speaking of military, I did enjoy getting the academy stuff here and how all the people within this army of sorts had to work together, and the dynamics and unique roles between the dragon riders and the griffin riders.
The only thing that really brought this one down for me was the plot. There are a lot of strong moments throughout this book for me—the early portions are really good, the action scenes are great, and other bits here and there—but the overarching plot didn’t quite grab me. Luckily, the characters and action kept me engaged enough that this was still a fun read.
Overall, I had a pretty good time with this one. Great characters, good action, good worldbuilding too. Generally a very solid book!
Rating: 8/10
My first Baen book! I enjoyed this one.
First things first, this book was pretty different from my usual, focusing more on military fantasy and animal companions and all kinds of other things I don’t typically read about, so it was a breath of fresh air for me. As for the book itself, I really enjoyed the characters. The duo of Harper and her griffin, Felix, is a fantastic pairing of protagonists and I loved the dynamic between the two of them—now, I kind of want a griffin companion. The other characters are great too: the various instructors, friends, enemies, and frenemies. I really enjoyed the relationships between all of them, especially with Harper. The dialogue especially helped this to pop, which felt very authentic to what I would expect from characters like these. I also really enjoyed the voice of Harper itself; this is a first-person POV, and the narration really helped to enhance the presentation of Harper as a character. The action here is also very well done. I’m not usually too much into military-type stuff, or aerial combat, but the fact that it was done here through dragons and griffins gave it enough of a unique flavor that made me enjoy it more than I otherwise might have. Speaking of military, I did enjoy getting the academy stuff here and how all the people within this army of sorts had to work together, and the dynamics and unique roles between the dragon riders and the griffin riders.
The only thing that really brought this one down for me was the plot. There are a lot of strong moments throughout this book for me—the early portions are really good, the action scenes are great, and other bits here and there—but the overarching plot didn’t quite grab me. Luckily, the characters and action kept me engaged enough that this was still a fun read.
Overall, I had a pretty good time with this one. Great characters, good action, good worldbuilding too. Generally a very solid book!
Rating: 8/10
May 15, 2025
So... how to begin reviewing arguably the best fantasy novel I've read in the past 10 years? I supposed with an introduction to the main character, Harper Tavros.
I've read strong and determined women who serve in the military in many books. I've written more than a few. But when I started Rise from Ruin, I was shocked to find that this world the author portrays is all too familiar, and yet shockingly fresh and vibrant. Harper is a complex character, driven and motivated to achieve her dreams and be the best dragon rider she could be. Her strongest desire is to ride a green dragon, who serve as Search and Rescue dragons in the long-simmering cold war with their Savinian neighbors.
But fate had other ideas, and after a prank goes horribly awry, Harper accidentally bonds with a griffon. Her dreams of flying in the clouds are instantly dashed, because griffons can't "fly" the same way that dragons can. The amount of pressure she suddenly finds herself under trying to relearn everything she knew about riding, about her role in the military, and the difference between a dragon rider bond and a griffon rider forces her to make choices. Tough choices, some of which come back to haunt her.
The author does a fantastic job here portraying Harper as loyal and smart, though she doesn't always make the right choices. Her decision to not ask for the immediate expulsion of the trio who were behind the prank which had cost her her dragon was gut wrenching, but also a fantastic way to show that even though she didn't get what she had been working so very hard for because of the actions of others, she's willing to put in the work to meet the griffon riders standards. And riding a griffon, we discover after being introduced to Atticus, her newborn griffon, is a different task altogether.
The first difficulty? Dealing with the outright hostility of the other griffon rider cadets who've been training with the guy she accidentally replaced due to the prank.
The second difficulty? Her griffon is as stubborn as she is, and he hates the name Atticus. He is convinced that Felix is a much better name and, after his refusal to respond to the name she chose, Harper relents and renames him Felix. Unfortunately, Felix had nicknamed her Harpy, and it is a secret shared amongst all the griffons, much to her detriment.
The author does a fascinating job of showing how the bond is formed between Harper and Felix, and never in my life have I ever wanted a griffon as badly as I did after reading this book. But the book isn't just about the bonds between rider and griffon, no, though we find later that there are only three ways to destroy a bond.
The author's worldbuilding is on point here, and shows just why the griffons and dragons are both needed when a surprise sneak attack by their Savinian enemies leads to a dragon dying in the middle of the training grounds. The war is restarting, and after graduating Harper and Felix find themselves thrust into the middle of it because griffons are the eyes and ears of the military, their scouts, made for stealth and recon. The Savinians, for unknown reasons, do not have griffons anymore and are doing their best to capture and/or kill all of the Tennessan griffons.
There are twists and turns aplenty in this book, and the ending has a heartbreaking scene that I'm not going to spoil. Needless to say, when someone asked me if I'd recommend it for Fourth Wing fans, I said yes. No hesitation at all.
I can't wait for other people to read it so I can finally talk about it with them, and speculate on when the next book is coming out (the publisher has already said this is a trilogy) and what's going to happen to Harper and Felix next.
June 3, 2025
Rise From Ruin by Melissa Olthoff releases today, and I've been dying waiting to post my review until it was available! I read this book in eARC format, which I got directly from the publisher, Baen Books, and it's easily one of the BEST books I've read all year.
Full disclosure: the author is a personal friend, so I may have some bias, but I tried to be as analytical as possible for the purposes of creating a valid review.
This is a military fantasy set in a far future world with some post-apocalyptic/sci-fi elements, but thematically it lands squarely in the genre of fantasy. In this setting, dragons and griffins are genetically engineered to provide military airpower (among other things) in a world that has lost the use of much of its technology due to (probably, we're never really given the details) a global nuclear war.
Harper Tavros is a cadet at the Tenessan Bonded Training Academy. This is the place where young people with the capacity to bond to a dragon or a griffin are trained and bonded with their partners before taking their place as bonded riders in the Tenessan military. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that the role of bonded riders is more and more critical, due to the aggressive actions of Tenessan's militaristic neighbor, Savinia.
Harper is a successful cadet. So successful, that she's been selected to bond to her choice of dragon eggs. She chooses a green dragon, because she wants to fly Search and Rescue, as her mother did. However, her dreams are shattered when a prank goes wrong and she finds herself bonded to a forest griffin instead of her longed-for green dragon. Griffin riders, we are given to understand, are not held in the same esteem as dragon riders.
However, we (and Harper) quickly learn that griffins and their riders have a crucial role to play in the escalating conflict with Savinia. As scouts and spies, griffins and their riders are often on the bleeding edge of enemy territory (metaphor very intentional), and Harper and her adorable and incredibly brave new bond partner must get their mess together fast if they're going to graduate training and survive.
Olthoff is a USAF veteran, and her deployment experience comes through in the writing. While Harper is unmistakably the main character, Olthoff gives us something of an ensemble cast and uses them with incredible skill to illustrate the diverse ways that humans deal with the psychological horrors of losing teammates, and the particular kind of love that exists between those who fight side by side.
The training and combat sequences are fast-paced, action-heavy, and make logical sense for the setting. The depiction of command and control in particular is entirely realistic and well done. And her aerial combat is spot on and beautifully written.
My one critique of the story is entirely a selfish one. I want to know more about the bond between dragons and their riders. I love dragons, and I love Olthoff's unique take on the different phenotypes that dictate which role the dragon pair fulfils in the overall military operation. But I would love to know more about how that manifests in the interaction between dragons and their riders. However, the book is primarily from Harper's point of view, so the omission makes sense. I just want to know! :)
I'd also love to know more about the genetic engineering processes that result in the different dragon and griffin phenotypes. Othoff is quite mysterious about it, but in a way that makes me think we might learn more about the shadowy Mavens (the genetic engineers) and their ways in future books.
This is easily one of the best books I've read this year. It fully gave me a book hangover, and I am so excited for the world to read it. It's available wherever books are sold!
Full disclosure: the author is a personal friend, so I may have some bias, but I tried to be as analytical as possible for the purposes of creating a valid review.
This is a military fantasy set in a far future world with some post-apocalyptic/sci-fi elements, but thematically it lands squarely in the genre of fantasy. In this setting, dragons and griffins are genetically engineered to provide military airpower (among other things) in a world that has lost the use of much of its technology due to (probably, we're never really given the details) a global nuclear war.
Harper Tavros is a cadet at the Tenessan Bonded Training Academy. This is the place where young people with the capacity to bond to a dragon or a griffin are trained and bonded with their partners before taking their place as bonded riders in the Tenessan military. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that the role of bonded riders is more and more critical, due to the aggressive actions of Tenessan's militaristic neighbor, Savinia.
Harper is a successful cadet. So successful, that she's been selected to bond to her choice of dragon eggs. She chooses a green dragon, because she wants to fly Search and Rescue, as her mother did. However, her dreams are shattered when a prank goes wrong and she finds herself bonded to a forest griffin instead of her longed-for green dragon. Griffin riders, we are given to understand, are not held in the same esteem as dragon riders.
However, we (and Harper) quickly learn that griffins and their riders have a crucial role to play in the escalating conflict with Savinia. As scouts and spies, griffins and their riders are often on the bleeding edge of enemy territory (metaphor very intentional), and Harper and her adorable and incredibly brave new bond partner must get their mess together fast if they're going to graduate training and survive.
Olthoff is a USAF veteran, and her deployment experience comes through in the writing. While Harper is unmistakably the main character, Olthoff gives us something of an ensemble cast and uses them with incredible skill to illustrate the diverse ways that humans deal with the psychological horrors of losing teammates, and the particular kind of love that exists between those who fight side by side.
The training and combat sequences are fast-paced, action-heavy, and make logical sense for the setting. The depiction of command and control in particular is entirely realistic and well done. And her aerial combat is spot on and beautifully written.
My one critique of the story is entirely a selfish one. I want to know more about the bond between dragons and their riders. I love dragons, and I love Olthoff's unique take on the different phenotypes that dictate which role the dragon pair fulfils in the overall military operation. But I would love to know more about how that manifests in the interaction between dragons and their riders. However, the book is primarily from Harper's point of view, so the omission makes sense. I just want to know! :)
I'd also love to know more about the genetic engineering processes that result in the different dragon and griffin phenotypes. Othoff is quite mysterious about it, but in a way that makes me think we might learn more about the shadowy Mavens (the genetic engineers) and their ways in future books.
This is easily one of the best books I've read this year. It fully gave me a book hangover, and I am so excited for the world to read it. It's available wherever books are sold!
August 5, 2025
When I was a little girl, I always wanted to ride a Pegasus. After reading Rise from Ruin, I changed my mind. Atticus (I'm sorry, Felix) is so awesome! I can't think of a better lifelong companion than a smart, loyal, protective, and snarky Griffin.
Pardon the pun, but this book is an amazing ride! I fell in love with so many of the characters, and as is true in war, not everyone survives. When that happened, I mourned their loss as if they were a real person... or a bondmate, but no spoilers!
Read this amazing book for yourself. The twists and turns will keep you up all night, but who needs sleep when you have an amazing Griffin, and a just as amazing band of brothers?
Pardon the pun, but this book is an amazing ride! I fell in love with so many of the characters, and as is true in war, not everyone survives. When that happened, I mourned their loss as if they were a real person... or a bondmate, but no spoilers!
Read this amazing book for yourself. The twists and turns will keep you up all night, but who needs sleep when you have an amazing Griffin, and a just as amazing band of brothers?
October 31, 2025
As someone who grew up reading Eragon, unfortunately lost a great deal of interest, and grew ever wary over the crazy amount of ‘Dragon Rider’ stories over the years, its been a long while since I've enjoyed a book this much. Not only are there dragons, but gryphon riders also, and characterized in such a way I sincerely loved. The magic/bond system is simple, yet meaningful, and having grown quite tired of hardcore magic systems that's felt the same over the years, I greatly appreciated the good old fashioned weapons of beak, teeth, claws, and devices of war. I’m happy to say this is a new top favorite and can't wait to get my hands on book 2!
December 27, 2025
Easy YA fantasy read - a capable but imperfect main character, sassy griffins, and mighty dragons. There is banter a plenty to keep it fun and the main character has more aspirations than swooning after a love interest. The author keeps the pace by not getting caught up in too many details which at points feels like some elements are glossed over but didn't feel like it detracted from the overall experience
June 27, 2025
Beyond the realm of amazing story writing
This young story writer deserves all the accolades of best story writer. I've been reading great writer my whole life and I'm so impressed by her complete understanding of grabbing a reader and having them hang on for and unforgettable tale. I'm impressed.
This young story writer deserves all the accolades of best story writer. I've been reading great writer my whole life and I'm so impressed by her complete understanding of grabbing a reader and having them hang on for and unforgettable tale. I'm impressed.
July 23, 2025
Purchased a copy from the author at Libertycon. I could not put it down. There were surprises in every chapter that didn't stop until the last chapter. The characters and world building are too notch, and you cannot help but root for them. If you like your fantasy adventure with a dash of post-apocalyptic flavor, stop reading this review and get a copy NOW.
August 19, 2025
Loved this! Plan to reread, looking forward to sequels.
Only notes: could easily have been split into two books, and I think both halves would have benefited from a little fleshing out, but Olthoff managed to keep the tension high even through the transition section.
Could also do with more queerness, though I do wonder if it will become a "why choose?" story.
Only notes: could easily have been split into two books, and I think both halves would have benefited from a little fleshing out, but Olthoff managed to keep the tension high even through the transition section.
Could also do with more queerness, though I do wonder if it will become a "why choose?" story.
June 6, 2025
A massive tale of love lost and found
Melissa Olthoff has brought us a fantastic tale of dragons and griffins and the riders the bond with. The war is heating up and the trainees are split between dragons and griffins with the ensuing competition that brings.
Melissa Olthoff has brought us a fantastic tale of dragons and griffins and the riders the bond with. The war is heating up and the trainees are split between dragons and griffins with the ensuing competition that brings.
July 5, 2025
This has been my favorite fantasy novel this year, full stop. It has a ton of heart, camaraderie, betrayal, and most importantly, fun. I had fun reading this book. I look forward to reading the next installment.
August 5, 2025
Really enjoyed the book and the characters. It had a vibe similar to Terry Brooks in the “Word & Void” trilogy, with a sense of a more advanced civilization that had fallen at some distant past. Will be looking for book 2 whenever it’s finally released!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. Great characters and story. Couldn’t put it down. Such a fantastic read. Here’s hoping for book 2. 😊
July 27, 2025
A fun read and I expect a sequel soon (please?)
September 25, 2025
i have no words but two : thank you
(also i teared up)
(also i teared up)
October 12, 2025
One of the best fantasy books, I read in a very long time! The audio was very good as well!
August 24, 2025
Before you attempt to read this book, you need to ask yourself some hard questions and be completely honest with your answers.
Do you like incredibly well written books that force you to stay awake reading them more effectively than using toothpicks to prop your eyes open?
Have you ever gone free diving and ended up fighting a giant clam bent on world domination only to return to an ungrateful surface world that refuses to acknowledge your heroic deeds?
On moonless nights, do you sit in your recliner listening to your sleeping dog bark while writing a review for a book that was so fantastically awesome you're worried that it may have blown out all your working brain cells?
If you can answer yes to any if these questions, then this is the book for you!
If you cannot answer yes to any of these questions, then you need this book even more. It is not even a slight exaggeration to say that you desperately need it and you should buy it immediately, if not sooner!
It has everything any sane, or insane, person could ever want in a story. Good guys, bad guys, griffins, dragons, betrayal, redemption, snarkiness, non-snarkiness, and other awesome things that go in lists like this that I would probably remember but this book made me stay awake to read it and I am just so tired.
In summary: you should buy this book and a twelve pack of tacos and settle in for a great read and some light snacking.
Do you like incredibly well written books that force you to stay awake reading them more effectively than using toothpicks to prop your eyes open?
Have you ever gone free diving and ended up fighting a giant clam bent on world domination only to return to an ungrateful surface world that refuses to acknowledge your heroic deeds?
On moonless nights, do you sit in your recliner listening to your sleeping dog bark while writing a review for a book that was so fantastically awesome you're worried that it may have blown out all your working brain cells?
If you can answer yes to any if these questions, then this is the book for you!
If you cannot answer yes to any of these questions, then you need this book even more. It is not even a slight exaggeration to say that you desperately need it and you should buy it immediately, if not sooner!
It has everything any sane, or insane, person could ever want in a story. Good guys, bad guys, griffins, dragons, betrayal, redemption, snarkiness, non-snarkiness, and other awesome things that go in lists like this that I would probably remember but this book made me stay awake to read it and I am just so tired.
In summary: you should buy this book and a twelve pack of tacos and settle in for a great read and some light snacking.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews