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Draka #2
Shadows of Karakan
A human magically reborn into a dragon’s body navigates friendships, alliances, and feuding gangs in the second book of this charming isekai series.
In the months since Draka woke up as a dragon in another world, much has changed. She’s formed friendships, built alliances, navigated the magic and politics of her new home, and discovered how to wield some of her more useful draconic abilities. But even as her powers evolve, she finds herself contending with ever more perilous trials.
For one, the dragon’s mind inside her own is growing stronger, becoming a near-constant force, with its own memories and desires. For another, Draka’s friendship with Herald has landed her directly in the crosshairs of some dangerous factions. And after a betrayal by someone she thought she could trust, she’s battling not only the dragon’s desire to kill but also her own craving for vengeance.
Now, Draka must learn to control her baser urges and truly embrace her dual nature—before she ends up destroying the remaining links to her humanity and the only people she cares about in this new life . . .
The second volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
In the months since Draka woke up as a dragon in another world, much has changed. She’s formed friendships, built alliances, navigated the magic and politics of her new home, and discovered how to wield some of her more useful draconic abilities. But even as her powers evolve, she finds herself contending with ever more perilous trials.
For one, the dragon’s mind inside her own is growing stronger, becoming a near-constant force, with its own memories and desires. For another, Draka’s friendship with Herald has landed her directly in the crosshairs of some dangerous factions. And after a betrayal by someone she thought she could trust, she’s battling not only the dragon’s desire to kill but also her own craving for vengeance.
Now, Draka must learn to control her baser urges and truly embrace her dual nature—before she ends up destroying the remaining links to her humanity and the only people she cares about in this new life . . .
The second volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 10, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 21, 2025
In this one she does in fact go through kinda a existential crisis, worsened by the fact that Mak betrays her to save her sister (it wasn't easy for her) and Draka basically scares Mak into becoming her subordinate. For a lot of this book Draka is....Unstable? she's more murderous than usual and, to some extent does stay that way unfortunately. However in the next book she balances out fairly well. I'm just warning you this book is pretty dark compared to the first.
June 25, 2026
This book completely loses the soul of book 1.
I understand what the author is trying to do, but it's a sudden shift, like running into a brick wall while riding a bike. All the intrigue and heart from the first book is just gone. And that's kind of the non-spoiler review... But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let me back up for a second.
The first book gets a solid four stars, and I only took one star off because despite being advertised as a LitRPG, it's too light on stats and actual progression to be in that genre. I have seen books that go too heavy on the RPG element, but this is the first that went the opposite direction. In any case, it's well written with a great story.
The series presents a classic Isekai setup, with a human being transported to a fantasy world upon her death and learning to cope with a completely different setting. I enjoy these types of stories where the main character becomes a monster because it adds another layer of having to cope to the mix. The main character, Draka, is a human in a dragon's body. A human with a dragon sitting somewhere in her brain, influencing her. Trying to get her to kill or subjugate, while the human side wants to make friends and be accepted. The balance between the two was a great fulcrum on which the entire plot balanced. The turmoil within Draka's own mind made the story what it was, and made it truly unique and interesting among similar titles. Book 1 stood out.
It also touched on the question of whether Draka's friend, Herald, was really and truly a friend or if she was being somehow influenced/controlled by the dragon.
And... I wanted to know more about the dragon. Was this invisible entity representative of all dragons, or did her trauma and rage contribute to her hardline tendencies? Things about the dragon were hinted at and teased to the point where I couldn't wait to read book 2 just to learn more.
Shadows of Karahan started out great, with the human side of Draka trying to connect with and learn about the dragon. It looked like the author's intention was to have the two of them work things out between them by slowly building up trust in each other and learning to accept the wisdom of the other when situations called for it. The story starts with Draka delving into her dragon's past, trying to figure out why the dragon has such white-hot fear for certain situations.
There's even a silly sort of scene where Draka pulls a classic Scooby Doo-type operation to scare some human interlopers out of her mountain, and I loved it. I was hooked. I was all settled in for a character-driven story where Draka discovered herself more deeply than she did in the first book.
And that's about when I slammed into the wall.
Draka is knocked out by the group of slavers from the first book and captured. Upon waking, it turned out that this little bout of unconsciousness pulled a hard reset on Draka. Without any further development, the human and dragon sides combined, with the dragon taking the helm and doing some pretty heinous stuff. I kept waiting for the reveal that the dragon had temporarily taken over. I waited for the human side to come to and be horrified at what happened. But the storyline about the two sides was abruptly dropped in favor of changing Draka's entire character.
This storyline could have worked. If the goal was to combine the two sides into a single person, I would have liked to see the development of the two--acceptance and compromise between them--BEFORE the combination. Instead, it just happens, and the rest of the book is spent making weak attempts to try to justify it. At this point, I didn't care about the plot, because I'd lost the main character completely. I can't care about the plot if the character I'd been made to love was just suddenly gone.
I did give the book a chance, though. I read all the way to 50% before realizing the human side was never coming back, and this was just the series' new reality. I did skim the rest, and found a throwaway line or two stating that the two sides were no more, that they were combined, and... that was it.
I think I really gave up when it is actually revealed that the people claiming to be Draka's friends were only with her for two reasons. First, she did have a sort of influence over them. And two, in a rare moment of actual RPG-style progression, Draka took an upgrade that essentially made her a commander-type, which further demonstrated the exertion of her will upon humans. When not progressing the plot-I-couldn't-care-about, Draka was becoming all giddy whenever she was able to influence a new human under her command. I like the found family trope, and I am always disappointed when it's discarded. But the way in which it was discarded in this case was just tragic.
So instead of the soul I found in the first book, what I ended up with was a stereotypical dragon character who, no matter how much the prose tried to justify it, had no true friends. People gravitated toward her because of dragon-inspired awe. Sure, they would lay down their lives for her, but this was a perverted sort of love. Gone was the slow progression of trust between Draka and the humans.
I almost cried when, at 70%, it seemed the story was actually going to address what was in the pit that terrified the dragon so much, only for the narrative to do a bait-and-switch, essentially relaying that they'd deal with THAT later.
Unfortunately, I can't trust that book 3 will clear up these major issues. There's no indication that it will do so, and I feel as if the author knows what might interest the readers, so they're throwing out breadcrumbs in hopes that readers continue to consume the books. I felt betrayed, and I won't be reading any more in this series.
I understand what the author is trying to do, but it's a sudden shift, like running into a brick wall while riding a bike. All the intrigue and heart from the first book is just gone. And that's kind of the non-spoiler review... But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let me back up for a second.
The first book gets a solid four stars, and I only took one star off because despite being advertised as a LitRPG, it's too light on stats and actual progression to be in that genre. I have seen books that go too heavy on the RPG element, but this is the first that went the opposite direction. In any case, it's well written with a great story.
The series presents a classic Isekai setup, with a human being transported to a fantasy world upon her death and learning to cope with a completely different setting. I enjoy these types of stories where the main character becomes a monster because it adds another layer of having to cope to the mix. The main character, Draka, is a human in a dragon's body. A human with a dragon sitting somewhere in her brain, influencing her. Trying to get her to kill or subjugate, while the human side wants to make friends and be accepted. The balance between the two was a great fulcrum on which the entire plot balanced. The turmoil within Draka's own mind made the story what it was, and made it truly unique and interesting among similar titles. Book 1 stood out.
It also touched on the question of whether Draka's friend, Herald, was really and truly a friend or if she was being somehow influenced/controlled by the dragon.
And... I wanted to know more about the dragon. Was this invisible entity representative of all dragons, or did her trauma and rage contribute to her hardline tendencies? Things about the dragon were hinted at and teased to the point where I couldn't wait to read book 2 just to learn more.
Shadows of Karahan started out great, with the human side of Draka trying to connect with and learn about the dragon. It looked like the author's intention was to have the two of them work things out between them by slowly building up trust in each other and learning to accept the wisdom of the other when situations called for it. The story starts with Draka delving into her dragon's past, trying to figure out why the dragon has such white-hot fear for certain situations.
There's even a silly sort of scene where Draka pulls a classic Scooby Doo-type operation to scare some human interlopers out of her mountain, and I loved it. I was hooked. I was all settled in for a character-driven story where Draka discovered herself more deeply than she did in the first book.
And that's about when I slammed into the wall.
Draka is knocked out by the group of slavers from the first book and captured. Upon waking, it turned out that this little bout of unconsciousness pulled a hard reset on Draka. Without any further development, the human and dragon sides combined, with the dragon taking the helm and doing some pretty heinous stuff. I kept waiting for the reveal that the dragon had temporarily taken over. I waited for the human side to come to and be horrified at what happened. But the storyline about the two sides was abruptly dropped in favor of changing Draka's entire character.
This storyline could have worked. If the goal was to combine the two sides into a single person, I would have liked to see the development of the two--acceptance and compromise between them--BEFORE the combination. Instead, it just happens, and the rest of the book is spent making weak attempts to try to justify it. At this point, I didn't care about the plot, because I'd lost the main character completely. I can't care about the plot if the character I'd been made to love was just suddenly gone.
I did give the book a chance, though. I read all the way to 50% before realizing the human side was never coming back, and this was just the series' new reality. I did skim the rest, and found a throwaway line or two stating that the two sides were no more, that they were combined, and... that was it.
I think I really gave up when it is actually revealed that the people claiming to be Draka's friends were only with her for two reasons. First, she did have a sort of influence over them. And two, in a rare moment of actual RPG-style progression, Draka took an upgrade that essentially made her a commander-type, which further demonstrated the exertion of her will upon humans. When not progressing the plot-I-couldn't-care-about, Draka was becoming all giddy whenever she was able to influence a new human under her command. I like the found family trope, and I am always disappointed when it's discarded. But the way in which it was discarded in this case was just tragic.
So instead of the soul I found in the first book, what I ended up with was a stereotypical dragon character who, no matter how much the prose tried to justify it, had no true friends. People gravitated toward her because of dragon-inspired awe. Sure, they would lay down their lives for her, but this was a perverted sort of love. Gone was the slow progression of trust between Draka and the humans.
I almost cried when, at 70%, it seemed the story was actually going to address what was in the pit that terrified the dragon so much, only for the narrative to do a bait-and-switch, essentially relaying that they'd deal with THAT later.
Unfortunately, I can't trust that book 3 will clear up these major issues. There's no indication that it will do so, and I feel as if the author knows what might interest the readers, so they're throwing out breadcrumbs in hopes that readers continue to consume the books. I felt betrayed, and I won't be reading any more in this series.
June 23, 2025
4.5/5 Really liked the second book as well, particularly the personal development of our heroine, as well as her friends.
Only complaints are that (a) the litrpg nerd in me (that I try to ignore) is a bit disappointed that there was less 'progression' this time around in the litrpg sense (i.e. outside of emotional and interpersonal progress); and (b) that the rate at which the story unfolds has slowed down a bit, leaving more questions than it answered. At the same time though this also leaves more space to showcase the characters? Not sure... Perhaps the right way to put it, is that the story was a bit unfocussed, paradoxically, despite the focus on the crime org? Though I suppose that will only make the next book more interesting? Excited for it :))
As for the good things? I really enjoyed Draka re(?)-conciling with herself, as well as, the emotional bonds everybody develops. The new healer character is also very interesting, as well as the lady justice so I am very excited to see their arcs! Also Draka is officially city trained WOOOOHH, so should be some fun adventures beyond the forest setting ~
Only complaints are that (a) the litrpg nerd in me (that I try to ignore) is a bit disappointed that there was less 'progression' this time around in the litrpg sense (i.e. outside of emotional and interpersonal progress); and (b) that the rate at which the story unfolds has slowed down a bit, leaving more questions than it answered. At the same time though this also leaves more space to showcase the characters? Not sure... Perhaps the right way to put it, is that the story was a bit unfocussed, paradoxically, despite the focus on the crime org? Though I suppose that will only make the next book more interesting? Excited for it :))
As for the good things? I really enjoyed Draka re(?)-conciling with herself, as well as, the emotional bonds everybody develops. The new healer character is also very interesting, as well as the lady justice so I am very excited to see their arcs! Also Draka is officially city trained WOOOOHH, so should be some fun adventures beyond the forest setting ~
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2026
It is a good read, and I am enjoying it enough that I plan to finish with the rest of the series. One small thing that surprises me is that Draka does not make more use of her tail. It feels like it could be an effective tool, whether in combat or for humor, such as knocking opponents off balance or smacking them in the face or hands.
I also liked how she changes and grows over time. Whether that growth is for better or worse is something readers will have to discover for themselves. Her character development is interesting, as are her relationships with the rest of the characters. The girls go through their own changes and grow closer, while more people become aware of Draka’s existence. I'm curious and want to find out more because her presence is slowly changing the world around her.
I also liked how she changes and grows over time. Whether that growth is for better or worse is something readers will have to discover for themselves. Her character development is interesting, as are her relationships with the rest of the characters. The girls go through their own changes and grow closer, while more people become aware of Draka’s existence. I'm curious and want to find out more because her presence is slowly changing the world around her.
August 28, 2025
Dragons, Slavers, and Magic!
Love the mixture of characters. A young Dragon, and her company try to seek treasure. Try to claim a mountain, and its area.
Love the mixture of characters. A young Dragon, and her company try to seek treasure. Try to claim a mountain, and its area.
October 25, 2025
That got dark rather quickly.
December 4, 2025
Loved It!
This one was a bit more fast paced than the last one. I loved that. More danger and action. I'll definitely be reading on in the series.
This one was a bit more fast paced than the last one. I loved that. More danger and action. I'll definitely be reading on in the series.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews