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Dawn of Dragons #3
Requiem's Prayer
Requiem. A kingdom forged in flame and blood. A kingdom for those who can grow wings, blow fire, and take to the sky as dragons. After a long war, Requiem is founded and her columns rise.
Yet Requiem will never know peace so long as Raem, the cruel Demon King, still lurks in his underground realm. Forever he plagues the dragons of Requiem, sending enemies to burn their forests and topple their halls.
The dragons of Requiem have repelled attacks on their kingdom, yet now they must fly to their most dangerous battlefield. For the first time, Requiem's dragons will go underground, into the Abyss itself . . . and face the Demon King in darkness.
Yet Requiem will never know peace so long as Raem, the cruel Demon King, still lurks in his underground realm. Forever he plagues the dragons of Requiem, sending enemies to burn their forests and topple their halls.
The dragons of Requiem have repelled attacks on their kingdom, yet now they must fly to their most dangerous battlefield. For the first time, Requiem's dragons will go underground, into the Abyss itself . . . and face the Demon King in darkness.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2014
43 people are currently reading
219 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 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 8, 2017
So, how does it end? Like a dumpster fire.
The Big Bad continues to do worse and worse things. However, since he's always been 1-dimensional evil dude from the get-go, this just feels like an escalation of a threat for plot reasons rather than part of an actual arc, or even a natural progression. He just randomly has a potion that turns people into were-sphinxes. This is never hinted at, there's no actual explanation for where this comes from. He just sort of had it lying around for this situation.
Were-dragons are found. Were-dragons die. More were-dragons are found. More die. I never actually care about these deaths because it seems like its just constantly balancing a ledger to zero. They are all just nameless, faceless redshirts. I have no emotional investment in the country, in the people. The dragons are often discovered, join the country, and die for said country within literally hours of joining it. Its all just convenient cannon fodder.
The trilogy has danced around rape and sexual abuse throughout. Let's talk about that for a second. There's sexual abuse right from the first book. In this book, one of the primary characters is raped by her half-brother, a demon, and impregnated. The demon-seed is killing her. She goes to a medicine woman for treatment, to get an abortificant. Then, she suddenly has a change of heart and decides she loves this violent, deadly, demon rape-baby that will kill her and then go on to rape and kill other women. I don't quite buy it.
I am the last person to say you can't write about rape or other forms of violence. However, I do ask, nay, expect an author to not use such things lightly or haphazardly. I ask for some fucking thought be put into it. I ask for it to not be a forced plot device, or for it to not be just to show how edgy and grimdark your world is (under the guise of making it more 'real' for readers that just get off on rape), or for it to be just the worst thing you can think of to show the bad guy is like, super evil. I ask that it be treated maturely and with complexity. Abortion, similarly, should also be handled with maturity and complexity.
This author has none. Its flippant, thoughtless, and the characters make sudden flip flops so outside what little background and character they have that it felt like the author wrote himself into a corner.
The dialogue is stilted, repetitive, and unnatural. The characters ache for some depth. The WORLD aches for some depth.
I find myself with nothing good to report. Just....just don't.
The Big Bad continues to do worse and worse things. However, since he's always been 1-dimensional evil dude from the get-go, this just feels like an escalation of a threat for plot reasons rather than part of an actual arc, or even a natural progression. He just randomly has a potion that turns people into were-sphinxes. This is never hinted at, there's no actual explanation for where this comes from. He just sort of had it lying around for this situation.
Were-dragons are found. Were-dragons die. More were-dragons are found. More die. I never actually care about these deaths because it seems like its just constantly balancing a ledger to zero. They are all just nameless, faceless redshirts. I have no emotional investment in the country, in the people. The dragons are often discovered, join the country, and die for said country within literally hours of joining it. Its all just convenient cannon fodder.
The trilogy has danced around rape and sexual abuse throughout. Let's talk about that for a second. There's sexual abuse right from the first book. In this book, one of the primary characters is raped by her half-brother, a demon, and impregnated. The demon-seed is killing her. She goes to a medicine woman for treatment, to get an abortificant. Then, she suddenly has a change of heart and decides she loves this violent, deadly, demon rape-baby that will kill her and then go on to rape and kill other women. I don't quite buy it.
I am the last person to say you can't write about rape or other forms of violence. However, I do ask, nay, expect an author to not use such things lightly or haphazardly. I ask for some fucking thought be put into it. I ask for it to not be a forced plot device, or for it to not be just to show how edgy and grimdark your world is (under the guise of making it more 'real' for readers that just get off on rape), or for it to be just the worst thing you can think of to show the bad guy is like, super evil. I ask that it be treated maturely and with complexity. Abortion, similarly, should also be handled with maturity and complexity.
This author has none. Its flippant, thoughtless, and the characters make sudden flip flops so outside what little background and character they have that it felt like the author wrote himself into a corner.
The dialogue is stilted, repetitive, and unnatural. The characters ache for some depth. The WORLD aches for some depth.
I find myself with nothing good to report. Just....just don't.
August 29, 2016
I have to say, I've never read anything quite as vile and nasty as Daniel Arenson writes the Underworld. A throne made of tongues? Blech! And that's just the start.
This book is kind of hard to rate. At times I'd say it's no better than a three star and other times it's 4+ reaching into 5. It's just a little hit or miss. Some of the things I dislike: characters know things that they probably shouldn't know, time and space are flexible, repetition in phrases and descriptions, and fairly thin characters. Things I like about it are: fight scenes (though sometimes too short), descriptions of places (particularly anything to do with demons), unpredictability in how the plot evolves (good things do not happen to good people).
Overall I rather like the book, it's a fun short read, with just the occasional hiccup. I am a fan of grimdark fantasy and this most certainly is that.
This book is kind of hard to rate. At times I'd say it's no better than a three star and other times it's 4+ reaching into 5. It's just a little hit or miss. Some of the things I dislike: characters know things that they probably shouldn't know, time and space are flexible, repetition in phrases and descriptions, and fairly thin characters. Things I like about it are: fight scenes (though sometimes too short), descriptions of places (particularly anything to do with demons), unpredictability in how the plot evolves (good things do not happen to good people).
Overall I rather like the book, it's a fun short read, with just the occasional hiccup. I am a fan of grimdark fantasy and this most certainly is that.
February 28, 2019
Great books
I really loved the entire Requiem series. It kept me reading way past bedtime and stayed in bed too long in the morning. I thought it was going to end and then a new threat would come up.
I really loved the entire Requiem series. It kept me reading way past bedtime and stayed in bed too long in the morning. I thought it was going to end and then a new threat would come up.
February 22, 2015
An epic finale to the first saga of the Vir Requis. The dragons have gathered in Requiem and begun building it's marble columns and palace after the defeat of the demons. Every day, new dragons arrive in Requiem and join their numbers as tales of "King's Column" and a refuge for dragons travels the world. However, Raem is not as dead as they thought and is working hard in his goal to destroy and eradicate the curse of weredragons. Imbued with demon magic, he enlists the help of a northern tribe and gifts them the power to shift into Sphinxes. They quickly overrun small kingdom of Requiem and force all the Vir Requis to hide underground.
Meanwhile, across the ocean, Issari experiences challenges of her own as she seeks to unite the 13 city-states of Terra in an effort to overthrown her father and the Nephil. She discovers that much like her discover of her magic, there are Vir Requis hiding all over the place, just waiting for someone to lead them and let them know they're not cursed.
This tale follows the Vir Requis as they are scattered around the world and battle for their freedom and a chance to lead normal lives. The enemies are vicious and hiding at every corner. Who will survive and will Requiem be allowed to live peaceful lives? This third book in the Dawn of Dragons trilogy will make you want to join in the chorus of Requiem "may our wings forever find your sky!"
Meanwhile, across the ocean, Issari experiences challenges of her own as she seeks to unite the 13 city-states of Terra in an effort to overthrown her father and the Nephil. She discovers that much like her discover of her magic, there are Vir Requis hiding all over the place, just waiting for someone to lead them and let them know they're not cursed.
This tale follows the Vir Requis as they are scattered around the world and battle for their freedom and a chance to lead normal lives. The enemies are vicious and hiding at every corner. Who will survive and will Requiem be allowed to live peaceful lives? This third book in the Dawn of Dragons trilogy will make you want to join in the chorus of Requiem "may our wings forever find your sky!"
August 8, 2019
Giving this the same 85% as the first book.
As with the first two books, this was a quick, fast-paced read. There's a new secondary enemy and some old ones which keep the hectic pace as they're obstacles to be removed before the book heads for its conclusion.
Unfortunately, there's also one unresolved plot thread - the Nephilim. And the fact I was not fond of during the whole trilogy:
The intro also reminded me of orcs drinking Blood of Mannoroth in Warcraft lore and, by the words used, the intro cinematic for World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor.
In conclusion, it was a nice, gripping trilogy to blaze through, despite the violence and some of its shortcomings (such as repeated description of the demonic horde and some picturesque passages which I found slightly abundant after the first depiction was done, the issue I mention in the spoiler tag above, and anything I mentioned in reviews of the previous two books). I'll probably return to this universe at some point, though I don't dare to guess when. It'll be a few months, at least.
As with the first two books, this was a quick, fast-paced read. There's a new secondary enemy and some old ones which keep the hectic pace as they're obstacles to be removed before the book heads for its conclusion.
Unfortunately, there's also one unresolved plot thread - the Nephilim. And the fact I was not fond of during the whole trilogy:
The intro also reminded me of orcs drinking Blood of Mannoroth in Warcraft lore and, by the words used, the intro cinematic for World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor.
In conclusion, it was a nice, gripping trilogy to blaze through, despite the violence and some of its shortcomings (such as repeated description of the demonic horde and some picturesque passages which I found slightly abundant after the first depiction was done, the issue I mention in the spoiler tag above, and anything I mentioned in reviews of the previous two books). I'll probably return to this universe at some point, though I don't dare to guess when. It'll be a few months, at least.
May 16, 2021
I have to thank the author for letting me know that this story will stand n it's own. Yes, this is the third installment of the series and pursumed you are already up to this point. Thanks for not spending the next three chapters rewriting the first two books. Read the rest of the story first or continue on - the book flows both ways. Providing quick easy reading this tale follows the main characters as they change with the problem at hand. No problem there. I didn't find the underworld to my liking. It's not supposed to be??? The flawed characters and background sub plots all created good fun reading. I just couldn't associate with the villain or the unique disconnect between the two worlds. No empathy or logic of the desent and chaos for the opposing team. Just my disconnect from the story till we were back to the other side of the tale.
December 13, 2014
Praise for Dawn of Dragons series
I gave this series the best rating possible because I ignored phone calls and even cancelled lunch plans to read. Daniel Arenson knows how to tell a story. This is the second Dragon series I've read and I still want more.
The characters are easily relatable and loveable. Sorenson has a good balance of action, adventure, mystery. drama and romance. When one of the characters die, I was stunned each time it happened and wanted them back. All of the plot twists and unexpected turns, just keep you wanting to know more. So, I am off to the next series in his Dragon tales. Don't miss these reads, you will fall in love too. Until next review, I'll be reading.
I gave this series the best rating possible because I ignored phone calls and even cancelled lunch plans to read. Daniel Arenson knows how to tell a story. This is the second Dragon series I've read and I still want more.
The characters are easily relatable and loveable. Sorenson has a good balance of action, adventure, mystery. drama and romance. When one of the characters die, I was stunned each time it happened and wanted them back. All of the plot twists and unexpected turns, just keep you wanting to know more. So, I am off to the next series in his Dragon tales. Don't miss these reads, you will fall in love too. Until next review, I'll be reading.
January 8, 2015
Earlier today I wrote the review for Book #2 of this trilogy, and I must say this book wasn't much different.
A lot of battles and disjointed scenes but a good world is here. The same gripe I had about the previous book is also present, where details are brushed over, hidden by the broad strokes of prose, stopping the series from being truly great and hooking you only by a semi-robust world.
A lot of battles and disjointed scenes but a good world is here. The same gripe I had about the previous book is also present, where details are brushed over, hidden by the broad strokes of prose, stopping the series from being truly great and hooking you only by a semi-robust world.
December 30, 2024
The End of the Beginning
Daniel Arenson has a talent for creating substantive characters, horrific demons and enough conflict to make you think the antagonists will definitely win.
My only continued comp!aint is the over use of repetition. However, I will have to overlook it as best I can since I do enjoy these novels.
Daniel Arenson has a talent for creating substantive characters, horrific demons and enough conflict to make you think the antagonists will definitely win.
My only continued comp!aint is the over use of repetition. However, I will have to overlook it as best I can since I do enjoy these novels.
May 30, 2019
Overall, this was a series I enjoyed. It's not at the top of my list as far as fantasy goes, but it's good for what it is. It's the kind of popcorn fantasy you can read in a few sittings. The main characters are sympathetic, and the villains are beyond evil. It can get pretty dark at times, and sometimes it is almost gratuitous with the brutality.
Rating: 7.5/10
Rating: 7.5/10
August 6, 2015
The quality of the series was not great to start and it got worse. The prose and story line seemed so unfinished... cannot find better words to describe. No beauty...may it was a reflection of the state of my mind :-)
October 24, 2015
A well written ending for this trilogy was exactly what I expected and what arenson delivered in this book. The battles were amazing. The abyss horrifying. And the characters fascinating. The trilogy as a whole stands at 4 stars for me. It all flowed well and it was a great read
February 26, 2023
Great Story
This book, the third and last book of the Dawn of Dragons trilogy was as engrossing as the previous two volumes. It is a excellent finish to an excellent series. Read and enjoy.
This book, the third and last book of the Dawn of Dragons trilogy was as engrossing as the previous two volumes. It is a excellent finish to an excellent series. Read and enjoy.
February 4, 2016
this was a good book. I enjoyed it however I felt it was unnecessary.
January 22, 2016
i absolutely loved these books. Exciting, sad, adventurous, I can't wait to read the next set.
March 27, 2017
Excellent read.
September 10, 2019
Loved this series
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews