Titan's Nest: Book 1 in the Titan's Nest Saga

by T. D. Orel

Every century, six dragon eggs inexplicably fall from the heavens. Once hatched, each dragon bites a young adult, forever merging their souls, granting them an elemental ability, and creating the next generation of Bitten Knights.

No one in the north was surprised when Maximus Duskfell found his hand between the fangs of the newest dragon hatchling, as he had proven to be the ideal Bitten Knight-fearless, unyielding, and filled with unlimited potential. But when a twist of fate diverts Maximus' path, his unlikely brother, Darren Duskfell, is forced to secretly inherit his sibling's identity, destiny, and dragon... a dragon that loathes his very existence. If the training doesn't kill him, the Swarmborne, the half-human, half-insect warriors might. He may not have any of his brother's physical talents, but he may just have the wit and the will.

Meanwhile, clear on the other side of the world, their friend Ryker has become entangled in a deadly cult that claims to have uncovered the dark truth of the Bitten Knights. They've aligned with the Swarmborne in hopes of accomplishing their butcher the Bitten Knights and resurrect their scaly gods.

534 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2025

Reviews

[Kaden Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

T.D. Orel takes the best parts of Dragon fantasy and adds his own flare, making it so much more than rehashed tropes. A brilliant world filled with unique magic, dragon bonds, and lurking secrets. Orel writes Brotherhood with such heart, making you love these characters instantly.

[Hannah Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun dragon rider adventure with a piece-of-work dragon haha


Narrative Voice: 3rd person (limited, dual)

Cussing/profanity: 1/5

Drug/alcohol use: 1/5
Kissing: 0/5
Sex/nudity: 0/5
Violence/gore: 2/5

I’m a sucker for dragon rider books, and once I saw the new, gorgeous cover art, I had to read it!
I’m also a sucker for “sorting” in this case, each kingdom has their own elemental aptitude, from fire and water to plant life and shadow, and of course, a corresponding color palette which makes visualizing so pretty.

There was a plot twist early on that I was totally not expecting, which was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the parallel stories on both sides of the conflict.

Speaking of parallels, I love how the two POVs are opposites. Their last names, color palettes, and fury. It’s never addressed [yet?], so it’s like a genius Easter egg, and I love things like that!

With plenty of dragons, dragon training, battles, and of course, elemental magic aka fury, this is a fun dragon-riding story done right!

Can’t wait for the sequel!
4/5 would recommend

*7 damn, 2 dammit, 3 bastard

[Jared Kunta · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s kind of hilarious that my high school bully wrote a book with bullying in it. Nostalgic for the wrong reasons.

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think this was a literary masterpiece by any means but it was a super fun read. There were plenty of points that I did not want to put the book down, a cool setting, and likable characters.