Crimson & Ash: A Dragon Master's Ascension: A Progression Fantasy Adventure

by Shane Hammond

Be bold. Be daring. Be extraordinary.

My entire life, I’ve always wanted to be a legendary dragon lancer. Now a twist of fate has brought me to the Royal Dragon Academy, where women heavily outnumber men. To master the skies, I’ll need to form tight bonds with my beautiful classmates, since talent won’t be the only glue keeping us together.

The going won’t be easy. Jealous nobles and rival flight orders want me grounded for good. My only allies are three a noblewoman seeking to restore her family name, a defiant commoner with everything to prove, and a famous mentor with a devastating secret she’ll do anything to protect.

Together, we’ll do more than just survive the trials. We’ll become the force this kingdom never saw coming.

Because the power awakening inside me isn't just going to break the rules. It's going to reshape the world.

Genres: Harem, Fantasy, Romance

614 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2026

About the author

Hey there! I'm Shane, and I love writing fantasy. I've been reading fantasy all my life, and I've always wanted the chance to tell the stories that I wanted to share. So here I am! With my stories, you can expect a fleshed-out and detailed world full of interesting characters that you can't help but root for. Thanks for checking me out, and I hope you enjoy my work!

Reviews

[Al Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good first book. World building was great. The dynamics between the characters was good. But after a while everything was predictable. You just knew that he was going to get into a relationship with the first girl and then get the second girl. And of course the first girl accepted this. You also knew that he was a long lost prince. And while it was a good story I’m not going to waste my time and money on a second book. The synopsis is he gets with the third girl and the instructor. And then goes on to lead a rebellion. Over the next several books.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy stories about dragons. This is well written. The main character is Ashton, who goes by Ash, hence the Ash in the title. He is an orphan who pretty much lived on the streets after his aunt and uncle died. They weren't his real aunt and uncle. He has no idea who his real parents are. He has always wanted to be a dragon rider more than anything. I like that he has to work for things, he is good and has good intelligence, but everything doesn't come easy to him. It's also a harem book, but the women don't just fall for him, there is some romance and he has to work to gain love and trust. There is a twist in the book that I saw coming quite a way away.

[Diana Rees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oatmeal

I mean, if you LIKE oatmeal, it’s great, but if you like a little fruit or sugar, you’re out of luck.
It’s okay. But it’s JUST okay. Very run of the mill stuff. Nothing stands out. All the women are beautiful, have big boobs, and lack any pesky personalities. The world building is the cheap, bargain basement model that shows how little effort went into it.

I got about halfway through before I decided I had more interesting things to do. Like, grocery shopping.

It got 3 stars because, honestly, I don’t think it’s AI. Any more, that’s rare.

[User Name · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first series the author is working with a Dragon fantasy and the author did used it well. I really liked the relationship between the Dragon and the MC along with the Lis. How the dragon is not behaving to the MC but will be there if the MC is in a problem too. Also, i liked the politics in this series very much as well. I am more interested to see how it plays out to our characters in the second book.

[Dp2k · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice, easy reading for a typical academy book with dragons. Nothing surprising but I wasn't expecting there to be any so it's all good.

There's actually some progression which surprised me but it's not him but the dragon. I hope he gains more personal power but it sounds like magic isn't a thing, it's just dragon powers.

Anyway, will continue to read.

[Ben Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shane knocks it out of the park again

This is an amazing start to a new series. We get all the great stuff, characters, good romance, action. The story has a bit of mystery that comes to a head at the end. I'm looking forward to many more books in this series.

[Genielle Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story

Perfect amount of drama, adventure, spice and intrigue! I really look forward to the next book! I loved how each piece was slowly introduced and how much growth the characters have! Can't wait for more!

[Arianwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One heckuva starting book

Very good blend of palace intrigue, friendship-building, romance and dragons. So well written that it was very near impossible to stop reading until the end, leaving the reader with a very juicy cliffhanger.

[Robert Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good plot line

This story has excellent character development, allowing the individuals time to discover themselves. The bombshell at the end of the story was foreshadowed many times, although the exact revelation was well hidden. Looking forward to more of Ash’s experiences!

[Mike Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

a bit going on in this story and it's good.

[Bill Reese]

Fun Read

I enjoyed this book so much I read non stop.. Great writing, good plot and nice twist in the story. Looking forward to the next book.

[Alan Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story

This is an entertaining read. The main character is developing and the story line is interesting. Looking forward to the next one.

[Chase Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed

Just enough adult scenes and the right amount of character growth. Nothing is forced and the story line doesn’t go the way you think it will.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book was OK, if somewhat predictable. The second book introduced a totally woke diversity story line so I dropped the series.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story

I really liked the story. The world felt like it had depth. The lore was interesting, and the characters felt believable.