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The Task: Book One
The Family Omorithan is facing upheaval and ruin, possibly worse. It is up to the young and inexperienced Heiress to save them and accept The Task, a quest to retrieve an ancient mystical artifact that was stolen from the family a thousand years ago. To do so she must travel to a strange and inhospitable land and find her own way.
In a moment of weakness Wes abandoned his home and family and is looking for a way to make amends, only his shame for having failed them to such a great degree is keeping him from doing it. The past he abandoned, though, is the only clue Heiress has to find her family’s salvation.
Together they form an unlikely friendship to overcome a challenging world of vicious dragons, dangerous people, and magical problems neither of them could have foreseen. Wes, determined to see Heiress succeed, puts his life at risk to help her. In return, Heiress gives Wes the courage to face his past.
Their journey will do more than test their strength and their wits, it will test the people they choose to become.
In a moment of weakness Wes abandoned his home and family and is looking for a way to make amends, only his shame for having failed them to such a great degree is keeping him from doing it. The past he abandoned, though, is the only clue Heiress has to find her family’s salvation.
Together they form an unlikely friendship to overcome a challenging world of vicious dragons, dangerous people, and magical problems neither of them could have foreseen. Wes, determined to see Heiress succeed, puts his life at risk to help her. In return, Heiress gives Wes the courage to face his past.
Their journey will do more than test their strength and their wits, it will test the people they choose to become.
415 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 23, 2026
Delightful...until the ending.
This piece certainly has a number of technical flaws but I genuinely loved the actual story. I loved the dialogue and I feel like some of the best writing in the story were the conversations. I loved the progression. I loved the major "events". I loved most of the characters. The author managed to make me love Heiress enough that I'm apprehensive about her future. Yeah I'm worried about what the future holds for a fictional dragon. The largest objective issue I had with the story is the dual perspective between the two main characters...it works just fine for the most part. Any time they're together it's Wes's perspective. But there were two instances where it shifted from Wes to Heiress mid chapter with no page break or anything...it was easy to follow along with, I was not confused about what happened, the chapter still flowed just fine, it didn't bring the story to a halt, it was just a little jarring. The other instances where the perspective shifted there was an event or a page break or a chapter break that divided them which made it more fluid. If the author could afford an editor it could seriously benefit from having those places tidied up.
The author describes this book as "semi-cozy" and as a fantasy reader I really didn't understand what exactly that implied...it's either cozy or it isn't...but after reading it I think the description fits. The story constantly progresses, there's always something happening, but it's not an action-adventure piece. The stakes are fairly low for most of it though there are times when one of the MC's is facing a mortal danger. None of the story is in a hurry to get to the end and there's a lot of experiences along the way. It was a comfortable read that never had me biting my nails with anxiety or suspense and I was never bored.
I'm rating it highly...for now...because I loved the story. It was charming, it was funny, it was sweet and endearing at times. But it ended...abruptly...and I was stuck on "and then what happened?" Seriously, man, and then what happened? The author says this is the first half of this story and I am eagerly awaiting the rest. I may come back and amend this review based on the continuation. I will also say that there were tons of setups throughout the story...a mention of a thing here or there, something curious happens, and it's done in a way that made it sound important...and then it's never brought up again. If it turns out they weren't relevant then I'll be a little miffed because some of that stuff sounded like it could have been interesting if explored.
So yeah, I'm throwing all the stars at it for right now because I enjoyed the story and I loved Heiress...I definitely want more of Heiress...and I'm eager to see how the rest of this story turns out. But I reserve the right to come and knock one or two off based on the continuation.
I wish the author the best of luck and I'm excited to see what happens next because...seriously...AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?!
This piece certainly has a number of technical flaws but I genuinely loved the actual story. I loved the dialogue and I feel like some of the best writing in the story were the conversations. I loved the progression. I loved the major "events". I loved most of the characters. The author managed to make me love Heiress enough that I'm apprehensive about her future. Yeah I'm worried about what the future holds for a fictional dragon. The largest objective issue I had with the story is the dual perspective between the two main characters...it works just fine for the most part. Any time they're together it's Wes's perspective. But there were two instances where it shifted from Wes to Heiress mid chapter with no page break or anything...it was easy to follow along with, I was not confused about what happened, the chapter still flowed just fine, it didn't bring the story to a halt, it was just a little jarring. The other instances where the perspective shifted there was an event or a page break or a chapter break that divided them which made it more fluid. If the author could afford an editor it could seriously benefit from having those places tidied up.
The author describes this book as "semi-cozy" and as a fantasy reader I really didn't understand what exactly that implied...it's either cozy or it isn't...but after reading it I think the description fits. The story constantly progresses, there's always something happening, but it's not an action-adventure piece. The stakes are fairly low for most of it though there are times when one of the MC's is facing a mortal danger. None of the story is in a hurry to get to the end and there's a lot of experiences along the way. It was a comfortable read that never had me biting my nails with anxiety or suspense and I was never bored.
I'm rating it highly...for now...because I loved the story. It was charming, it was funny, it was sweet and endearing at times. But it ended...abruptly...and I was stuck on "and then what happened?" Seriously, man, and then what happened? The author says this is the first half of this story and I am eagerly awaiting the rest. I may come back and amend this review based on the continuation. I will also say that there were tons of setups throughout the story...a mention of a thing here or there, something curious happens, and it's done in a way that made it sound important...and then it's never brought up again. If it turns out they weren't relevant then I'll be a little miffed because some of that stuff sounded like it could have been interesting if explored.
So yeah, I'm throwing all the stars at it for right now because I enjoyed the story and I loved Heiress...I definitely want more of Heiress...and I'm eager to see how the rest of this story turns out. But I reserve the right to come and knock one or two off based on the continuation.
I wish the author the best of luck and I'm excited to see what happens next because...seriously...AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?!
May 21, 2026
A cosy adventure story that was fairly charming but had quite a few issues that stopped me from enjoying it as much as I hoped.
The pacing was sedentary, lacking urgency and very much closer to the chill, cosy end of the spectrum (which I am perhaps not quite the audience for). There were a few exciting parts but they were brief and largely inconsequential. Most of the scenes were concerned with quaint, mundane and/or humorous character interactions and discussion of personal issues, with perhaps an undue focus on finding food for the dragon. At the beginning I liked this, when the characters were getting to know each other, but as the story went on I wanted something more interesting to happen. Some readers might not have a problem with this; for me it was just a bit too slow. I would have liked slightly higher stakes and tension, more intense mystery, or at least more variety in the things that were happening.
At some point there was mention of a dangerous race that our main characters decide they have to compete in and win, which does eventually happen at the very end of the book. This race was actually quite fun and entertaining, but it took a long time to get to and there was a peculiar lack of build-up of suspense or anticipation.
The worldbuilding was extremely sparse, with almost no description of anything. While I am a reader who doesn’t like too much of the world to be explained, this story was, I felt, too far in the other direction, with everything being very vague, almost to the point of randomness. Intriguing little facts were dropped here and there, but then never expanded upon. No reason for their inclusion in the story or impact on events.
For example – the odd lack of insects and animals (except, inexplicably, bees?) I wasn’t sure if this was a natural part of the world or indicative of some greater mystery. Another scene where Heiress experiences weird feelings about the world and has difficulty flying seemed important (especially regarding the Race!) but, strangely, never came up again.
There were numerous other little logical inconsistencies and things that just… didn’t make sense.
The lack of description really pained me with regard to the nature elements (when they were spending time in the wilderness, as I felt no sense of immersion), and especially the characters. There were quite a few notable characters in the story, but we were given no description of what they looked like. This was frustrating to me in such a character-focussed story. Even a rudimentary description of their physical appearance would have fleshed them out so much more in my imagination.
The dialogue was generally pretty good and there were some nice character moments, but that’s really all there was to it. There wasn’t much about the story that really drove me onwards. Heiress was simply dropped into a quest with literally no explanation of how important it was supposed to be, or indeed, why we should really care. This was a story clearly not focussed on plot, which is absolutely fine, not every story needs to be, but the narrative just didn’t have enough momentum to carry it, I felt.
With regard to the prose, it was a little scruffy. The tenses were all over the place, swapping between past and present a lot. POV’s switched frequently as well (‘head hopping’) and this was genuinely confusing at some points where I couldn’t tell whose thoughts I was reading.
I didn’t really understand Wes as a character, or his role in his family, or his character development. My estimation of him actually went down a couple of notches at the very end, after the Race, as I didn’t like his behaviour there.
The part of the book that I did think was done really well was the dragon, Heiress. She was a lovely, endearing and likeable character and, in stark contrast to everything else, described beautifully. Her appearance was described, her little quirks and mannerisms and body language and personality, all very good. I dearly wish that all of the characters, scenery and all aspects of the book had been treated with this level of care and attention to detail; it would have made the story considerably richer, better and more immersive.
One final point, which is more of a personal irk, but it bothered me, was the characters’ (excluding Heiress’) attitude towards animals. That there was a clearly defined distinction between ‘animals’ and ‘people’. Wes became angry and annoyed with people calling Heiress an ‘it’, yet seemingly had no qualms about the other dragons being kept in cages and mistreated and regarded as ‘monsters’. But because Heiress could speak and show affection she was ‘special’ and deserved better care?
The assertions that there was nothing going on in an animal’s brain except for ‘instinct’ is not something I agree with personally, and I found this uncomfortable to read. I hoped (but did not expect) that there would be some kind of moral point or some challenge to Wes’s rather ignorant assumptions about this, but I was disappointed. The story did culminate with a message about the importance of kind treatment towards animals, but it was a little weak.
In summary: there were aspects of this story that I definitely liked, but ultimately it was a bit too sketchy, awkward, and with not quite enough interesting things going on to draw me in. However, I really did like Heiress, she was a unique and endearing character.
Thank you to the author for writing this book and allowing me the privilege of reading and reviewing it. :)
The pacing was sedentary, lacking urgency and very much closer to the chill, cosy end of the spectrum (which I am perhaps not quite the audience for). There were a few exciting parts but they were brief and largely inconsequential. Most of the scenes were concerned with quaint, mundane and/or humorous character interactions and discussion of personal issues, with perhaps an undue focus on finding food for the dragon. At the beginning I liked this, when the characters were getting to know each other, but as the story went on I wanted something more interesting to happen. Some readers might not have a problem with this; for me it was just a bit too slow. I would have liked slightly higher stakes and tension, more intense mystery, or at least more variety in the things that were happening.
At some point there was mention of a dangerous race that our main characters decide they have to compete in and win, which does eventually happen at the very end of the book. This race was actually quite fun and entertaining, but it took a long time to get to and there was a peculiar lack of build-up of suspense or anticipation.
The worldbuilding was extremely sparse, with almost no description of anything. While I am a reader who doesn’t like too much of the world to be explained, this story was, I felt, too far in the other direction, with everything being very vague, almost to the point of randomness. Intriguing little facts were dropped here and there, but then never expanded upon. No reason for their inclusion in the story or impact on events.
For example – the odd lack of insects and animals (except, inexplicably, bees?) I wasn’t sure if this was a natural part of the world or indicative of some greater mystery. Another scene where Heiress experiences weird feelings about the world and has difficulty flying seemed important (especially regarding the Race!) but, strangely, never came up again.
There were numerous other little logical inconsistencies and things that just… didn’t make sense.
The lack of description really pained me with regard to the nature elements (when they were spending time in the wilderness, as I felt no sense of immersion), and especially the characters. There were quite a few notable characters in the story, but we were given no description of what they looked like. This was frustrating to me in such a character-focussed story. Even a rudimentary description of their physical appearance would have fleshed them out so much more in my imagination.
The dialogue was generally pretty good and there were some nice character moments, but that’s really all there was to it. There wasn’t much about the story that really drove me onwards. Heiress was simply dropped into a quest with literally no explanation of how important it was supposed to be, or indeed, why we should really care. This was a story clearly not focussed on plot, which is absolutely fine, not every story needs to be, but the narrative just didn’t have enough momentum to carry it, I felt.
With regard to the prose, it was a little scruffy. The tenses were all over the place, swapping between past and present a lot. POV’s switched frequently as well (‘head hopping’) and this was genuinely confusing at some points where I couldn’t tell whose thoughts I was reading.
I didn’t really understand Wes as a character, or his role in his family, or his character development. My estimation of him actually went down a couple of notches at the very end, after the Race, as I didn’t like his behaviour there.
The part of the book that I did think was done really well was the dragon, Heiress. She was a lovely, endearing and likeable character and, in stark contrast to everything else, described beautifully. Her appearance was described, her little quirks and mannerisms and body language and personality, all very good. I dearly wish that all of the characters, scenery and all aspects of the book had been treated with this level of care and attention to detail; it would have made the story considerably richer, better and more immersive.
One final point, which is more of a personal irk, but it bothered me, was the characters’ (excluding Heiress’) attitude towards animals. That there was a clearly defined distinction between ‘animals’ and ‘people’. Wes became angry and annoyed with people calling Heiress an ‘it’, yet seemingly had no qualms about the other dragons being kept in cages and mistreated and regarded as ‘monsters’. But because Heiress could speak and show affection she was ‘special’ and deserved better care?
The assertions that there was nothing going on in an animal’s brain except for ‘instinct’ is not something I agree with personally, and I found this uncomfortable to read. I hoped (but did not expect) that there would be some kind of moral point or some challenge to Wes’s rather ignorant assumptions about this, but I was disappointed. The story did culminate with a message about the importance of kind treatment towards animals, but it was a little weak.
In summary: there were aspects of this story that I definitely liked, but ultimately it was a bit too sketchy, awkward, and with not quite enough interesting things going on to draw me in. However, I really did like Heiress, she was a unique and endearing character.
Thank you to the author for writing this book and allowing me the privilege of reading and reviewing it. :)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews