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The Task: Book One
From the Author: I made an awful mistake when uploading this book and selected a mislabeled and unedited earlier draft. This mistake wasn't discovered until a few weeks ago. It has been corrected in all formats and if you purchased an ebook the corrected version should have been pushed out to you already. If you purchased a hard copy please email me or seek me out on Facebook and I will get you a corrected copy. I sincerely apologize.
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.
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.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 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?!
June 13, 2026
A heartfelt book with characters you want to root for. The world building is interesting and complex. There were some technical issues that detracted from the reading, but the non-stop action kept the story moving along.
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. :)
June 25, 2026
I have to say up front that I absolutely adored this novel. It's a mix between cozy and epic, with somewhat higher stakes and more action than cozy fantasy normally, but still largely focused on the individual tales of a boy and a dragon. It's not perfect, but I fell in love with the world and the characters. I was a tad wary when I started reading the (short) prologue as it felt strangely stilted, but once the actual novel got underway, I was completely hooked - fish, line and sinker.
Wes is a runner who travels in the desolate landscape between cities carrying messages and goods, running as much from his own past and family as he ekes out his rations carefully. No creature lives in the woods he walks, so coming across a fully grown dragon is certainly out of the ordinary. Heiress is on a quest to retrieve a mysterious artefact and in doing so, somehow save her family. And Wes quickly discovers that Heiress isn't anything like the dragons he's known all his life. From an unlikely alliance to an even more unlikely friendship, the two will work together to complete Heiress's Task and allow Wes to face his past and the family he left behind.
The characterisations here are wonderful. Heiress is the absolute star of the show here and absolutely stole my heart. But there's a wonderful cast of characters here both in the main protagonists and in side characters that move in and out of the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the way the relationships are built between Wes and his estranged family. This is in many ways character driven, but there's enough action and excitement to keep the pace moving at a decent clip without feeling bogged down in introspection.
I also loved the world building where the immersive and vivid world comes to life around you, particularly the desolate areas between the towns, Wes's family home and some of the smaller locations that are utilised. There are a lot of questions left unanswered, but I believe many of the mysteries will be further explored in future novels.
Of the entire novel, I only really had two fairly minor niggles. The first is that there are moments that are overwritten; a really striking or powerful moment hits and then there's an extra half page of repetition to hammer the point home. These weren't frequent enough to be more than a niggle, but the flow would be a smoother if it trusted the reader to come to the right conclusion first time round. There are also a fair few minor side-stories that are very much left hanging; they don't really have any major impact on the main narrative, but I'm invested enough in some of them to want to see the fallout! The author has confirmed this is very much something that will be addressed in the next novels and these side-shoots haven't just been forgotten which makes me very pleased indeed.
All in all, this is a wonderful debut that caught my heart and my imagination and is the first book in about a year to make me cry, which is praise indeed. There are some slightly rough edges, but it's got heart and soul and is well written enough that those don't need to be fully smoothed out for it to be a genuinely enjoyable read and one that will stick with me for a long time to come. The sequel will absolutely be on my must read list when it comes out.
Wes is a runner who travels in the desolate landscape between cities carrying messages and goods, running as much from his own past and family as he ekes out his rations carefully. No creature lives in the woods he walks, so coming across a fully grown dragon is certainly out of the ordinary. Heiress is on a quest to retrieve a mysterious artefact and in doing so, somehow save her family. And Wes quickly discovers that Heiress isn't anything like the dragons he's known all his life. From an unlikely alliance to an even more unlikely friendship, the two will work together to complete Heiress's Task and allow Wes to face his past and the family he left behind.
The characterisations here are wonderful. Heiress is the absolute star of the show here and absolutely stole my heart. But there's a wonderful cast of characters here both in the main protagonists and in side characters that move in and out of the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the way the relationships are built between Wes and his estranged family. This is in many ways character driven, but there's enough action and excitement to keep the pace moving at a decent clip without feeling bogged down in introspection.
I also loved the world building where the immersive and vivid world comes to life around you, particularly the desolate areas between the towns, Wes's family home and some of the smaller locations that are utilised. There are a lot of questions left unanswered, but I believe many of the mysteries will be further explored in future novels.
Of the entire novel, I only really had two fairly minor niggles. The first is that there are moments that are overwritten; a really striking or powerful moment hits and then there's an extra half page of repetition to hammer the point home. These weren't frequent enough to be more than a niggle, but the flow would be a smoother if it trusted the reader to come to the right conclusion first time round. There are also a fair few minor side-stories that are very much left hanging; they don't really have any major impact on the main narrative, but I'm invested enough in some of them to want to see the fallout! The author has confirmed this is very much something that will be addressed in the next novels and these side-shoots haven't just been forgotten which makes me very pleased indeed.
All in all, this is a wonderful debut that caught my heart and my imagination and is the first book in about a year to make me cry, which is praise indeed. There are some slightly rough edges, but it's got heart and soul and is well written enough that those don't need to be fully smoothed out for it to be a genuinely enjoyable read and one that will stick with me for a long time to come. The sequel will absolutely be on my must read list when it comes out.
June 27, 2026
Wonderful story and lust like other reviewers I am absolutely in love with Heiress! I love that it's a story that actually encompasses a lot of what makes high fantasy and epic fantasy "epic" and "high" without actually making it ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I love the ridiculousness of Tolkien and Hobb and Dinniman and such, but they're all stories about the heroes doing the heroic thing. You give Jimmy the Hand a rapier and he's now a master swordsman...that kind of thing. I love it, but this is a story about characters who aren't "that". Wes and Heiress are never miraculously competent, strong, heroic warriors. Wes spends a whole chapter running away from people and is making it up as he goes the entire time and Heiress is an emotional mess and I love it. It's so refreshing to see a story where the main characters didn't win the cosmic lottery but the plot also isn't "fantasy coffee shop". There's real issues, there's a real goal, there's real stakes but it's still about the journey, it's character driven, it's still almost cozy, and I'm really interested in reading more of it. I hope we get to meet Hani next time, and I'm kind of curious about what exactly the "thing" was with Devon and Tully...actually my only real gripe about the book was that there were a lot of question marks in it that I hope get explored.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews