What do you think?
Rate this book
Age of Fire #2
Dragon Avenger
From the national bestselling, award-winning author of Dragon Champion-second in the fantastic new Age of Fire series.
Flung to freedom as their mother battles a group of slave-trading dwarves, young Wistala and her gray, scaleless brother, Auron, find themselves alone in the Upper World. And when Auron sacrifices himself so that she may live, Wistala must overcome her grief and fear to find others of her kind-and bring her wrath to bear on those who would destroy them.
Flung to freedom as their mother battles a group of slave-trading dwarves, young Wistala and her gray, scaleless brother, Auron, find themselves alone in the Upper World. And when Auron sacrifices himself so that she may live, Wistala must overcome her grief and fear to find others of her kind-and bring her wrath to bear on those who would destroy them.
384 pages, Paperback
First published December 5, 2006
77 people are currently reading
1883 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
July 9, 2025
This was the first book I started writing these silly little reviews for. My original review is actually still available to read on my city’s library website. I could just copy/paste that review onto Goodreads, but I was stupid and naive when I wrote that one, so you’ll have to do with this one.
I’m sure if you’ve made it past book one, you’re wondering what happened to the other members of this dying dragon family. Dragon Champion was a book about a peaceful family of dragons who had their lives torn apart after their home was invaded. In a last-ditch effort to save her children, Irelia flung young Auron and Wistala to safety at the cost of her own life. Later on, after being spotted by fiendish elves, Auron sacrifices himself so his sister Wistala can get away. Wistala’s fate was never spoken of again…
…Until now.
Dragon Avenger gives Wistala her time in the spotlight, enlightening readers on what exactly happened after Auron gave his life to save hers. With her family dead, Wistala goes on a lifelong journey at the request of her father to save their family by avenging them. How? By surviving and procreating, ensuring the continued survival of their bloodline, and most importantly, their race as a whole.
Auron, as many probably know by now, is a magnet for trouble, always ending up in danger one way or another. Wistala’s story is much different; somehow, a majority of the faces she meets are friendly, and most of the story is actually quite cozy. After an elf saves her life, Wistala spends her days in the peaceful town of Mossbell, where she goes on a variety of adventures, big and small, from reuniting family, becoming a legal citizen, slaying trolls, and traveling with a circus! We even meet other dragons, ooo!
Of course, this is still a story about a dragon in a world that hates dragons. So as you can imagine, things do indeed go wrong. Don’t let your guard down; this book will lull you into a false sense of security, then stab you in the back.
Readers will also be pleased to find this book fills in plenty of gaps the first book left, showing Wistala’s early childhood, and the fate of her nameless brother, who was left forgotten. This book even includes some references to stuff that happened in the first book, leaving a few moments that’ll make readers think: ‘Oh, I remember that!’
E.E. Knight knocked this one out of the park, no surprise there. Damn this one was good. I mean, Auron will always be my favorite, and Dragon Champion is still my favorite dragon POV book, but Wistala’s story is just as good!
I’m sure if you’ve made it past book one, you’re wondering what happened to the other members of this dying dragon family. Dragon Champion was a book about a peaceful family of dragons who had their lives torn apart after their home was invaded. In a last-ditch effort to save her children, Irelia flung young Auron and Wistala to safety at the cost of her own life. Later on, after being spotted by fiendish elves, Auron sacrifices himself so his sister Wistala can get away. Wistala’s fate was never spoken of again…
…Until now.
Dragon Avenger gives Wistala her time in the spotlight, enlightening readers on what exactly happened after Auron gave his life to save hers. With her family dead, Wistala goes on a lifelong journey at the request of her father to save their family by avenging them. How? By surviving and procreating, ensuring the continued survival of their bloodline, and most importantly, their race as a whole.
Auron, as many probably know by now, is a magnet for trouble, always ending up in danger one way or another. Wistala’s story is much different; somehow, a majority of the faces she meets are friendly, and most of the story is actually quite cozy. After an elf saves her life, Wistala spends her days in the peaceful town of Mossbell, where she goes on a variety of adventures, big and small, from reuniting family, becoming a legal citizen, slaying trolls, and traveling with a circus! We even meet other dragons, ooo!
Of course, this is still a story about a dragon in a world that hates dragons. So as you can imagine, things do indeed go wrong. Don’t let your guard down; this book will lull you into a false sense of security, then stab you in the back.
Readers will also be pleased to find this book fills in plenty of gaps the first book left, showing Wistala’s early childhood, and the fate of her nameless brother, who was left forgotten. This book even includes some references to stuff that happened in the first book, leaving a few moments that’ll make readers think: ‘Oh, I remember that!’
E.E. Knight knocked this one out of the park, no surprise there. Damn this one was good. I mean, Auron will always be my favorite, and Dragon Champion is still my favorite dragon POV book, but Wistala’s story is just as good!
August 12, 2012
Damn this one was good! It did take me a little bit to get into it because when I finished Dragon Champion, I found myself wanting more about AuRon and not about some other dragon (sorry, Wistala!). But by the end of this novel I was cheering and grinning and very happy to have read it.
I love the way Knight steeps his stories in such rich history and land lore that I can't help but feel like it has to be real because otherwise, how could he write it so well? This series and the characters in this book especially are everything that I've wanted in a dragon (book) since I grew up reading Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series. Because these dragons are so much richer for having personalities and lives all their own. I love McCaffrey's dragons, don't get me wrong but Wistala and AuRon and even the copper are so much richer for being their own creatures completely independent of anyone and anything else.
I also like how flawed these characters are. They're not perfect but I find myself cheering for them (and with them) all the same. That makes them more real and more enjoyable.
I love the way Knight steeps his stories in such rich history and land lore that I can't help but feel like it has to be real because otherwise, how could he write it so well? This series and the characters in this book especially are everything that I've wanted in a dragon (book) since I grew up reading Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series. Because these dragons are so much richer for having personalities and lives all their own. I love McCaffrey's dragons, don't get me wrong but Wistala and AuRon and even the copper are so much richer for being their own creatures completely independent of anyone and anything else.
I also like how flawed these characters are. They're not perfect but I find myself cheering for them (and with them) all the same. That makes them more real and more enjoyable.
November 9, 2011
I couldn't say this until I read book two but now I can
Because books 1 2 and 3 are written in a parallel timeline, and they don't overlap too much, you can pretty much read any one first, without any spoilers really, (haven't read 3 yet).
Seeing AuRon's side of the story was thrilling, very scary, exciting, and set up a large world.
Seeing Wistala's side of the story was less gory, and a little less threatening, but still wonderful. The world set up in the first book is built up more elaborately in the second, (for example, we get to see more of an elf's lifestyle with Rainfall, wistala's "adoptive father", as a main character). AuRon did show intelligence, and development, which I loved. But Tala seems to be much more cunning when it comes to deceiving her enemies. It's good because they have their own proficiencies, their own different personalities. With the previous book, I felt that characters like (the Dragonblade) didn't get enough elaboration, and it's provided in book 2.
One aspect of both books that I've found interesting, is the lack of any "magic". Albeit there are some events the characters would call magic, they are each explained (by chemistry, engineering etc.). So far, I've liked the consistency in the world built by Knight. The characters really do feel vulnerable in a realistic sense.
Basically, as the books progressed, it built on something that was already very good, in E.E. Knight's beautiful, descriptive and sometimes witty style which I'm growing quite fond of. And the storyline, although less of a roller-coaster ride in my opinion than book one, is still very interesting.
Because books 1 2 and 3 are written in a parallel timeline, and they don't overlap too much, you can pretty much read any one first, without any spoilers really, (haven't read 3 yet).
Seeing AuRon's side of the story was thrilling, very scary, exciting, and set up a large world.
Seeing Wistala's side of the story was less gory, and a little less threatening, but still wonderful. The world set up in the first book is built up more elaborately in the second, (for example, we get to see more of an elf's lifestyle with Rainfall, wistala's "adoptive father", as a main character). AuRon did show intelligence, and development, which I loved. But Tala seems to be much more cunning when it comes to deceiving her enemies. It's good because they have their own proficiencies, their own different personalities. With the previous book, I felt that characters like (the Dragonblade) didn't get enough elaboration, and it's provided in book 2.
One aspect of both books that I've found interesting, is the lack of any "magic". Albeit there are some events the characters would call magic, they are each explained (by chemistry, engineering etc.). So far, I've liked the consistency in the world built by Knight. The characters really do feel vulnerable in a realistic sense.
Basically, as the books progressed, it built on something that was already very good, in E.E. Knight's beautiful, descriptive and sometimes witty style which I'm growing quite fond of. And the storyline, although less of a roller-coaster ride in my opinion than book one, is still very interesting.
April 1, 2023
3.5 stars is a more fitting rating for this book than just 3 stars, because I did enjoy it a lot more compared to the first one. It was much heavier in themes, and had some scenes that nearly brought tears to my eyes, and some that were honestly quite disturbing and messed up, and equally sad.
The plot was far more enjoyable to me too, it was centered around one main plot thread that developed throughout the book and had characters that I grew attached to and were interesting. Wistala was also a much more interesting character, who's horrific experiences as a hatchling shaped her personality and her ambitions and goals.
Unfortunately, the plot, while it was interesting, wasn't the most engaging I've ever read, and it was quite slow, and it started to slowly lose me towards the ending of the book. A lot of new characters were introduced, and the plot started developing really fast, almost too fast. I found myself getting confused by the events and actions that unfolded, especially regarding sudden 180 degree turns in character motivations and goals. It quickly went from 4 stars to 3 because of this.
All that said, there were a lot of positive things about this book other than the ones I already mentioned. One of them was seeing the events of the young dragons early life unfolding through a different perspective - Wistala's. There was a lot of very interesting details that shed more light on the horrific beginning of the tale of the three dragons. World building was also, yet again, fantastic, and maybe a little bit overwhelming, because a lot of words, terms and historic events would quickly get thrown in, and it made it a little bit difficult at times to make sense of it all. The way each book tells the story of one hatchling always leaves me very curious to read the next one and find out what happened to the other hatchling, especially the bronze in this case.
All in all, this series is definitely improving quite a bit as I read more of it, and I am very eager to start reading the third book and learn more about the tragedy stricken dragon family.
The plot was far more enjoyable to me too, it was centered around one main plot thread that developed throughout the book and had characters that I grew attached to and were interesting. Wistala was also a much more interesting character, who's horrific experiences as a hatchling shaped her personality and her ambitions and goals.
Unfortunately, the plot, while it was interesting, wasn't the most engaging I've ever read, and it was quite slow, and it started to slowly lose me towards the ending of the book. A lot of new characters were introduced, and the plot started developing really fast, almost too fast. I found myself getting confused by the events and actions that unfolded, especially regarding sudden 180 degree turns in character motivations and goals. It quickly went from 4 stars to 3 because of this.
All that said, there were a lot of positive things about this book other than the ones I already mentioned. One of them was seeing the events of the young dragons early life unfolding through a different perspective - Wistala's. There was a lot of very interesting details that shed more light on the horrific beginning of the tale of the three dragons. World building was also, yet again, fantastic, and maybe a little bit overwhelming, because a lot of words, terms and historic events would quickly get thrown in, and it made it a little bit difficult at times to make sense of it all. The way each book tells the story of one hatchling always leaves me very curious to read the next one and find out what happened to the other hatchling, especially the bronze in this case.
All in all, this series is definitely improving quite a bit as I read more of it, and I am very eager to start reading the third book and learn more about the tragedy stricken dragon family.
September 11, 2012
The second book in the series switches dragons, moving from the "champion male hatchling" and his story (the champion being the male that survived and/or drove off all other male hatchlings) to the sister hatchling.
I rather liked the first book but, in a way, that was a problem with my ability to get into this book. Simply put, the first book in the series started with the hatchlings in the cave, the dragons in the cave were attacked, two hatchlings escape together and spend a little time together. Then they get separated. The first book then follows along as Auron (the male hatchling) grows up from hatchling to drakka to dragon. Quite an interesting story. The problem, though, is that I read the second book in the series almost immediately after the first. And do you know how the second book starts? Hatchlings in a cave, the same hatchlings from the first book. The same activity described in the first book occurs, though from Wistala's perspective (the female hatchling). Hatchlings hatch. Fight for dominance. "Others" invade. Two hatchlings escape. They hunt together. Auron diverts hunters and Wistala escapes on her own. Just like the start of the first book. Though now from Wistala's perspective.
The idea was presented much more interestingly later in the book. When Wistala meet up with people Auron ran into in the first book. Probably more interesting because only one dragon was there in each snippet of story. So you still get some of that "seeing things from another perspective", without that "seeing the same story repeated, but now from another angle" issue that is a problem with the start of the book. I know I'm not describing this correct. So . . .
There's a scene in the first book when Auron runs into a dwarf with a bunch of ponies. The dwarf squeaks and throws coins at the dragon. One thing leads to another and they become friends.
The same dwarf and ponies are meet by Wistala in the second book. But this time the meeting is almost completely different. Almost because Wistala planned to eat the ponies and maybe the dwarf. But didn't. Same dwarf and ponies. Both baby dragons meet this dwarf and ponies. Different perspectives and encounters at different times of encounters.
It was neat when we learned how the dragonslayer's son got the injuries he sported in the first book. Shown in the second book, I mean, how he got the injuries.
Interesting book. Recommendable. Already have the next two books in the series sitting ready to be read. Just have to get myself to tackle the third book, which I assume will begin like the first two books, but this time be from the point of view of the third hatchling to survive cave invasion/slaughter.
I rather liked the first book but, in a way, that was a problem with my ability to get into this book. Simply put, the first book in the series started with the hatchlings in the cave, the dragons in the cave were attacked, two hatchlings escape together and spend a little time together. Then they get separated. The first book then follows along as Auron (the male hatchling) grows up from hatchling to drakka to dragon. Quite an interesting story. The problem, though, is that I read the second book in the series almost immediately after the first. And do you know how the second book starts? Hatchlings in a cave, the same hatchlings from the first book. The same activity described in the first book occurs, though from Wistala's perspective (the female hatchling). Hatchlings hatch. Fight for dominance. "Others" invade. Two hatchlings escape. They hunt together. Auron diverts hunters and Wistala escapes on her own. Just like the start of the first book. Though now from Wistala's perspective.
The idea was presented much more interestingly later in the book. When Wistala meet up with people Auron ran into in the first book. Probably more interesting because only one dragon was there in each snippet of story. So you still get some of that "seeing things from another perspective", without that "seeing the same story repeated, but now from another angle" issue that is a problem with the start of the book. I know I'm not describing this correct. So . . .
There's a scene in the first book when Auron runs into a dwarf with a bunch of ponies. The dwarf squeaks and throws coins at the dragon. One thing leads to another and they become friends.
The same dwarf and ponies are meet by Wistala in the second book. But this time the meeting is almost completely different. Almost because Wistala planned to eat the ponies and maybe the dwarf. But didn't. Same dwarf and ponies. Both baby dragons meet this dwarf and ponies. Different perspectives and encounters at different times of encounters.
It was neat when we learned how the dragonslayer's son got the injuries he sported in the first book. Shown in the second book, I mean, how he got the injuries.
Interesting book. Recommendable. Already have the next two books in the series sitting ready to be read. Just have to get myself to tackle the third book, which I assume will begin like the first two books, but this time be from the point of view of the third hatchling to survive cave invasion/slaughter.
October 4, 2011
This book is awesome. What struck me about Dragon Avenger is that istead of continuing the series off from book 1 it instead restarts the events of the first book of the age of fire except this time the protagonist is Wistala, Auron's sister and is told from her perspective and what she was doing while the events of the first book unraveled. The book is great. Partway through she gets taken in by an elf and a big chunk of the book focuses on how Wistala starts to connect with the people in the estate known as Mossbell that the elf who saved her lives in. The book indeed sets itself in Mossbell alot and circles around it's problems, especially around a curupt ruler named Hammer who wishes to claim the estate for his own. It does centre a lot in Mossbell and I did not find this to be too much of a problem. However I really wish that Knight had a bit more of an adventurous plot like in the first one where Auron seems to venture from one place to another not seeming to hang around for very long in one particular place. The plot moves quickly this ways and is more diverse. However this is not the case with Dragon Avenger. Wistala spends a lot of time with the Humanids in Mossbell once she arrives there istead of being as adventurous as her brother Auron in the previous book. However it allows the reader to learn more about Wistala's friendship with the elf who saved her and the other residents of Mossbell who she also finds herslef acquainted to. The book in this sense does an excellent job at having Wistala connect with humanids alot more than Auron did in the previous book. Overall the book was a solid read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Dragons, Fantasy novels and especially to those who have read the first one.
September 13, 2009
As promised, I did keep reading this series! I just finished Dragon Avenger by E. E. Knight, the second installment in the Age of Fire series. I liked this book MUCH better than the first one. There were way more story elements, and that kept things moving a *little* more quickly. So, it's looking like each book is told in parallel to the first one, instead of what happens after. At first, I was like "what? eff this!" but, I think it will be ok. Each book tells the individual story of each dragon in the clutch and how they go about their lives after the initial attack on their family. But, there are only three of these dragons, and there are four books out right now and a fifth is slated to be released in December (for the love of god), so I'm assuming that we learn what happens when all of these dragons are grown up. I will read all of the books, but I only want to know what happens. The author doesn't write in such a way that I can get attached or really care about any of them. My favorite character in the series BY FAR is Stog the mule. He's the best! I found myself only caring about what happened to Stog. I hope there are more characters like him in the next books. I guess I would recommend these books to probably kids who like to read about dragons and battles. I am taking a break from these series for a little bit, I will come back to it before too long!
August 17, 2013
Dragon Avenger features Wistala, the brother of Auron (whom we met in Dragon Champion ) and recounts her story as she grows, encountering cats, elves, dwarves intermingled with deception and an ultimate plan of revenge on her parents’ killers.
I was expecting a continuation of Auron’s story, but I enjoyed hearing Wistala’s tale. The beginning is similar to Auron’s, of course (with a different flavour) but after Wistala and Auron part, it is very different from Auron’s experience. Wistala has all the appetites of a scaled dragon, including that for gold. She’s likeable in a different way than Auron and is less impulsive and more devious than he is. We see different cultures here — the elves, the warring dwarves... Wistala thinks on her feet and manipulates others to achieve her goals. I can’t wait for the next one. I'm giving this 4.5 stars.
I was expecting a continuation of Auron’s story, but I enjoyed hearing Wistala’s tale. The beginning is similar to Auron’s, of course (with a different flavour) but after Wistala and Auron part, it is very different from Auron’s experience. Wistala has all the appetites of a scaled dragon, including that for gold. She’s likeable in a different way than Auron and is less impulsive and more devious than he is. We see different cultures here — the elves, the warring dwarves... Wistala thinks on her feet and manipulates others to achieve her goals. I can’t wait for the next one. I'm giving this 4.5 stars.
October 5, 2015
I absolutely loved the first book in E. E. Knights dragon series, but this one fell a little short. Wasn't quite as daring and interesting as Auron's story. Still love this series and plan on reading the next book!
September 20, 2011
Brilliant
January 15, 2012
Fun adventure that features a female voice.
January 9, 2013
I was amazed! The author kept me on my toes the whole way through!
Read
October 6, 2015Great Book
May 26, 2015
Wistala’s story, the story of the Avenger of the Clutch, begins in the same way as Auron’s story, but its course and outcome varies greatly. Dragon Champion and ‘Dragon Avenger’ both happen in the same time but follow different characters, and that broadens the world by a long way. In ‘Dragon Champion’, Hypatian Empire was mentioned quite often, but it’s only in ‘Dragon Avenger’ that we get to see these pitiful remains of the once great domain. On the other hand, in ‘Dragon Avenger’ we see the Chartered Company a couple of times and the dragons carrying riders – and both are playing the major role in ‘Dragon Champion’. In ‘Dragon Champion’, AuRon faces down Eliam, the younger Dragonblade with scarred face, a sadist who kills chained dragonelles and calls it glory. In ‘Dragon Avenger’ we see how he got the said scars when Wistala crossed paths with Eliam, a youth who would throw a cat into the fire just for the fun of it. Truly, some people never change.
What makes the world of this series so real is how diverse it is. In some books, you got dwarves, elves and humans having cultures different from each other but all the same inside the race – but there you can see different groups in the same race. There are dwarf mercenary clans and dwarf trading guilds; elf bandits, elf scholars and elf landlords; human farmers, human barbarians and human nomads and more, too much to list.
One of the main differences, though, is between Wistala and Auron themselves. They are far from each other opposites, a scaleless grey dragon and a lone dragonelle in the world full of enemies, and both of them survive and thrive through cunning and not brute force. Still, the ways they think differ greatly: Auron is prone to head-on advances, while Wistala always uses more subtle approach to the problem. Both Auron and Wistala lost their family – but Auron put the past in the past and lives on while Wistala craves vengeance. Still, Wistala is the one who has more qualms about killing hominids since she sees them as people, while Auron would kill without a second thought. If you see how many hominids the two had killed with only their teeth and talons, Auron is far ahead of Wistala – but no one lays waste on the whole cities better than her.
‘Dragon Avenger’ has a very interesting and original take on the theme of revenge. I admit I have a love-hate relationship with this topic, and Wistala’s choice appeals to me. After seeing her mother and sister butchered and skinned, after nursing her father back to life only to see him killed before her eyes, Wistala makes those who did it pay. But her heart isn’t burning with all-consuming hatred, neither does she have a cold, sick and twisted mind focused entirely on her revenge.
Wistala views revenge as something that just has to be done. Sometimes it’s making sure that her enemy is in no condition to kill any more hatchlings. Sometimes it’s putting your pride and arrogance aside and settling old scores once and for all – as it was done with the Dragonblade.
The Dragonblade is one of the most complex and controversial characters I’ve encountered, both a villain and a hero in his own right. He’s a mercenary dragon-slayer who kills hatchlings and dragonelles – but he also takes on full-grown dragons himself. He makes his living by killing for money and selling bodies of his victims – but he believes in what he’s doing. The dragons are the main heroes of the story, but let’s not forget that they do tend to be the scourge of hominids, whether by burning villages or just by stealing cattle. To hominids, the Dragonblade is the hero who believes that all the dragons must be slain for the hominids to prosper. And he’s not without honor, the most prominent example when he was hired by Hammar to kill Wistala. After seeing for himself what a black-livered scum Hammar is, Dragonblade slaps him full in the face, turns round and walks away with the words, ‘Keep you **** money, I’m out of this, and you can kill your **** dragon yourself.’ That’s why I’ve been dreading seeing the battle between the Dragonblade and one of our heroes since ‘Dragon Champion’: I didn’t know for whom I would’ve been cheering. Can you imagine my reaction when the feud between the Dragonblade and Wistala resolved the way it did?
Unlike Auron, who spends a large part of ‘Dragon Champion’ wandering, Wistala settles down early and builds up a tight adopted family of her own: Rainfall and Dsossa, mean-tempered Avalanche, Yari Sunwarm Fourth Orangedaughter, a true cat from nose to tailtip, and others. It just makes me glad to see how Rainfall and Wistala managed to rally people and turn Mossbell from a poor half-ruined estate into a lively and bright place. One of the most wondrous is that Jessup immediately became Wistala's friend after meeting her instead of being scared and terrified by the dragon. The first thing he says to Wistala is how beautiful she is, which genuinely surprises her: out of her family, her sister Jizara was graceful and beautiful one, while Wistala was a thick-bodied and short-limbed one. However, DharSii is there to bring her down on the earth, since he doesn’t hesitate to tell Wistala that her wings are too wide and her tail is much longer than her neck. But though DharSii may be rude, he is certainly honest and open-minded. I wonder if he and Wistala may meet again?
What makes the world of this series so real is how diverse it is. In some books, you got dwarves, elves and humans having cultures different from each other but all the same inside the race – but there you can see different groups in the same race. There are dwarf mercenary clans and dwarf trading guilds; elf bandits, elf scholars and elf landlords; human farmers, human barbarians and human nomads and more, too much to list.
One of the main differences, though, is between Wistala and Auron themselves. They are far from each other opposites, a scaleless grey dragon and a lone dragonelle in the world full of enemies, and both of them survive and thrive through cunning and not brute force. Still, the ways they think differ greatly: Auron is prone to head-on advances, while Wistala always uses more subtle approach to the problem. Both Auron and Wistala lost their family – but Auron put the past in the past and lives on while Wistala craves vengeance. Still, Wistala is the one who has more qualms about killing hominids since she sees them as people, while Auron would kill without a second thought. If you see how many hominids the two had killed with only their teeth and talons, Auron is far ahead of Wistala – but no one lays waste on the whole cities better than her.
‘Dragon Avenger’ has a very interesting and original take on the theme of revenge. I admit I have a love-hate relationship with this topic, and Wistala’s choice appeals to me. After seeing her mother and sister butchered and skinned, after nursing her father back to life only to see him killed before her eyes, Wistala makes those who did it pay. But her heart isn’t burning with all-consuming hatred, neither does she have a cold, sick and twisted mind focused entirely on her revenge.
‘She’d kept her promises but felt little satisfaction in were-blood. Avenging her own was a grim duty, like breaking a bullock’s back in a dive so that you could eat, and just as necessary to survival. Ignoring those who kill others in the hope they won’t get around to you only means that when they appear to take your head and scales, they would apply all they learned in other victories, making your chances against them so much the worse.’
Wistala views revenge as something that just has to be done. Sometimes it’s making sure that her enemy is in no condition to kill any more hatchlings. Sometimes it’s putting your pride and arrogance aside and settling old scores once and for all – as it was done with the Dragonblade.
The Dragonblade is one of the most complex and controversial characters I’ve encountered, both a villain and a hero in his own right. He’s a mercenary dragon-slayer who kills hatchlings and dragonelles – but he also takes on full-grown dragons himself. He makes his living by killing for money and selling bodies of his victims – but he believes in what he’s doing. The dragons are the main heroes of the story, but let’s not forget that they do tend to be the scourge of hominids, whether by burning villages or just by stealing cattle. To hominids, the Dragonblade is the hero who believes that all the dragons must be slain for the hominids to prosper. And he’s not without honor, the most prominent example when he was hired by Hammar to kill Wistala. After seeing for himself what a black-livered scum Hammar is, Dragonblade slaps him full in the face, turns round and walks away with the words, ‘Keep you **** money, I’m out of this, and you can kill your **** dragon yourself.’ That’s why I’ve been dreading seeing the battle between the Dragonblade and one of our heroes since ‘Dragon Champion’: I didn’t know for whom I would’ve been cheering. Can you imagine my reaction when the feud between the Dragonblade and Wistala resolved the way it did?
Unlike Auron, who spends a large part of ‘Dragon Champion’ wandering, Wistala settles down early and builds up a tight adopted family of her own: Rainfall and Dsossa, mean-tempered Avalanche, Yari Sunwarm Fourth Orangedaughter, a true cat from nose to tailtip, and others. It just makes me glad to see how Rainfall and Wistala managed to rally people and turn Mossbell from a poor half-ruined estate into a lively and bright place. One of the most wondrous is that Jessup immediately became Wistala's friend after meeting her instead of being scared and terrified by the dragon. The first thing he says to Wistala is how beautiful she is, which genuinely surprises her: out of her family, her sister Jizara was graceful and beautiful one, while Wistala was a thick-bodied and short-limbed one. However, DharSii is there to bring her down on the earth, since he doesn’t hesitate to tell Wistala that her wings are too wide and her tail is much longer than her neck. But though DharSii may be rude, he is certainly honest and open-minded. I wonder if he and Wistala may meet again?
March 22, 2023
I first read Dragon Avenger around fifteen years ago, give or take a year or two, and loved it a lot. But do you ever have a memory of a series, and then reread it, and realize that your memory resembles nothing of the book you're reading?
I guess that'll happen sometimes. The memory of a scene is *so clear* though. 😂 It no longer makes sense.
ANYWAY, this was fun. I liked it a good deal more than Dragon Champion, though I have nothing specific to say.
I guess that'll happen sometimes. The memory of a scene is *so clear* though. 😂 It no longer makes sense.
ANYWAY, this was fun. I liked it a good deal more than Dragon Champion, though I have nothing specific to say.
January 29, 2016
So despite the problems I had with the first book of the Age of Fire series I found that the 2nd book, Dragon Avenger, was slightly more enjoyable, yet still had some things that bothered me. Let's start with the pluses.
The protagonist, Wistala, is very much like Auron in the sense that she succeeds in everything she sets out to do. This was an issue I had with the first book since it usually means a boring and static character. However, the difference is that although Wistala succeeds, it doesn't always lead to favorable consequences, which then leads to her questioning whether the choices she makes are actually the right ones. In short, she has more character development than Auron did in Dragon Champion.
Another plus (which is only a plus in comparison to the first book) is that the author avoids the needless exposition from random characters this time around. While the first book made characters inexplicably tell Auron their life stories for little to no reason, Dragon Avenger is more focused on a central group of characters and delves into them in a more sensible and cohesive manner.
Now to the minuses.
Like Auron, Wistala befriends some random animals and they help her with stuff. However, just like with Auron, they don't really contribute much to the story once their arcs are finished and are just in the background doing nothing. Wistala could have just as easily done what she needed without them and their lack of page time later would have been fine. I might have overlooked it if the story were more engaging but...
Unfortunately the majority of the book felt like it dragged on without any real plot momentum. Wistala wants a peaceful life, things happen to disrupt that, she fixes them, rinse and repeat. When action did occur, it seemed quick, anticlimactic, and then shoved aside so more talk about wanting an idyllic life could take center stage again.
Even the two big resolutions felt like rushed afterthoughts: . You'd think these would be given more page time seeing as how they are the targets against which Wistala is avenging, hence the title. But they're mostly ignored throughout the book and she doesn't even think much of them until they pop up, she handles them in a couple chapters, and then it's back to the farm.
Plot aside, character relationships have the same problem that they did in Dragon Champion: it's like the author doesn't trust the reader to figure it out on their own. Yes, I can see the relationship between Wistala and Rainfall; you've only been showing it to us the entire book, so why must you hammer it in by having the characters confirm it literally in dialog time and again?
Note that it's not just regulated to Rainfall; he's just the one with the deepest relationship with Wistala. It just makes the dialog feel unnatural. When real people speak to each other, they don't constantly add lines of "it's good we're friends" and "you're my friend" and "I'm your friend" and "friendly friend friend" in their conversations because they know they're friends already. And if you pay attention to how they act around each other, you know they're friends too.
Like with Dragon Champion, many character relationships in this book aren't shown; they're just told with clunky dialog. And of the ones that are shown, they're also told. The first one could be attributed to not knowing a good way to make the reader understand the characters' relationship (in which case, the author should work on that), but the latter one is just patronizing.
Also similar to Dragon Champion, the relationship with seemed forced. Once he was introduced, I immediately guessed he would become the Of course, the relationship is never fully realized in this book, but it was heavily implied and I assume it will happen later in the series.
My final gripe only came about because I read the 3rd book: Dragon Outcast. I was okay with Wistala This felt like it completely negates what Wistala accomplished.
Alright, one more: dragon dash. Ugh! It's a dragon. It dashes. I get it. But how is this special from any other creature dashing? When the mule runs, it isn't called a mule run. When I jump, I don't call it a human jump. Just... stop. Please.
I want to like this series, because dragons. There really aren't enough good books out there that actually focus on dragons or have them as protagonists, but thus far I'm only finding the series "okay" (hence 2 stars, which I would normally attribute to mean "bad" when it's out of 5, but the rating system on goodreads says otherwise).
The protagonist, Wistala, is very much like Auron in the sense that she succeeds in everything she sets out to do. This was an issue I had with the first book since it usually means a boring and static character. However, the difference is that although Wistala succeeds, it doesn't always lead to favorable consequences, which then leads to her questioning whether the choices she makes are actually the right ones. In short, she has more character development than Auron did in Dragon Champion.
Another plus (which is only a plus in comparison to the first book) is that the author avoids the needless exposition from random characters this time around. While the first book made characters inexplicably tell Auron their life stories for little to no reason, Dragon Avenger is more focused on a central group of characters and delves into them in a more sensible and cohesive manner.
Now to the minuses.
Like Auron, Wistala befriends some random animals and they help her with stuff. However, just like with Auron, they don't really contribute much to the story once their arcs are finished and are just in the background doing nothing. Wistala could have just as easily done what she needed without them and their lack of page time later would have been fine. I might have overlooked it if the story were more engaging but...
Unfortunately the majority of the book felt like it dragged on without any real plot momentum. Wistala wants a peaceful life, things happen to disrupt that, she fixes them, rinse and repeat. When action did occur, it seemed quick, anticlimactic, and then shoved aside so more talk about wanting an idyllic life could take center stage again.
Even the two big resolutions felt like rushed afterthoughts: . You'd think these would be given more page time seeing as how they are the targets against which Wistala is avenging, hence the title. But they're mostly ignored throughout the book and she doesn't even think much of them until they pop up, she handles them in a couple chapters, and then it's back to the farm.
Plot aside, character relationships have the same problem that they did in Dragon Champion: it's like the author doesn't trust the reader to figure it out on their own. Yes, I can see the relationship between Wistala and Rainfall; you've only been showing it to us the entire book, so why must you hammer it in by having the characters confirm it literally in dialog time and again?
Note that it's not just regulated to Rainfall; he's just the one with the deepest relationship with Wistala. It just makes the dialog feel unnatural. When real people speak to each other, they don't constantly add lines of "it's good we're friends" and "you're my friend" and "I'm your friend" and "friendly friend friend" in their conversations because they know they're friends already. And if you pay attention to how they act around each other, you know they're friends too.
Like with Dragon Champion, many character relationships in this book aren't shown; they're just told with clunky dialog. And of the ones that are shown, they're also told. The first one could be attributed to not knowing a good way to make the reader understand the characters' relationship (in which case, the author should work on that), but the latter one is just patronizing.
Also similar to Dragon Champion, the relationship with seemed forced. Once he was introduced, I immediately guessed he would become the Of course, the relationship is never fully realized in this book, but it was heavily implied and I assume it will happen later in the series.
My final gripe only came about because I read the 3rd book: Dragon Outcast. I was okay with Wistala This felt like it completely negates what Wistala accomplished.
Alright, one more: dragon dash. Ugh! It's a dragon. It dashes. I get it. But how is this special from any other creature dashing? When the mule runs, it isn't called a mule run. When I jump, I don't call it a human jump. Just... stop. Please.
I want to like this series, because dragons. There really aren't enough good books out there that actually focus on dragons or have them as protagonists, but thus far I'm only finding the series "okay" (hence 2 stars, which I would normally attribute to mean "bad" when it's out of 5, but the rating system on goodreads says otherwise).
Read
December 1, 2024Like the dragon champion, this was a very dragon-centric story with a unique view of dragon society. Despite being siblings with the character in dragon champion, her experiences and viewpoint was different enough to make it a unique story to the first in the series, while filling in a few blanks about the goings-on of the world. I enjoyed the unique takes on some of the ubiquitous fantasy races such as elves, dwarves, and of course, dragons.
August 4, 2021
Closer to 3.5 Stars
I'm torn on this novel, in no small part because I absolutely loved it in 2015 when I was first introduced to the series. At the time, I fell in love with the world presented and the characters within. I cheered for Wistala when things went well, ached for her when things went sour, and sped through the book eager for each adventure or encounter. I'd have easily rated the book 4.5 to 5 stars back then, so take that into consideration when weighing my assessment.
Part of me wishes I still felt the same, but things have changed a lot. I'm in a much different mindset than I was in 2015 - who here isn't, right? - and am reading for much different purposes. Back then, I read this book for entertainment only. I wasn't assessing it in the background, knowing I'd want to write a review (because I didn't write reviews at the time) and I wasn't desperately trying to escape from the nonsense of reality by pouring my attention into fantasy novels. Nor was I quite as oversaturated and fed up with certain aspects of the media I consume. Those were better times, arguably, but it is what it is and unfortunately with time my opinion has also changed when re-reading this novel.
With that said, I'd like to start with the negative and get it out of the way then lead into the positive. I know that might seem a little backward, but hey nobody's forcing you to sit through my review and I have a lot of thoughts to unpack.
To begin, this book is a bit... dull at the opening, especially if like me you've just finished the first novel in the Age of Fire series and are moving on to this, the second instalment. The first handful of chapters primarily cover the same opening scenes from Dragon Champion, just portrayed from another point of view. In general, it makes sense: we're following the life and adventures of another dragon from the same family, so her experiences from hatching onward are covered just like her first sibling's were. The problem is more that the writing is a bit lackluster and manages somehow to both feel incredibly repetitive and like a completely different scenario.
I imagine it doesn't help that readers are inundated almost immediately with signs of just how deeply sexist dragon society is. A father dragon must be coerced into showing affection for his female hatchlings, who get to spend very little time with him as most of their waking moments are spent learning life lessons from mother and gossipping amongst each other about what they desire in a future mate.
Yes, even straight from the egg, these female dragons are pushed to focus on how someday they'll find a mate and have lots of eggs with him and raise baby dragons of their own. I know, I know; this is very much a part of how young women are treated in real life amongst humans. I get it. But I'm so bloody sick of it in real life that my tolerance for "well it's just part of how these animals are" has run thin. How can dragons be so sentient, so capable of humanoid speech and learning even to read and partake in society the same way as the 'hominid species' do, yet so incapable of seeing beyond biological impulses such as mating or males fighting to the death over territory even at birth? Yes, this is an aspect featured prominently in the first book as well, but it really hits home harder when viewed from the perspective of a dragonelle (the dragon equivalent of saying 'woman' or 'female dragon' in the series). Even when she's swearing vengeance upon those who killed her family, she's informed that it's a dragonelle's place not to exact violent vengeance but instead to avenge her family by finding a mate someday and having lots and lots of baby dragons because each new dragon she creates is somehow revenge upon those who kill dragons. Personally, I think that's more like "creating more fodder for the dragon slayers if you let the dragon slayers continue happily living," but y'know. Sexism.
On its own, I don't mind a story where someone has to face bigotry, either deliberate or societally ingrained, to achieve their goals. Frankly, I doubt I'd do more than wrinkle my nose at the issue if it were only the above. The problem is that it runs so much deeper into the worldbuilding and writing that it leaves an uncomfortable feeling in the back of my mind.
For example: male dragons come in a wide variety of scale colours, some dark and broody and some brilliant and glimmering; female dragons come in green, green that's unhealthy and starting to go transluscent, and white that started out green then faded for some reason or another. Males don't come in green, as every time any dragon spots green scales they are certain those came from a dragonelle and any time someone thinks of a dragonelle they're certain green scales are involved. Maybe this is based on some kind of lizard? I don't know, but in a fantasy realm where dragons exist and speak human languages, I don't think "but real life animals" is much of an excuse. It feels cheap and annoying.
But it gets even more questionable. In the first book, even the most selfish and short-sighted plans laid by the main character (a male dragon) eventually led to decent outcomes. In this book, even the most selfless and well-laid plans enacted by the main character (a female dragon) eventually lead to disaster, death, destruction... It's as if she is the very embodiment of a terrible omen, the kind of character that destroys everything they touch despite trying so hard and having the absolute best of intentions. Maybe that's me being sensitive. Maybe all of these gripes are, but it goes further.
More things included in this novel which make me uneasy with the handling of female characters and make my "there's way too much misogyny in this" senses tingle:
* the main character referring to surrogacy as unnatural and the dragons who request it as lacking honour
* a female character so obsessed with having her own offspring that she asks a stranger to be a surrogate
* a plethora of implied rape and sexual slavery - only ever of the women and girls, never the men and boys
* actually discussed sexual assault including the gaslighting and impregnation of a young teen by the nobleman to whom she's a ward
* the villainization of the above-mentioned confused girl who believes she's in a loving relationship
* tired, sexist tropes about how girls behave vs. boys (all girls fear the dragon, and all boys want a closer look)
* referring to a teenage girl having emotions over heartbreak as being "in hysterics"
* being impregnated by a predator is apparently being "dishonored" and made un-whole to the point no man of good breeding will want a woman who has endured such
The sad part is that I don't recall dwelling on - or perhaps even noticing - these things the first time I read Dragon Avenger and I kind of wish I didn't notice them this time around because they really wore down on me and made this a far less enjoyable experience than it originally was.
But even with that aside, I still got so emotionally drained by how every single thing kept going wrong for Wistala. I got sick of reading about loved ones being brutally murdered, plans going awry, her very presence feeling like a curse upon all the lands. It was exhausting! Here I am, trying to escape into a fantasy novel so I can pretend the world around me isn't going down the drain, and the fantasy world I'm given is even more dismal and downtrodden than the real one.
And that leads me to the biggest emotional drain I have from this novel: for a book called Dragon Avenger, you'd expect there to be a lot of vengeance. But no. The vast majority of Wistala's story is failed attempt after failed attempt to either have a normal, cozy life or get vengeance (she never can quite choose between the two) while the people she should be enacting vengeance upon carry on with their merry lives, sometimes even being spared. All of this to leads up to an incredibly rushed ending within the last handful of chapters wherein the action picks up but some highly questionable choices are made with regards to how she handles settling the score. It was interesting for the most part, but also a bit of a let down when everything shifted.
Like the first book, I'm also strongly confused by the intended audience. There's a lot of gore - especially involving deaths of animals, and one scene where a cat is swung by its tail toward a fire - but somehow it's more subdued and less lingering than in the first instalment, Dragon Champion. There's, as I already mentioned, a lot of allusion to and even mentions of rape, sexual assault, slavery (with implied sexual connotations), etc. of humanoids and (less so than the first book) dragons. Unchallenged misogyny abounds, as it's apparently just part of how this fantasy realm works. The main character's whole life is a series of instances where people she loves suffer just for loving her. Yet even when a character is talking about how a man "took of her body and made a sport of it" in exchange for helping her find her lost son then betrayed her for laughs, the word "bastard" gets censored. Because apparently that small word is such an affront to the target audience and... talking about being brutally sexually assaulted by an evil man isn't? It's so jarring and confusing, especially for a book written in the early 2000s, not the 1980s or something like that.
But with all that said, I don't hate or even dislike this book. I wish I loved it as much as I used to, but I can still say that I enjoyed parts of it and the bits that exhausted me emotionally still left me wanting to come back for more to find out what happened.
The absolute best part of this novel are the characters, either way. While the author's writing can be dry, dense, and a bit of a slog, the characters are wonderful! Wistala has a heart of gold and it honestly gutted me every time she suffered. Stog is by far the best character in this series so far, as well: a lovable mule who's just as stubborn as you'd expect of his species but loyal when it most counts and a great friend. Yari-Tab is a fascinating feline who sadly doesn't feature as prominently as I'd have liked. Rainfall is a morally dubious character whose heart is in the right place despite his blind obsession with following the law at all times, even when it hurts himself and those he loves. Intanta features briefly but is a wonderful grandmotherly type. Ragwrist is the typical "greedy for money, but secretly cares about people" leader of a circus who's far more nuanced than I expected from the trope. And Fangbreaker is incredibly complex and nuanced in ways which make him intriguing to read about every time he's on the page. I couldn't stand Lada or Eliam, but only because they were written in a way that their bad attitudes grated on me just like those of real people might. And while I still don't quite get what the author was aiming for with the Dragonblade - somehow he seems both disgustingly sadistic and pathetically wishy-washy - I do think he was interesting enough not to feel like a cardboard cutout of a villain.
Since I primarily love character-driven fiction, that means all the flaws didn't make me feel like I'd have been better off not reading this book. I've lowered the rating because it feels wrong to keep it as high as I might have the first time I read Dragon Avenger, but I think anyone going into it with knowledge that there are some highly questionable elements can still enjoy this novel and push aside those things. In the end, that's what I did, despite needing multiple breaks from reading just to emotionally recharge or give my brain a break from the writing which at times feels more like a textbook.
I dare even say that, in the end, I still like this book. I don't love it anymore, but I didn't start hating it or anything so extreme. I enjoyed following Wistala's adventures, and just wish she hadn't been written with such atrocious luck so that I might have felt less dejected throughout most of the experience.
I'm uncertain yet if I'll move on to the third book in the series, as I recall being bored to the point of indifference during my last attempt. Also, I'm vaguely concerned Wistala might end up mating and having eggs just to fulfill the gross insistence that doing so is the "right" way for a dragonelle to avenge a slain family. I was hoping she'd pushed aside that notion, but it came back in the epilogue so... Yeah. Not looking forward to that whole concept coming back around.
Overall, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book unless you're very into dragons and tolerant of misogyny in your fantasy reading. But I also wouldn't suggest skipping it entirely, unless you have actual triggers based around any of the topics I mentioned in this review. (In particular, I often find the gruesome animal deaths to be a bit difficult to handle.)
I'm torn on this novel, in no small part because I absolutely loved it in 2015 when I was first introduced to the series. At the time, I fell in love with the world presented and the characters within. I cheered for Wistala when things went well, ached for her when things went sour, and sped through the book eager for each adventure or encounter. I'd have easily rated the book 4.5 to 5 stars back then, so take that into consideration when weighing my assessment.
Part of me wishes I still felt the same, but things have changed a lot. I'm in a much different mindset than I was in 2015 - who here isn't, right? - and am reading for much different purposes. Back then, I read this book for entertainment only. I wasn't assessing it in the background, knowing I'd want to write a review (because I didn't write reviews at the time) and I wasn't desperately trying to escape from the nonsense of reality by pouring my attention into fantasy novels. Nor was I quite as oversaturated and fed up with certain aspects of the media I consume. Those were better times, arguably, but it is what it is and unfortunately with time my opinion has also changed when re-reading this novel.
With that said, I'd like to start with the negative and get it out of the way then lead into the positive. I know that might seem a little backward, but hey nobody's forcing you to sit through my review and I have a lot of thoughts to unpack.
To begin, this book is a bit... dull at the opening, especially if like me you've just finished the first novel in the Age of Fire series and are moving on to this, the second instalment. The first handful of chapters primarily cover the same opening scenes from Dragon Champion, just portrayed from another point of view. In general, it makes sense: we're following the life and adventures of another dragon from the same family, so her experiences from hatching onward are covered just like her first sibling's were. The problem is more that the writing is a bit lackluster and manages somehow to both feel incredibly repetitive and like a completely different scenario.
I imagine it doesn't help that readers are inundated almost immediately with signs of just how deeply sexist dragon society is. A father dragon must be coerced into showing affection for his female hatchlings, who get to spend very little time with him as most of their waking moments are spent learning life lessons from mother and gossipping amongst each other about what they desire in a future mate.
Yes, even straight from the egg, these female dragons are pushed to focus on how someday they'll find a mate and have lots of eggs with him and raise baby dragons of their own. I know, I know; this is very much a part of how young women are treated in real life amongst humans. I get it. But I'm so bloody sick of it in real life that my tolerance for "well it's just part of how these animals are" has run thin. How can dragons be so sentient, so capable of humanoid speech and learning even to read and partake in society the same way as the 'hominid species' do, yet so incapable of seeing beyond biological impulses such as mating or males fighting to the death over territory even at birth? Yes, this is an aspect featured prominently in the first book as well, but it really hits home harder when viewed from the perspective of a dragonelle (the dragon equivalent of saying 'woman' or 'female dragon' in the series). Even when she's swearing vengeance upon those who killed her family, she's informed that it's a dragonelle's place not to exact violent vengeance but instead to avenge her family by finding a mate someday and having lots and lots of baby dragons because each new dragon she creates is somehow revenge upon those who kill dragons. Personally, I think that's more like "creating more fodder for the dragon slayers if you let the dragon slayers continue happily living," but y'know. Sexism.
On its own, I don't mind a story where someone has to face bigotry, either deliberate or societally ingrained, to achieve their goals. Frankly, I doubt I'd do more than wrinkle my nose at the issue if it were only the above. The problem is that it runs so much deeper into the worldbuilding and writing that it leaves an uncomfortable feeling in the back of my mind.
For example: male dragons come in a wide variety of scale colours, some dark and broody and some brilliant and glimmering; female dragons come in green, green that's unhealthy and starting to go transluscent, and white that started out green then faded for some reason or another. Males don't come in green, as every time any dragon spots green scales they are certain those came from a dragonelle and any time someone thinks of a dragonelle they're certain green scales are involved. Maybe this is based on some kind of lizard? I don't know, but in a fantasy realm where dragons exist and speak human languages, I don't think "but real life animals" is much of an excuse. It feels cheap and annoying.
But it gets even more questionable. In the first book, even the most selfish and short-sighted plans laid by the main character (a male dragon) eventually led to decent outcomes. In this book, even the most selfless and well-laid plans enacted by the main character (a female dragon) eventually lead to disaster, death, destruction... It's as if she is the very embodiment of a terrible omen, the kind of character that destroys everything they touch despite trying so hard and having the absolute best of intentions. Maybe that's me being sensitive. Maybe all of these gripes are, but it goes further.
More things included in this novel which make me uneasy with the handling of female characters and make my "there's way too much misogyny in this" senses tingle:
* the main character referring to surrogacy as unnatural and the dragons who request it as lacking honour
* a female character so obsessed with having her own offspring that she asks a stranger to be a surrogate
* a plethora of implied rape and sexual slavery - only ever of the women and girls, never the men and boys
* actually discussed sexual assault including the gaslighting and impregnation of a young teen by the nobleman to whom she's a ward
* the villainization of the above-mentioned confused girl who believes she's in a loving relationship
* tired, sexist tropes about how girls behave vs. boys (all girls fear the dragon, and all boys want a closer look)
* referring to a teenage girl having emotions over heartbreak as being "in hysterics"
* being impregnated by a predator is apparently being "dishonored" and made un-whole to the point no man of good breeding will want a woman who has endured such
The sad part is that I don't recall dwelling on - or perhaps even noticing - these things the first time I read Dragon Avenger and I kind of wish I didn't notice them this time around because they really wore down on me and made this a far less enjoyable experience than it originally was.
But even with that aside, I still got so emotionally drained by how every single thing kept going wrong for Wistala. I got sick of reading about loved ones being brutally murdered, plans going awry, her very presence feeling like a curse upon all the lands. It was exhausting! Here I am, trying to escape into a fantasy novel so I can pretend the world around me isn't going down the drain, and the fantasy world I'm given is even more dismal and downtrodden than the real one.
And that leads me to the biggest emotional drain I have from this novel: for a book called Dragon Avenger, you'd expect there to be a lot of vengeance. But no. The vast majority of Wistala's story is failed attempt after failed attempt to either have a normal, cozy life or get vengeance (she never can quite choose between the two) while the people she should be enacting vengeance upon carry on with their merry lives, sometimes even being spared. All of this to leads up to an incredibly rushed ending within the last handful of chapters wherein the action picks up but some highly questionable choices are made with regards to how she handles settling the score. It was interesting for the most part, but also a bit of a let down when everything shifted.
Like the first book, I'm also strongly confused by the intended audience. There's a lot of gore - especially involving deaths of animals, and one scene where a cat is swung by its tail toward a fire - but somehow it's more subdued and less lingering than in the first instalment, Dragon Champion. There's, as I already mentioned, a lot of allusion to and even mentions of rape, sexual assault, slavery (with implied sexual connotations), etc. of humanoids and (less so than the first book) dragons. Unchallenged misogyny abounds, as it's apparently just part of how this fantasy realm works. The main character's whole life is a series of instances where people she loves suffer just for loving her. Yet even when a character is talking about how a man "took of her body and made a sport of it" in exchange for helping her find her lost son then betrayed her for laughs, the word "bastard" gets censored. Because apparently that small word is such an affront to the target audience and... talking about being brutally sexually assaulted by an evil man isn't? It's so jarring and confusing, especially for a book written in the early 2000s, not the 1980s or something like that.
But with all that said, I don't hate or even dislike this book. I wish I loved it as much as I used to, but I can still say that I enjoyed parts of it and the bits that exhausted me emotionally still left me wanting to come back for more to find out what happened.
The absolute best part of this novel are the characters, either way. While the author's writing can be dry, dense, and a bit of a slog, the characters are wonderful! Wistala has a heart of gold and it honestly gutted me every time she suffered. Stog is by far the best character in this series so far, as well: a lovable mule who's just as stubborn as you'd expect of his species but loyal when it most counts and a great friend. Yari-Tab is a fascinating feline who sadly doesn't feature as prominently as I'd have liked. Rainfall is a morally dubious character whose heart is in the right place despite his blind obsession with following the law at all times, even when it hurts himself and those he loves. Intanta features briefly but is a wonderful grandmotherly type. Ragwrist is the typical "greedy for money, but secretly cares about people" leader of a circus who's far more nuanced than I expected from the trope. And Fangbreaker is incredibly complex and nuanced in ways which make him intriguing to read about every time he's on the page. I couldn't stand Lada or Eliam, but only because they were written in a way that their bad attitudes grated on me just like those of real people might. And while I still don't quite get what the author was aiming for with the Dragonblade - somehow he seems both disgustingly sadistic and pathetically wishy-washy - I do think he was interesting enough not to feel like a cardboard cutout of a villain.
Since I primarily love character-driven fiction, that means all the flaws didn't make me feel like I'd have been better off not reading this book. I've lowered the rating because it feels wrong to keep it as high as I might have the first time I read Dragon Avenger, but I think anyone going into it with knowledge that there are some highly questionable elements can still enjoy this novel and push aside those things. In the end, that's what I did, despite needing multiple breaks from reading just to emotionally recharge or give my brain a break from the writing which at times feels more like a textbook.
I dare even say that, in the end, I still like this book. I don't love it anymore, but I didn't start hating it or anything so extreme. I enjoyed following Wistala's adventures, and just wish she hadn't been written with such atrocious luck so that I might have felt less dejected throughout most of the experience.
I'm uncertain yet if I'll move on to the third book in the series, as I recall being bored to the point of indifference during my last attempt. Also, I'm vaguely concerned Wistala might end up mating and having eggs just to fulfill the gross insistence that doing so is the "right" way for a dragonelle to avenge a slain family. I was hoping she'd pushed aside that notion, but it came back in the epilogue so... Yeah. Not looking forward to that whole concept coming back around.
Overall, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book unless you're very into dragons and tolerant of misogyny in your fantasy reading. But I also wouldn't suggest skipping it entirely, unless you have actual triggers based around any of the topics I mentioned in this review. (In particular, I often find the gruesome animal deaths to be a bit difficult to handle.)
June 14, 2024
This book was much better than the first one. Tala is a very likeable character. I prefer Tala over her brothers, lol.
November 30, 2016
The short summary of this book is, that a young age Wistala, The main character from this story. She was with her brother for a little while after their whole family was attacked. They saw some of the family murdered and then fled, for a while the two lived in peace and concern. While they were looking for a place to sleep they were unexpectedly ambushed from elves. While they were running they found a hole to stay but only one could fit so her brother sacrificed himself for her, after a few years she found another dragon, who she traveled with for a while. Then she learned that one of her brothers was alive and then later became the king among all dragons. Then she found a home and liived their for the rest of her years. As I know of.
What I did not like about of this story is NOT A THING!!!!!!! the reason is that i love all books. Some of the books might not be up to peoples' standers. The only thing that I don't like in any books is if the have some sever language of have way to much profanity and crude humor. That is why I don't like some certain books, but this certain book I loved it even made cry a little when you are in the middle of the beginning. So that is why I love and not, not dislike anything in this story.
What i like about this story is that is always making you think what will happen or what is coming up. The way I like this story is that in the start of the story you are reading how the dragons feel in their egg, also what they feel and what they see when they are coming out of the egg. The other reason why I love this story is that they are just descriptive and well detailed about where the character or characters are in the story. The other reason is if you don't keep track of time you will feel as if you are in the story and adventure with them, that is the main reason why I love reading and reading this book especially.
I think that you Mrs. Johnson will enjoy this story the reason why is that form what you will read in my description of the book so I hope that you will ask me to borrow the book and the get whisked away to a far away land and meet some characters that i know you will fall in love or even hate them. So this how I think how other people even you will read this book. Then out of nowhere find that you over read or just got lost in the story that I think is amazing.
What I did not like about of this story is NOT A THING!!!!!!! the reason is that i love all books. Some of the books might not be up to peoples' standers. The only thing that I don't like in any books is if the have some sever language of have way to much profanity and crude humor. That is why I don't like some certain books, but this certain book I loved it even made cry a little when you are in the middle of the beginning. So that is why I love and not, not dislike anything in this story.
What i like about this story is that is always making you think what will happen or what is coming up. The way I like this story is that in the start of the story you are reading how the dragons feel in their egg, also what they feel and what they see when they are coming out of the egg. The other reason why I love this story is that they are just descriptive and well detailed about where the character or characters are in the story. The other reason is if you don't keep track of time you will feel as if you are in the story and adventure with them, that is the main reason why I love reading and reading this book especially.
I think that you Mrs. Johnson will enjoy this story the reason why is that form what you will read in my description of the book so I hope that you will ask me to borrow the book and the get whisked away to a far away land and meet some characters that i know you will fall in love or even hate them. So this how I think how other people even you will read this book. Then out of nowhere find that you over read or just got lost in the story that I think is amazing.
January 21, 2015
The best way to summarize my experience with this book can be found on the cover in a review of the first book Dragon Champion: "A bloody, unsentimental fairy tale." And that is exactly what I've come to expect of any book in this series. It views all the violence and evils of the hominid world in a rather detached way, no doubt mimicking the perspective of the dragon protagonist--whether or not this is good is up to the reader.
I enjoy stories written from a dragon's point of view as the mythology surrounding them is interesting to me. Especially when a story can take a dragon and make me able to sympathize with its struggle, life, and perspective on its world. In this way, Dragon Champion (at least what I remember of it) is a superior novel to its sequel, but only slightly. Wistala as the main character was engaging enough to make me want to follow her story. And her story was vastly different from her brother Auron's (who if you don't know was the protagonist in the first book). Where Auron had several things happening to him and always seemed to be moving to a new adventure or calamity, much of Wistala's story takes place in one location. I was surprised by this for a single reason: the title, the overarching plot, doesn't come into play until the last few chapters of the book.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but again, I was thrown off by the lack of engagement in what I thought was going to be the main theme of the story. It is addressed, yes--Wistala lost her family and swears vengeance on the people who did it--but she spends most of the book living comfortably and wondering if she should do what is expected of her gender (mating, basically) or do what her father unsuccessfully tried, which was avenge her dead family members. Her decision is squeezed into the last few chapters, but that's not to say that it's not as engaging as the rest of the book. It does, however, feel a bit rushed.
I would like to note also that even though the book's view of the hominids in the story feels detached as it is shown from Wistala's perspective, I still became very emotional over a certain intense fight and death scene. I give the book credit for that--if nothing else, you will become invested if this kind of story sounds engaging to you.
I enjoy stories written from a dragon's point of view as the mythology surrounding them is interesting to me. Especially when a story can take a dragon and make me able to sympathize with its struggle, life, and perspective on its world. In this way, Dragon Champion (at least what I remember of it) is a superior novel to its sequel, but only slightly. Wistala as the main character was engaging enough to make me want to follow her story. And her story was vastly different from her brother Auron's (who if you don't know was the protagonist in the first book). Where Auron had several things happening to him and always seemed to be moving to a new adventure or calamity, much of Wistala's story takes place in one location. I was surprised by this for a single reason: the title, the overarching plot, doesn't come into play until the last few chapters of the book.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but again, I was thrown off by the lack of engagement in what I thought was going to be the main theme of the story. It is addressed, yes--Wistala lost her family and swears vengeance on the people who did it--but she spends most of the book living comfortably and wondering if she should do what is expected of her gender (mating, basically) or do what her father unsuccessfully tried, which was avenge her dead family members. Her decision is squeezed into the last few chapters, but that's not to say that it's not as engaging as the rest of the book. It does, however, feel a bit rushed.
I would like to note also that even though the book's view of the hominids in the story feels detached as it is shown from Wistala's perspective, I still became very emotional over a certain intense fight and death scene. I give the book credit for that--if nothing else, you will become invested if this kind of story sounds engaging to you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2015
Dragon Avenger by E.E. Knight is the second book in the Age of Fire cycle. It tells the tale of Wistala, the sister of Dragon Champion's Auron. The book starts in the same place as the first. With the hatching of the clutch in the cave. and for the first several chapters, it tells the same story, but through Wistala's viewpoint. This time when Wistala and Auron part, she believes he is the one who dies.
Wistala takes off to find her father who flew off to exact vengeance upon the Wheel of Fire Dwarves who betrayed them. She even manages to find him, near death from his rash attack, and spends some time trying to nurse him back to health. Being a coming of age story, of course the outcome of this reunion is bound to be temporary, and it is. Wistala is forced to flee and is nearly killed by the Dragonblade. Tala, though is rescued by a kindly elf named Rainfall. and she spends the majority of the book growing up in his company. Not a lot of avenging going on yet huh? just a lot of talking cats, and mules, Well the avenging does come. Events lead to Wistala getting the opportunity to take revenge on all who have wronged her, and her family, and she takes full advantage.
I liked the book, it was a light entertaining read for the most part. It felt more like a young adult novel than Champion did. Perhaps it was because of the different feel from the Dragonelles perspective. Perhaps it was where the first book had talking wolves, this one had cats, and horses, and mules, and buzzards. Perhaps I just didn't notice it in the first book. Anyway, Knight does a nice job of expanding his world. We see different areas than we did with Auron. We learn more about the history of the land. He also creates characters that you get attached too. I found myself saddened by the loss of certain characters. Its a worthy follow up to Dragon Champion. The next book in the series is slated to be about the little maimed Copper. I look forward to it.
3 out of 5 stars
Wistala takes off to find her father who flew off to exact vengeance upon the Wheel of Fire Dwarves who betrayed them. She even manages to find him, near death from his rash attack, and spends some time trying to nurse him back to health. Being a coming of age story, of course the outcome of this reunion is bound to be temporary, and it is. Wistala is forced to flee and is nearly killed by the Dragonblade. Tala, though is rescued by a kindly elf named Rainfall. and she spends the majority of the book growing up in his company. Not a lot of avenging going on yet huh? just a lot of talking cats, and mules, Well the avenging does come. Events lead to Wistala getting the opportunity to take revenge on all who have wronged her, and her family, and she takes full advantage.
I liked the book, it was a light entertaining read for the most part. It felt more like a young adult novel than Champion did. Perhaps it was because of the different feel from the Dragonelles perspective. Perhaps it was where the first book had talking wolves, this one had cats, and horses, and mules, and buzzards. Perhaps I just didn't notice it in the first book. Anyway, Knight does a nice job of expanding his world. We see different areas than we did with Auron. We learn more about the history of the land. He also creates characters that you get attached too. I found myself saddened by the loss of certain characters. Its a worthy follow up to Dragon Champion. The next book in the series is slated to be about the little maimed Copper. I look forward to it.
3 out of 5 stars
August 27, 2015
This book series has become my all time favorite since discovering it in college, and after having reread both the first book and this one I can honestly say my love for reading fantasy fiction has been greatly rekindled thanks to this series. It's also inspiring to write my own stories, which is always a positive turn in my book.
For those of you expecting a direct sequel of Dragon Champion, this book isn't exactly it. This book, along with the next one, follows the events taking place through the eyes of Auron's sister, Wistala, and takes place at the same time as the first book (though not in the same place, as you will soon learn). Like the previous book in E.E. Knight's amazing series, this book focuses a lot on the unique biology and culture of both his dragons and fantasy races; taking that which is generic and giving it his own spice and making it interesting again (though in a way that is largely different and perhaps more charming compared to how other authors who are practically entrenched in that line of work have done so, such as R.A. Salvatore and Ed Greenwood). We get to have a peek at some great cultures and ideas, and we do so again all through a dragon's perspective.
Of the first three books, this is my third favorite, but by far it is still a phenomenal book. Definitely recommend this as a read if you love fantasy, love dragons, and have read the first book.
-Kerian
For those of you expecting a direct sequel of Dragon Champion, this book isn't exactly it. This book, along with the next one, follows the events taking place through the eyes of Auron's sister, Wistala, and takes place at the same time as the first book (though not in the same place, as you will soon learn). Like the previous book in E.E. Knight's amazing series, this book focuses a lot on the unique biology and culture of both his dragons and fantasy races; taking that which is generic and giving it his own spice and making it interesting again (though in a way that is largely different and perhaps more charming compared to how other authors who are practically entrenched in that line of work have done so, such as R.A. Salvatore and Ed Greenwood). We get to have a peek at some great cultures and ideas, and we do so again all through a dragon's perspective.
Of the first three books, this is my third favorite, but by far it is still a phenomenal book. Definitely recommend this as a read if you love fantasy, love dragons, and have read the first book.
-Kerian
March 31, 2018
I was a little disappointed with this one. The first book was amazing. I did like the point of view change, but maybe that contributed to my disappointment.
October 5, 2011
Book 2 in the Age of Fire series, and it was every bit as good as the first. Better, in fact, though that might just be because I like Wistala more. It's an interesting thing that Knight does with the first three books of the series--each book written entirely from a different character's point-of-view. And, he does it superbly.
It follows the journey of Wistala, the surviving sister of Auron (the POV character of the first book), and written completely from her point-of-view. It follows Wistala as she avenges the raid on her home cave by certain dwarves and elves, the death of her sister and parents, but learning along the way that not all dwarves, elves, and humans are her enemy.
I really enjoyed following Wistala's journey like I did AuRon's in Dragon Champion, and experiencing some truly unique situations in Knight's fantasy world. Who would ever expect a young dragon to ride a horse?
An excellent continuation to an excellent series!
It follows the journey of Wistala, the surviving sister of Auron (the POV character of the first book), and written completely from her point-of-view. It follows Wistala as she avenges the raid on her home cave by certain dwarves and elves, the death of her sister and parents, but learning along the way that not all dwarves, elves, and humans are her enemy.
I really enjoyed following Wistala's journey like I did AuRon's in Dragon Champion, and experiencing some truly unique situations in Knight's fantasy world. Who would ever expect a young dragon to ride a horse?
An excellent continuation to an excellent series!
February 3, 2017
Dragon Avenger Book Two of E.E. Knight’s Age of Fire is the tale of our second dragon, the tale of Wistala the green. I was concerned that this books beginning would begin a boring retelling similar to Dragon Champion. I was relieved that the whole tale felt different in the eyes of Wistala, and I was never bored.
This story is just as moving as the one before it, Wistala is a well-developed character and I enjoyed her. There is in the beginning a lot of focus on the role a Dragonelle plans in the Dragons world, and Wistalas will to break that mold, which is to be expected in a rebellious young dragon read to avenge her family.
Again like in the previous novel, I found there were parts in this book at made my heart hurt with the roll of the story. E.E. Knight is a master at making his characters realistic and developed. His world building can be slow but it is detailed and paints a beautiful picture of a world where all of fantasy exists, even if not happily.
This story is just as moving as the one before it, Wistala is a well-developed character and I enjoyed her. There is in the beginning a lot of focus on the role a Dragonelle plans in the Dragons world, and Wistalas will to break that mold, which is to be expected in a rebellious young dragon read to avenge her family.
Again like in the previous novel, I found there were parts in this book at made my heart hurt with the roll of the story. E.E. Knight is a master at making his characters realistic and developed. His world building can be slow but it is detailed and paints a beautiful picture of a world where all of fantasy exists, even if not happily.
March 28, 2017
After reading Dragon Champion, I ran to the library to grab its sequel, Dragon Avenger. The story follows Wistala, the previous protagonist's sister. I won't go too into the story in case of spoilers, but I enjoyed every word of this book. Personally, i could relate to Wistala's desire for revenge instead of staying back like a typical female dragon. She found her calling in Hypatia, helping her savior, Rainfall and learning things that she wouldn't know otherwise in the lower world. Again, the book doesn't focus on humanity all that much and I can't really find a good quote as an example of what it means to be human. Nonetheless, I burned through this book before my first day having it had ended. Knight writes a compelling story that had me turning the page with no ability to stop myself. Again, I'd recommend this book for young adults and up. The story is complex, too complex for younger people to grasp the full complexity of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2014
" Je suis Wistala, la dragonelle chasseuse, la vengeresse verte et silencieuse fendant les cieux..." Ainsi parle sit�t lib�r�e de son ?uf la jeune Wistala, l'un des quatre dragons n�s au plus haut des montagnes. Derni�re n�e d'une esp�ce � l'agonie, la fratrie apprendra tout de l'h�ritage qui lui revient gr�ce � une m�re d�vou�e et un p�re protecteur. Jusqu'au jour funeste o� leur sanctuaire est pris d'assaut par une horde de nains. Leur m�re les pousse alors vers la libert� tout en se sacrifiant pour sauver leurs vies. Wistala se retrouve dans le monde d'En-Haut seule avec Auron, son fr�re gris et d�pourvu d'�cailles. Bient�t livr�e � elle-m�me, Wistala doit surmonter sa terreur, son chagrin pour se lancer � la recherche de ses semblables... et abattre sa fureur sur ceux qui s'emploient � les exterminer.
December 22, 2013
Unlike the first book Dragon Champion, Dragon Avenger is not parallel to the Publisher’s Weekly quote, “…bloody and unsentimental…” and I enjoyed it more so because of that.
It was made clear in the first book that the female dragons are more intelligent than the males both mentally and emotionally. Wistala, the protagonist, thinks through every step before she takes it and also sees sense in making allies first before enemies (unlike her brother who saw almost everyone as an enemy even if they were kind).
Though this books was not an epic journey with a champion’s conclusion, it is because of Wistala’s openness to friendship and positive emotion that I enjoyed this one more than the first, (I’m a girl, what can I say)? A good read with some emotion for those in the mood for dragons.
It was made clear in the first book that the female dragons are more intelligent than the males both mentally and emotionally. Wistala, the protagonist, thinks through every step before she takes it and also sees sense in making allies first before enemies (unlike her brother who saw almost everyone as an enemy even if they were kind).
Though this books was not an epic journey with a champion’s conclusion, it is because of Wistala’s openness to friendship and positive emotion that I enjoyed this one more than the first, (I’m a girl, what can I say)? A good read with some emotion for those in the mood for dragons.
December 23, 2015
After reading some more fluffy stories, it was nice to take a break and read something more violent and mature.
The plot is original and interesting, and Wistala is a great character. I felt pathos for just about everyone I was allowed to. The reading was kind of slow, however. Knight doesn't have a very driving writing style; it feels more informational than compelling. He has a good mind for story, though.
So, while slow, this was an entertaining read. There are few enough books written from the perspective of the dragon, so these are a refreshing break from the typical high fantasy adventure.
The main character of the third book sounds quite interesting as well, so I will be getting my paws on that sometime soon.
The plot is original and interesting, and Wistala is a great character. I felt pathos for just about everyone I was allowed to. The reading was kind of slow, however. Knight doesn't have a very driving writing style; it feels more informational than compelling. He has a good mind for story, though.
So, while slow, this was an entertaining read. There are few enough books written from the perspective of the dragon, so these are a refreshing break from the typical high fantasy adventure.
The main character of the third book sounds quite interesting as well, so I will be getting my paws on that sometime soon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews