Dragons Return

Malevir #1

by Susan Bass Marcus

Dragons have long been absent from their ancestral home in the Veiled Valley. Through spells and deceptions, a mysterious shape-shifter attacked them and now threatens the Valley's hard-won tranquility. With the dragons' strengths and magic apparently gone forever, the lives of the Valley's humans and otherworldly creatures hang in the balance.

But the days of the dragons may not have ended. Two young dragonriders with secrets of their own rediscover surviving dragons and help them fulfill an ancient prophecy. Will their generation heal the rift between human and dragon? Will their elders, long enemies of the dragons, recognize and defend against the new menace before it destroys them?

Malevir: Dragons Return is the first of Susan Bass Marcus' fantasy adventure trilogy, a fresh take on classic themes of family, courage, and sacrifice that recalls the thrills fans find in the work of Anne McCaffrey or J.R.R. Tolkien.

Genres: Fantasy

420 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2015

About the author

Susan Bass Marcus publishes her fiction and creative non-fiction online and in print, including novels, essays, and short stories exploring the worlds of "What-If" and "It Could Happen Here."
Her award-winning museum education and puppetry programs delighting more than 100,000 patrons established her reputation as a force in her field. Her latest novel, Where Dragons Follow, adds to the Malevir fantasy series of Dragonwolder and the threats to its very existence.
Marcus recently published print and ePub versions of her anthology of short stories for an older than YA reader, The Wrong Move and Other Stories, available on Amazon. com.

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite part of this book was the little sketches of the characters. The author is a talented artist. At times I felt the story was a bit complicated as though I was reading the second book in a series without having read the first one. There is a cast of intriguing characters to rival a Tolkien book and a glossary at the book to help keep track of them. Worth a look if you like epic fantasy with dragons and other mysterious creatures.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love anything with dragons in it so I am excited to get to read this book!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not finish this book - a rare thing for me. Too many characters, too much going on all at once, too long. It just doesn't hold together and definitely didn't hold my interest. I really hate to abandon a book but this one was not for me. I made it about halfway through the book when I finally had to let it go. A sad day.

[P.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragons most certainly do return in this delightful fairy tale by Susan Bass Marcus. I should make it clear that this is not the kind of book I normally read, and I definitely feel it is aimed at a younger audience than me. That said, it is beautifully written and whilst long drawn out in places, with a large number of names (some of which also change) to remember, it is action-packed. I found it reminiscent of a saga, and I believe this is the first book of three, so there is much more to come.

[AnnaS · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are some good ideas in this book, but it needs a lot of work before it's ready for public eyes. I was thrown into the world and could barely follow the story. The author seemed to be going for a Tolkien-like theme, but it just ended up a story with a bunch of strange-named, 2D characters and awkward dialogue/writing. I was excited about this book when I read the description, but I could barely get through the first 100 pages.

[Lamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad but however not great either, decent story and fair characters but I really wanted to love this!

[Mollee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delve into the story, well presented and fun for all ages.