Dragon Justice

War of the Blades #3

by J.D. Hallowell

Young as he is, Simon thinks he has it all worked out – he knows just what he needs to do to free his mother and himself from indentured servitude to the corrupt Lord Bastian and escape the constant threat of abuse from Broderick, the lord’s cruel teenaged son. It seems that everything is going according to plan until a violent confrontation leaves Simon on his own, fleeing from Lord Bastian and the law. His future looks bleak, with no chance at redemption, but when he finds himself bonded to a dragon hatchling, things get even more complicated. Can Delno and Nassari, the leaders of the Legion of Riders, prevent the boy from being used as a pawn by nobles eager to ignite a civil war? Can they help him receive Dragon Justice?

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Magic

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

I'm a 60-ish father and husband who is fortunate enough to have lived an interesting and active life. I've had two fantasy series, the War of the Blades and The Legion of Riders, published, and I have several other fantasy and SF projects in the works. I like to keep many irons in the fire at once, so my work experiences include such diverse occupations as automotive mechanic, cowboy, photographer, psychiatric tech, paralegal assistant, bouncer, and medical billing clerk. I studied martial arts for over 30 years. I've been a soldier and an emergency medical technician, and I served as the chief of a volunteer ambulance squad. I was a diamond courier for a while, and later owned a working kennel where I trained dogs for law enforcement as well as personal protection, and most recently, I've trained service dogs, including two for myself. I don't get around much now (I've been shot, stabbed, blown up, bludgeoned, poisoned, and even had harsh language directed toward me, if you can believe it, and it takes its toll), but I write whenever I can. I have pretty wide-ranging interests and hobbies, including, but not limited to, history, archery, paleontology, cooking, RPGs (the games, not the weapons) and making jewelry. I live on the Space Coast of Florida with my wife, my son, and my Great Dane service dog, until I can convince the rest of my family and friends to move to Arizona.

If you want to get in touch with me to ask questions, leave comments or feedback, or request review copies or appearances, you can find me on the Web on Facebook, Google+, and Goodreads.com as (surprise, surprise) J.D. Hallowell, or you can e-mail me at JDHallowellBooks(insert "at" symbol here)gmail.com.

Reviews

[Tomas Grizzly · Rating 4 out of 5]

~85%
Some two years after the first two books, and being rid of madman only causes lesser trouble to come forefront.This time, the main trouble is not some madman bent on world dominance, but a corrupt lord with his bullying son. Simon, after protecting another boy from the mentioned bully, is forced on the run, knowing that he would never get a fair trial being a 11-year-old against a son of nobleman.
After he bonds with a dragon, he spends quite some time alone just trying to survive and by the time he returns to any kind of civilizations, a bounty on his head puts him in even more danger. To make matters worse, the lords of Horne are preparing for revolt, which causes the border villages to be unguarded against roracks and in the end it'll take the Riders to (help) solving the matters.
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To be fair, I expected it to get more messy by the end, especially the conflict between Horne's King and the nobles.
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Longer review on my blog.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for dragon lovers

[John Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is one of the best I've ever read! The world JD had created here is amazing. He is building up a great cast of characters and I can't wait to see what happens with them in the future!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those that are thinking about reading this book.
~Spoiler Free~

In some aspects this book was better than its predecessors. In others I found it slightly lacking. Despite its few shortcomings, some of which I suspect are due to possible plans for future installments, I found the book thoroughly enjoyable. Case in point I read the book in a single day despite a grueling college schedule.

One of my biggest pluses for this book in comparison to its precursors is that the dangers felt a bit more real in this one. I actually worried about the protagonists; especially in the first half of the book. Never the less the book was a... calm read, for the lack of a better term. I am not saying the book was boring or unimaginative, just that it is the kind of book I would enjoy reading on a warm day under a shady tree.

Pros:
-Interesting and meaningful characters (new and old)
-Dynamic and purposeful character growth
-Dragons and magic
-Believable, straightforward, and engaging plot
-The actual writing was concise yet immersive

Cons:
-Main protagonist fades slightly into the background a little over halfway through
-Plot mirrored Dragon Fate a little too much at times

For the author and other readers who have read the book to think on.
~Possible Spoilers~

In the first two books Delno and Genevea stole the show, as they should. Their power together was unquestionable and none could stand in their path. They broke all the accepted rules concerning dragons and magic (as set up for the books) and surpassed the other characters expectations. This made the books fun to read, but it lead to the readers never really doubting the eventual outcome.

Dragon Justice takes a slightly different approach to things. As it starts, Simon is very much in danger and his fate is not guaranteed. Even after he bonds with Sienna he is not safe. The two of them are in a constant struggle to make the best of their situation. This kept me on the edge of my seat as became engrossed in their struggle and their growing friendship.

The book kinda flips a little into the second half however. Their security becomes more and more assured as the plot progresses. Despite a brief scare that quickly proves laughable Simon and Sienna never really have to worry about anything. The full might of the Dragon Riders just never was put to the test.

Several aspects of the end felt like set up for the next book so I won't judge them just yet. However I have a few final points I would like to review. To my understanding, the big conflict in this book was Simon dealing with his past and preparing himself for the future. Besides his astounding maturity, he never gets to shine. As I read I kept hoping that Simon and Sienna would get a moment to outshine Delno and Genevea in some aspect, alas it never came to fruition. I was disappointed as the book drew to a close that Simon became little more than "pretty level headed."

On a separate, smaller matter, I felt the dragon's potential as characters was a little wasted in the end of the book. This happened in the original books as well. As the book starts to play out and Simon and Sienna are on their own, Sienna proves to be an extremely interesting and fun character. Her interactions with Simon hint at a sarcastic and playful person that deeply cares about Simon. However as the book goes into the latter stages Sienna and the other dragons become little more than messengers between riders and a big rock to hold over others when they act up. I would have liked to see them take a more active role in the characters' interactions and decisions, especially with such major emotional events such as Simon seeing Broderick come to justice and Simon facing his fresh and new future future as a Dragon Rider.

All in all, a great book that expands on its predecessors and impacted me enough to take the time to write this fairly long review.

[David M Drewry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

First time I have read a book from this author and I found the book to be very good. I liked the character Simon. I wasn't a 100% sure which way the plot might be going, but it's nice to read a book that is not predictable, and there looks to be many possible directions in future books. Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next book in the series.

[Amanda Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

This is an awesome book. This is a good addition to the series. I can not wait till the next book. I wonder what is going to happen to the next rider or who will it be.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just a continuation of the first two books, adds a new character and takes the story down a new path. I liked it.

[Theresa Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

This series was a.fun read I enjoyed it and bought them to read later
The writing was easy to read and I enjoyed the story

[The Literary Connoisseur · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a traumatizing childhood as a servant, Simon has just committed an unforgivable crime against Lord Bastian's son, and Simon is on the move in an attempt to escape surely what will be a death sentence if he is caught.
The only beings he has on his side are his own mother, his mentor Boron, and the dragon egg he has just witnessed being hatched. But Simon doesn't know that coming across this egg could mean fulfilling a destiny larger than he'd ever expect from his previous life as a servant.
Simon has become a Dragon Rider. Feared by many, Dragon Riders are a part of a world Simon has only heard about in folklore. But this tale is soon to become a harsh reality for our Simon.
As a reader of J.D. Hallowell's previous Dragon Rider books, I can honestly tell you that I was not disappointed with his new story. It was everything I expected and more.
Like many, these books do have flaws, but it is easy to look past them and get lost in Simon and Sienna's story.
In some ways, I actually prefer Simon's story to Delno's, which was quite an interesting revelation to have during my second read through.
You will see some familiar faces from the other Dragon Rider installments, so be sure to enjoy Dragon Fate and Dragon Blade before you delve into Simon's story.
Fantasy readers and long-time fans of J.D. Hallowell will not be disappointed with Dragon Justice.

[Cr Rider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abrupt ending

This tale was a good way to tie all of the books together, but it felt incomplete. For those with a traumatic background, trigger warning of child rape. It was difficult at times to remember that the protagonist was so young as he did and lived through so many crazy instances that should have killed him. However, I was left with many questions...What was so special about the young dragon Rider? Many hints but nothing was fleshed out. He obviously found out where a nest of beastmen lived, why was this information not shared? Much was made about the double blades yet no action scenes with them. The ending was so abrupt that I looked for an epilogue for additional details...Still editing errors as well...Still enjoyed the story and hope there are more to broaden the saga.

[Mnoraznan · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent

[ObsidianCub · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8*

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Simon's story, but was left feeling torn about how little the author covered Simon's healing from his abusive childhood.