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Dragon Courage #1
Dragon's Future
What would you give to soar with dragons?
Every child of Woolpren dreams of being a dragon rider, but few are chosen. Twins Ruskya & Duskya are selected as children to join this elite group, leaving their home and all that is familiar to train for their new lives.
Fast forward fifteen years--dragons are becoming extinct and riders are rare. When Ruskya learns of a plot that could destroy the remaining dragon population, he and his friends must fight for their dragons' future.
Join Ruskya on his quest of courage and friendship in this young YA series being hailed as a thrilling ride.
Every child of Woolpren dreams of being a dragon rider, but few are chosen. Twins Ruskya & Duskya are selected as children to join this elite group, leaving their home and all that is familiar to train for their new lives.
Fast forward fifteen years--dragons are becoming extinct and riders are rare. When Ruskya learns of a plot that could destroy the remaining dragon population, he and his friends must fight for their dragons' future.
Join Ruskya on his quest of courage and friendship in this young YA series being hailed as a thrilling ride.
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 10, 2015
349 people are currently reading
959 people want to read
About the author
Kandi J. Wyatt
36 books293 followersKandi J Wyatt lives with dragons, most in human form--and some even blow fire! She spends her days providing space for teens to be themselves, inspiring them to be more than meets the eye, and spilling hope into their world. When she's not hanging out with fictional characters, Kandi's chilling with family watching anime or playing games. Her toddler granddaughter keeps her running--often in circles--and full of joy.
Want to know more? Eager to dive into the worlds Kandi creates? Head over to https://kandijwyatt.com and see what it's all about.
Want to know more? Eager to dive into the worlds Kandi creates? Head over to https://kandijwyatt.com and see what it's all about.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 61 reviews
December 2, 2016
Have you ever dreamed of being able to ride a dragon? In the land where dragons are real and choose their rider for a lifetime bond, a brother and sister will discover a new life, new bonds and a life of honor. Ruskya and Duskya are twins and as ten-year-olds, they have been chosen by dragons to train to be part of an elite force of riders.
As they grow with their dragons, things are changing, dark times are coming. The dragons are becoming extinct, there are no new hatchlings and Ruskya is determined to find out why. Does it have anything to do with another group of riders from another land who appear dark and threatening? It is said there are magical plants with the power to save or destroy the dragons and they must be found before it is too late. What other discoveries will they make along the way and how does it relate to the twins?
Kandi J. Wyatt has created a middle-grade fantasy adventure filled with magic, heroes and wondrous dragons. Ms. Wyatt opens the door to reading, imagination and places her readers in the moment of each scene. So many mysteries are woven into the fabric of this tale, some heartbreaking, some enlightening and some perhaps still not answered. With characters of honor, filled with patience and kindness, as well as evil doers, there is no doubt that each child will be able to make a choice in their mind of which side to cheer for. Breathtaking action, descriptions that will make one feel the joy of flying on these majestic beasts while actually feeling their scales come alive under Kandi J. Wyatt’s pen. (And not to ruin the secret, there are subtle lessons along the way, but don't tell the kids!)
Give a child the gift of reading, the magic of other worlds and heroes that are larger than life while not being perfect. Highly recommended as a family discussion book afterwards, so go ahead, you know you want to read it and feel the magic yourself! Just remember, those flames are NOT for toasting marshmallows!
I received this copy from Kandi J. Wyatt in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Dragon Courage - Book 1
Publication Date: August 10, 2015
Publisher: UPdrift
ISBN-13: 2940151086752
Genre: Middlegrade Fantasy
Print Length: 260 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
As they grow with their dragons, things are changing, dark times are coming. The dragons are becoming extinct, there are no new hatchlings and Ruskya is determined to find out why. Does it have anything to do with another group of riders from another land who appear dark and threatening? It is said there are magical plants with the power to save or destroy the dragons and they must be found before it is too late. What other discoveries will they make along the way and how does it relate to the twins?
Kandi J. Wyatt has created a middle-grade fantasy adventure filled with magic, heroes and wondrous dragons. Ms. Wyatt opens the door to reading, imagination and places her readers in the moment of each scene. So many mysteries are woven into the fabric of this tale, some heartbreaking, some enlightening and some perhaps still not answered. With characters of honor, filled with patience and kindness, as well as evil doers, there is no doubt that each child will be able to make a choice in their mind of which side to cheer for. Breathtaking action, descriptions that will make one feel the joy of flying on these majestic beasts while actually feeling their scales come alive under Kandi J. Wyatt’s pen. (And not to ruin the secret, there are subtle lessons along the way, but don't tell the kids!)
Give a child the gift of reading, the magic of other worlds and heroes that are larger than life while not being perfect. Highly recommended as a family discussion book afterwards, so go ahead, you know you want to read it and feel the magic yourself! Just remember, those flames are NOT for toasting marshmallows!
I received this copy from Kandi J. Wyatt in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Dragon Courage - Book 1
Publication Date: August 10, 2015
Publisher: UPdrift
ISBN-13: 2940151086752
Genre: Middlegrade Fantasy
Print Length: 260 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
February 28, 2018
To start off, the story was a little bit hard to get into.
I didn't enjoy the fact that literally pretty much a few pages in, the children just BAM and grow up. Suddenly they're, what, 20? 25? Last time I checked, they were ten. I don't like jumpiness like that, especially when there's nothing to fill the gap. Those decades could have been at least briefly summarized. However, after this first mishap, the story is quite enjoyable. There are a lot of characters, and almost all are pleasant and nice, although none too fleshed out. They're quite archetypical, but it works well in a traditional fantasy story.
The story is easy to follow, has good morals and, come on - dragons!
So it would make sense to also talk about the dragons. I'm not expert, as I haven't read many dragon stories (remember the whole "I don't read a lot of fantasy" bit?), but I felt that the dragons were a wonderful thing in this book. They were smart, sentient, they could talk (telepathically), and they were generally honorable and wise. And beautiful as well! The dragons and the riders shared a specific bond that was generally not replaceable, and if a rider died, so could the dragon. One more thing - the dragons chose their own riders. They were not chosen.
Unfortunately, as much as I liked the story and the dragons, I found the setting incredibly lacking. Okay, so maybe I don't read fantasy too often - but I've read my share of good fantasy (think The Fifth Season ), and there's one thing those books have, and this one didn't. There was no setting, WHATSOEVER. No back stories about where the dragons came from, no traditions of the world the people live in. Not even a single hint on the time frame or how their society functions. Nothing about lore at all! Good fantasy always has lore - Tolkien even wrote poems! I may not be a fan of his, but we must all agree that it is history and lore that truly make a good fantasy novel. I found nothing of the sort here. We are just to assume what the general store of the village looks like. Or what the herbalist's job is. Because it's like that in every generic fantasy story. Well? NO. I am reading THIS story. I don't want to "have to know". Please take me into this world, and please build this world for me - your reader. Otherwise, I do not see how I could possibly give the book more than 3 stars?
In Summary... Yes, I did enjoy the story! Despite the lack of world-building, it was an alright read. Will I want to read the sequel though? I don't know. Maybe I would consider it. But as an MG story, it is definitely enjoyable, has a natural tone, a good story progression and wonderful virtues. So I couldn't point out anything negative, apart from the fact that it didn't immerse me in the story the way I would have wanted it to. Maybe it was just not a story for me! But it could be for you.
I thank the author for giving me a copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion.
Read Post on My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
So it would make sense to also talk about the dragons. I'm not expert, as I haven't read many dragon stories (remember the whole "I don't read a lot of fantasy" bit?), but I felt that the dragons were a wonderful thing in this book. They were smart, sentient, they could talk (telepathically), and they were generally honorable and wise. And beautiful as well! The dragons and the riders shared a specific bond that was generally not replaceable, and if a rider died, so could the dragon. One more thing - the dragons chose their own riders. They were not chosen.
Unfortunately, as much as I liked the story and the dragons, I found the setting incredibly lacking. Okay, so maybe I don't read fantasy too often - but I've read my share of good fantasy (think The Fifth Season ), and there's one thing those books have, and this one didn't. There was no setting, WHATSOEVER. No back stories about where the dragons came from, no traditions of the world the people live in. Not even a single hint on the time frame or how their society functions. Nothing about lore at all! Good fantasy always has lore - Tolkien even wrote poems! I may not be a fan of his, but we must all agree that it is history and lore that truly make a good fantasy novel. I found nothing of the sort here. We are just to assume what the general store of the village looks like. Or what the herbalist's job is. Because it's like that in every generic fantasy story. Well? NO. I am reading THIS story. I don't want to "have to know". Please take me into this world, and please build this world for me - your reader. Otherwise, I do not see how I could possibly give the book more than 3 stars?
In Summary... Yes, I did enjoy the story! Despite the lack of world-building, it was an alright read. Will I want to read the sequel though? I don't know. Maybe I would consider it. But as an MG story, it is definitely enjoyable, has a natural tone, a good story progression and wonderful virtues. So I couldn't point out anything negative, apart from the fact that it didn't immerse me in the story the way I would have wanted it to. Maybe it was just not a story for me! But it could be for you.
I thank the author for giving me a copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion.
Read Post on My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
February 5, 2022
First off I'm gonna say I loved the premise of this book, it had really great potential...that being said...
Some of the conversations were pretty stiff, as well as a lot of the writing. There was a lot of telling and not showing us what was happening which made it hard to connect with the characters properly. Ruskaya had the potential to be a very great character but I couldn't connect with him as well as I wanted because his feelings and pains were told to me instead of shown. I was simply watching from the outside instead of feeling like I was there with him.
There was also a lot of head jumping, from Ruskaya to Duskaya, to Glendyn, to Kyn, then Carrayl...and Meredith, and whoever was around and seemed like a good person to get thoughts from for a paragraph. It made it hard to stay focused on the core of the story and I had to reread a few scenes because I got lost.
But the core of the story, the premise was awesome! Dragons and riders who have a uniquely strong bond, a herb that can be used for good but has negative side-effects...and an evil guy who has strange mind control powers (would have loved to have that explained more). Twins who can talk through telepath...good dragons, bad dragons...there was some good stuff there!!!
Overall, I think the story could have done with another round of editing, someone to sit down with the author and tell her what was unnecessary, that the scenes were stiff and would work better with some simple word changes, and that she needed to show, not tell!
I'm not trying to be critical, I just hate that a good story is held back from its true potential. If you want to read something with an interesting plot....and a dragon book that is actually clean, go for it! Just know it's a little rough and a little stiff....but it has potential!
Some of the conversations were pretty stiff, as well as a lot of the writing. There was a lot of telling and not showing us what was happening which made it hard to connect with the characters properly. Ruskaya had the potential to be a very great character but I couldn't connect with him as well as I wanted because his feelings and pains were told to me instead of shown. I was simply watching from the outside instead of feeling like I was there with him.
There was also a lot of head jumping, from Ruskaya to Duskaya, to Glendyn, to Kyn, then Carrayl...and Meredith, and whoever was around and seemed like a good person to get thoughts from for a paragraph. It made it hard to stay focused on the core of the story and I had to reread a few scenes because I got lost.
But the core of the story, the premise was awesome! Dragons and riders who have a uniquely strong bond, a herb that can be used for good but has negative side-effects...and an evil guy who has strange mind control powers (would have loved to have that explained more). Twins who can talk through telepath...good dragons, bad dragons...there was some good stuff there!!!
Overall, I think the story could have done with another round of editing, someone to sit down with the author and tell her what was unnecessary, that the scenes were stiff and would work better with some simple word changes, and that she needed to show, not tell!
I'm not trying to be critical, I just hate that a good story is held back from its true potential. If you want to read something with an interesting plot....and a dragon book that is actually clean, go for it! Just know it's a little rough and a little stiff....but it has potential!
July 8, 2015
Not since reading Christopher Paolini’s “Eragon” have I read a book about dragons that made me want to be a part of that world. I felt myself wishing I could be in the procession and chosen by a dragon. The book is full of adventure, danger and courage. All of these are qualities I look for when searching for books for my students to read. The author has given special gifts to these dragon riders and used simple plants to create the magic that makes all of this work together. I read this book much slower than I usually read because I wanted to savor every word and didn’t want it to end. The world the author created was so well described and authentic I could visualize it. There are subtle lessons and themes throughout the story about friendship, trust, courage and the abuse of power. This would fit right in with my first or second teaching unit on adversity because the characters face some of the most adverse situations ever. It is at times an emotional read as you feel the pain the twins feel as the story of what happened to their father is slowly unfolded. This author is truly gifted at feeding in back story a little at a time in just the right places to keep it flowing. She never creates an information dump. The book ends with so many possibilities for future books I the series. I can hardly wait for the next book.
Kandi Wyatt has created a story that keeps you flying high like her dragon riders, making this a story for everyone from the reluctant middle school reader to the adventure seeking adult. This is a book that should be on every fantasy shelf, in every school.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Kandi Wyatt has created a story that keeps you flying high like her dragon riders, making this a story for everyone from the reluctant middle school reader to the adventure seeking adult. This is a book that should be on every fantasy shelf, in every school.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Read
September 19, 2015I feel I am biased since I am the author. :)
March 28, 2018
I received a free copy for an honest review.
Whenever I talk about fantasy in literature, I sort it into several "sub-sub- categories" to help my readers understand better what kind of fantasy the book is. Yous've got more modern high fantasies, medieval fantasies, younger or older fantasies (for younger or older audiences), and of course, this book being an example - a very "fantasy" fantasy book.
A lot of times, many fiction genre books that require a new world scenario setting is created from a world that is created from obvious inspiration and similarities between the real world we're living today. A very "fantasy" fantasy book is when a book setting is created to be as different as the real world as possible. In instances like this, the author often would not just make a new map of the world, often they'll go as far as create new cultures and completely new kinds of human interactions. What I meant by interactions is that in books like this, the dialogues between the characters are obviously different from how normal people talk today. For example, they may have new greetings, new taboos, etc. What makes a book super "fantasy" is when the book changes its world down to little details like this. In other words, you may even feel uncomfortable reading the books because you're so not accustomed to the interactions etc.
The positive thing about books like this is due to the heavy details necessary for the world building, that tends to be the stronghold. Dragon's future definitely has its flaws, but I really want to acknowledge how excellently well written and interesting ht world building is. Detailed descriptions are important, but if it's a mess, doesn't make sense and does not flow and become one with the story-line well, it's practically useless.
My tip to the author about this book is that she should've been way more careful about the pace and flow of the story, especially due to the almost espionage factor. Espionage, being a story-line where people basically try to uncover an unknown thing tends to be slower paced because of how the clues and information must be unveiled only by layers at a time. Due to this, authors and screen-writers often had spice up the story in other ways such as action, humor, or relationship development to keep the reader interested and the story not too boring. However, by having these side-actions does not guarantee success, because often it's still not enough. I feel like that is what happened with this book. The author definitely threw in several character relationship developments on the side, and some very visually appealing and entertaining dragon scenes as well as flashbacks. Maybe it's because of the old-school and almost kind of awkward dialogue, or the fact that the tone and atmosphere in this book were too young for me, it was not enough to keep me as interested and involved as I would've liked.
However, if you do like a book that has an (almost childish) tone and atmosphere, a very fantasy story-line a world-building, and dragons (of course), this book is definitely for you. Also, I would definitely suggest this book to readers who are currently really craving fantasy, because the amount of fantasy in this book is enough to satisfy all your cravings.
This book is not bad as a bad book. My biggest problem with this book is just that it was not able to hold my attention long enough. It's just not for me. Maybe it's because it's too slow paced, or because the tone was too childish. But either way, I didn't like it as much as I hoped. That's why I'm giving it three stars. I definitely do not hate this book, it's...just not my favorite.
Whenever I talk about fantasy in literature, I sort it into several "sub-sub- categories" to help my readers understand better what kind of fantasy the book is. Yous've got more modern high fantasies, medieval fantasies, younger or older fantasies (for younger or older audiences), and of course, this book being an example - a very "fantasy" fantasy book.
A lot of times, many fiction genre books that require a new world scenario setting is created from a world that is created from obvious inspiration and similarities between the real world we're living today. A very "fantasy" fantasy book is when a book setting is created to be as different as the real world as possible. In instances like this, the author often would not just make a new map of the world, often they'll go as far as create new cultures and completely new kinds of human interactions. What I meant by interactions is that in books like this, the dialogues between the characters are obviously different from how normal people talk today. For example, they may have new greetings, new taboos, etc. What makes a book super "fantasy" is when the book changes its world down to little details like this. In other words, you may even feel uncomfortable reading the books because you're so not accustomed to the interactions etc.
The positive thing about books like this is due to the heavy details necessary for the world building, that tends to be the stronghold. Dragon's future definitely has its flaws, but I really want to acknowledge how excellently well written and interesting ht world building is. Detailed descriptions are important, but if it's a mess, doesn't make sense and does not flow and become one with the story-line well, it's practically useless.
My tip to the author about this book is that she should've been way more careful about the pace and flow of the story, especially due to the almost espionage factor. Espionage, being a story-line where people basically try to uncover an unknown thing tends to be slower paced because of how the clues and information must be unveiled only by layers at a time. Due to this, authors and screen-writers often had spice up the story in other ways such as action, humor, or relationship development to keep the reader interested and the story not too boring. However, by having these side-actions does not guarantee success, because often it's still not enough. I feel like that is what happened with this book. The author definitely threw in several character relationship developments on the side, and some very visually appealing and entertaining dragon scenes as well as flashbacks. Maybe it's because of the old-school and almost kind of awkward dialogue, or the fact that the tone and atmosphere in this book were too young for me, it was not enough to keep me as interested and involved as I would've liked.
However, if you do like a book that has an (almost childish) tone and atmosphere, a very fantasy story-line a world-building, and dragons (of course), this book is definitely for you. Also, I would definitely suggest this book to readers who are currently really craving fantasy, because the amount of fantasy in this book is enough to satisfy all your cravings.
This book is not bad as a bad book. My biggest problem with this book is just that it was not able to hold my attention long enough. It's just not for me. Maybe it's because it's too slow paced, or because the tone was too childish. But either way, I didn't like it as much as I hoped. That's why I'm giving it three stars. I definitely do not hate this book, it's...just not my favorite.
January 23, 2021
Fun read. Enjoyed the worldbuilding. The writing was a bit simplistic. Some elements felt a bit rushed/not foreshadowed enough, and it could be pretty difficult to tell how old a lot of the characters were. However, it’s a clean, fun fantasy for dragon-lovers of all ages.
July 24, 2015
Today We Did
During their tenth winter, twins Ruskya and Duskya are chosen to become dragon riders. They leave their home to live in the dragon riders’ colony, learning to communicate, care for and ride their dragons. Fifteen years on, both twins have become talented riders under the guidance of their father-like mentor Glendyn. However, the dragon population is in danger. The younger dragons aren’t pairing up to mate, and the supply of eggs is dwindling. Without new hatchlings the future of the colony is uncertain. Suddenly a dragon rider from a different and hitherto unknown colony appears in the nearby village. Dragon attacks begin and innocent people are injured and killed. Ruskya must defend the colony and the village, with the help of his dragon, Wyeth, and his family and friends. The invaders are powerful and battle-ready, but what is it that they want?
The first in an exciting new series, Dragon’s Future is an enjoyable and intricate story full of magic and action. I love stories about dragons, I think they are fascinating creatures, especially the friendly ones! This book hit the spot, and I flew through it. It was engaging and entertaining, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
The characters had their back stories told slowly, with the past nicely balanced with the present, creating rich character profiles. I felt like I came to know them, especially Ruskya, Carryl and Kyn. Loyalty, trust, friendship and courage are all evident amongst the riders and villagers. They worked as a community to face the adversity that had befallen them, it took strength and sacrifice, but they rose to the challenge. The dragons also had such individual and appealing personalities, beyond just being the dragon attached to a certain rider. I enjoyed the way they communicate and bond with their riders. Alternatively, the turquoise rider was arrogant and power hungry, delighting in the pain of others, an excellent nemesis for Ruskya. Kyle was also highly dislikable, partly for his cruelty, and partly because I found him incredibly annoying and rather stupid.
At first I had trouble connecting the dragon with the right dragon rider, as the dragons’ names are all very similar. I soon worked it out though, I mostly kept getting Wylen and Wyden confused. I liked the names given to the dragons and the people, but as I really like the letter ‘y’, perhaps I am a little biased. The names of most of the characters contain the letter ‘y’, but it didn’t make them difficult to pronounce. I thought it gave the story a sense of community and tradition.
The landscape in which the story is set is well constructed, with vivid descriptions of the village, dragon colony and their surrounds, making it easy to step into this new world. The vast canyons, and sandy desert seemed like it should be inhospitable, but the people made it homely and welcoming. It is reminiscent of a time gone by, before technology, when communities were small and tight-knit, when magic was still possible. It is a great place to escape to.
A wonderfully complex fantasy, Dragon’s Future is suitable for upper primary school through to high school students. Many adults will also enjoy this story.
*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
During their tenth winter, twins Ruskya and Duskya are chosen to become dragon riders. They leave their home to live in the dragon riders’ colony, learning to communicate, care for and ride their dragons. Fifteen years on, both twins have become talented riders under the guidance of their father-like mentor Glendyn. However, the dragon population is in danger. The younger dragons aren’t pairing up to mate, and the supply of eggs is dwindling. Without new hatchlings the future of the colony is uncertain. Suddenly a dragon rider from a different and hitherto unknown colony appears in the nearby village. Dragon attacks begin and innocent people are injured and killed. Ruskya must defend the colony and the village, with the help of his dragon, Wyeth, and his family and friends. The invaders are powerful and battle-ready, but what is it that they want?
The first in an exciting new series, Dragon’s Future is an enjoyable and intricate story full of magic and action. I love stories about dragons, I think they are fascinating creatures, especially the friendly ones! This book hit the spot, and I flew through it. It was engaging and entertaining, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
The characters had their back stories told slowly, with the past nicely balanced with the present, creating rich character profiles. I felt like I came to know them, especially Ruskya, Carryl and Kyn. Loyalty, trust, friendship and courage are all evident amongst the riders and villagers. They worked as a community to face the adversity that had befallen them, it took strength and sacrifice, but they rose to the challenge. The dragons also had such individual and appealing personalities, beyond just being the dragon attached to a certain rider. I enjoyed the way they communicate and bond with their riders. Alternatively, the turquoise rider was arrogant and power hungry, delighting in the pain of others, an excellent nemesis for Ruskya. Kyle was also highly dislikable, partly for his cruelty, and partly because I found him incredibly annoying and rather stupid.
At first I had trouble connecting the dragon with the right dragon rider, as the dragons’ names are all very similar. I soon worked it out though, I mostly kept getting Wylen and Wyden confused. I liked the names given to the dragons and the people, but as I really like the letter ‘y’, perhaps I am a little biased. The names of most of the characters contain the letter ‘y’, but it didn’t make them difficult to pronounce. I thought it gave the story a sense of community and tradition.
The landscape in which the story is set is well constructed, with vivid descriptions of the village, dragon colony and their surrounds, making it easy to step into this new world. The vast canyons, and sandy desert seemed like it should be inhospitable, but the people made it homely and welcoming. It is reminiscent of a time gone by, before technology, when communities were small and tight-knit, when magic was still possible. It is a great place to escape to.
A wonderfully complex fantasy, Dragon’s Future is suitable for upper primary school through to high school students. Many adults will also enjoy this story.
*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
January 6, 2020
Good, but it was a little dry in some places.
What I Liked:
THERE WERE BLUE DRAGONS!!! I MEAN LOOK AT THE COVER!!! BLUEEEEEEEEE!!!
Anyways, I did really like the dragons and how they chose their humans and how they joined mental links with them. It was very interesting. Then there were also the superpowers both Ruskya and Duskya had. Just the description alone of them flying the dragons was awesome. And certain parts of the world building were very interesting.
I wished that Duskya had a little more page time. She was a critical part for her brother, but yet we saw so little of it. Plus Duskya had a very fun personality to explore.
I also really liked Glendyn, as he was really great to have around in the story.
Kyn was great! I really like this young boy. I think Kyn is going to have his story told in the next novel, which I am excited about.
The villain was well played out in this novel. Because of the process of how dragon riders are chosen.
What I Didn't Like:
First of all, there were a lot of really dry parts in this book. It's possible that it did some telling, and then it took forever to get through the descriptions. Mainly, I wanted to get to the action, but the book wanted to describe things about the world. Which was fine, because it was important up to a point. Mainly you needed to know the problems with the dragons, so you had to start at the point of how the dragons pick their humans, and so forth and so forth... I just realized how weird that sound, it almost sounded like the humans were the dragons pets.... Sorry, a little off-topic there.
I felt that several of the characters could've had more depth. Some of them just seemed too perfect. Especially the dragons, whom seemed so much more perfect than the humans.... And when a dragon is not perfect then that dragon is all bad, and I just didn't like this little aspect in this book.
I also really wanted the story to be about younger Ruskya and Duskya.... *Pouts* There were a lot of potentials there....
I also didn't see any real reason why these kids hadddd to leave their parents. That part just in the make sense to me.
Content in Book:
1. Violence. (With dragons. With superpowers. Hand-to-hand combat. Murdering someone's father. Killing dragons. Etc.)
2. Superpowers.
3. Talks about pregnancy, both human and dragon.
4. A brief scene of several male dragons fertilizing the eggs inside a female dragon. Not very descriptive.
Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:
Those who have lots of patients. Those who love dragons. Those who like people with superpowers.
Will I Continue With The Next Book In The Series?
Maybe.... I'm curious to see what the next installment will bring. But is also not my favorite book, so I'm not sure.
What I Liked:
THERE WERE BLUE DRAGONS!!! I MEAN LOOK AT THE COVER!!! BLUEEEEEEEEE!!!
Anyways, I did really like the dragons and how they chose their humans and how they joined mental links with them. It was very interesting. Then there were also the superpowers both Ruskya and Duskya had. Just the description alone of them flying the dragons was awesome. And certain parts of the world building were very interesting.
I wished that Duskya had a little more page time. She was a critical part for her brother, but yet we saw so little of it. Plus Duskya had a very fun personality to explore.
I also really liked Glendyn, as he was really great to have around in the story.
Kyn was great! I really like this young boy. I think Kyn is going to have his story told in the next novel, which I am excited about.
The villain was well played out in this novel. Because of the process of how dragon riders are chosen.
What I Didn't Like:
First of all, there were a lot of really dry parts in this book. It's possible that it did some telling, and then it took forever to get through the descriptions. Mainly, I wanted to get to the action, but the book wanted to describe things about the world. Which was fine, because it was important up to a point. Mainly you needed to know the problems with the dragons, so you had to start at the point of how the dragons pick their humans, and so forth and so forth... I just realized how weird that sound, it almost sounded like the humans were the dragons pets.... Sorry, a little off-topic there.
I felt that several of the characters could've had more depth. Some of them just seemed too perfect. Especially the dragons, whom seemed so much more perfect than the humans.... And when a dragon is not perfect then that dragon is all bad, and I just didn't like this little aspect in this book.
I also really wanted the story to be about younger Ruskya and Duskya.... *Pouts* There were a lot of potentials there....
I also didn't see any real reason why these kids hadddd to leave their parents. That part just in the make sense to me.
Content in Book:
1. Violence. (With dragons. With superpowers. Hand-to-hand combat. Murdering someone's father. Killing dragons. Etc.)
2. Superpowers.
3. Talks about pregnancy, both human and dragon.
4. A brief scene of several male dragons fertilizing the eggs inside a female dragon. Not very descriptive.
Who I Would Recommend This Book Too:
Those who have lots of patients. Those who love dragons. Those who like people with superpowers.
Will I Continue With The Next Book In The Series?
Maybe.... I'm curious to see what the next installment will bring. But is also not my favorite book, so I'm not sure.
October 19, 2015
This is definitely a great read for dragon lovers, and honestly, the first one I've read in quite awhile.
The story starts with a dragon choosing ceremony, immediately setting the tone. I loved the feel of 'times past' these scenes held despite the fantasy world (and the dragons). The town and people seem very natural making it easy to sink into the scenes.
Ruskya and his sister are likable from the very first page. The first moments, they come across as shy and hesitant, but this quickly changes as they meet their dragons and begin their new lives. It's interesting to watch them grow as they're thrown from one adventure into the next, and forced to figure out how to deal with the troubles rising around them. There's a great bond between the siblings, and this extends on to the dragons and their friends as they try to save the future of the dragons.
The characters, including the dragons, enjoy quite a bit of depth. Instead of dropping the individual histories right away, the author allows bits of each character's past and personality to come to the surface as the plot develops. This not only gave me the feeling that I was getting to know the characters more and more throughout the book, but also avoided any boring information dumps. I especially appreciated that the dragons had as much personality as their riders. The dragons are seen as companions and drawn into the plot as much as the riders themselves.
There are many layers in this book, making sure that the momentum flows all the way to the last page. The battles are vivid and tense, the evil plans are not easy to decipher and it's not always clear that everything will turn out as it should. In other words, once the reader is hooked, they stay that way to the end.
I, personally, did have some trouble getting into the story during those first chapters despite the interesting characters. The formal exchanges made the dialogue a bit rough in the beginning (although I understand why it was written this way), and the names of the dragons were too similar, making it difficult to keep them apart. But once I got past this, I was find it intriguing.
Due to the writing style and length, I would recommend this more to the upper end of the middle grade audience, ages 10+ or even younger YA. But I can recommend this to anyone (even adults) who love dragons, fantasy and adventure.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The story starts with a dragon choosing ceremony, immediately setting the tone. I loved the feel of 'times past' these scenes held despite the fantasy world (and the dragons). The town and people seem very natural making it easy to sink into the scenes.
Ruskya and his sister are likable from the very first page. The first moments, they come across as shy and hesitant, but this quickly changes as they meet their dragons and begin their new lives. It's interesting to watch them grow as they're thrown from one adventure into the next, and forced to figure out how to deal with the troubles rising around them. There's a great bond between the siblings, and this extends on to the dragons and their friends as they try to save the future of the dragons.
The characters, including the dragons, enjoy quite a bit of depth. Instead of dropping the individual histories right away, the author allows bits of each character's past and personality to come to the surface as the plot develops. This not only gave me the feeling that I was getting to know the characters more and more throughout the book, but also avoided any boring information dumps. I especially appreciated that the dragons had as much personality as their riders. The dragons are seen as companions and drawn into the plot as much as the riders themselves.
There are many layers in this book, making sure that the momentum flows all the way to the last page. The battles are vivid and tense, the evil plans are not easy to decipher and it's not always clear that everything will turn out as it should. In other words, once the reader is hooked, they stay that way to the end.
I, personally, did have some trouble getting into the story during those first chapters despite the interesting characters. The formal exchanges made the dialogue a bit rough in the beginning (although I understand why it was written this way), and the names of the dragons were too similar, making it difficult to keep them apart. But once I got past this, I was find it intriguing.
Due to the writing style and length, I would recommend this more to the upper end of the middle grade audience, ages 10+ or even younger YA. But I can recommend this to anyone (even adults) who love dragons, fantasy and adventure.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2015
I give Dragon’s Future by Kandi J. Wyatt 4.5 out of 5 stars.
If you’re looking for an epic fantasy adventure for your pre-teen, or even to read aloud to the whole family, Dragon’s Future is a great choice. Aside from How to Train Your Dragon, this is really the first time I’ve been exposed to a dragon-centric narrative, and I really enjoyed it.
In the first pages, Wyatt immediately draws readers into her world of dragons and and their riders. I enjoyed the Wild West vibe with canyons and deserts and farms, and yet it had also carried a more ancient feel. It’s hard to describe, because it was so impeccably done, but if you read it, you’ll know what I mean.
Then there was the plot, which all at once carries readers through exciting and fiery battles, while mystery unfolds.
I loved the characters. They all had these complex histories that played out without disrupting the narrative. Not only were the humans well-developed, but the dragons were as well: they had their own histories. I also loved that the dragons weren’t creatures to be controlled, but characters to be nurtured. I did want to see more of Duskya, and thought her ending was a little out of nowhere, but I suspect that will come into play later in the series.
Needless to say, this triple threat (world-building, plot, and characterization) captured my heart from open to close, and I look forward to the next installment. I’m also looking forward to Wyatt’s novel geared towards an older audience, The One Who Sees Me.
Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Additionally, Kandi and I are both published through Vox Dei. (Or she is, and I am about to be). Neither situation has any impact on my opinion.
If you’re looking for an epic fantasy adventure for your pre-teen, or even to read aloud to the whole family, Dragon’s Future is a great choice. Aside from How to Train Your Dragon, this is really the first time I’ve been exposed to a dragon-centric narrative, and I really enjoyed it.
In the first pages, Wyatt immediately draws readers into her world of dragons and and their riders. I enjoyed the Wild West vibe with canyons and deserts and farms, and yet it had also carried a more ancient feel. It’s hard to describe, because it was so impeccably done, but if you read it, you’ll know what I mean.
Then there was the plot, which all at once carries readers through exciting and fiery battles, while mystery unfolds.
I loved the characters. They all had these complex histories that played out without disrupting the narrative. Not only were the humans well-developed, but the dragons were as well: they had their own histories. I also loved that the dragons weren’t creatures to be controlled, but characters to be nurtured. I did want to see more of Duskya, and thought her ending was a little out of nowhere, but I suspect that will come into play later in the series.
Needless to say, this triple threat (world-building, plot, and characterization) captured my heart from open to close, and I look forward to the next installment. I’m also looking forward to Wyatt’s novel geared towards an older audience, The One Who Sees Me.
Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Additionally, Kandi and I are both published through Vox Dei. (Or she is, and I am about to be). Neither situation has any impact on my opinion.
February 9, 2017
Is this really considered a kids' book? After reading it, I'm thinking it's more of a YA novel. After the introductory chapter(s), the main characters are in their late 20s.
I really enjoyed this book. It had some fantasy and other-worldliness to it, without being so completely "out-there" as to be implausible (obviously there are no dragons in real life, but the *other* elements of the story weren't too unrealistically crazy). The only two things I disliked were that the author never addressed why non-twins could communicate telepathically (she did address how the twins could), and the character names. Oh my goodness, the names. Most of the names had Y's in them, as if it wasn't bad enough that Y's are trending in the real world right now - Davyd? Meredyth? Really? And the similarity of some of the names could get confusing at times (Wyeth and Wymar, Wryn, Wyn, and Kyn).
Overall though, an enjoyable read, and I'll probably pick up the next in the series.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It had some fantasy and other-worldliness to it, without being so completely "out-there" as to be implausible (obviously there are no dragons in real life, but the *other* elements of the story weren't too unrealistically crazy). The only two things I disliked were that the author never addressed why non-twins could communicate telepathically (she did address how the twins could), and the character names. Oh my goodness, the names. Most of the names had Y's in them, as if it wasn't bad enough that Y's are trending in the real world right now - Davyd? Meredyth? Really? And the similarity of some of the names could get confusing at times (Wyeth and Wymar, Wryn, Wyn, and Kyn).
Overall though, an enjoyable read, and I'll probably pick up the next in the series.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely love dragons and haven't read a dragon rider book in so long it was a nice change of pace. Even though this book was written more for a middle-ya audience I still enjoyed reading it. But I couldn't really get into the book like I would've liked and the book had a slow pace for me. I would've love to see more action and more explanation of the mental links and powers with the dragons. One thing that was hard to keep straight was the dragon names they were so similar that I found myself confused at times as to which dragon was whose. I also wish the dragons had different colors rather than shades of blue. If I were I rider or a person seeing dragons with similar color I think it would be hard to tell friend from foe but that's just my opinion.
Overall, I still enjoyed the characters and the story when it picked up towards the end. I'll be interested to see where things go from here.
I absolutely love dragons and haven't read a dragon rider book in so long it was a nice change of pace. Even though this book was written more for a middle-ya audience I still enjoyed reading it. But I couldn't really get into the book like I would've liked and the book had a slow pace for me. I would've love to see more action and more explanation of the mental links and powers with the dragons. One thing that was hard to keep straight was the dragon names they were so similar that I found myself confused at times as to which dragon was whose. I also wish the dragons had different colors rather than shades of blue. If I were I rider or a person seeing dragons with similar color I think it would be hard to tell friend from foe but that's just my opinion.
Overall, I still enjoyed the characters and the story when it picked up towards the end. I'll be interested to see where things go from here.
December 1, 2015
Dragon's Future is a fantastic, fantasy novel. It starts out a bit slow, but I realize that it needed to be in order to set things up. But, by the end, I was invested in these characters and craving more!!
Kandi J. Wyatt has a phenomenal novel on her hands. She has brought about a novel that pits good against evil, brought in dragons and made them the focus of the novel, and given us characters who are lovable.
I cannot wait for book two!
Kandi J. Wyatt has a phenomenal novel on her hands. She has brought about a novel that pits good against evil, brought in dragons and made them the focus of the novel, and given us characters who are lovable.
I cannot wait for book two!
August 29, 2017
I requested and was granted a code for the Audible version of this book.
I like the characters, and I really enjoy that the dragons and riders have a real feeling relationship, and that they argue and fight rather than getting along all the time. Like family. The description are quite vivid for some of the things, and really made a clear picture. This wasn’t always the case, but in general I enjoyed and could picture the tale that was being presented. She definitely put forth effort!
The wording and writing style felt extremely choppy at first. I couldn’t get into it because it just sounded so odd. It smoothed out a little ways in, but never quite enough for me to be able to get lost in the narrative. I think this was made much more noticeable because it WAS an audible, versus me reading it myself, but I still feel like I would have noticed. I give the book a rating of 3.
Now, the narrator. She just doesn’t match the story, for me. Her tone and emphasis felt all wrong, and I really felt I was being read ‘at’ rather being told a story. Hopefully that makes sense. Her voice is very clear and concise, she has a good tempo, but this story was not the one, I think. I can’t quite figure out what genre she WOULD be good at, but with her voice, I know there’s one that’s perfect for her. 2.5 – 3 Stars.
Overall, this was an okay read. Dragon’s, coming of age, and very interesting relationships between said dragons and their riders.
Bob says: 3 Platypires
I like the characters, and I really enjoy that the dragons and riders have a real feeling relationship, and that they argue and fight rather than getting along all the time. Like family. The description are quite vivid for some of the things, and really made a clear picture. This wasn’t always the case, but in general I enjoyed and could picture the tale that was being presented. She definitely put forth effort!
The wording and writing style felt extremely choppy at first. I couldn’t get into it because it just sounded so odd. It smoothed out a little ways in, but never quite enough for me to be able to get lost in the narrative. I think this was made much more noticeable because it WAS an audible, versus me reading it myself, but I still feel like I would have noticed. I give the book a rating of 3.
Now, the narrator. She just doesn’t match the story, for me. Her tone and emphasis felt all wrong, and I really felt I was being read ‘at’ rather being told a story. Hopefully that makes sense. Her voice is very clear and concise, she has a good tempo, but this story was not the one, I think. I can’t quite figure out what genre she WOULD be good at, but with her voice, I know there’s one that’s perfect for her. 2.5 – 3 Stars.
Overall, this was an okay read. Dragon’s, coming of age, and very interesting relationships between said dragons and their riders.
Bob says: 3 Platypires
February 7, 2021
I’ve found a new treasure! This author is an exciting writer. The people and the dragons are both wonderfully developed. This book reminds me of the Dragons of Pern. I’m going to buy book 2 right now!!
August 23, 2018
Read my full review here: http://madisonsinkwell.com/dragons-fu...
September 28, 2017
Dragons, dragon riders, dragon courage, mysterious riders from another colony, half revealed pasts (what REALLY happened to da?), and obscured futures (what is with this rider and his turquoise dragon?)...the combination of known and unknown balance each other out to provide intrigue so it doesn't simply become a history, but carries on as an oh-so-entertaining-and-enchanting read that I simply could NOT put down! I had to learn more about Duskya and Ruskya as well as their curious connection that confounds even the most world weary. When the youngling was introduced with his mysterious healing abilities, I wanted to understand how it was even possible. Once Carryl joins the group, I had a feeling her status as just a healer wouldn't last long, but watching it unfold was heartwarming. Learning what REALLY happened in the past eye opening, but seeing just how precariously the future was perched was enough to stop your breath.
So, if you're ready for a highflying adventure filled to the brim with family, magic, dragons, riders, and good vs evil...this is the book for you! Recommended for Young Adult Fantasy fans in their early teens and beyond; the content is clean and the journey is AMAZING.
**copy received for review
So, if you're ready for a highflying adventure filled to the brim with family, magic, dragons, riders, and good vs evil...this is the book for you! Recommended for Young Adult Fantasy fans in their early teens and beyond; the content is clean and the journey is AMAZING.
**copy received for review
March 21, 2018
I was very interested in this fantasy when I first read the synopsis. Dragons and riders and mystery, it was all so intriguing. I received the audiobook from a publicity agent and got into it pretty quickly. I found myself putting off listening to it and it took me a month to get through it, but it wasn't the story that was putting me off, it was the narrator of the audiobook.
The story is about a pair of twins that are chosen to be dragon riders, an elite group taken from their small village every so often. They are chosen by these dragons to ride them and they set off almost immediately into their new lives.
Later in the story we learn that there is another group of riders and they are looking for a way to find a mysterious herb that is said to help with new dragons and furthering the line. There is a lot of action in all this plot, but there are also a lot of characters - the twins, their dragons, their trainer and his dragon, their mother, the other townspeople and dragon riders and it made it hard to keep track of everyone. I think if I had read the book it would have been ok, but the narrator had the same voices for many of the characters and it was very difficult for me to keep track, on top of that the names were all very similar as well. That was my biggest issues though.
The battle scenes were very good and the characters all grew to some extent. I liked the communication between the riders and their dragons and the mystery that unraveled through the story which made for good pacing. I loved the dragons! Overall it was a good tale and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best audiobook I have listened to in terms of the narration. I would have liked more depth in that.
The story is about a pair of twins that are chosen to be dragon riders, an elite group taken from their small village every so often. They are chosen by these dragons to ride them and they set off almost immediately into their new lives.
Later in the story we learn that there is another group of riders and they are looking for a way to find a mysterious herb that is said to help with new dragons and furthering the line. There is a lot of action in all this plot, but there are also a lot of characters - the twins, their dragons, their trainer and his dragon, their mother, the other townspeople and dragon riders and it made it hard to keep track of everyone. I think if I had read the book it would have been ok, but the narrator had the same voices for many of the characters and it was very difficult for me to keep track, on top of that the names were all very similar as well. That was my biggest issues though.
The battle scenes were very good and the characters all grew to some extent. I liked the communication between the riders and their dragons and the mystery that unraveled through the story which made for good pacing. I loved the dragons! Overall it was a good tale and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best audiobook I have listened to in terms of the narration. I would have liked more depth in that.
October 28, 2020
it didn't hold my interest too much (audio version) but it seemed like a decent enough book for middle school age.
January 24, 2018
This was a cute story. I love dragons, and this world was very interesting. There are dragons in the world, and dragonriders go out to collect children from the land to become new dragonriders. Though there is little information as to why since it's such a peaceful land. It's only told that they're for protecting the people and keeping the peace, perhaps like a Jedi Council type of thing. There doesn't seem to be much danger to warrant protection, at least in the past. This tale weaves a story where a few dragonriders break off the main ones over a disagreement. There's action, and a bit of a battle. I listened to the audiobook and can see why she had a few complaints on the narration, it was a bit slow, with some words over enunciated. It made it a lot easier to listen to when I changed my speed on my mp3 player to fast. I know this is considered a Middle Grade to Young Adult novel, but my largest complaint is the intelligence of the characters. Often times situations lead to dialog, which there is a lot of dialog in this book, it seems most of the world building is done through dialog, where when the characters are talking, they reach a conclusion that I saw several lines down. I just felt that, "How did it take them that long to figure this aspect out?" If it were one or two times, I wouldn't have thought much of it, but it happened several times, where the characters seemed way too slow to comprehend something that should have been common sense for the world. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book, the dragons are interesting, the communication is cool, and the characters are interesting, if not a little confusing between Duskya and Ruskya.
August 14, 2017
I’ve probably mentioned this before but I love dragons. A lot. Basically anything that has to do with dragons is almost guaranteed a Sue Stamp of Approval. So it was a bit of a surprise when this book didn’t cut it. The main point of this series seemed to be the dragon and its rider, right?
Not really. It starts off pretty good. The prologue did throw me off because I didn’t know who was who and what was going on. The first half was also fairly decent. Although wayyy too many characters were thrown in at the beginning and I didn’t know who was who. Also the dragon’s names were really confusing. They all seemed to start with W and I couldn’t keep track of them. For a while I let this go because maybe it was tradition? But then a whole bunch of other dragons with names that started with a different letter of the alphabet entered the story and so the names with the W seemed to have no real purpose except for confusion.
Everything Happened Too Fast. We started off when the MC was ten years old and then there’s a fifteen year time-skip to when he’s 25? We skipped over ALL of his training. I think this was the most important part of his growth and where we could’ve bonded with him and the characters. Unfortunately we skipped over this part in his life where he goes from a boy to a ‘man’. I couldn’t bring myself to care about him in the rest of the book because I never was given the chance to sympathize with him or relate to him at all.
I was super excited to read about the dragon riders. What cool stuff did they do? Did any of the dragons have special powers? But as far as I could tell they really served no purpose and did nothing at all. They trained to fight but they never fought other dragons or people. They just were…there.
Plus, some people became dragon riders with no training and they were just as good as those with years of experience? That was really weird to me. Plus there was so much that was like: “We never knew about this!” And I was like: “Um, how? You guys have been around for hundreds of years and you’re telling me no one has ever looked for [redacted] or tested [redacted]? That’s pretty unlikely.”
Then there was this whole thing involving the Plant (which had more of a personality than the main character) and somehow it could make people pregnant with twins? It was super weird.
I wish that some of the other characters, mainly Ruskya’s sister, Duskya had a bigger role in the story. After all, they’re twins with a super strong bond? They also only had each other during their dragon training (aside from their mentor and dragons) so I expected Ruskya to actually care about her a little. I also wished she could’ve done a lot more. Like at least shown some skill or fighting or helping her brother? The two of them should be of close to equal strength since most of Ruskya’s power comes from his BOND with his SISTER.
Another issue involving Duskya and all of the women in the series was that I felt like the book was vaguely undermining their roles. There were only three female dragon riders and two female dragons mentioned in the story. There may have been some virus epidemic that wiped out most of the female population a while back in history but I felt like there probably could’ve been some more female led roles in the book.
I also didn’t like Ruskya. It wasn’t, surprisingly, because he annoyed me or was just a terrible person, but because he was the male version of a Mary Sue. He literally couldn’t do anything wrong. He was smart, handsome and the best rider in the colony. Not that having any of these qualities makes the character bad, but he just didn’t seem to have any flaws or emotions.
Speaking of emotions, that will bring me to the romance. Personally, this was also haunted by the Happened Too Fast syndrom. I felt absolutely ZERO spark between the main love interests. This is probably because they only had around five interactions throughout the book. It went from Maybe We Could Be Something More to I Love Her More Than I Love My Family in like five chapters. One character mentions ‘seeing a spark’ but the only spark I saw is when my computer burst into flames while reading that sentence.
The book remained at a constant 3.5 stars throughout the whole book due to somewhat ok battle scenes and at one point I wanted to see what would happen. Then two things happened that brought down that iffy rating at the end of the book.
The first was this scene/chapter involving the female dragon. There was this thing mentioned a while back about mates. A dragon (though it was a different one) mentioned that they would want a mate for life. This means that mating holds an emotional value to a dragon even if it varies from dragon to dragon. In this particular chapter, the female dragon was being used to lay eggs since she was the only female dragon in this particular group and they need hatchlings.
In this group, the male dragons would take turns mating with the female dragon. She had no consent and wasn’t able to choose who she mated with. The male dragons would take turns mating with her. A few chapters later it was mentioned that SIXTEEN dragons had mated with her and WITHOUT her consent. It was mostly just passed off as ok and no big deal to any of the characters. I as a reader was very disturbed because I had viewed this as rape? But it was just seen as totally fine? Yuck.
The second thing happened at the very very end of the book. There was another absolutely dry romance with actually zero interactions until this point in the book when they were suddenly in love. It was all fine and well until I read this sentence:
He’s the same age as my da.
And then this…
“What if he only sees me as a child?”
Wait what?
“After a certain point, you forget about age.
WAIT A SECOND
it often doesn’t matter the age difference or how
illogical it seems.
Can you just….Stop??? THIS WAS A POINTLESS RELATIONSHIP ANYWAY. Like, one is still in their twenties and the other is probably seventy to eighty years old??? Not ok???? Like, yeah. Age doesn’t matter once you’re in your HUNDREDS. You’ve both had time to grow and mature. You’re both ADULTS. But a twenty year old and a seventy-eighty year old? NO. Please stop. One is an adult and while the other is also still an adult, they still aren’t as experienced and wise as the other so it would be super unbalanced. I might have a little more Ok with it, but the way it was worded was so disgustingly pedophilic I couldn’t just blink and move on.
Not really. It starts off pretty good. The prologue did throw me off because I didn’t know who was who and what was going on. The first half was also fairly decent. Although wayyy too many characters were thrown in at the beginning and I didn’t know who was who. Also the dragon’s names were really confusing. They all seemed to start with W and I couldn’t keep track of them. For a while I let this go because maybe it was tradition? But then a whole bunch of other dragons with names that started with a different letter of the alphabet entered the story and so the names with the W seemed to have no real purpose except for confusion.
Everything Happened Too Fast. We started off when the MC was ten years old and then there’s a fifteen year time-skip to when he’s 25? We skipped over ALL of his training. I think this was the most important part of his growth and where we could’ve bonded with him and the characters. Unfortunately we skipped over this part in his life where he goes from a boy to a ‘man’. I couldn’t bring myself to care about him in the rest of the book because I never was given the chance to sympathize with him or relate to him at all.
I was super excited to read about the dragon riders. What cool stuff did they do? Did any of the dragons have special powers? But as far as I could tell they really served no purpose and did nothing at all. They trained to fight but they never fought other dragons or people. They just were…there.
Plus, some people became dragon riders with no training and they were just as good as those with years of experience? That was really weird to me. Plus there was so much that was like: “We never knew about this!” And I was like: “Um, how? You guys have been around for hundreds of years and you’re telling me no one has ever looked for [redacted] or tested [redacted]? That’s pretty unlikely.”
Then there was this whole thing involving the Plant (which had more of a personality than the main character) and somehow it could make people pregnant with twins? It was super weird.
I wish that some of the other characters, mainly Ruskya’s sister, Duskya had a bigger role in the story. After all, they’re twins with a super strong bond? They also only had each other during their dragon training (aside from their mentor and dragons) so I expected Ruskya to actually care about her a little. I also wished she could’ve done a lot more. Like at least shown some skill or fighting or helping her brother? The two of them should be of close to equal strength since most of Ruskya’s power comes from his BOND with his SISTER.
Another issue involving Duskya and all of the women in the series was that I felt like the book was vaguely undermining their roles. There were only three female dragon riders and two female dragons mentioned in the story. There may have been some virus epidemic that wiped out most of the female population a while back in history but I felt like there probably could’ve been some more female led roles in the book.
I also didn’t like Ruskya. It wasn’t, surprisingly, because he annoyed me or was just a terrible person, but because he was the male version of a Mary Sue. He literally couldn’t do anything wrong. He was smart, handsome and the best rider in the colony. Not that having any of these qualities makes the character bad, but he just didn’t seem to have any flaws or emotions.
Speaking of emotions, that will bring me to the romance. Personally, this was also haunted by the Happened Too Fast syndrom. I felt absolutely ZERO spark between the main love interests. This is probably because they only had around five interactions throughout the book. It went from Maybe We Could Be Something More to I Love Her More Than I Love My Family in like five chapters. One character mentions ‘seeing a spark’ but the only spark I saw is when my computer burst into flames while reading that sentence.
The book remained at a constant 3.5 stars throughout the whole book due to somewhat ok battle scenes and at one point I wanted to see what would happen. Then two things happened that brought down that iffy rating at the end of the book.
The first was this scene/chapter involving the female dragon. There was this thing mentioned a while back about mates. A dragon (though it was a different one) mentioned that they would want a mate for life. This means that mating holds an emotional value to a dragon even if it varies from dragon to dragon. In this particular chapter, the female dragon was being used to lay eggs since she was the only female dragon in this particular group and they need hatchlings.
In this group, the male dragons would take turns mating with the female dragon. She had no consent and wasn’t able to choose who she mated with. The male dragons would take turns mating with her. A few chapters later it was mentioned that SIXTEEN dragons had mated with her and WITHOUT her consent. It was mostly just passed off as ok and no big deal to any of the characters. I as a reader was very disturbed because I had viewed this as rape? But it was just seen as totally fine? Yuck.
The second thing happened at the very very end of the book. There was another absolutely dry romance with actually zero interactions until this point in the book when they were suddenly in love. It was all fine and well until I read this sentence:
He’s the same age as my da.
And then this…
“What if he only sees me as a child?”
Wait what?
“After a certain point, you forget about age.
WAIT A SECOND
it often doesn’t matter the age difference or how
illogical it seems.
Can you just….Stop??? THIS WAS A POINTLESS RELATIONSHIP ANYWAY. Like, one is still in their twenties and the other is probably seventy to eighty years old??? Not ok???? Like, yeah. Age doesn’t matter once you’re in your HUNDREDS. You’ve both had time to grow and mature. You’re both ADULTS. But a twenty year old and a seventy-eighty year old? NO. Please stop. One is an adult and while the other is also still an adult, they still aren’t as experienced and wise as the other so it would be super unbalanced. I might have a little more Ok with it, but the way it was worded was so disgustingly pedophilic I couldn’t just blink and move on.
July 17, 2017
I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about dragons. The story follows Ruskya and other dragon riders. Dragons have been around and plentiful however after a couple of years dragons seem to be going extinct. There are not as many as dragons as there once was. Ruskya is on a mission trying to find out why dragons are disappearing. Come to find out things are not what they seem.
A war is brewing and no one seems to know why certain dragons and riders are attacking innocents. There are so many questions that need to be answered and we do not get them until the end of the story.
I have to admit that the narrator Esther Hardcastle made this story very hard to get through. Her voice and the tempo is something that drove me nuts. She has a monotone voice and her inflection seems to just be nonexistent. I do not think I can listen to another book from this narrator.
This story is a good one and I will continue the series but only via Kindle or Paperback.
I think this book should be geared towards the YA category.
This book is about dragons. The story follows Ruskya and other dragon riders. Dragons have been around and plentiful however after a couple of years dragons seem to be going extinct. There are not as many as dragons as there once was. Ruskya is on a mission trying to find out why dragons are disappearing. Come to find out things are not what they seem.
A war is brewing and no one seems to know why certain dragons and riders are attacking innocents. There are so many questions that need to be answered and we do not get them until the end of the story.
I have to admit that the narrator Esther Hardcastle made this story very hard to get through. Her voice and the tempo is something that drove me nuts. She has a monotone voice and her inflection seems to just be nonexistent. I do not think I can listen to another book from this narrator.
This story is a good one and I will continue the series but only via Kindle or Paperback.
I think this book should be geared towards the YA category.
July 12, 2015
I received this book in return for an honest review.
I really liked the story line of this book, but there was just to much that I didn't like. All the names were confusing, I honestly don't understand why everyone had a Y in their name (Except the very few at the end). It made it hard for me to tell everyone apart and it literally wasn't till the very end that I started to remember who a few of them were. Sadly, Ruskya and Duskya are not remembered. I don't remember who was the guy and who was the girl. I didn't feel much connection with the characters either. There are two more things that REALLY bothered me about this book. One being "Ruskya, you deserve to know this. Your parents were my niece and nephew." To me, that is implying that it was a incestuous relationship. Which is just, EWW! and the second being when a female dragon gets taken by some sicko and "breeds" her. Which to me, implies rape. Maybe I'm seeing this all wrong, maybe not. That's just what I got out of it and it makes me sick to my stomach. I give the ending props, because it was adorable, but I rate this book two stars.
I really liked the story line of this book, but there was just to much that I didn't like. All the names were confusing, I honestly don't understand why everyone had a Y in their name (Except the very few at the end). It made it hard for me to tell everyone apart and it literally wasn't till the very end that I started to remember who a few of them were. Sadly, Ruskya and Duskya are not remembered. I don't remember who was the guy and who was the girl. I didn't feel much connection with the characters either. There are two more things that REALLY bothered me about this book. One being "Ruskya, you deserve to know this. Your parents were my niece and nephew." To me, that is implying that it was a incestuous relationship. Which is just, EWW! and the second being when a female dragon gets taken by some sicko and "breeds" her. Which to me, implies rape. Maybe I'm seeing this all wrong, maybe not. That's just what I got out of it and it makes me sick to my stomach. I give the ending props, because it was adorable, but I rate this book two stars.
April 23, 2019
This is a story of twins with a special background and a special link to each other. It is a story about the people around them who also exhibit special abilities and together they make a formidable team - they need to be because an evil man wants to take from them and make his own colony the most powerful.
The beginning of the story, where we learn who the story is about and the world they live in, is easy to read, but as you get into the middle and end of the story a lot is happening that is suspenseful and surprising.
There is some romance in this story, so don't despair ladies! It is clean romance. This whole story is clean.
The beginning of the story, where we learn who the story is about and the world they live in, is easy to read, but as you get into the middle and end of the story a lot is happening that is suspenseful and surprising.
There is some romance in this story, so don't despair ladies! It is clean romance. This whole story is clean.
December 31, 2018
This book showed up on my Kindle and I assumed I had agreed to review it. Wrong. Seems I actually purchased it. So happy I did! I found the story to be enthralling and the characters to be interesting and well written. Readers can identify with their ambitions, their fears, their dreams, and their loves. Now don't let me forget the dragons! In Wyatt's story the dragons are different shades of blue! Wyatt also adds some mystery, some romance, some battles, and everyday life. I recommend this book to advanced reading middle grades, teens, young adults, and adults. It is fun reading!
May 6, 2016
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Kandi J. Wyatt did a wonderful job creating a world full of intrigue. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I loved the writing style, though this book needs to be edited. There were grammatical errors throughout the book. If not for the editing problem, this would have been an easy five stars for me. I'm looking forward to the next installment, though I hope there will be better editing.
December 14, 2017
Dragon fans must read
Dragon riders coming of age and the trials that surround them bring a tale to life much like the Eragon series. Fierce battles combined with heart wrenching discoveries told in such a way that makes you feel like you are in the saddle yourself.
Dragon riders coming of age and the trials that surround them bring a tale to life much like the Eragon series. Fierce battles combined with heart wrenching discoveries told in such a way that makes you feel like you are in the saddle yourself.
February 4, 2018
Dragons
This was book 1 but could be a stand alone book. I really enjoyed the plot, however, the names!!! Wyn, Wryn, Wyeth. Did they really have to be so much alike? Made it hard to keep track of who was who in certain parts. Then you had to go back to check not good.
This was book 1 but could be a stand alone book. I really enjoyed the plot, however, the names!!! Wyn, Wryn, Wyeth. Did they really have to be so much alike? Made it hard to keep track of who was who in certain parts. Then you had to go back to check not good.
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