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The Golden Dawn
Rousing fantasy adventure with a butt-kicking heroine.
Saint Princess Julianna, powerful warrior mage and ruler of Aerilea, sacrifices her life defending her land from a mountain sized monster god. When she returns from the dead years later, she learns the nations united under her banner have drifted apart and sets out to restore order. But a new danger threatens the very existence of the floating continent on which they live, and Julianna and her allies must rise to the occasion to save it once again.
A full length novel.
Saint Princess Julianna, powerful warrior mage and ruler of Aerilea, sacrifices her life defending her land from a mountain sized monster god. When she returns from the dead years later, she learns the nations united under her banner have drifted apart and sets out to restore order. But a new danger threatens the very existence of the floating continent on which they live, and Julianna and her allies must rise to the occasion to save it once again.
A full length novel.
- GenresFantasy
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 5, 2017
48 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
About the author
Billy Wong
68 books87 followersBilly Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for strong female warriors. He draws inspiration from the epic legends of old, and is on a quest to bring over the top deeds and larger than life heroes back to prominence in today's literary world.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 22, 2017
Got to say I really like this book. There is action packed an then there is this book. However the fight are not all chaotic, of just fillers, the moves are are influenced from real martial arts. The first fight in the book is at showstopper level, and would have been a main event anywhere else.
There are little touches done really well something as simple like blocking a leg kick, by meeting it by lifting you knee gives a fight a more authentic feel. I the there are other influences of Dragonballs Z style magic power levels. Also Final Fantasy style oversized swords.
I was glad that all of the 3 main character had a chance to shine. I know it is unrealistic but maybe it is the Martial Artist in me that simple wants to cheer as a seeming mortal wounded hero, simply refuses to give up. That being said I do think the wound should be seen to after the fight not just forgotten about.
A couple of things I would like to be changed is the pace of the book. I like fast paced books, but when the whole book is at breakneck speed, some parts feel a bit rushed. The other thing is possible more section breaks. An example a journey between location is minimum a days travel. I have no problem with skipping this, but maybe enter a section break there or end the chapter there then start the next chapter in the new location rather the on the next line they are there. Finally I would have liked the character to be a bit older, some seem too mature and too far along in their martial training for their age.
All the small things aside story is great, the character are likability, the part where this book really shines is in the fight scenes. These are plentiful and very well done. In some cases going from one battle to another. The fights are so well I am more then ok with this. There is also plenty for the next book, but I was left satisfied with the ending of this book. That is a hard balance to maintain. All is all a great book.
There are little touches done really well something as simple like blocking a leg kick, by meeting it by lifting you knee gives a fight a more authentic feel. I the there are other influences of Dragonballs Z style magic power levels. Also Final Fantasy style oversized swords.
I was glad that all of the 3 main character had a chance to shine. I know it is unrealistic but maybe it is the Martial Artist in me that simple wants to cheer as a seeming mortal wounded hero, simply refuses to give up. That being said I do think the wound should be seen to after the fight not just forgotten about.
A couple of things I would like to be changed is the pace of the book. I like fast paced books, but when the whole book is at breakneck speed, some parts feel a bit rushed. The other thing is possible more section breaks. An example a journey between location is minimum a days travel. I have no problem with skipping this, but maybe enter a section break there or end the chapter there then start the next chapter in the new location rather the on the next line they are there. Finally I would have liked the character to be a bit older, some seem too mature and too far along in their martial training for their age.
All the small things aside story is great, the character are likability, the part where this book really shines is in the fight scenes. These are plentiful and very well done. In some cases going from one battle to another. The fights are so well I am more then ok with this. There is also plenty for the next book, but I was left satisfied with the ending of this book. That is a hard balance to maintain. All is all a great book.
January 10, 2018
My initial impression - which didn't change for the entirety of the book - was "OMG, /so anime/." If anyone ever tells me they want a book that reads like you're watching an episode of Dragonball Z, now I'll know where to point them. It wore me down to the point where my final comments were just "This is /so dumb/." I mean, they're setting off on a *political* quest?! They're debating *magical climate change*?! They're on a floating continent! Sure! Why not. And everybody can hear each other with perfect clarity across giant battlefields, regardless of the hundreds dying around them.
Generally, you'd expect the boss battle to come at the end, but this has them throughout the book. You can't go more than a couple of pages without a fight of some kind, or at least an offhand mention of a bunch of monsters being dispatched with no effort. There's an alarming amount of just...shrugging off death in this story, some of it literal, and none of it very realistic. Killing is hard, both physically and emotionally!
Overall, this book is dense, but not meaty; there's a lot of filler text that's not really saying anything. The balance of "show" vs "tell" seems subtly off; there'll be pages of mostly dialogue followed by two lines that take up the rest of the day. Possibly related is the character's tendency to lose and gain horses at random: are they walking everywhere? Why aren't they riding instead, to save time if nothing else? Oh, they were riding horses after all, you just called it "walking" for some reason?
I can only imagine that the mysterious man from the world below will come into play in a later book, as he's conveniently ignored for most of this one. You'd think a week's worth of time in a foreign culture would be enough to learn at least basic greetings. Probably by the time the plot needs him again, he'll resurface with full command of the language.
It struck me at several points that these characters aren't human. At most, two of them make that claim, but the way they all fight, especially with impractical weapons and bad tactics, and then just ignore massive injuries, sort of raises the question across the board. Sure, these are your best fighters! (Even though your High Knight spent the last three years in a depressive funk and nobody either a)helped him or b)fired and replaced him.) But people can't do those things. Ultimately, if I wanted anime, I'd watch anime.
Generally, you'd expect the boss battle to come at the end, but this has them throughout the book. You can't go more than a couple of pages without a fight of some kind, or at least an offhand mention of a bunch of monsters being dispatched with no effort. There's an alarming amount of just...shrugging off death in this story, some of it literal, and none of it very realistic. Killing is hard, both physically and emotionally!
Overall, this book is dense, but not meaty; there's a lot of filler text that's not really saying anything. The balance of "show" vs "tell" seems subtly off; there'll be pages of mostly dialogue followed by two lines that take up the rest of the day. Possibly related is the character's tendency to lose and gain horses at random: are they walking everywhere? Why aren't they riding instead, to save time if nothing else? Oh, they were riding horses after all, you just called it "walking" for some reason?
I can only imagine that the mysterious man from the world below will come into play in a later book, as he's conveniently ignored for most of this one. You'd think a week's worth of time in a foreign culture would be enough to learn at least basic greetings. Probably by the time the plot needs him again, he'll resurface with full command of the language.
It struck me at several points that these characters aren't human. At most, two of them make that claim, but the way they all fight, especially with impractical weapons and bad tactics, and then just ignore massive injuries, sort of raises the question across the board. Sure, these are your best fighters! (Even though your High Knight spent the last three years in a depressive funk and nobody either a)helped him or b)fired and replaced him.) But people can't do those things. Ultimately, if I wanted anime, I'd watch anime.
August 15, 2017
The Golden Dawn, Billy Wong, CreateSpace, 2017
Julianna is the ruler of the five realms that make up the land of Aerilea. She is smart, beautiful and beloved by her people. She is also a powerful mage, and a very formidable fighting opponent, whether with swords, magic or bare fists. Her latest battle is against the Mother of All Monsters, a being the size of a mountain, who has been dormant for many years. She defeats the monster, but dies in the process. She returns to life a couple of years later.
Julianna is now a being of energy, held together by magic, and the sheer force of her will. While she was gone, three of the five realms of Aerilea broke away. She is able to convince them to return. The five realms are also subject to attack by armies of monsters. They are large, carnivorous beasts with claws and tentacles. They are led, or controlled, by a humanoid who calls himself the Father of All Monsters. His motives are a lot more than just killing all humans.
A much bigger problem is that the supply of magic is almost gone. Aerilea is an island continent that floats in the air due to magic. Some of the outlying islands have fallen to the Lower World. An emissary is sent from the Lower World to ask Julianna how they have displeased her. Since Julianna's body is held together by magic, the crisis is personal. A search of the magic "reservoirs" around Aerilea reveal that they are all practically empty. A way is found to stop the collapse of Aerilea, but it involves Julianna leaving this world forever. What is her decision? Is there no alternative?
I enjoyed reading this story. Julianna is a very strong female character, almost a superwoman. There is plenty of sword and sorcery, along with lots of good writing. Fantasy fans will love it.
Julianna is the ruler of the five realms that make up the land of Aerilea. She is smart, beautiful and beloved by her people. She is also a powerful mage, and a very formidable fighting opponent, whether with swords, magic or bare fists. Her latest battle is against the Mother of All Monsters, a being the size of a mountain, who has been dormant for many years. She defeats the monster, but dies in the process. She returns to life a couple of years later.
Julianna is now a being of energy, held together by magic, and the sheer force of her will. While she was gone, three of the five realms of Aerilea broke away. She is able to convince them to return. The five realms are also subject to attack by armies of monsters. They are large, carnivorous beasts with claws and tentacles. They are led, or controlled, by a humanoid who calls himself the Father of All Monsters. His motives are a lot more than just killing all humans.
A much bigger problem is that the supply of magic is almost gone. Aerilea is an island continent that floats in the air due to magic. Some of the outlying islands have fallen to the Lower World. An emissary is sent from the Lower World to ask Julianna how they have displeased her. Since Julianna's body is held together by magic, the crisis is personal. A search of the magic "reservoirs" around Aerilea reveal that they are all practically empty. A way is found to stop the collapse of Aerilea, but it involves Julianna leaving this world forever. What is her decision? Is there no alternative?
I enjoyed reading this story. Julianna is a very strong female character, almost a superwoman. There is plenty of sword and sorcery, along with lots of good writing. Fantasy fans will love it.
March 29, 2018
A wonderful book about a princess called julianna and her husband keith and their son julian.
Julianna dies trying to fight the father and comes back 3 years later as a spiritual being, still being able to do human things but not human.
Her son is now king and she is back with her husband.
They all work together to defeat the father, as it doesnt end up dead after it was meant to be.
A wonderful story about dying and coming back and being human but human and about saving the world.
I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Julianna dies trying to fight the father and comes back 3 years later as a spiritual being, still being able to do human things but not human.
Her son is now king and she is back with her husband.
They all work together to defeat the father, as it doesnt end up dead after it was meant to be.
A wonderful story about dying and coming back and being human but human and about saving the world.
I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2017
If you like a fast paced book full of action and surprises, you can never go wrong with Billy Wong. This one is in a fantasy realm, yet still has elements of martial arts. The characters are interesting and realistic, and so are the scenes of close combat. All in all, another great read!
August 12, 2018
not normally what i read, but i did enjoy the action, adventure, danger and thrills
May 27, 2017
The Golden Dawn (Chronicles of the Floating Continent Book 1) by Billy Wong
Once again Billy Wong creates another masterpiece. Princess Julianna, must defend her land. She makes sacrifices to succeed only to return again to face more chaos and disorder. She along with her faithful allies do what it takes to save her land.
A fantastic original story with a very likable strong female lead. Filled with action, adventure, danger and thrills. I highly recommend The Golden Dawn to those who love a great adventure story. I was hooked from the first page until the end, and look forward to more in this series!
Once again Billy Wong creates another masterpiece. Princess Julianna, must defend her land. She makes sacrifices to succeed only to return again to face more chaos and disorder. She along with her faithful allies do what it takes to save her land.
A fantastic original story with a very likable strong female lead. Filled with action, adventure, danger and thrills. I highly recommend The Golden Dawn to those who love a great adventure story. I was hooked from the first page until the end, and look forward to more in this series!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews