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Madra Rising
This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B019KFXS68
For five years, the Kingdom of Madra has been at war. In a last effort to save his people, the prince travels toward Eldale, a city of dragon tamers. Unaware of this, Eldale has sent its most valued dragon tamer to the dying city with the one thing that can save them. In this tale of harrowing danger and destiny where the two must keep their missions secret, they cross paths and join forces to recover the stolen treasure.
For five years, the Kingdom of Madra has been at war. In a last effort to save his people, the prince travels toward Eldale, a city of dragon tamers. Unaware of this, Eldale has sent its most valued dragon tamer to the dying city with the one thing that can save them. In this tale of harrowing danger and destiny where the two must keep their missions secret, they cross paths and join forces to recover the stolen treasure.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Christy Newman
8 books19 followersChristy Newman is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless coffee and cat lover with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Newman weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that, even in the deepest darkness, God's love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the high desert of New Mexico. Christy Joined the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 6, 2016
This novel really brought me back to my younger days of Lloyd Alexander's novels - "The Black Cauldron," "The Horned King," etc. It was really well written for two girls becoming writers. I must say as a fellow student of Creative Writing - never stop! Keep doing what you love!I loved the adventure and the romance, the whole story was very good- and even the formatting of the novel! The designs made it feel very much like a book of my younger days. Very creative! Keep up the great work, girls!
May 26, 2017
Great fantasy story with tasteful and respectable characters.
This is the second book I've read by these talented young ladies and I'm happy to see that their work is improving while they are maintaining their solid, clean writing. Less gratuity and more story means this is something you can share with young readers with confidence. Elements of fantasy and romance as the prince and princess meet, agree to respectfully "court" each other, and then fall in love. A feisty young dragon brings the wonder and comic relief while a war between kingdoms carries the thrills and drama.
I would definitely recommend this book for parents of young readers and young adult readers.
This is the second book I've read by these talented young ladies and I'm happy to see that their work is improving while they are maintaining their solid, clean writing. Less gratuity and more story means this is something you can share with young readers with confidence. Elements of fantasy and romance as the prince and princess meet, agree to respectfully "court" each other, and then fall in love. A feisty young dragon brings the wonder and comic relief while a war between kingdoms carries the thrills and drama.
I would definitely recommend this book for parents of young readers and young adult readers.
May 23, 2016
In response to a desperate cry for help from the kingdom of Madra to the South, Princess Arya of Eldale carries an unhatched dragon to their aid. But while still a few days from her destination, her carriage is attacked and the precious egg stolen.
The princess would surely have perished if not for the timely aid of a travel-worn stranger named Finlay. He is badly injured while fighting off her attackers, and she manages to get him to a healer in time to save him.
Once Finlay is stable and able to ride, he insists on accompanying her to recover the stolen treasure, unaware that he is helping to recover his kingdom's hope for an end to the war.
My Take:
Madra Rising is a gripping account of a kingdom at war and the orchestration of Providence, or the 'Guide', as He is referred to here, in delivering the people. Finlay is a likeable, honest, brave and determined character. At first he seems almost ADD in his thoughts, second-guessing decisions right and left. But underneath his friendly, distracted exterior lie a heart of gold and a will of iron.
Arya does not seem to possess much in the way of fighting skill early on, but what she lacks in battle hardness she more than makes up for in sheer determination and faith in the Guide to protect her.
I found the supporting cast to be a bit less defined. I liked Louis, but Grover quite got on my nerves, almost appearing a bit addle-brained. The main antagonist, Dupits, could have used more dimension but was adequately frightening as a lurking enemy.
Content:
Violence:
There are multiple places in the story where characters are bloody, damaged, burned by dragon fire, or shot with an arrow. I'd say PG-13, it was not more violent than the LOTR.
Language:
Very clean.
Adult Content:
Disney-level. Light PG. There is a scene where the princess must help the prince dress his wound, and his shirt is off. She notices he is not bad looking. There's some talk of courting and marriage.
Christian content:
The main characters freely discuss the importance of the Guide in their lives, and also mention His Son. They make it evident that considering one another for courting would depend on their mutual faith, and they discuss the faith of the families as well. It is obvious that the Guide is coordinating their movements, and arranging deliverance through them.
Final analysis:
Madra Rising is a fine adventure story filled with faith and hope in the face of devastating loss and hopelessness. The story is well-written, the main characters well-developed, and the plot engaging. It ties the ends together neatly while leaving a few things open for a sequel I'd be interested in reading. Five Stars.
The princess would surely have perished if not for the timely aid of a travel-worn stranger named Finlay. He is badly injured while fighting off her attackers, and she manages to get him to a healer in time to save him.
Once Finlay is stable and able to ride, he insists on accompanying her to recover the stolen treasure, unaware that he is helping to recover his kingdom's hope for an end to the war.
My Take:
Madra Rising is a gripping account of a kingdom at war and the orchestration of Providence, or the 'Guide', as He is referred to here, in delivering the people. Finlay is a likeable, honest, brave and determined character. At first he seems almost ADD in his thoughts, second-guessing decisions right and left. But underneath his friendly, distracted exterior lie a heart of gold and a will of iron.
Arya does not seem to possess much in the way of fighting skill early on, but what she lacks in battle hardness she more than makes up for in sheer determination and faith in the Guide to protect her.
I found the supporting cast to be a bit less defined. I liked Louis, but Grover quite got on my nerves, almost appearing a bit addle-brained. The main antagonist, Dupits, could have used more dimension but was adequately frightening as a lurking enemy.
Content:
Violence:
There are multiple places in the story where characters are bloody, damaged, burned by dragon fire, or shot with an arrow. I'd say PG-13, it was not more violent than the LOTR.
Language:
Very clean.
Adult Content:
Disney-level. Light PG. There is a scene where the princess must help the prince dress his wound, and his shirt is off. She notices he is not bad looking. There's some talk of courting and marriage.
Christian content:
The main characters freely discuss the importance of the Guide in their lives, and also mention His Son. They make it evident that considering one another for courting would depend on their mutual faith, and they discuss the faith of the families as well. It is obvious that the Guide is coordinating their movements, and arranging deliverance through them.
Final analysis:
Madra Rising is a fine adventure story filled with faith and hope in the face of devastating loss and hopelessness. The story is well-written, the main characters well-developed, and the plot engaging. It ties the ends together neatly while leaving a few things open for a sequel I'd be interested in reading. Five Stars.
March 30, 2019
Enjoyable from beginning to end
I loved everything about Madra Rising. The characters are life-like, the descriptions are vivid, and the fairy-tale setting took my mind far from the everyday mundane. It is a fun getaway in a setting of castles, princes, princesses, and a baby dragon. I loved the realism of the animals. The authors filled the book with surprises, humor, honor, heroic characters, and a happy ending.
It is refreshingly innocent and beautiful with no offensive language or innuendo. There is no cliff hanger whatsoever, so it is a great standalone book.
Madra Rising is a clean read which anyone might enjoy.
I loved everything about Madra Rising. The characters are life-like, the descriptions are vivid, and the fairy-tale setting took my mind far from the everyday mundane. It is a fun getaway in a setting of castles, princes, princesses, and a baby dragon. I loved the realism of the animals. The authors filled the book with surprises, humor, honor, heroic characters, and a happy ending.
It is refreshingly innocent and beautiful with no offensive language or innuendo. There is no cliff hanger whatsoever, so it is a great standalone book.
Madra Rising is a clean read which anyone might enjoy.
April 26, 2016
This was a good story
This was a good story . I enjoyed it very much the only thing I didn't like about it was that it had a lot of religion in it.
This was a good story . I enjoyed it very much the only thing I didn't like about it was that it had a lot of religion in it.
January 30, 2018
Madra Rising is the kind of a high fantasy book filled with knights and dragons and princesses that I have a weakness for. The characters are well done, the world is lifelike, the plot was a good idea, but needed some work.
The characters were good, I just never really connected with them. I think the problem is that they never struggled. I understand they gave their worries to the Guide, but even with relying on a deity, we still worry and struggle to make decisions. Arya and Finlay prayed and then accepted whatever came their way. I have nothing against integrating religion into your book, I just think you still need to show the characters struggle or there won't be any conflict. Also, Arya and Finlay's relationship took off way too fast. They'd known each other for like two days when Finlay gets down on one knee to ask her to court him. I think it might have been better to show them starting a relationship at the end of the book, after they've gone through all this together. But I did enjoy Finlay's character. His stories were an interesting character aspect. My favorite character was Grover, even though he's a minor character. I liked his unoriginally named horse, his companionship with Louis, and his willingness to serve his prince.
The plot was good. It started off pretty fast-paced with the carriage attack. But then it really slowed down and became a little boring in the middle. I was also really hoping for more dragons. The dragons were the whole point of the plot, but we rarely actually read about an actual dragon flying around.
The world was very well developed. It even had some bits of lore thrown in.
The writing style was great. But in a couple spots, I was unsure who was speaking. Other than that though, I found no typos or grammatical errors.
Madra Rising is a good book. There aren't really any problems. It just didn't have the "it" factor for a five star rating.
The characters were good, I just never really connected with them. I think the problem is that they never struggled. I understand they gave their worries to the Guide, but even with relying on a deity, we still worry and struggle to make decisions. Arya and Finlay prayed and then accepted whatever came their way. I have nothing against integrating religion into your book, I just think you still need to show the characters struggle or there won't be any conflict. Also, Arya and Finlay's relationship took off way too fast. They'd known each other for like two days when Finlay gets down on one knee to ask her to court him. I think it might have been better to show them starting a relationship at the end of the book, after they've gone through all this together. But I did enjoy Finlay's character. His stories were an interesting character aspect. My favorite character was Grover, even though he's a minor character. I liked his unoriginally named horse, his companionship with Louis, and his willingness to serve his prince.
The plot was good. It started off pretty fast-paced with the carriage attack. But then it really slowed down and became a little boring in the middle. I was also really hoping for more dragons. The dragons were the whole point of the plot, but we rarely actually read about an actual dragon flying around.
The world was very well developed. It even had some bits of lore thrown in.
The writing style was great. But in a couple spots, I was unsure who was speaking. Other than that though, I found no typos or grammatical errors.
Madra Rising is a good book. There aren't really any problems. It just didn't have the "it" factor for a five star rating.
May 10, 2017
This book was entered and was a Red Ribbon Winner in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Madra Rising
Author: Christy and Sarah Newman
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content:8/10
Cover:4/10
Of the 16 readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
1 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
9 felt the author’s best skill was ‘speech’ and ‘character’.
7 felt ‘pacing’ was the best.
15 felt the cover was poor and felt too ‘young’ for the readership.
Readers’ Comments
‘Very enjoyable story. Well edited with excellent pacing. The characters were fun to follow too. I liked that it wasn’t full of gore. Terrible cover though. I thought it was seven year olds.’ Girl, aged 14
‘The authors develop the romance slowly but keep up the pacing. Not always easy to do. Showing strong writing skills. The fantasy world is also well imagined. The characters have plenty about them to keep a YA happy; although a little more drama might be needed to ‘up the stakes’ for the reader. Generally, not bad at all. Note to authors: shoot the cover designer.’ Indie Publisher
‘Difficult to read the authors’ names on the cover. Didn’t like the cover. It looked too silly. The story is good though. I liked the humour the best.’ Boy, aged 13
‘Good book. A bit religious in parts which I didn’t like. But lots happened and the romance was realistic. I would read a second book about these characters.’ Girl, aged 15
‘A character-driven fantasy packed full of surprising twists and turns. A Red Ribbon Winner and highly recommended to 12 and over.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Madra Rising
Author: Christy and Sarah Newman
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content:8/10
Cover:4/10
Of the 16 readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
1 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
9 felt the author’s best skill was ‘speech’ and ‘character’.
7 felt ‘pacing’ was the best.
15 felt the cover was poor and felt too ‘young’ for the readership.
Readers’ Comments
‘Very enjoyable story. Well edited with excellent pacing. The characters were fun to follow too. I liked that it wasn’t full of gore. Terrible cover though. I thought it was seven year olds.’ Girl, aged 14
‘The authors develop the romance slowly but keep up the pacing. Not always easy to do. Showing strong writing skills. The fantasy world is also well imagined. The characters have plenty about them to keep a YA happy; although a little more drama might be needed to ‘up the stakes’ for the reader. Generally, not bad at all. Note to authors: shoot the cover designer.’ Indie Publisher
‘Difficult to read the authors’ names on the cover. Didn’t like the cover. It looked too silly. The story is good though. I liked the humour the best.’ Boy, aged 13
‘Good book. A bit religious in parts which I didn’t like. But lots happened and the romance was realistic. I would read a second book about these characters.’ Girl, aged 15
‘A character-driven fantasy packed full of surprising twists and turns. A Red Ribbon Winner and highly recommended to 12 and over.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
August 1, 2017
Madra Rising was an entertaining and delightful read. It had many of the great elements of fantasy: dragons, strong characters, war, romance, strange lands, etc. Plus, this book can be enjoyed by readers young and old. It is nice to see a slowly developing romance as wars of the lands are raging, but on top of that you get to see characters grow and you get to see dragons and dragon tamers! A grand old adventure!
December 19, 2023
Cute little love story
Nice story in the lines of Christian fiction stories. Overall as a love story this was well done. Good characters and a nice storyline. Some intrigue in parts was good as well. I liked the main characters and watching the relationship develop. Good examples of what good character from both parties should aim to be as well. Well done.
Nice story in the lines of Christian fiction stories. Overall as a love story this was well done. Good characters and a nice storyline. Some intrigue in parts was good as well. I liked the main characters and watching the relationship develop. Good examples of what good character from both parties should aim to be as well. Well done.
May 12, 2017
Madra Rising is a Red Ribbon Winner for the Wishing Shelf Awards. They suggested a new cover, so here it is. The recommended age group is 12-adult (no sex, foul language, or graphic violence).
May 29, 2016
I commend the authors for their desire to share their faith through their writing. However, I would strongly suggest that if they desire a wider audience they strive to improve the quality of their books.
1 - the book is written in the passive tense. This creates a cold, formal tone and disengages the reader.
2 - the story is unoriginal, and in fact may be derivative to the point of plagiarism.
Opening scene: Princess Arya is transporting a dragon egg meant for the salvation of a war torn kingdom. She is attacked and taken prisoner and the egg ends up w/ someone other than the intended recipient.
This describes the opening scene of "Madra Rising" - it also describes, down to the name of the main character, the opening scene of Paolini's "Eragon".
3 - poor character development - the leads are too perfect. Faith is wonderful, but no one except the Blessed Virgin has ever had perfect faith. In order to make the characters relatable, they should struggle and have flaws.
4 - missed opportunities for character development with the dragon - it would have been interesting to examine his character arc from a newly hatched innocent to a weapon trained to kill.
5 - missed opportunities for character development w/ Lev - this character could either have provided a great redemption story, a tragic lost soul story, or raised the overall tension by conflicting the dragon's allegiance between himself and the main lead. Instead his character is wasted, reduced to a courier and then to a sign post.
6 - frustrating plot holes - why does Arya have invisible scales? What happened to the man who betrayed the prince and how did the prince survive the betrayal? Why doesn't the son-in-law of the beleaguered king help his wife's family when they are under siege?
7 - The prince's kingdom has been at war for 5 years, under sporadic attacks from enemy dragons. Why, in the name of heaven, did it take 5 years to either cultivate an ally or take the fight to the enemy? You can't win a war of attrition by maintaining the losing side! And in the same vein - you're under attack by flying, fire-breathing creatures. Is it more logical to build a war engine capable of wounding / killing said creature or march your knights out to hold a shield wall and suffer crippling injuries in the process. Again - 5 years to figure out a solution.
If the authors read this post, I hope they don't take it personally. But bad or inadequate writing should be called as such, so the author has a chance to improve if they want to.
1 - the book is written in the passive tense. This creates a cold, formal tone and disengages the reader.
2 - the story is unoriginal, and in fact may be derivative to the point of plagiarism.
Opening scene: Princess Arya is transporting a dragon egg meant for the salvation of a war torn kingdom. She is attacked and taken prisoner and the egg ends up w/ someone other than the intended recipient.
This describes the opening scene of "Madra Rising" - it also describes, down to the name of the main character, the opening scene of Paolini's "Eragon".
3 - poor character development - the leads are too perfect. Faith is wonderful, but no one except the Blessed Virgin has ever had perfect faith. In order to make the characters relatable, they should struggle and have flaws.
4 - missed opportunities for character development with the dragon - it would have been interesting to examine his character arc from a newly hatched innocent to a weapon trained to kill.
5 - missed opportunities for character development w/ Lev - this character could either have provided a great redemption story, a tragic lost soul story, or raised the overall tension by conflicting the dragon's allegiance between himself and the main lead. Instead his character is wasted, reduced to a courier and then to a sign post.
6 - frustrating plot holes - why does Arya have invisible scales? What happened to the man who betrayed the prince and how did the prince survive the betrayal? Why doesn't the son-in-law of the beleaguered king help his wife's family when they are under siege?
7 - The prince's kingdom has been at war for 5 years, under sporadic attacks from enemy dragons. Why, in the name of heaven, did it take 5 years to either cultivate an ally or take the fight to the enemy? You can't win a war of attrition by maintaining the losing side! And in the same vein - you're under attack by flying, fire-breathing creatures. Is it more logical to build a war engine capable of wounding / killing said creature or march your knights out to hold a shield wall and suffer crippling injuries in the process. Again - 5 years to figure out a solution.
If the authors read this post, I hope they don't take it personally. But bad or inadequate writing should be called as such, so the author has a chance to improve if they want to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2017
My sister and I thought we would give light romance a try, so we worked together to create Madra Rising. Royalty, mystery, dragons, and humor each have a part. (Contains no extreme violence, sex, or offensive language.)
Shawn Cannon is the cover artist.
Shawn Cannon is the cover artist.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews