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Age of Gold #1
To Claim a King
Accused of consorting with demons in her home town, Xandrie flees, only to find herself in a greater danger. She’s a mere human woman, thrust in a brutal tournament pitting vicious dragon females against each other. Yet, she can’t find it in herself to give up, as the winner will Claim the throne, and more importantly, the hand of the enticing Dragon King. Age of Gold is a series of standalone fantasy romance novels. Disclaimer Unlike many fantasy books, To Claim a King is NOT a clean read. Expect swear words and adult situations. If you enjoy your books free of f-words, this one isn't for you.
232 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2017
712 people are currently reading
1838 people want to read
About the author
May Sage
143 books1,921 followersMay Sage is a USA Today Bestselling romance writer dabbling in different genres.
When she isn’t writing, she spends her time with her German Shepherd and her two Savannahs. She loves reading, ballet, running, and cake. Mostly, cake.
May Sage also writes longer fantasy romance novels as Alexi Blake.
When she isn’t writing, she spends her time with her German Shepherd and her two Savannahs. She loves reading, ballet, running, and cake. Mostly, cake.
May Sage also writes longer fantasy romance novels as Alexi Blake.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 242 reviews
June 20, 2025
⭐2.4
⚔ Plot:
The premise of To Claim a King had real potential - a battle for the crown, creative magical elements, dragons, and a heroine with a mysterious past. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite deliver. The world-building felt somewhat flat, with more telling than showing.
⚔ Writing style:
Overall, the prose is accessible, with a very modern tone that may appeal to some readers. The pacing is fast, perhaps at the cost of depth — certain scenes felt rather rushed, particularly during action-oriented or emotional moments.
⚔ Characters:
The characters were serviceable but not especially memorable. While the heroine had potential, this sadly remained unexplored. The romantic male lead was an interesting figure, though the dynamic between the pair barely grazed the surface.
⚔ Impact:
The setup suggested emotional and political weight, but the follow-through was light, and it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
⚔ Entertainment value:
To Claim a King is a quick, easy fantasy romance read. Enjoyable enough in the moment, but ultimately a wasted concept that could have been so much more. If you're looking for something light and don’t mind a lack of depth, this isn't a bad read.
⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔
Genre:
⚔ Fantasy Romance
Tropes and Themes:
⚔ Dragons
⚔ Royalty
⚔ Magic
⚔ Tournament
⚔ Plot:
The premise of To Claim a King had real potential - a battle for the crown, creative magical elements, dragons, and a heroine with a mysterious past. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite deliver. The world-building felt somewhat flat, with more telling than showing.
⚔ Writing style:
Overall, the prose is accessible, with a very modern tone that may appeal to some readers. The pacing is fast, perhaps at the cost of depth — certain scenes felt rather rushed, particularly during action-oriented or emotional moments.
⚔ Characters:
The characters were serviceable but not especially memorable. While the heroine had potential, this sadly remained unexplored. The romantic male lead was an interesting figure, though the dynamic between the pair barely grazed the surface.
⚔ Impact:
The setup suggested emotional and political weight, but the follow-through was light, and it didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
⚔ Entertainment value:
To Claim a King is a quick, easy fantasy romance read. Enjoyable enough in the moment, but ultimately a wasted concept that could have been so much more. If you're looking for something light and don’t mind a lack of depth, this isn't a bad read.
⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔
Genre:
⚔ Fantasy Romance
Tropes and Themes:
⚔ Dragons
⚔ Royalty
⚔ Magic
⚔ Tournament
June 30, 2017
This book was a 2.5 at best.
The idea is solid, and I wanted to like it, but there was no commitment on the part of the author to follow through with the framework that was set.
The main character is from a secluded, walled village, and is descended from a family of mages. Standard fantasy story, right? Wrong. The central cast all have modern speech patterns and sensibilities, while seemingly living in a medieval time. Then all of a sudden there are references to the characters seeing people in movies, and indirect references to electricity, but also everyone is still using swords and maces in fights? There is no explanation for these things, no reason they might be present, so I can only assume they were done carelessly.
I stuck it out with this one because I genuinely liked the idea behind the book, it felt like it had potential, but it needs to be gone over, edited, and reworked.
The idea is solid, and I wanted to like it, but there was no commitment on the part of the author to follow through with the framework that was set.
The main character is from a secluded, walled village, and is descended from a family of mages. Standard fantasy story, right? Wrong. The central cast all have modern speech patterns and sensibilities, while seemingly living in a medieval time. Then all of a sudden there are references to the characters seeing people in movies, and indirect references to electricity, but also everyone is still using swords and maces in fights? There is no explanation for these things, no reason they might be present, so I can only assume they were done carelessly.
I stuck it out with this one because I genuinely liked the idea behind the book, it felt like it had potential, but it needs to be gone over, edited, and reworked.
January 6, 2018
Wasted Potential
Gah!!! I am so mad! And, disappointed!
I should have listened to the bad reviews, but the plot had such potential that I couldn’t pass it by. And, the plot was extremely interesting, but I was left with a lot of questions and I thought the whole thing could have been so much better. A lot of my issues were with what appeared to be just lazy or elementary writing. At one point the two leads are sitting on a bench and then appear in her bed in the next sentence. There is a weak explanation to how they got there and since it didn't lead to so much as a kiss I'm not sure why she put it in there at all. Another example is when the heroine gets poisoned and we get barely a sentence of how that makes the hero feel and ZERO exploration into the heroine’s feelings about it. We just jump to the next thing. Why even include it if it's not going to give your characters any depth or motivation? I just felt that way about the whole book. It's just all one wasted opportunity after another. I hate giving bad reviews, and strive to not read anything that will earn less than 3-stars but this fantastic plot had such potential that I ignored my fellow 2-star reviewers. Sorry, for not listening…
I encourage others to read through some of the bad reviews and the good. Maybe you can look past things I couldn’t to enjoy this inventive and magical story.
Gah!!! I am so mad! And, disappointed!
I should have listened to the bad reviews, but the plot had such potential that I couldn’t pass it by. And, the plot was extremely interesting, but I was left with a lot of questions and I thought the whole thing could have been so much better. A lot of my issues were with what appeared to be just lazy or elementary writing. At one point the two leads are sitting on a bench and then appear in her bed in the next sentence. There is a weak explanation to how they got there and since it didn't lead to so much as a kiss I'm not sure why she put it in there at all. Another example is when the heroine gets poisoned and we get barely a sentence of how that makes the hero feel and ZERO exploration into the heroine’s feelings about it. We just jump to the next thing. Why even include it if it's not going to give your characters any depth or motivation? I just felt that way about the whole book. It's just all one wasted opportunity after another. I hate giving bad reviews, and strive to not read anything that will earn less than 3-stars but this fantastic plot had such potential that I ignored my fellow 2-star reviewers. Sorry, for not listening…
I encourage others to read through some of the bad reviews and the good. Maybe you can look past things I couldn’t to enjoy this inventive and magical story.
June 12, 2017
3* nice stars
Let’s start with the negatives:
• World building is hap-hazard and minuscule
• Ditto for character development
• Open ending - while not a cliff-hanger, it does leave unanswered questions and paves the way to continuation of the series.
• The story felt rushed, with a lot of happenings crammed in to a relatively short book, but lacked the intensity
On the positive side
• It was an easy read
• Likable characters - both Xandrie and Demelza were fun, however, I found Rhey a bit of a limp noodle.
• Dragons – need I say more?
So, the question is – did it peak enough of my interest to continue in to the next book? The answer is yes, when I am looking for an undemanding, light read.
Let’s start with the negatives:
• World building is hap-hazard and minuscule
• Ditto for character development
• Open ending - while not a cliff-hanger, it does leave unanswered questions and paves the way to continuation of the series.
• The story felt rushed, with a lot of happenings crammed in to a relatively short book, but lacked the intensity
On the positive side
• It was an easy read
• Likable characters - both Xandrie and Demelza were fun, however, I found Rhey a bit of a limp noodle.
• Dragons – need I say more?
So, the question is – did it peak enough of my interest to continue in to the next book? The answer is yes, when I am looking for an undemanding, light read.
June 16, 2017
2.5 Stars!
The book was alright. Just average. What I didn't like was the POV. The third person just felt so distant. Also, some of the sentences were clunky and therefore distracting. Massive sentence after massive sentence after massive sentence is so unnecessary. Nothing stood out about the writing. Oh, and there was no pageflip feature enabled! :( Usually, when I dislike a story, I scroll/skim it quickly using page flip. I couldn't here, so I ended up not finishing it about 50% in.
The book was alright. Just average. What I didn't like was the POV. The third person just felt so distant. Also, some of the sentences were clunky and therefore distracting. Massive sentence after massive sentence after massive sentence is so unnecessary. Nothing stood out about the writing. Oh, and there was no pageflip feature enabled! :( Usually, when I dislike a story, I scroll/skim it quickly using page flip. I couldn't here, so I ended up not finishing it about 50% in.
October 22, 2018
***** 4.5 Stars *****
I was a bit hesitant to read this book initially due to the low reviews from some readers, but I really enjoyed this book! To Claim a King is just a fun fantasy romance with a strong female character. It's not a life changing romance novel, so don't expect something earth shattering full of tears.
But if you're looking for an adventurous read with excitement, action, and love... pick this up. The story is kind of a combination of Cinderella and Xena Warrior Princess (I know- odd comparison). It's just a fun entertaining read.
I was a bit hesitant to read this book initially due to the low reviews from some readers, but I really enjoyed this book! To Claim a King is just a fun fantasy romance with a strong female character. It's not a life changing romance novel, so don't expect something earth shattering full of tears.
But if you're looking for an adventurous read with excitement, action, and love... pick this up. The story is kind of a combination of Cinderella and Xena Warrior Princess (I know- odd comparison). It's just a fun entertaining read.
October 25, 2022
⤏ DNF 40%
I think this had potential and could've been a great story if only it wasn't so rushed and the characters & plot were more developed.
After reading that synopsis, I really was excited for this one, but unfortunately I couldn't even finish it...
I think this had potential and could've been a great story if only it wasn't so rushed and the characters & plot were more developed.
After reading that synopsis, I really was excited for this one, but unfortunately I couldn't even finish it...
May 6, 2020
Shape shifting dragons, and wicked awesome enchantresses? Yes please. I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of this specific trope but this one totally worked for me. It was interesting, fast paced, and gripping. Its a superb story with incredibly awesome characters. I seriously enjoyed ever second of this one. Thanks for the recommendation Maria.
May 29, 2017
This book was a solid start to the series. I loved the heroine being a badass. I guess my only complaint was the insta-love thing. It was.a bit too much. plus the plot was overly predictable. I still think it was a good read and I'll check out the next installment.
February 12, 2019
One of my vices is that I'm bespelled by attractive covers easily. Whoever is the artist behind the covers for all these dragon books has some serious talent and I'm living for the aesthetic.
That aside, the cover is kind of the only part I'm totally in love with. It definitely sucked me in and got 99 cents out of me.
To Claim a King has a lot of great ideas--like turning the "win the lady's hand" trope into "win yourself a king and kingdom!" and using dragon shifters in a high-ish fantasy context--but ultimately this book suffers from the same thing that kills a lot of the fantasy titles I see:
it's too short and too underdeveloped.
When it comes to fantasy, there's a lot of things to take into consideration that don't apply to lots of other genres and when some authors try their hand at it they don't properly build the world--it's more like going to a common Renaissance Fair than actually being immersed in the Renaissance period--things that commonly read as "fantasy" or "old" get tossed in without much though to set the scene, but the illusion gets shattered constantly by the intrusion of things that scream "modern day" or "real world" to readers.
The author clearly just laid out more of a fantasy-style backdrop with common elements (mages, magic, dragons, swords, tunics, archery, kingdoms, etc.) and didn't really want to take the time to create a world so much as she wanted to tell a story that was fantasy themed. We're often berated by speech that is 100% modern and there are times when random bits of modern-day stuff gets dropped into the story, like Xandrie seeing movies or there being concrete or them knowing what electricity is (wouldn't fantasy people just call it lightning?) when the author sets us up for a more "medieval" style world.
That being said, on top of the fantasy getting a bit of a more "quick and dirty" treatment, the author also didn't develop the story as much as I'd have liked. The ideas were good! I was very drawn to them. But ultimately this is a very short book that moves very quickly. In fact, it's so quick that the romance basically boils down to a handful of scenes where they think the other person is hot, they have sex that's not even at the level of erotica (it's like literally: "Rhey does oral sex. "let's change the meaning of dragon rider" said Xandrie as she popped Rhey's hard dick inside of her--they come and come and come then sleep. Very to the point and a bit bland; when the description warned me about this not being a clean read I was prepared for some hardcore erotica--this basically just says a few curse words and is a little more frank about the sex/arousal than a pure "fade to black" adult romance would) and then she wins the competition by default and they get married in an epilogue. Everything felt more like an outline of a story without the meat--Xandrie is mistreated, Xandrie runs away, Xandrie makes friend, Xandrie is arrested, Xandrie is saved, Xandrie is attracted to man and vice versa, Xandrie enters competition, Xandrie trains, Xandrie turns out to be Special SnowFlake dragon rider, Xandrie puts up magic barrier no else could, Xandrie has sex with king, Xandrie wins competition, Xandrie marries king and is queen, Xandrie turns out to have magical baby-dragon-calming powers thus ensuring moms will live, Xandrie evidentally is super special just because the author needed her to be wonderful and perfect with superficial flaws. It's honestly sad how the author boiled down the fantasy into such a tiny book with a breakneck speed and minimal development to get us from point A to B to C and so on.
I did overall get through the book easily and have generally okay feelings about it, this is more of a "light, quick, generally fluffy for readers" style of book than anything serious, even if the cover art screams "intense fantasy."
Also, some details to note:
- Xandrie almost gets raped; it's not really graphic but she is attacked and then her parents basically are like "you're lying and it's pointless because you're gonna marry him anyway." and it doesn't really get much attention. The author uses it more for an excuse for Xandrie to be mistreated enough to get accused of a crime and thrown in jail so she has no reason to not be totally okay with running off to live with the dragons.
- The author tries to explain/defend scanty fantasy armor on women by saying it's not armor that PHYSICALLY projects, it's a MAGICAL protection hence why bellies and asses and tits can be all exposed. Now, at least she's honest with the fact that "men designed it for eye candy" aspect but like... come on. If you're gonna bring up the issue at least be willing to go all the way with it.
I think if you're not a more serious fantasy reader and the logistics of world building and what not don't bother you--and you like books that Get To The Point and go by very fast, this might very well be worth looking into! It doesn't hit any of my niches outside of its general ideas and cover art though, so for me it's nothing I'll be reading again. It didn't have enough romance, enough fantasy, or enough deftness of writing skill to really draw me in.
3 stars is my rating--it's not BAD, but I expect far more out of romances and fantasies and I think the author is selling her ideas short by making the books so small, so fast paced, and so basically developed. If it ever suited her, she seems like she could definitely write a fantasy-romance that rivaled books like A Promise of Fire.
If you're interested, wait til its on sale for 99 cents. It's not worth $4.
That aside, the cover is kind of the only part I'm totally in love with. It definitely sucked me in and got 99 cents out of me.
To Claim a King has a lot of great ideas--like turning the "win the lady's hand" trope into "win yourself a king and kingdom!" and using dragon shifters in a high-ish fantasy context--but ultimately this book suffers from the same thing that kills a lot of the fantasy titles I see:
it's too short and too underdeveloped.
When it comes to fantasy, there's a lot of things to take into consideration that don't apply to lots of other genres and when some authors try their hand at it they don't properly build the world--it's more like going to a common Renaissance Fair than actually being immersed in the Renaissance period--things that commonly read as "fantasy" or "old" get tossed in without much though to set the scene, but the illusion gets shattered constantly by the intrusion of things that scream "modern day" or "real world" to readers.
The author clearly just laid out more of a fantasy-style backdrop with common elements (mages, magic, dragons, swords, tunics, archery, kingdoms, etc.) and didn't really want to take the time to create a world so much as she wanted to tell a story that was fantasy themed. We're often berated by speech that is 100% modern and there are times when random bits of modern-day stuff gets dropped into the story, like Xandrie seeing movies or there being concrete or them knowing what electricity is (wouldn't fantasy people just call it lightning?) when the author sets us up for a more "medieval" style world.
That being said, on top of the fantasy getting a bit of a more "quick and dirty" treatment, the author also didn't develop the story as much as I'd have liked. The ideas were good! I was very drawn to them. But ultimately this is a very short book that moves very quickly. In fact, it's so quick that the romance basically boils down to a handful of scenes where they think the other person is hot, they have sex that's not even at the level of erotica (it's like literally: "Rhey does oral sex. "let's change the meaning of dragon rider" said Xandrie as she popped Rhey's hard dick inside of her--they come and come and come then sleep. Very to the point and a bit bland; when the description warned me about this not being a clean read I was prepared for some hardcore erotica--this basically just says a few curse words and is a little more frank about the sex/arousal than a pure "fade to black" adult romance would) and then she wins the competition by default and they get married in an epilogue. Everything felt more like an outline of a story without the meat--Xandrie is mistreated, Xandrie runs away, Xandrie makes friend, Xandrie is arrested, Xandrie is saved, Xandrie is attracted to man and vice versa, Xandrie enters competition, Xandrie trains, Xandrie turns out to be Special SnowFlake dragon rider, Xandrie puts up magic barrier no else could, Xandrie has sex with king, Xandrie wins competition, Xandrie marries king and is queen, Xandrie turns out to have magical baby-dragon-calming powers thus ensuring moms will live, Xandrie evidentally is super special just because the author needed her to be wonderful and perfect with superficial flaws. It's honestly sad how the author boiled down the fantasy into such a tiny book with a breakneck speed and minimal development to get us from point A to B to C and so on.
I did overall get through the book easily and have generally okay feelings about it, this is more of a "light, quick, generally fluffy for readers" style of book than anything serious, even if the cover art screams "intense fantasy."
Also, some details to note:
- Xandrie almost gets raped; it's not really graphic but she is attacked and then her parents basically are like "you're lying and it's pointless because you're gonna marry him anyway." and it doesn't really get much attention. The author uses it more for an excuse for Xandrie to be mistreated enough to get accused of a crime and thrown in jail so she has no reason to not be totally okay with running off to live with the dragons.
- The author tries to explain/defend scanty fantasy armor on women by saying it's not armor that PHYSICALLY projects, it's a MAGICAL protection hence why bellies and asses and tits can be all exposed. Now, at least she's honest with the fact that "men designed it for eye candy" aspect but like... come on. If you're gonna bring up the issue at least be willing to go all the way with it.
I think if you're not a more serious fantasy reader and the logistics of world building and what not don't bother you--and you like books that Get To The Point and go by very fast, this might very well be worth looking into! It doesn't hit any of my niches outside of its general ideas and cover art though, so for me it's nothing I'll be reading again. It didn't have enough romance, enough fantasy, or enough deftness of writing skill to really draw me in.
3 stars is my rating--it's not BAD, but I expect far more out of romances and fantasies and I think the author is selling her ideas short by making the books so small, so fast paced, and so basically developed. If it ever suited her, she seems like she could definitely write a fantasy-romance that rivaled books like A Promise of Fire.
If you're interested, wait til its on sale for 99 cents. It's not worth $4.
September 10, 2017
loved this book! this was pure fantasy and actually only one hot somewhat erotic scence but this was what i needed after so many questionable reads. Lots packed into such a short book but still good. H is dragon king, h has no magic in family of strong mages/magicians and was treated like cinderella by her parents, basically a maid. I liked the h - dispite the crappy parents she was strong and loved her sisters who were strong mages. World building good, but i did have some eye rolling times with this super woman h who was just a bit too good to be real but hey this is a fantasy right? I certainly prefered her over the usual tsl doormat h's that i'ave read lately. This h turned out to be a dragon rider (these were banned hundred of years previously) who happened upon a female dragon (with some help from elves)? who she immediately formed a bound. h was attached by sleezebag the parents wanted her to marry, she fought him with her new found fire power but parents locked her up, tried to torture her claiming she was demon possessed. She was then rescued by H (dragon king), our intrepid h was immediately accepted into the royal family (who lived apart from humans/didnt trust them), she was then trained as a warrior, managed to save the kingdom, saved from poisoning, fought stronger dragon warriors to claim the king and saved dragon kind all in short time and oh she has a powerful pet tiger - so yes lots of eye rolling times but this is fantasy people. The book was easy to read, flowed very well, good world building set up. I did expect more tension, more darkness and more struggles, maybe this will happen in the next book in the series? All said, easy, fun read. Will I read more from this author? yes! will I read followup book? Definately!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2020
I picked this up when it was a freebie and tried this one based solely on my previous reading of May Sage. It was unlike anything I've ever read before. It's gritty in its subject matter with incredible world-building. It was so immersive, I started getting weird looks when I'd growl while reading on my lunch break. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5 stars
My Rating: 5 stars
November 18, 2017
2.5 - 3 stars - hmm, where to begin...this book had a good premise but didn’t delve into anything enough for the reader to really become invested in the story or the characters. I was leaning towards maybe me being too old and the book being geared to a younger crowd (like middle school) but then there was a graphic enough love scene that disproved that theory. Anyway, it wasn’t horrible. Usually if I rate anything 2.5 or below I absolutely loathed the book, but this wasn’t like that. If anything, I think I was more disappointed that the story wasn’t developed more because the plot definitely held potential. Instead, it was at a weird point where the plot/level of detail was just surface enough to draw in the attention of middle schoolers, but the language/sex scene/killing was way too much for that age group. So either the writing needed to be more detailed, with the characters, story and world building needing a lot more work or the sex scenes needed to be fade to black, the cussing needed to be kept to a minimum and the killing needed to happen Disney style.
February 24, 2020
Listen, we ain’t out here trying to shame women for liking sexy fantasy smut, but that doesn’t mean I have the stomach for insta-lust where the guys are getting boners every time they see the MC who is BEAUTIFUL but doesn’t know it.
Anyways, I didn’t realize that this book was so short, and if it had been longer I would have been happy to see more worldbuilding and a fun slow burn romance... but no that’s not really what we got.
Speaking of worldbuilding, what even is the worldbuilding? They have mages and all the trappings of a traditional medieval European world, but the dragons have movies and technology that uses buttons?? And somehow Greece exists in this universe? I’m not saying that fantasy fiction has to be historically accurate but lord it yanks me out of the story when stuff like this happens.
It’s not a 1-star because the worldbuilding has potential and I guess we get female camaraderie points.
Anyways, I didn’t realize that this book was so short, and if it had been longer I would have been happy to see more worldbuilding and a fun slow burn romance... but no that’s not really what we got.
Speaking of worldbuilding, what even is the worldbuilding? They have mages and all the trappings of a traditional medieval European world, but the dragons have movies and technology that uses buttons?? And somehow Greece exists in this universe? I’m not saying that fantasy fiction has to be historically accurate but lord it yanks me out of the story when stuff like this happens.
It’s not a 1-star because the worldbuilding has potential and I guess we get female camaraderie points.
December 30, 2017
I really wanted to like this book but it was all over the place.... I felt like I was at an arcade with my 5 year old getting pulled in a million different while he puts money into games but doesn’t finish them before he moves on to the next.
Was this a modern story or medieval? It seemed to be a good twist on both with a lot of modern humor, which was my only joy in this book. What’s the point of the elves at the beginning? Where was the plot? Why make a big deal about the ward being down on the wall when you make it an easy fix in the story? Why make a big deal about mothers dying during birthing dragons when the fix is maybe 1 page of the story. Why write about a huge competition only to have the “badass” heroine win by default at the end? WTF is that “epilogue” about? It goes in another 4 directions and doesn’t even read like a epilogue....
Yea this could have been good, I thought it was going to be until I got close to the end and realized that everything was going to be wrapped in a pretty bow which ended up making the book seem like there was no plot... again that epilogue... omg...
Was this a modern story or medieval? It seemed to be a good twist on both with a lot of modern humor, which was my only joy in this book. What’s the point of the elves at the beginning? Where was the plot? Why make a big deal about the ward being down on the wall when you make it an easy fix in the story? Why make a big deal about mothers dying during birthing dragons when the fix is maybe 1 page of the story. Why write about a huge competition only to have the “badass” heroine win by default at the end? WTF is that “epilogue” about? It goes in another 4 directions and doesn’t even read like a epilogue....
Yea this could have been good, I thought it was going to be until I got close to the end and realized that everything was going to be wrapped in a pretty bow which ended up making the book seem like there was no plot... again that epilogue... omg...
August 21, 2022
I think that all the elements that make up this story were too much for me; the reality is that I couldn't connect with anything because I just found out that it's not my kind of story.
Anyway, I think that for a plot with so many elements, the book should have been longer, so it feels too rushed and with too many things coming up one after another without giving you time to assimilate them.
Anyway, I think that for a plot with so many elements, the book should have been longer, so it feels too rushed and with too many things coming up one after another without giving you time to assimilate them.
July 1, 2017
Did not finish. I only got 16% of the way through. It suffers from an issue that seems to happen more and more frequently. Fantasy written with contemporary idioms and contemporary slang. It reads a bit like high fantasy written by a teenager with a teen's vocabulary.
Examples:
'His whole vibe made her stomach churn' -a male her parents were trying to pair her off with
'She felt awkward as fuck' after a stranger tells her that her mother (the strangers) died in child birth.
'Sass and sarcasm, she could dish out like they were on sale for a dime a dozen...' the set up so far has been an isolated village, hunting with bow and arrow, a king in a castle... something tells me whatever they use for currency in this world, it isn't pennies, dimes and dollars.
Examples:
'His whole vibe made her stomach churn' -a male her parents were trying to pair her off with
'She felt awkward as fuck' after a stranger tells her that her mother (the strangers) died in child birth.
'Sass and sarcasm, she could dish out like they were on sale for a dime a dozen...' the set up so far has been an isolated village, hunting with bow and arrow, a king in a castle... something tells me whatever they use for currency in this world, it isn't pennies, dimes and dollars.
October 4, 2017
3.5 Stars
This book was a hard start to get into. It really found its way at the 20% mark, when Xandrie and Rhey met. They is the dragon king, female dragons enter a gladiator style competition to win his hand. Of course our female Xandrie enters the completion, but there is more to her than what meets the eye.
It reminded me Red Queen with the brutal queen’s trial, except the main character and love interest aren’t horrible.
Maybe it reminds me of The Selection with picking the girls, except there’s no love triangle.
No, it reminded me of The Emperors Arrow, but with dragons.
I enjoyed Vincent a whole lot. In fact I think the next book is about him!
This book was a hard start to get into. It really found its way at the 20% mark, when Xandrie and Rhey met. They is the dragon king, female dragons enter a gladiator style competition to win his hand. Of course our female Xandrie enters the completion, but there is more to her than what meets the eye.
It reminded me Red Queen with the brutal queen’s trial, except the main character and love interest aren’t horrible.
Maybe it reminds me of The Selection with picking the girls, except there’s no love triangle.
No, it reminded me of The Emperors Arrow, but with dragons.
I enjoyed Vincent a whole lot. In fact I think the next book is about him!
March 17, 2023
Xandrie was nobodies stooge
Overall 3 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed: 01-12-23
Xandrie was nothing to her people. She was born of mages but she had no power. She was reduced to little more than a servant in her own home. Then there was Ray. He was dragon king. He was reduced to rescuer for his dear friend and her little friend. Ray had no idea that he would feel the magic that he did or the soul deep connection.
Narrator was on point. I just would have liked to feel or hear a difference in dialect between the north and the dragon kingdom.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining Easy-to-read
Overall 3 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed: 01-12-23
Xandrie was nothing to her people. She was born of mages but she had no power. She was reduced to little more than a servant in her own home. Then there was Ray. He was dragon king. He was reduced to rescuer for his dear friend and her little friend. Ray had no idea that he would feel the magic that he did or the soul deep connection.
Narrator was on point. I just would have liked to feel or hear a difference in dialect between the north and the dragon kingdom.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining Easy-to-read
June 25, 2019
This author really isn't that great at writing a climax, man. Such a good build up to a mild and uneventful resolution. Every damn time. This one reminded me very strongly of the overall story arc of the Tairen Soul series with the magic and the babies and such. I'm not sure how I felt about that.
May 16, 2017
2.5 sketchy in places, too thin. Many grammar issues/homophone problems. Weird dialogue that is jarring and takes you out of the story. 1000 year old dragons saying something like "true dat" in a vaguely post apocalyptic world. Bizarre.
January 30, 2020
DNF'd at 62.8% (page 164/261)
The writing was clunky and there was very little logical plot progression. The author seemed to rely on more of a hand-waving, don't-look-too-closely-at-it method, which really only works if the writing is good enough to keep the reader engaged.
The writing was clunky and there was very little logical plot progression. The author seemed to rely on more of a hand-waving, don't-look-too-closely-at-it method, which really only works if the writing is good enough to keep the reader engaged.
January 29, 2018
I’ve decided May Sage is not for me. Incomplete and scattered world-building at best, open-ended plot points (and not insignificant ones) and flat characters.
Just not for me.
Just not for me.
November 20, 2018
1.5 stars
April 10, 2021
I wasn't too sure about this book, but it was free so I figured what the heck, I won't be out any money. Aside from a handful of typos, I loved this book.
It starts out Xandrie lives at home with her family (mother, father and two sisters). Mom and dad are cruel, retched people; her sisters are good to her. They are a family of mages, and Xandrie is the only one who has no magic in her, so she is an embarrassment to her parents. She's reduced to basically being their maid, cleaning, cooking, that sort of thing. Every day after her chores are done, she sneaks out of the town to the forest, where she has "adopted" a white tiger cub she's named Claws. She meets a woman in the forest who turns out to be a dragon shifter, and they become fast friends. They train together (battle train) and talk for hours. It's an instant friendship, like they've known each other forever.
One day, while sneaking back over the wall into her town, she is attacked by a sleazeball who her parents want her to marry. She feels this heat moving up through her body and she shoves him in the chest and he goes flying backwards, two burn marks where she had shoved him. Fast forward a little while, and there is a knock at the door. It's the sleazeball and some guards coming to arrest Xandrie for being in league with demons. They arrest her and take her to the prison's dungeon, planning to torture her to death. However, they cannot come near her as there is like a protection of intense heat around her.
A while later, her friend finds out that Xandrie has been captured, so she asks her friend Reys to rescue her. He does, and takes her back to his kingdom, where turns out, he's the king. Go figure. There is to be a tournament between the dragonesses (is that a word?) and the winner "wins" the king and the throne. Well, you know Xandrie gets entered into it.
This is a stand alone book with no cliffhangers, which is nice. There is danger, adventure, romance, cursing, and a white tiger cub. I found I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
4 / 5 stars
It starts out Xandrie lives at home with her family (mother, father and two sisters). Mom and dad are cruel, retched people; her sisters are good to her. They are a family of mages, and Xandrie is the only one who has no magic in her, so she is an embarrassment to her parents. She's reduced to basically being their maid, cleaning, cooking, that sort of thing. Every day after her chores are done, she sneaks out of the town to the forest, where she has "adopted" a white tiger cub she's named Claws. She meets a woman in the forest who turns out to be a dragon shifter, and they become fast friends. They train together (battle train) and talk for hours. It's an instant friendship, like they've known each other forever.
One day, while sneaking back over the wall into her town, she is attacked by a sleazeball who her parents want her to marry. She feels this heat moving up through her body and she shoves him in the chest and he goes flying backwards, two burn marks where she had shoved him. Fast forward a little while, and there is a knock at the door. It's the sleazeball and some guards coming to arrest Xandrie for being in league with demons. They arrest her and take her to the prison's dungeon, planning to torture her to death. However, they cannot come near her as there is like a protection of intense heat around her.
A while later, her friend finds out that Xandrie has been captured, so she asks her friend Reys to rescue her. He does, and takes her back to his kingdom, where turns out, he's the king. Go figure. There is to be a tournament between the dragonesses (is that a word?) and the winner "wins" the king and the throne. Well, you know Xandrie gets entered into it.
This is a stand alone book with no cliffhangers, which is nice. There is danger, adventure, romance, cursing, and a white tiger cub. I found I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
4 / 5 stars
November 5, 2018
The book starts out great. Setting up the characters and developing them. The world needed more development though. They loved on Eartia, but there was no explanation of what that world looks like. What’s the technology and time like? Movies and toilets and hospitals are mentioned. But no phones? We know there is magic but that’s not really developed either. However, the lack of world building aside, the characters were likable. I really liked Xandrie but wanted to know more about her. The beginning makes it sound like she’s a blushing virgin but her time with the king (that’s not a spoiler the title gives it away) was not a scene for a virgin. That was actually where the book started to fall apart. The last 30-40% was rushed. The first half I kept thinking there is no way this book will end. I was even prepared to purchase the sequel. But the author quickly wrapped it up and left me unwilling to pay for the sequel even if I interested in those characters. There were was also a lot of run-on sentences and choppy word choices. I think with some editing and added chapters for development, this book would be much better. Especially the ending. Most of the epilogue was no epilogue. It was another chapter. Idk. I’m no writer myself but I do read a ton. So I’m basing my constructive criticisms off what I’ve read that has worked and hasn’t. And unfortunately, much of this didn’t work. BUT, the author’s concept is there. She had a great foundation. I truly believe this series could be vastly improved with some editing and expansion.
June 13, 2018
Awesome fantasy read with a unique writing style!
I loved the world building in this book. It created such a well drawn out, interesting world that I just wanted to know more and more about. I adored the characters, especially Elza, who I think was my favourite!
My only qualm about this book is I think it kind of wrapped up rather quickly for a novel that started out with such great world and character building as it developed into a great plot. This might be just me because I read the end rather quickly since I was dying to know what happened, but I feel like it could have been a tad bit longer.
I did LOVE the ending though, but I won't spoil why! Looking forward to book 2!
I loved the world building in this book. It created such a well drawn out, interesting world that I just wanted to know more and more about. I adored the characters, especially Elza, who I think was my favourite!
My only qualm about this book is I think it kind of wrapped up rather quickly for a novel that started out with such great world and character building as it developed into a great plot. This might be just me because I read the end rather quickly since I was dying to know what happened, but I feel like it could have been a tad bit longer.
I did LOVE the ending though, but I won't spoil why! Looking forward to book 2!
September 5, 2023
⭐⭐.5/5
Overall impression: disappointing compared to Sage's Strands of Starfire series (Reign). Despite being written around the same time, this book was too haphazard and it felt like scenes were thrown together at random. Not going to bother with the rest of the books in this series.
✅ Dragon King / Dragon Rider
✅ Fated mates
✅ Bonding
✅ Fantasy romance
⚖️ Okayish world-building
❌ Insta-lust romance
❌ Weakly developed characters
❌ Overused plot
❌ Bizarre dialogue and scenes
❌ Plot o' convenience
Overall impression: disappointing compared to Sage's Strands of Starfire series (Reign). Despite being written around the same time, this book was too haphazard and it felt like scenes were thrown together at random. Not going to bother with the rest of the books in this series.
✅ Dragon King / Dragon Rider
✅ Fated mates
✅ Bonding
✅ Fantasy romance
⚖️ Okayish world-building
❌ Insta-lust romance
❌ Weakly developed characters
❌ Overused plot
❌ Bizarre dialogue and scenes
❌ Plot o' convenience
November 4, 2024
I really Enjoyed this - it was definitely a unique dragon story!
I loved the different factions the dragon riders, the shadow.....
Some parts felt a bit rushed or glossed over, but in general the book grabbed and held my attention will be on the lookout for more stuff by this author
I loved the different factions the dragon riders, the shadow.....
Some parts felt a bit rushed or glossed over, but in general the book grabbed and held my attention will be on the lookout for more stuff by this author
November 8, 2018
I really enjoyed this novel but...
This book is all about her fighting for the king and yet the final competition takes 4 pages? And after all shes done in the novel and with the knowledge the king favours her there is one girl that wants to kill her?
I would really like the blurb to fit the story, cause it still was a good read.
This book is all about her fighting for the king and yet the final competition takes 4 pages? And after all shes done in the novel and with the knowledge the king favours her there is one girl that wants to kill her?
I would really like the blurb to fit the story, cause it still was a good read.
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