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The Arclight Saga #0.5
Why Dragons Hide
To rise through the ranks of an ancient military order, magic-wielding students are pitted against each other in vicious survival matches.
Sixteen-year-old Kyra dreams of making it to the top, but on her final trial she's teamed up with a mysterious student who isn't what he appears to be. Amidst the chaos and bloodshed, they must find a way to survive while preventing a great evil from finding its way back into the world.
WHY DRAGONS HIDE is a must-read for fans of the Arclight Saga, and a good entry point for new readers.
Sixteen-year-old Kyra dreams of making it to the top, but on her final trial she's teamed up with a mysterious student who isn't what he appears to be. Amidst the chaos and bloodshed, they must find a way to survive while preventing a great evil from finding its way back into the world.
WHY DRAGONS HIDE is a must-read for fans of the Arclight Saga, and a good entry point for new readers.
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First published October 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 14, 2017
This is a novella set before the events of The Reach Between Worlds. It's now available for purchase! :)
June 30, 2018
Why Dragons Hide follows a small group, that are one of the groups from a magical school called the Magisterium, about to start their trial in a remote location, where only one group will have victory and pass to become Magisters. There is a single pov from Kayra, who is a princess, though she keeps that hidden from other students, but we also have a second primary character who knows her secret and has an equally huge one of his own. I didn't feel overly invested in the characters, but I assume that would be different digging into the series. The elements however really intrigued me, it's a more scholarly magic school with magic and alchemy (the potion making sort), but also artificers who do more engineering/mechanical sort of work. This world also has dragons who take human form, ancient ones, a sort of magical AI and old gods.
Needless to say, this one really surprised. Even though it is a novella & prequel, the worldbuilding that's packed in is very strong & polished to me, definitely will be reading more in this series.
Needless to say, this one really surprised. Even though it is a novella & prequel, the worldbuilding that's packed in is very strong & polished to me, definitely will be reading more in this series.
November 19, 2017
Why Dragons Hide is the perfect companion to flesh out an already full world of lore, mystery, tradition and action.
WDH brings you back in time in the Magisterium to follow the doings of Kadia, Kyra, Fenn and Kurian just before and during their trials to become Magisters.
It reads like a heartfelt Stand By Me with a dash of Stranger Things. I read this in a couple hours and my only complaint is that there isn’t more to read!
Any fan of the series or a fan or any engaging, rollicking trip into a beautiful world of magic will love the tale of monsters and the humanity that they bring out in the best of us.
Another notch in CM Hayden’s belt that brings me happily back to Endra Edun.
WDH brings you back in time in the Magisterium to follow the doings of Kadia, Kyra, Fenn and Kurian just before and during their trials to become Magisters.
It reads like a heartfelt Stand By Me with a dash of Stranger Things. I read this in a couple hours and my only complaint is that there isn’t more to read!
Any fan of the series or a fan or any engaging, rollicking trip into a beautiful world of magic will love the tale of monsters and the humanity that they bring out in the best of us.
Another notch in CM Hayden’s belt that brings me happily back to Endra Edun.
November 26, 2017
I read this before The Reach Between Worlds. I liked it, which is why I read the next book. It was fast-paced and fun.
That said, please don't read the appendix if you haven't read the first book of the series as there are some spoilers.
That said, please don't read the appendix if you haven't read the first book of the series as there are some spoilers.
April 27, 2018
Very short and enjoyable. Can’t wait to read the rest.
May 29, 2018
Nice!
August 11, 2019
Although this is a presequel, I read it after The Reach Between Worlds (book 1) and it was rewarding to already know some of the characters from the saga. This is definitely a good entry point into the series, since the writing is a bit stronger than in book 1.
The story is framed as letters from Kyra, a 16-year-old student attending magical university, to her uncle. Epistolary is my favorite writing style, so I devoured this story in about three days. And even though the story was written as letters, the plot was smooth, continuous and wonderfully paced. I don’t think this story could have been any better.
Why Dragons Hide answered all my burning background questions from The Reach Between Worlds. I learned more about my favorite character, Vexis, who is presented as at LEAST morally gray, if not a straight-up villain in book 1. Learning about Vexis and her sister Kadia made Vexis's story even more interesting and led to some new questions about the shadowy group of villains from the main series. I always like learning what motivates people to make do morally questionable things.
The story featured more dragons than book 1, which was so cool! I love the idea of humans transforming into dragons, and one of the main characters in this story really delivers on that point. This novella revealed more about the wider world of Arkos and its history, which makes me eager to read book 2 (The Stars That Form Us). Basically, Why Dragons Hide was huge fanservice, and since the writing was so strong, this is my favorite in the Arclight Saga so far.
The story is framed as letters from Kyra, a 16-year-old student attending magical university, to her uncle. Epistolary is my favorite writing style, so I devoured this story in about three days. And even though the story was written as letters, the plot was smooth, continuous and wonderfully paced. I don’t think this story could have been any better.
Why Dragons Hide answered all my burning background questions from The Reach Between Worlds. I learned more about my favorite character, Vexis, who is presented as at LEAST morally gray, if not a straight-up villain in book 1. Learning about Vexis and her sister Kadia made Vexis's story even more interesting and led to some new questions about the shadowy group of villains from the main series. I always like learning what motivates people to make do morally questionable things.
The story featured more dragons than book 1, which was so cool! I love the idea of humans transforming into dragons, and one of the main characters in this story really delivers on that point. This novella revealed more about the wider world of Arkos and its history, which makes me eager to read book 2 (The Stars That Form Us). Basically, Why Dragons Hide was huge fanservice, and since the writing was so strong, this is my favorite in the Arclight Saga so far.
February 25, 2018
Hmm, this was an interesting read. Having not read any other books of the series, I've read this one as the first book. It took me a little while to get into it. From the start it felt like I should already know the characters, which is understandable since this book ('book 0') has been written after the later books of the series. I stuck with reading it from start to end, however, and I'm glad I did. Once I focused and read chapter after chapter, finally I could begin relating to the characters. It's a fantasy story with an underlying story of friendship and acceptance of oneself even if different from everyone else. I did enjoy this book. I'd be open to reading more from this author.
May 13, 2018
This time the prose style reflects the setting and characters even more effectively than it did in the first book. Kyra is a refined narrator, and her voice is measured and descriptive but still compelling. While there is more detailed world-building here, the pacing remains engaging. This was another page-turner, and although the ending left some plot threads unresolved, they will probably be addressed later in the series.
September 20, 2018
Interesting read for a fantasy fan.
Its an interesting novella which is short and crisp with minimal fillers and the story flows with a good pace throughout. Some of the moments between Kyra and Kurian were a bit cringy but other than its a really good book.
Its an interesting novella which is short and crisp with minimal fillers and the story flows with a good pace throughout. Some of the moments between Kyra and Kurian were a bit cringy but other than its a really good book.
December 4, 2018
Great beginning
I'm glad I saw this prequel available rather than start the series. It got me super excited to see where this series goes.
I'm glad I saw this prequel available rather than start the series. It got me super excited to see where this series goes.
October 15, 2017
Read it...Loved it.
November 2, 2018
This book had an interesting story and world and I'll continue on to read the actual first book of this series: The Reach Between Worlds. Why Dragons Hide is fine as an introduction to the series, but I expect The Reach Between Worlds will be a better start. I feel like I was missing out on some context while reading Why Dragons Hide and I don't recall much of the magic/fantasy terminology being explained in this novella so I was a little lost at times. Anyway, this book was good enough to whet my appetite for the rest of the series.
February 20, 2018
A
3 1/2 stars. Good characters. Although it's the prequel, it definitely reads as an added book where all the basics have been explained in proceeding books. I think perhaps I should have started with book one.
3 1/2 stars. Good characters. Although it's the prequel, it definitely reads as an added book where all the basics have been explained in proceeding books. I think perhaps I should have started with book one.
October 13, 2018
The Arclight Saga, Book 0
Okay, this was enjoyable if a little pedistrian.sp.. Interactions were enjoyable. Always enjoy Dragon action but wish description was more complete.
Okay, this was enjoyable if a little pedistrian.sp.. Interactions were enjoyable. Always enjoy Dragon action but wish description was more complete.
March 4, 2019
A fun prequel novel
This is an enjoyable tale. While the setting could have been fleshed out more, it is still a fun and fast read.
This is an enjoyable tale. While the setting could have been fleshed out more, it is still a fun and fast read.
June 4, 2022
The book takes place as a letter Kyra is writing to her uncle. It goes into detail about what happened during her first trial to become a Magister, and introduces a character whom is tied for my favorite, Kyrian. During the story, they go to a hidden monestary and are tasked with fixing a malfunctioning device in the World Tree. After realizing all aren't as it seems, they have a decision to make. Will they complete their task and become Magisters, or is their task more sinister than it first appears?
As in The Reach Between Worlds, the characters are spot on. Kurian is a draconic halfling who is tends to be extremely reckless because of his strength, though I can't remember a scene where he put anyone else but himself at risk. Like Taro, he definitely acts like the teen he is. He is a class clown, knowing lots of people, but very few people actually know him. Kurian is an acrobat, using his draconic reflexes to perform death defying feats. Growing up shunned by the dragons, he cannot transform into a dragon form. Having both the powers of the Arclight and the Overlight, he is much stronger in magistry than the other trial goers, and feels his team won't need to do anything, he can do everything.
We don't learn a lot more about the geography of the world in this book, mainly just the island that the trial takes on, but we do learn a lot about the history of the world. Pairing well with book 3, we start to really learn about one of Nuruthil's commanders, as well as the father of the dragons, Craetos.
I started the series with book 1, but this is a fantastic starting point if are unsure about getting into the series. Why Dragons Hide is a shorter book, being more of a novella than a novel, and it is about half the price of book 1 as well. It is out on Audible and for Kindle, the narrator on Audible (Emily Wylie) is absolutely amazing. Sadly, we don't get more Kurian until book 3 (understandable, as this book was released between books 2 and 3). Overall, I'd say this book rates a solid 4.5/5.
As in The Reach Between Worlds, the characters are spot on. Kurian is a draconic halfling who is tends to be extremely reckless because of his strength, though I can't remember a scene where he put anyone else but himself at risk. Like Taro, he definitely acts like the teen he is. He is a class clown, knowing lots of people, but very few people actually know him. Kurian is an acrobat, using his draconic reflexes to perform death defying feats. Growing up shunned by the dragons, he cannot transform into a dragon form. Having both the powers of the Arclight and the Overlight, he is much stronger in magistry than the other trial goers, and feels his team won't need to do anything, he can do everything.
We don't learn a lot more about the geography of the world in this book, mainly just the island that the trial takes on, but we do learn a lot about the history of the world. Pairing well with book 3, we start to really learn about one of Nuruthil's commanders, as well as the father of the dragons, Craetos.
I started the series with book 1, but this is a fantastic starting point if are unsure about getting into the series. Why Dragons Hide is a shorter book, being more of a novella than a novel, and it is about half the price of book 1 as well. It is out on Audible and for Kindle, the narrator on Audible (Emily Wylie) is absolutely amazing. Sadly, we don't get more Kurian until book 3 (understandable, as this book was released between books 2 and 3). Overall, I'd say this book rates a solid 4.5/5.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews