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Dragon Tamer #1
Slayer
Destined to Slay
In the small homestead of Dronias, where monsters terrorize, young Julianna is a dragon killer - or so she's been trained. Destined to be one of the great slayers like generations before her, Julianna is eager to fulfill her destiny of defending her village.
A Sword Infused with Power
On her eighteenth birthday, she embarks on a journey to kill her first dragon, a right of passage like so many before her. Magic Goblin sword in hand, Julianna tracks down her beastly target but finds herself unable to deliver the final blow.
A War Centuries Old
In her moment of weakness, with sword poised, Julianna suddenly finds herself no longer staring down the emerald eyes of a dragon. Instead, a handsome young dragon shifter named Ash is staring up at her with beseeching eyes.
Danger and Betrayal
Forced into an unlikely alliance in an attempt to prevent a needless and bloody war between their nations, Julianna and Ash must survive a world where danger lurks around every corner, and where not everyone is hoping for peace.
A young adult sword and sorcery adventure, Slayer is an epic fantasy novel packed with plenty of action, twists, thrills, and magic. The first book in the Dragon Tamer series by USA TODAY bestselling authors Armitage and Culican, Slayer is sure to have readers begging for more.
In the small homestead of Dronias, where monsters terrorize, young Julianna is a dragon killer - or so she's been trained. Destined to be one of the great slayers like generations before her, Julianna is eager to fulfill her destiny of defending her village.
A Sword Infused with Power
On her eighteenth birthday, she embarks on a journey to kill her first dragon, a right of passage like so many before her. Magic Goblin sword in hand, Julianna tracks down her beastly target but finds herself unable to deliver the final blow.
A War Centuries Old
In her moment of weakness, with sword poised, Julianna suddenly finds herself no longer staring down the emerald eyes of a dragon. Instead, a handsome young dragon shifter named Ash is staring up at her with beseeching eyes.
Danger and Betrayal
Forced into an unlikely alliance in an attempt to prevent a needless and bloody war between their nations, Julianna and Ash must survive a world where danger lurks around every corner, and where not everyone is hoping for peace.
A young adult sword and sorcery adventure, Slayer is an epic fantasy novel packed with plenty of action, twists, thrills, and magic. The first book in the Dragon Tamer series by USA TODAY bestselling authors Armitage and Culican, Slayer is sure to have readers begging for more.
317 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2018
199 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Armitage
148 books492 followersBorn in Leeds, I lived a very normal life until I got bored one day and decided to travel the world. Since then I've worked on a Banana Plantation, cleaned ACDC's dressing room and been a professional clown.
I climbed to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the top of Kilimanjaro. Nowadays you'll find me being a climbing frame for my two young children, working in a school, and renovating my home.
Did I also mention I wrote some books?
I hope you enjoy them!
For my free books, just sign up to my newsletter here http://www.subscribepage.com/v7o8k4
I climbed to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the top of Kilimanjaro. Nowadays you'll find me being a climbing frame for my two young children, working in a school, and renovating my home.
Did I also mention I wrote some books?
I hope you enjoy them!
For my free books, just sign up to my newsletter here http://www.subscribepage.com/v7o8k4
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 8, 2018
So much wasted potential. Really disappointed.
I'd suggest thinking twice before picking this up if you like logic and at least some realism infusing your fantasy reads.
Yes, I know it's fantasy, the dragon hunting sort of gave that away, but there still needs to be a logical progression of events. Anyone who has ever picked up an edged weapon, much less tried to learn to use one will know that waggling a practice sword around one's bedroom against NO opponent, even for a period of a year is going to do very little in terms of training for anything, except perhaps increasing one's wrist and arm strength.
And as for Julianna's training? Of course a single twenty minute training session using a lightweight practice sword, and unadorned with heavy armour, against her brother qualifies one to immediately commence hunting large, taloned, fire-breathing dragons.
I actually wanted to throw in the towel immediately after reading this first chapter, but persevered in the hope that things would improve. But they didn't.
Almost seems as if this duo of authors haven't actually read what they'd written. The logic and continuity errors continued right to the last annoying cliffhanger of a page.
So disappointing; the premise is intriguing, the storyline had massive potential but really didn't come up to expectations. Might be an okay read for middle-graders who aren't critical thinkers, but to most, as it currently stands, this book is more likely to be an annoyance.
I received an e-ARC of this short book and voluntarily wrote a review.
I'd suggest thinking twice before picking this up if you like logic and at least some realism infusing your fantasy reads.
Yes, I know it's fantasy, the dragon hunting sort of gave that away, but there still needs to be a logical progression of events. Anyone who has ever picked up an edged weapon, much less tried to learn to use one will know that waggling a practice sword around one's bedroom against NO opponent, even for a period of a year is going to do very little in terms of training for anything, except perhaps increasing one's wrist and arm strength.
And as for Julianna's training? Of course a single twenty minute training session using a lightweight practice sword, and unadorned with heavy armour, against her brother qualifies one to immediately commence hunting large, taloned, fire-breathing dragons.
I actually wanted to throw in the towel immediately after reading this first chapter, but persevered in the hope that things would improve. But they didn't.
Almost seems as if this duo of authors haven't actually read what they'd written. The logic and continuity errors continued right to the last annoying cliffhanger of a page.
So disappointing; the premise is intriguing, the storyline had massive potential but really didn't come up to expectations. Might be an okay read for middle-graders who aren't critical thinkers, but to most, as it currently stands, this book is more likely to be an annoyance.
I received an e-ARC of this short book and voluntarily wrote a review.
October 2, 2018
If I don't give a 3 star or above I do not like to leave a review, however, this time I will make an exception. I was so looking forward to reading this book, and I think my expectations were lofty. I love fantasy. It is my second most favorite genre to read after thrillers. With this story, the characters threw me in a loop. How in the world someone is going to be a master sword wielder in a 20-minute training session while wearing full armor? I am a Veteran, and I know what it is to move with a weapon and armor and if your body is not in a proper physical condition, it is a sad day for the Soldier. So it was very hard for me to believe that Julianna could be such a mighty warrior.
I am aware it is a fantasy story. However, make up a spell or give Julianna some type of an artifact or something to make her such a prodigy with weapons. I had a hard time just reading the first three chapters. But I kept at it, and to my chagrin, it didn't get better. I think a middle schooler might believe that a person could go from a zero to a hero by doing 20 minutes of training. They may like this story. I was disappointed, the plot idea was promising, but I found too many continuity errors. I wondered if this book was even edited.
I am aware it is a fantasy story. However, make up a spell or give Julianna some type of an artifact or something to make her such a prodigy with weapons. I had a hard time just reading the first three chapters. But I kept at it, and to my chagrin, it didn't get better. I think a middle schooler might believe that a person could go from a zero to a hero by doing 20 minutes of training. They may like this story. I was disappointed, the plot idea was promising, but I found too many continuity errors. I wondered if this book was even edited.
April 28, 2020
I actually enjoyed this. The idea worked well and I liked the budding relationship between the two main characters. I like the idea of the souls and how her people know the truth but still carry on. I like the way she gradually finds out the truth and then finds out that her people don't really care apart from her mother.
December 22, 2019
Slayer (Dragon Tamer Book #1) has an interesting premise while the actual tale of the book rushes through character development, conflict, and resolution. At the beginning Juilanna is eager to slay her first dragon, a long-lived tradition in her village. Though, I do feel that her village set her up for failure since she wasn’t taught anything about fighting dragons, like where to target or how to defend against the different types of dragons. It just seemed odd that there was no structured education on dragon slaying in a village of slayers. More details about life in the village would have solved this problem.
As the story progresses, various characters are introduced, but because the plot must continue, characters are not allowed to build any deep connections other than optimistic love interest, distrustful leader, jerk brother, kindly mother, or random citizen. The conversations were short and lacked much content before they were resolved and we moved onto the next point. Even Julianna herself isn’t truly allowed to absorb what is happening. A lot of her anguish is resolved quickly and a decision is made. Perhaps this is because she is an immature 18-year-old? To be honest, I could not see her as a young adult, but rather a teenager around the age of 14 or 15. Is this normal for other young adults in her village? I have no idea since the authors spent very little time in developing what her life was like before jumping into the action or even having her compare her life back in the village and Ash’s upbringing in his village.
Overall, I found it very hard to suspend my disbelief and become engrossed into the story. The conversations and Julianna’s telling of the story (it being in first person) seemed childish and underdeveloped. I could see myself loving this story at the age of 12 or 13 with all the drama and action, but a nearly 30-year-old woman, it is just not for me.
As the story progresses, various characters are introduced, but because the plot must continue, characters are not allowed to build any deep connections other than optimistic love interest, distrustful leader, jerk brother, kindly mother, or random citizen. The conversations were short and lacked much content before they were resolved and we moved onto the next point. Even Julianna herself isn’t truly allowed to absorb what is happening. A lot of her anguish is resolved quickly and a decision is made. Perhaps this is because she is an immature 18-year-old? To be honest, I could not see her as a young adult, but rather a teenager around the age of 14 or 15. Is this normal for other young adults in her village? I have no idea since the authors spent very little time in developing what her life was like before jumping into the action or even having her compare her life back in the village and Ash’s upbringing in his village.
Overall, I found it very hard to suspend my disbelief and become engrossed into the story. The conversations and Julianna’s telling of the story (it being in first person) seemed childish and underdeveloped. I could see myself loving this story at the age of 12 or 13 with all the drama and action, but a nearly 30-year-old woman, it is just not for me.
September 12, 2019
I loved everything about this story! From the idea of young people trying to get the older generations to listen to them and change hundreds of years of tradition, overcoming prejudice, to the budding romance, to all of the vibrant side characters (especially loved spiteful Jasper who just couldn’t see the idea that his younger sister might be better than him, and kid Lucy, as well as all of the other dragons, and Julianna’s mother who only managed to slay a dragon via accident). Julianna was wonderfully done as a typical teen eager to prove herself, the needing to be heard and treated as an adult, and as she tries to re-examine the stuff she’s been raised to believe, and accept new concepts, and see the slaying for what it really is. And Ash is the typical, loveable, handsome book boyfriend, constantly friendly, brave, and very determined, even if it meant standing up to both the slayers, as well as his own village elders. The only quibbles I had with this is that for a village of shifters who constantly shift between dragon to human, they were oddly bashful about being naked in their human forms, and had clothes stashed all over the place and were constantly throwing clothes at others as they shifted forms. It was also odd that the dragons built their village to cater to their human needs rather than their dragon needs. The other quibble is that Julianna kept acting like she has a limited supply of blood (not to mention she was only using a small scrape at a time). At a given moment, it’s limited, but the body does replenish it’s supply given time. If the body didn’t replace its supply, people would be a lot more leery about donating blood. The pacing of this story didn’t drag at any point, and it wasn’t overly complicated as so many of the epic fantasies tend to be with every nuance of world building (it focused exclusively on their neighboring valleys, and didn’t get hung up adding in details outside of their world, other than the idea of the goblins manufacturing their swords). I know that sounds like a cut, but I really don’t care for the books that get bogged down in detail. I also wouldn’t call this an enemies-to-lovers romance. I noticed one of the reviewers did. Ash was never an enemy. I’m totally itching to get my hands on the next book in the series, and see where the story goes to from here.
March 17, 2018
What if everything you had been told growing up was all a lie? What would you do when you learned the truth? Julianna has been raised as a slayer in her family all her life. She's been training for the day when she would go up into the mountains and slay her first dragon and her sword absorbs the dragon's soul imbuing it with more power. After an intense training session with her brother, her father declares her ready for her first kill. Julianna couldn't be more excited, and her brother couldn't be more jealous. But when Julianna and a group of other slayers go up into the mountains things do not go as planned. Julianna sees something that makes her hesitate in her strike, and her hesitation costs her. When she is rescued by the dragon, she doesn't immediately put the pieces of the puzzle together when she sees a man in place of the dragon. But she quickly learns that what she has been taught all her life is a lie and that what the people in her village have been doing is something truly awful. To what lengths will she go to save these new people she has come to care for and still protect her family? The road ahead won't be easy but she must go forward and do her best.
Slayer by J.A. Culican and J.A. Armitage is book one in their Dragon Tamer series. In this book, we are thrown into a world of where dragons are hunted for their souls to imbue hollow swords with power. 18-year-old Julianna is excited that the time has come for her to make her trek up the mountain and slay her first dragon. But things quickly go south. We follow along as Julianna time and again finds herself in sticky predicaments. All that she has been taught is turned on its ear when she learns the truth. The dragons aren't just mindless beasts who are a threat to the village. The dragons are shifters and wish to live in peace. Julianna is shocked and disturbed by this revelation. Julianna is an interesting character to follow and read about. She has a good heart, but often she does not think the whole thing through before she runs off to take action. It complicates a couple situations, but they end up working out. I like some of the interesting twists that the authors write into this book.
I really don't have too many issues with this book. I will point out that there are a few minor editorial issues. In one spot when Julianna is interacting with Firecracker, the dog, for the second time the gender gets confused with the dog. The authors indicate in one place that the dog is female, but then call the dog "he" in this scene. When Julianna comes downstairs after her first night looking for Ash and pets the dog. Other than a few other minor misspelled words I have no real complaints concerning this story.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I truly enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in this series. There is so much going on and so much to come! Julianna and Ash have an uphill battle to fight with both humans and dragons to keep the peace. I can't wait to read the next and see what happens. This is a great fantasy dragon shifter novel with some hints of romance.
Merged review:
What if everything you had been told growing up was all a lie? What would you do when you learned the truth? Julianna has been raised as a slayer in her family all her life. She's been training for the day when she would go up into the mountains and slay her first dragon and her sword absorbs the dragon's soul imbuing it with more power. After an intense training session with her brother, her father declares her ready for her first kill. Julianna couldn't be more excited, and her brother couldn't be more jealous. But when Julianna and a group of other slayers go up into the mountains things do not go as planned. Julianna sees something that makes her hesitate in her strike, and her hesitation costs her. When she is rescued by the dragon, she doesn't immediately put the pieces of the puzzle together when she sees a man in place of the dragon. But she quickly learns that what she has been taught all her life is a lie and that what the people in her village have been doing is something truly awful. To what lengths will she go to save these new people she has come to care for and still protect her family? The road ahead won't be easy but she must go forward and do her best.
Slayer by J.A. Culican and J.A. Armitage is book one in their Dragon Tamer series. In this book, we are thrown into a world of where dragons are hunted for their souls to imbue hollow swords with power. 18-year-old Julianna is excited that the time has come for her to make her trek up the mountain and slay her first dragon. But things quickly go south. We follow along as Julianna time and again finds herself in sticky predicaments. All that she has been taught is turned on its ear when she learns the truth. The dragons aren't just mindless beasts who are a threat to the village. The dragons are shifters and wish to live in peace. Julianna is shocked and disturbed by this revelation. Julianna is an interesting character to follow and read about. She has a good heart, but often she does not think the whole thing through before she runs off to take action. It complicates a couple situations, but they end up working out. I like some of the interesting twists that the authors write into this book.
I really don't have too many issues with this book. I will point out that there are a few minor editorial issues. In one spot when Julianna is interacting with Firecracker, the dog, for the second time the gender gets confused with the dog. The authors indicate in one place that the dog is female, but then call the dog "he" in this scene. When Julianna comes downstairs after her first night looking for Ash and pets the dog. Other than a few other minor misspelled words I have no real complaints concerning this story.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I truly enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in this series. There is so much going on and so much to come! Julianna and Ash have an uphill battle to fight with both humans and dragons to keep the peace. I can't wait to read the next and see what happens. This is a great fantasy dragon shifter novel with some hints of romance.
Slayer by J.A. Culican and J.A. Armitage is book one in their Dragon Tamer series. In this book, we are thrown into a world of where dragons are hunted for their souls to imbue hollow swords with power. 18-year-old Julianna is excited that the time has come for her to make her trek up the mountain and slay her first dragon. But things quickly go south. We follow along as Julianna time and again finds herself in sticky predicaments. All that she has been taught is turned on its ear when she learns the truth. The dragons aren't just mindless beasts who are a threat to the village. The dragons are shifters and wish to live in peace. Julianna is shocked and disturbed by this revelation. Julianna is an interesting character to follow and read about. She has a good heart, but often she does not think the whole thing through before she runs off to take action. It complicates a couple situations, but they end up working out. I like some of the interesting twists that the authors write into this book.
I really don't have too many issues with this book. I will point out that there are a few minor editorial issues. In one spot when Julianna is interacting with Firecracker, the dog, for the second time the gender gets confused with the dog. The authors indicate in one place that the dog is female, but then call the dog "he" in this scene. When Julianna comes downstairs after her first night looking for Ash and pets the dog. Other than a few other minor misspelled words I have no real complaints concerning this story.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I truly enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in this series. There is so much going on and so much to come! Julianna and Ash have an uphill battle to fight with both humans and dragons to keep the peace. I can't wait to read the next and see what happens. This is a great fantasy dragon shifter novel with some hints of romance.
Merged review:
What if everything you had been told growing up was all a lie? What would you do when you learned the truth? Julianna has been raised as a slayer in her family all her life. She's been training for the day when she would go up into the mountains and slay her first dragon and her sword absorbs the dragon's soul imbuing it with more power. After an intense training session with her brother, her father declares her ready for her first kill. Julianna couldn't be more excited, and her brother couldn't be more jealous. But when Julianna and a group of other slayers go up into the mountains things do not go as planned. Julianna sees something that makes her hesitate in her strike, and her hesitation costs her. When she is rescued by the dragon, she doesn't immediately put the pieces of the puzzle together when she sees a man in place of the dragon. But she quickly learns that what she has been taught all her life is a lie and that what the people in her village have been doing is something truly awful. To what lengths will she go to save these new people she has come to care for and still protect her family? The road ahead won't be easy but she must go forward and do her best.
Slayer by J.A. Culican and J.A. Armitage is book one in their Dragon Tamer series. In this book, we are thrown into a world of where dragons are hunted for their souls to imbue hollow swords with power. 18-year-old Julianna is excited that the time has come for her to make her trek up the mountain and slay her first dragon. But things quickly go south. We follow along as Julianna time and again finds herself in sticky predicaments. All that she has been taught is turned on its ear when she learns the truth. The dragons aren't just mindless beasts who are a threat to the village. The dragons are shifters and wish to live in peace. Julianna is shocked and disturbed by this revelation. Julianna is an interesting character to follow and read about. She has a good heart, but often she does not think the whole thing through before she runs off to take action. It complicates a couple situations, but they end up working out. I like some of the interesting twists that the authors write into this book.
I really don't have too many issues with this book. I will point out that there are a few minor editorial issues. In one spot when Julianna is interacting with Firecracker, the dog, for the second time the gender gets confused with the dog. The authors indicate in one place that the dog is female, but then call the dog "he" in this scene. When Julianna comes downstairs after her first night looking for Ash and pets the dog. Other than a few other minor misspelled words I have no real complaints concerning this story.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I truly enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in this series. There is so much going on and so much to come! Julianna and Ash have an uphill battle to fight with both humans and dragons to keep the peace. I can't wait to read the next and see what happens. This is a great fantasy dragon shifter novel with some hints of romance.
March 15, 2018
Julianna is about to turn 18 and follow the rite of passage all 18 year olds from her village face - slay a dragon, capture its soul in her new sword and become a dragon slayer.
What Julianna doesn’t know is that the dragon is a human shifter. When Julianna’s hunt goes awry and she is saved by the very dragon she was raised to slay, everything she’s ever known is brought into question - will Julianna follow the path all of her ancestors have taken, one she was born and trained for or will she change her destiny and work with the dragon shifters.....
A great fantasy read full of dragons and magic! Slayer is the first book in the Dragon Tamer series.
The book was well paced and is a relatively quick read. The story is interesting and characters are developed nicely, setting up the next book in the series.
A great fantasy read for those who love dragons!
3.5 stars ⭐️
Thank you to the author for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.
What Julianna doesn’t know is that the dragon is a human shifter. When Julianna’s hunt goes awry and she is saved by the very dragon she was raised to slay, everything she’s ever known is brought into question - will Julianna follow the path all of her ancestors have taken, one she was born and trained for or will she change her destiny and work with the dragon shifters.....
A great fantasy read full of dragons and magic! Slayer is the first book in the Dragon Tamer series.
The book was well paced and is a relatively quick read. The story is interesting and characters are developed nicely, setting up the next book in the series.
A great fantasy read for those who love dragons!
3.5 stars ⭐️
Thank you to the author for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.
February 3, 2018
Slayer moves like a freight train. While this can be an asset in an adventure novel, it's a bit much here. Everything moves too quickly: Julianna starts training and then the next day is on a dragon hunt. Julianna and Ash's relationship moves so quickly that there's not any time for them to build chemistry. The believability of the plot honestly suffers because of its pace, which is unfortunate.
However, the world building is wonderful and the premise is so great. The characters are engaging and it's an easy, quick read. If you're looking for something fun to read in one setting, this may be the book for you.
With that said, it ends on a cliffhanger, which is a personal pet peeve of mine.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
However, the world building is wonderful and the premise is so great. The characters are engaging and it's an easy, quick read. If you're looking for something fun to read in one setting, this may be the book for you.
With that said, it ends on a cliffhanger, which is a personal pet peeve of mine.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
September 28, 2020
Slayer is the first book in the Dragon Tamer series and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Julianna is just naive enough to pull off her ignorance of what was actually happening. And Ash is just so sweet!!
As for the story itself, you see the impact it has on both sides and the hurt Julianna feels when everything she once thought was true crumbles at her feet. I loved the twist with the swords and souls, especially since I was upset about Stone! Hopefully, he will be freed soon.
This is the first in the series so please don't expect everything to be tied up nicely because that just doesn't happen. What you do get is an ending fit for this part of the story that will leave you wanting more.
Absolutely recommended by me!
As for the story itself, you see the impact it has on both sides and the hurt Julianna feels when everything she once thought was true crumbles at her feet. I loved the twist with the swords and souls, especially since I was upset about Stone! Hopefully, he will be freed soon.
This is the first in the series so please don't expect everything to be tied up nicely because that just doesn't happen. What you do get is an ending fit for this part of the story that will leave you wanting more.
Absolutely recommended by me!
February 12, 2018
A fiery, killer read!
Destined to Slay...
Secrets...
And danger...
Such an amazing enemies-to-lovers romance - the storyline was interesting and the writing was brilliantly written and descriptive. Excellent!
Loved joining these characters on their adventure - finding out the deeply hidden secrets from both sides, finding love and peace. An intoxicating read!
Full of dragons, dragon slayers, loyalty, decisions, trust, courage, secrets, danger and romance.
Perfect for readers of paranormal romance/fantasy romance.
Destined to Slay...
Secrets...
And danger...
Such an amazing enemies-to-lovers romance - the storyline was interesting and the writing was brilliantly written and descriptive. Excellent!
Loved joining these characters on their adventure - finding out the deeply hidden secrets from both sides, finding love and peace. An intoxicating read!
Full of dragons, dragon slayers, loyalty, decisions, trust, courage, secrets, danger and romance.
Perfect for readers of paranormal romance/fantasy romance.
March 3, 2018
Great YA adventure and fantasy novel!!! Culican tells a tale of a rite of passage that goes awry and becomes a journey our heroine, Julianna takes to become an individual: strong, courageous, and tender at the same time. Ash is my favorite part of this story, the hero you would love to have holding your hand, leading you through the darkness. Culican shows a talent for developing that characters that you both love and despise, and ones that change your mind as you journey with Julianna and Ash.
A whole new twist on How to Tame Your Dragon :)
A whole new twist on How to Tame Your Dragon :)
July 9, 2019
I am so mad!! I was thoroughly enjoying this book and it...ended!! 😭 Sigh. It is part of a series and I will be buying the other books. Meanwhile, let me ask you a question. If you found out a terrible wrong had been done and you had the chance to make it right would you? Even if you didn't commit the wrongdoing? Even if you had to go against your friends, family, and who you thought you were? Slayer puts those very questions to the test and adds dragons! So good!!
February 9, 2018
This book starts small and then grows on the storyline. To be told something all your life and then find out the truth is too much to believe. Julianne turned 18 years of age and was expected to slay a Dragon but things didn't go as expected. Good characters, good reading! I received a complimentary copy of this book.
February 20, 2018
Heartbreaking and beautiful
This feels like a book written for a younger audience. That said it was still very compelling. The reader can imagine the are Juliana or one of the dragons and trying to relate to someone who you've grown up your whole life thinking of as your enemies or even a trophy animal. It's a great read.
This feels like a book written for a younger audience. That said it was still very compelling. The reader can imagine the are Juliana or one of the dragons and trying to relate to someone who you've grown up your whole life thinking of as your enemies or even a trophy animal. It's a great read.
March 4, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book. In this story, Julianna is raised as a dragon slayer, as are her family members and many of the others in her community. When she is brought out to make her first kill, she begins to give it a second thought. I'd recommend this book to anyone that enjoys dragons and books in the fantasy genre.
June 24, 2018
Good read
A good read. Told from Juliannas POV who was born to slay and continue her family heritage. On her first hunt she meets Ash who saves her. Secrets are uncovered and Julianna goes to war with her own people to free the dragons souls. Its a really good clean read. Recommended
A good read. Told from Juliannas POV who was born to slay and continue her family heritage. On her first hunt she meets Ash who saves her. Secrets are uncovered and Julianna goes to war with her own people to free the dragons souls. Its a really good clean read. Recommended
June 27, 2018
ARE YOU READY FOR AN ADVENTURE???
A wonderfully written, fast paced, easy to follow read with unpredictable surprises. I was captivated from the beginning till the very end. With some twists and turns that hold your attention and frozen to your seat. J did a remarkable job bringing this read to life.
A wonderfully written, fast paced, easy to follow read with unpredictable surprises. I was captivated from the beginning till the very end. With some twists and turns that hold your attention and frozen to your seat. J did a remarkable job bringing this read to life.
April 24, 2020
This trilogy was a wonderful excursion I was able to take in the comfort of my own home. The characters were lively and endearing, the setting is where we would all love to be and the storyline was fluid and exciting. From start to finish, there was never a dull moment. I always am thrilled when a love story can be tucked into the story.
October 1, 2021
It had a good story line but ultimately it fell short of what it could have been.I love fantasy and have read many many fantasy books but this one just didn't have the realism that I look for even in a fantasy book.That being said I will finish reading the series as I did enjoy the story line plot and want to see what happens in the end.
February 28, 2018
I enjoyed this story which is about Juliana who is a dragon slayer and her first mission.
I love dragons, shifters and female leads.
J.A. Culican took me on a fun fantasy read with twists and turns.
I love dragons, shifters and female leads.
J.A. Culican took me on a fun fantasy read with twists and turns.
February 15, 2018
Awesome
As usual J.A. Culican doesnt disappoint. He stories are fresh, exciting and well laid out. She always keeps me turning pages. She makes me want to read more.
As usual J.A. Culican doesnt disappoint. He stories are fresh, exciting and well laid out. She always keeps me turning pages. She makes me want to read more.
July 18, 2018
Not for me
First off, I don’t think I am the target demographic for this. It is an okay beach read for a tween/teen girl, just not a 60 year old male.
First off, I don’t think I am the target demographic for this. It is an okay beach read for a tween/teen girl, just not a 60 year old male.
March 25, 2019
This story and characters will grab you and you'll keep the pages turning. A good read will keep you reading and then you'll want more. Good Reading Everyone!
July 31, 2019
Loved it!
I love dragons and dragon shifters. This book has dragons, magic, and evil elders. I love how they are able to bring the dragon back from the land of the dead.
I love dragons and dragon shifters. This book has dragons, magic, and evil elders. I love how they are able to bring the dragon back from the land of the dead.
July 6, 2020
Very nice!!!
September 20, 2017
Julianna lives in a town full of slayers. It is a rite of passage that as each person turns 18, they get a special sword and are able to slay a dragon with it. If they succeed in slaying the dragon, the dragon's soul is trapped in the sword and they gain special powers. Julianna was born ready for this, and practiced secretly with a practice sword for a year prior to her birthday. After she defeats her brother in her first sparring match, her father automatically gives her her sword in order to slay the dragon.
When Julianna makes it to the mountain, she sees the dragon. However, something seems strange to her and she stalls in killing it. Her brother, still angry about her defeating him the day prior, decides to kill the dragon himself to take away her moment of glory. In preparing to do so, he shoves her out of the way, and accidentally knocks her down the mountain. As she plummets to the ground, the dragon circles around and catches her on his back.
The dragon flies Julianna to a cave, where he shifts back into a man. Julianna is shocked to hear that the dragons that her village have been murdering have actually been people, dragon shifters. After seeing the fear and hostility that the shifters now have towards the villagers, Julianna is determined to take the shifter Ash back to her village and show them the error of their ways.
This story was a longer read than I had expected, but I did enjoy most of it nonetheless. Julianna was a character who I was kind of on the hedge about, as she seemed super strong at some points and then the regular "damsel in distress" at others. There is romance in this story, but it did not stand out like a sore thumb. The only person that I probably had any severe issue with was Julianna's brother. Besides wanting to compete with his sister, he had no real reason to become so angry with her over the sparring duel. He seemed to have gone from the loving, joking older brother to being a hateful, murderous one. I don't even know how he managed to "accidentally" knock his sister off of the cliff and try to kill her.
I did enjoy the world of this story as it seemed warm and unique, and the only problems I had were within the characters themselves and some loose ends. Just a warning, this story does not end, you will have to get the next book in the series to find out the end of the story. This is something I typically do not enjoy in stories, even if they are a part of these box sets, but I do look forward to reading the next book in this series. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a medieval fantasy romance story.
When Julianna makes it to the mountain, she sees the dragon. However, something seems strange to her and she stalls in killing it. Her brother, still angry about her defeating him the day prior, decides to kill the dragon himself to take away her moment of glory. In preparing to do so, he shoves her out of the way, and accidentally knocks her down the mountain. As she plummets to the ground, the dragon circles around and catches her on his back.
The dragon flies Julianna to a cave, where he shifts back into a man. Julianna is shocked to hear that the dragons that her village have been murdering have actually been people, dragon shifters. After seeing the fear and hostility that the shifters now have towards the villagers, Julianna is determined to take the shifter Ash back to her village and show them the error of their ways.
This story was a longer read than I had expected, but I did enjoy most of it nonetheless. Julianna was a character who I was kind of on the hedge about, as she seemed super strong at some points and then the regular "damsel in distress" at others. There is romance in this story, but it did not stand out like a sore thumb. The only person that I probably had any severe issue with was Julianna's brother. Besides wanting to compete with his sister, he had no real reason to become so angry with her over the sparring duel. He seemed to have gone from the loving, joking older brother to being a hateful, murderous one. I don't even know how he managed to "accidentally" knock his sister off of the cliff and try to kill her.
I did enjoy the world of this story as it seemed warm and unique, and the only problems I had were within the characters themselves and some loose ends. Just a warning, this story does not end, you will have to get the next book in the series to find out the end of the story. This is something I typically do not enjoy in stories, even if they are a part of these box sets, but I do look forward to reading the next book in this series. I recommend this series to anyone looking for a medieval fantasy romance story.
March 18, 2018
A young girl, Julianna, is approaching her 18th birthday and the day when she will uphold the tradition of her village and become a slayer. A dragon slayer. Her village have been terrorised by dragons for generations and they are still to be seen high in the mountains above the village.
The day of her 18th arrives and her father and older brother come and kit her out in some heavy and uncomfortable armour. They eat quickly and then walk out past the border area, where people go no further, and head up into the mountains. Hours later, her brother leads her to a spot where other slayers have had success. She is left to tackle the first dragon they see on her own, but matters do not go as planned. Julianna is somewhat hesitant and her brother and father move in to take over, but she says she can do it.
Her first attempt to kill a dragon doesn’t exactly turn out quite as she or her family expected. She gets closer than she has ever wanted and soon comes to realize it was not just a dragon but actually a man! She gets to know more about the dragons, not that many of them trust her – she comes from a village of Slayers, after all!
Can she get them to listen to her and try to broker peace between their people? Her dragon, a young man called Ash, is willing to help her as he learns more about her. The war has been long and bloody for both sides and the younger generation, such as Ash and Juliana, want peace between them.
An accidental moment brings about an idea to Julianna and hope for peace. She strives to convince others in the dragon enclave, but the elders there don’t trust her fully. A plan goes ahead but not as she wanted, but now she can prove the reality of her plan to the dragons and hope the villagers will listen to her.
Another great story, with dragons and slayers, the presence of long held prejudices and war set between people with more in common than they know. I loved the book and the main characters are so real and rounded out by the authors. The writing keeps you interested all the time and the pace you expect. I will be looking out for the following book to see what happens with Julianna’s plans.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the authors and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above. Bring on Warrior (next book) !
The day of her 18th arrives and her father and older brother come and kit her out in some heavy and uncomfortable armour. They eat quickly and then walk out past the border area, where people go no further, and head up into the mountains. Hours later, her brother leads her to a spot where other slayers have had success. She is left to tackle the first dragon they see on her own, but matters do not go as planned. Julianna is somewhat hesitant and her brother and father move in to take over, but she says she can do it.
Her first attempt to kill a dragon doesn’t exactly turn out quite as she or her family expected. She gets closer than she has ever wanted and soon comes to realize it was not just a dragon but actually a man! She gets to know more about the dragons, not that many of them trust her – she comes from a village of Slayers, after all!
Can she get them to listen to her and try to broker peace between their people? Her dragon, a young man called Ash, is willing to help her as he learns more about her. The war has been long and bloody for both sides and the younger generation, such as Ash and Juliana, want peace between them.
An accidental moment brings about an idea to Julianna and hope for peace. She strives to convince others in the dragon enclave, but the elders there don’t trust her fully. A plan goes ahead but not as she wanted, but now she can prove the reality of her plan to the dragons and hope the villagers will listen to her.
Another great story, with dragons and slayers, the presence of long held prejudices and war set between people with more in common than they know. I loved the book and the main characters are so real and rounded out by the authors. The writing keeps you interested all the time and the pace you expect. I will be looking out for the following book to see what happens with Julianna’s plans.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the authors and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above. Bring on Warrior (next book) !
April 2, 2020
I really enjoyed the book, and I would have given it five stars, but there were some things in the book that I found kind of wrecked it for me, which I will get to in a moment, first let's talk about the book.
It was so amazing, I was really into the story and didn't want it to end, but it like all good things do it did come to an end.
The story is about a young girl who just turned 18 and is ready to take on her right of passage of killing her first Dragon.
She is scared and nervous going up the mountain with her father, brother and some other dragon slayers, and she becomes even more worried when they meet the Dragon she is supposed to kill; it is enormous.
She is standing on the cliff, ready to do it. Still, Julianna is hesitant because she has noticed what looks like a dragon egg below her, she can't kill this Dragon because it might be a mom.
Her brother becomes impatient with her and pushes her aside to kill it himself. The young girl, Julianna is accidentally pushed off the cliff, but she does not fall to her death as expected she lands on the back of the Dragon, well this is where the story gets good, does young Julianna die? Does the Dragon throw her to her death far below? Or does she somehow survive?
Well, I am not going to tell you, you will just need to read the story to find out. :-)
These are the points below that I found kind of ruined it for me.
The story is about Dragons, which to me, indicates King Arthur times, 482 AD. Still, in the book, at one point or more, the authors refer to the man putting on his jeans, not trousers or pants, jeans were invented in 1871, the authors also talk about sitting outside at a cafe having coffee, again that indicates more modern times.
So the timeline just seemed a little off; first, we are in the 482 AD times because of the mention of the dragons, then because of the blue jeans and coffee reference back to more modern times.
I think the Authors need to make it maybe a bit more clear for their readers.
It was so amazing, I was really into the story and didn't want it to end, but it like all good things do it did come to an end.
The story is about a young girl who just turned 18 and is ready to take on her right of passage of killing her first Dragon.
She is scared and nervous going up the mountain with her father, brother and some other dragon slayers, and she becomes even more worried when they meet the Dragon she is supposed to kill; it is enormous.
She is standing on the cliff, ready to do it. Still, Julianna is hesitant because she has noticed what looks like a dragon egg below her, she can't kill this Dragon because it might be a mom.
Her brother becomes impatient with her and pushes her aside to kill it himself. The young girl, Julianna is accidentally pushed off the cliff, but she does not fall to her death as expected she lands on the back of the Dragon, well this is where the story gets good, does young Julianna die? Does the Dragon throw her to her death far below? Or does she somehow survive?
Well, I am not going to tell you, you will just need to read the story to find out. :-)
These are the points below that I found kind of ruined it for me.
The story is about Dragons, which to me, indicates King Arthur times, 482 AD. Still, in the book, at one point or more, the authors refer to the man putting on his jeans, not trousers or pants, jeans were invented in 1871, the authors also talk about sitting outside at a cafe having coffee, again that indicates more modern times.
So the timeline just seemed a little off; first, we are in the 482 AD times because of the mention of the dragons, then because of the blue jeans and coffee reference back to more modern times.
I think the Authors need to make it maybe a bit more clear for their readers.
March 13, 2018
I've found it a but difficult to write a review for this book but I'll give it a go. First off I'll start by saying that I'm a little ambivalent about it. There were things I liked and things I disliked but none of those feelings are very strong. When you finish a book that makes you feel strongly there's this sense of release and heartbreak but when I finished this book I was like "not bad, now what am I going to read next". I really loved how strong and district each of the characters are. The writing was easy to read and the story was short. I disliked the lack of details. With a concept and setting as strong as Slayer has there was a distinct lack of details that left me feeling unfulfilled. We told about the dragon's color and sort of about size but miss out on things like the way they move or if they have spikes or what their wings look like or even what they smell like (human-esque or entirely reptilian?). There could have easily been pages and pages of additional details but it feels like we get just the bare minimum. It feels like a book that I would have fallen in love with in middle school but trying to love it as an adult, after having read some stunning masterpieces, is probably impossible. It just doesn't hold enough for me. And despite how short the book is it actually took me a few days to get through because it held so much potential but just kept me desperate for a tiny morsel more. I will admit it definitely got better near the end and Book 2 could easily exceed Book 1 but I'm not certain if I'll continue the series or not (which probably means not since I have hundreds of books that I'm dying to read).
So while there's nothing to hate about this book it's really hard to truly love it or feel anything much about it at all.
*I volunteered to read and honestly review this book*
So while there's nothing to hate about this book it's really hard to truly love it or feel anything much about it at all.
*I volunteered to read and honestly review this book*
February 5, 2018
The heroine of the story is to slay a dragon when she turns eighteen and has been training for this as it is a tradition in her village. Her family is has been slayers for many years and generations. What happens when the dragon you are going to slay and can’t quite kill it turns into a young man? The book blurb says boy but in reality if want a small spoiler he is a young man and not a boy. The story follows from there and does move quickly but not so that ruins the story. It does have somewhat of a cliffhanger as you don’t see the main problems resolved but no more that I have seen in other series. I would like to see more of what happens to resolve the issue but it didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat mad that I didn’t have enough to feel somewhat satisfied at least for me. I will look for the next book and will probably buy this one before all said and done, as do love dragons. Interesting concept and liked how the author presented it. I did receive an ARC from Hidden Gems for an honest review.
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