Oracle

Dragon Oracle #1

by Jada Fisher

I hate fire. It nearly destroyed me. Now, my only chance at survival is a fire-breathing, shape-shifting dragon.

An urban fantasy adventure full of mystical creatures and sassy heroines.

Davie is a normal girl trying to live a normal life. Except that she can see the future and has visions that make her seem crazy. When she meets a man who immediately seems too perfect to be real, her quest for a normal life quickly ends. She soon learns the world is full of mythical creatures including shapeshifting dragons, dwarves, and mystical oracles. Can Davie adapt to the new world that has dropped her into the middle of a mythical war that could tear the world apart?

Oracle is the first book in the Dragon Oracle series. If you like magical adventures with quirky characters, mythical creatures, and shapeshifting dragons, be ready to be transported to a magical realm that could be in your own town.

Order Oracle and be transported to a new reality today!

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Shapeshifters, Romance

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 8, 2018

About the author

Jada Fisher is the pen name used by Dave and Shannon VanBergen for co-authored fantasy projects. By working with multiple other talented authors, it allows them to share a wide variety of stories.

Dave publishes science fiction and fantasy stories under his real, full name, David J. VanBergen Jr..

Shannon is a USA Today Bestselling Author who publishes cozy mysteries under her real name, Shannon VanBergen.

From Amazon

Reviews

[Teru · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5*

I'm still craving dragons apparently, but I should stop falling for pretty-colored covers. The book was fine, I actually really liked the first half and it got me excited for a new enjoyable series. Well... I won't be continuing.

The book is...fine. Just fine. The writing is good, the pacing is okay, and the characters are interesting... at first. The main character Davie is sassy, badass, no damsel in distress, and capable of wrestling with high pain tolerance - seemed right up my alley. Until it occurred to me she is incredibly erratic for my tastes - one second she's shrieking because one of her loved ones is in danger, and the next minute (literally, it was practically the same page) she's joking and snickering.

That's just one example of why this story has zero emotional impact. It's full of funny quips and constant banter. And I mean constant. It got to a point I couldn't take even the serious scenes seriously at all. It all started to feel a bit silly, and not in a good way.

Also, Bron as a love interest? Zero appeal. Yea, he's a dragon shifter with long white hair and gorgeous green eyes and is super polite and a gentleman...but that's about it, personality-wise. Entirely too one-dimensional to get invested in any possible relationship.

It's a shame, it really seemed like a great book at first, but it isn't for me.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book one does a remarkable job introducing us to the major characters to this tale. An MC that grew up thinking she was mentally unstable , a sibling with failing health, a dwarf and dragon royalty. Absolutely love the way her visions are described! The choices this author makes has definitely captured my attention. Of course these characters are facing rapidly increasing dangers, but the whole picture of the “ who’s” and the “ why’s” are yet to be revealed.

[Vibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

A starter book with potential

This is basically a novella that introduces or opens up the series. I have to admit that if I didn't have Kindle Unlimited & the series wasn't all already out, I'd be pretty annoyed by the "to be continued" ending. If you're paying directly, there are boxed sets available which may be cheaper than buying the individual books.

It's hard to review a story that's really only just begun in this 13 chapter intro, but it looks fairly promising at least. There's a little bit of a newbie vibe to it, I guess because it's apparently a new genre for them?

The authors clearly believe that minimum wage should be a living wage as it's mentioned 3 or 4 times by the protagonist 🙄 (economics 101: raising minimum wage decreases the number of jobs available, increases the amount of work the workers have to do, & raises prices on the goods & services that use them - - which means those workers making more $ are having to pay more $ for their groceries, etc, which means they're not really going to be making more)

So, some minor annoyances, but not enough to put me off from checking out book 2 at this point.

Content issues:
*nothing sexually explicit,
*violence not excessive or overly graphic,
*fewer than a dozen uses of h---,
*fewer than a half dozen uses of God's Name in vain, sadly & unnecessarily, but at least not as curses, fwiw

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

2.5*

I liked the MC and other characters.

First time read the author's work?: Yes

Will you be reading more?: Yes

Would you recommend?: Yes


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is something quite different from Mr Victor's other recent offerings, I would describe it as magical urban fantasy, now this isn't normally a genre that I read, but I am on the authors advance reading list, and when he sent me this I decided to read it, and I am glad that I did.
This is the first in a new series, and as such it leaves as many questions unanswered as answered, so if you like all your books to be stand-alone and self-contained, then you will be disappointed, but on the other hand the unanswered questions leave a lot of scope for great adventures in the other books in the series.
I really like the character of Davie, she is a very resourceful person, and has abilities that she isn't really aware of, she also has a good line in humour.
There are some nice well-written paranormal action sequences that liven up the story.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author, but I have voluntarily written this honest review based on my own opinions.

[Eric Troup · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, were it not for the characters and their constant banter, I would have rated this book much lower. The story itself is fairly standard urbanfantasy. But this is me we're talking about, and I'm a sucker for pulp-style adventure, which means quick banter, fast pacing, intense action and awesome cliffhangers. This book has all of those things, in spades! Had I not been dealing with a fun but crowded weekend, I'd have finished the book in one solid sitting, I'm sure. As it happened, there were many necessary stops and starts. As luck would have it, the size of the chapters accommodated my situation quite effectively. If you're looking for a short, quick read that hurls you into an exciting fantasy-adventure series (exciting more for the characters and the action than for the world itself), then I highly recrmmend this book!

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

WARNING: Cliffhanger!
This ends with a fairly big event hanging open, though the lead character is not in immediate danger.

Davie is working a minimum wage job as a barista, so she can create her art, when she is suddenly thrust into a world of visions, dragons, and an upcoming battle that might just put the world in danger!

A fairly decent urban fantasy, in which our protagonist is a seer- she’s had visions forever, but they’ve been controlled before.
It’s a fairly quick read, being only the first installment in a nine book series, and is very fast paced- which means we don’t get a whole lot of background story in this book.

If you enjoy urban fantasy with lots of action… and dragons of all kinds, then this may well be right up your alley!

[Kanyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, I love the author’s other sci-fi books, but this is fantasy and I love my magic! There are dragons abound in Oracle and our main character is in for the ride of her life. I think this first book is a very good start to a new series. The world is vivid enough I can picture it effortlessly and the characters are very relatable and unique – as in they have such a sassy brand of humor. If you’re into fast-paced, action filled fantasy stories, then this one might be right up your alley.

Oracle is the first book in a brand new series, Dragon Oracle.

Final Rating: 5 Stars

[Elaina Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting characters

The main character, Davie, is personable and engaging. Her reactions to learning about the paranormal world are a bit more believable than I've read in other stories and I love her slightly sarcastic sense of humor. For those who enjoy mysteries, there are definitely some here. We do not even have much of an inkling as to who are the bad guys, who keep attacking, until the end of the book and then it is a surprise. Book 2 should be very interesting.

I really enjoy the author's sci-fi stories and decided to try this series; I do love dragons after all! :) I rated the Forge series books all 5s, as they really pulled me into that world.

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy read

Any books with dragons is always a yes for me. That being said I was a little bit disappointed with this book, I did enjoy it enough that I will continue reading the series, however if I didn’t have Kindle Unlimited and needed to buy the next book probably wouldn’t.
The writing style is very casual, the dialogue between characters has quite a bit of banter which has made me laugh a few times which is always a bonus.
The biggest reason why I found it a bit disappointing is that I don’t feel invested in the story or the characters.

[Alexa Stanger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent start.

This series has a lot of potential. I'm really looking forward to reading where the author takes this story from here. My one issue was three quarters of through to the end of Oracle. There was some words missing, misused, or misplaced in multiple sentences. An annoying distraction from an otherwise pleasant book.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Davie is an unusual girl who finds out the weird episodes she has had growing up and never understood were indicating the is a seer. Her best friend is Mallory. A nearly professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter a little over four feet tall.
They get involved with friendly and unfriendly dragons. The story is very interesting and full of action.

[MGB · Rating 3 out of 5]

You thought you had bad dreams, poor Davie: “Geez, as far as nightmares went, that was a pretty terrible one.”

She didn't know it at the time, but that's a symptom of being an Oracle. At this point her life goes into hyper-speed. It already had been a horrible upbringing for her and her sister, but now it will go worse. Now she knows we not along in the world.

[Kandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exciting and very interesting book by James David Victor. I love dragons and this book has a lot of them. The descriptions are so vivid that I can picture them in my mind. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. Such a great story.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book in a new series gets off to a solid start. There are shape shifting dragons and a young girl who has strange visions. There's plenty of action and several unanswered questions which have setup the next book nicely

[Iori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story

It was short, but really engaging, Davie is a sassy young woman with issues and a sister complex. She's not good at rolling with events, but she might to later in the series.

[sherry young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl you can write💕

So far so good.I am reading this going to book 2.Very good Characters going into this story.She has so much to learn real fast. I hope her sister is ok. I recommend this book to read.Magical stories can take you away.

[Joseph K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series introduction

This was a good series introduction. Quite a bit of action, a good amount of character introduction, some magic and other races like dragons, etc. I enjoyed this book and recommend it and am glad that it is part of what looks to be a great series.

[Myrna Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

you never know

True reality and what is happening in the underground blends in so perfectly that you never can tell one from the other. A simple, injured and traumatized girl who is surrounded by ppl that know her better than she does! Excellent!

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Jada captures your attention right from the start. It's one of those books that's hard to put down once you've started. You find yourself needing to know how Davie is doing and what is going to happen next. Awesome storyline.

[Lisa Boyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dragon and the seer.

Imagine from a young age that you had night terrors that were actually reality. That's Davie, she gets visions when people touch her. Awesome book.

[Della · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

Excellent beginning to new series. I liked the characters, and the writing style. I have read other books by the author's and have really enjoyed them. Happy reading.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't know what to think.

[Meggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting start in to the new series, but seriously a weird twist in the storyline, which felt absurd.

[Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novella.

[Roman A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild!!

Even though most lead ups in books are slow, this one was very intriguing and just dragged new in and wouldn't let go. It was an amazing ride, literally.

[Aunt LoLo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade level. Great for younger audiences! A teen discovers she’s a seer (and dragons exist) after spending years thinking she was just crazy.

[Virginia Adi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like her stories but this feels like hack writing.....

[Merhlynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Dating this new series… so far I find it interesting. I will know more after next book. On to the next!

>^..^<

[Charlie Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good start

Nice entry to this story. Especially enjoy that Bron is not snarky or arrogant counterpoint to the MC. Certainly feels like world changing storyline.