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Dragon Ridden Chronicles #3
Destruction's Ascent
When the past rises, the world burns.
Newly conscripted into the Emperor’s dragon corps, Tate Fisher is still trying to figure out all that her new position entails. Along with an elevation in status comes dangerous enemies. Enemies who would rather see the dragons fall into ruin than remain in their current place of power.
When a dragon goes missing, followed by a child close to her, Tate is forced to confront the hidden agendas of those in the highest seats of authority. Her search for the truth takes her deeper into the maze of tunnels that lie beneath the city. It’s a place where secrets lurk and dangers abound.
There, she’ll uncover a plot whose origins stretch all the way back to the beginning of this world—one that can only end in the destruction of everything she knows and loves. The key to saving her city lies in her uncertain past. If only she could remember what that was.
Newly conscripted into the Emperor’s dragon corps, Tate Fisher is still trying to figure out all that her new position entails. Along with an elevation in status comes dangerous enemies. Enemies who would rather see the dragons fall into ruin than remain in their current place of power.
When a dragon goes missing, followed by a child close to her, Tate is forced to confront the hidden agendas of those in the highest seats of authority. Her search for the truth takes her deeper into the maze of tunnels that lie beneath the city. It’s a place where secrets lurk and dangers abound.
There, she’ll uncover a plot whose origins stretch all the way back to the beginning of this world—one that can only end in the destruction of everything she knows and loves. The key to saving her city lies in her uncertain past. If only she could remember what that was.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2018
560 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
T.A. White
25 books3,561 followersWriting is my first love. Even before I could read or put coherent sentences down on paper, I would beg the older kids to team up with me for the purpose of crafting ghost stories to share with our friends. This first writing partnership came to a tragic end when my coauthor decided to quit a day later, and I threw my cookies at her head. Today, I stick with solo writing, telling the stories that would otherwise keep me up at night.
Most days (and nights) are spent feeding my tea addiction while defending the computer keyboard from my feline companion, Loki, who would like to try her paw at typing.
Most days (and nights) are spent feeding my tea addiction while defending the computer keyboard from my feline companion, Loki, who would like to try her paw at typing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
September 16, 2025
Its a good book. There I said it. It has the right elements, good characters and interesting premise. But it struggles as a series.
The heroine’s backstory makes no sense with her current self. The series doesn’t seem to have any real direction/goal besides learning more about Tate’s identity. The writing is funny, but clearly one of TA White’s earlier books with the rough editing and rocky buildup. I will never reread this series. But I will finish it. So take that as you will.
So lets get into it ...
Tate Fisher has joined the Emperor’s dragon corps. *finally* she acknowledges her dragon powers and is actually working on controlling/using them
However, now that she’s joined this elite position that everyone fears/honors. She learns that there is a whole SLEW of enemies who covet dragons’ power both inside and outside the kingdom *welll fuck*
A kid --she has a vague connection to-- goes missing and her search takes her to the dark gritty parts of the city that hold the most truth… even if its not the one she wanted
The mystery element made this book wayyyy more entertaining and interesting to follow along. I still hate that she is constantly the newbie in every book somehow… but she is the only one willing to risk her life for others without really a second thought. So that gives her some brownie points to me .
Ryu. God he is a still a bastard. But he is toning down the whole manipulating element and we actually seeing a relationship bloom between the two in the most violent way possible *fingerguns*
Mhmm sure like he wasn’t the reason she got into those hot messes in the first place, putting her in danger for a secret plot side meaning he couldn’t deign to trust her with
Its almost as if the author remembered that Ryu is the love interest and needs SOME redeeming quality, so she threw his protective instincts into overdrive to try and convince us that he not as shitty as we think from the past 2 fucking book
Okay fine it worked, Ryu’s alphaness starting to grow on me hehe
This series continues to wow me with its SECONDARY CHARACTERS! I friggen love Night the monster cat, and Dewdrop the thief turned turned BFF. They continue to be a solid group with Tate in their loyalty, funny banter, and own stories.
As a beast, Night is applying for official protection and rights to be seen as a sentient creature while Dewdrop’s past as a GYPSY is coming into play. Both of those are such interesting well-thought and developed character elements that I friggen adored how the author continues to make themselves unique and established… not just tagalong side characters. Wait a second, do I like the secondary character’s side plot lines better than the heroine’ story ???
The worldbuilding continues like its an intro book where we slowly getting revelations we get more facts about Tate and her dragon Ilith in how they bonded came to be and the whole sleeper element.
She’s still learning the empire royal dynamic. The servants being a hilarious addition bringing comedy to otherwise boring plot developments
My main complaint of the disconnect between old life Tate and current Tate still continues to be gaping plot hole. I guess what Im trying to say is *clears throat* SHE’S A FUCKING PUSHOVER
Its just this weird dynamic of Tate being a total pushover with the other badasses … then they refuse to tell her diddly shit … then she goes off all reckless and and stupid and ruins all the plans put in motion she had no clue about.
Tate is supposed to be this ancient, uber dragon but she lets EVERYONE trample all over her.
No one tells her anything *cough Ryu cough* then she runs off trying to figure out things that other have been taught over course of years and causes everything to explode from her rashness
Now I have more questions than I started with. By the third of the series, the readers should have some idea of where the series going — who’s the bad guys, what’s the main problem we trying to even solve here. But we are still firmly planted in the buildup where we still don't have most of the facts and it looks like each book will continue to be a series of coincidences where we find out another fact about Tate and solve the problem at hand. which isn't bad but isn't my cup of tea either.
I’d like to take this moment to talk about the titles.
They make no fucking sense.
The first book is called "Dragon ridden" in which our heroine never learns about her powers and denies she has any dragon abilities. uhhhh
The second is called "Bone and Ruin"… well okay there was a skeleton and everything went to shit
Now we at "Destruction’s ascent" and I not really sure how/if its related to the book
The heroine’s backstory makes no sense with her current self. The series doesn’t seem to have any real direction/goal besides learning more about Tate’s identity. The writing is funny, but clearly one of TA White’s earlier books with the rough editing and rocky buildup. I will never reread this series. But I will finish it. So take that as you will.
So lets get into it ...
Tate Fisher has joined the Emperor’s dragon corps. *finally* she acknowledges her dragon powers and is actually working on controlling/using them
However, now that she’s joined this elite position that everyone fears/honors. She learns that there is a whole SLEW of enemies who covet dragons’ power both inside and outside the kingdom *welll fuck*
A kid --she has a vague connection to-- goes missing and her search takes her to the dark gritty parts of the city that hold the most truth… even if its not the one she wanted
The mystery element made this book wayyyy more entertaining and interesting to follow along. I still hate that she is constantly the newbie in every book somehow… but she is the only one willing to risk her life for others without really a second thought. So that gives her some brownie points to me .
Ryu. God he is a still a bastard. But he is toning down the whole manipulating element and we actually seeing a relationship bloom between the two in the most violent way possible *fingerguns*
“What exactly is it you want from me?” Ryu asked with exasperation. “At times, it almost seems like you care—about our kind, about me—but then you head off by yourself and take stupid risks.”
Mhmm sure like he wasn’t the reason she got into those hot messes in the first place, putting her in danger for a secret plot side meaning he couldn’t deign to trust her with
Its almost as if the author remembered that Ryu is the love interest and needs SOME redeeming quality, so she threw his protective instincts into overdrive to try and convince us that he not as shitty as we think from the past 2 fucking book
“You will not leave me," a voice filled with dark promise told her. "You will not die. You don't have my permission. Do you understand?”
Okay fine it worked, Ryu’s alphaness starting to grow on me hehe
This series continues to wow me with its SECONDARY CHARACTERS! I friggen love Night the monster cat, and Dewdrop the thief turned turned BFF. They continue to be a solid group with Tate in their loyalty, funny banter, and own stories.
“Dewdrop shook his head in aggravation. " This is why I can't leave. Only you would think a rescue attempt consisted of being kidnapped yourself."
"It worked, didn't it?" she defended.
"You got stabbed in the chest," he accused.
"But I didn't die. Things turned out exactly how they were supposed to," she said with a haughty sniff.”
As a beast, Night is applying for official protection and rights to be seen as a sentient creature while Dewdrop’s past as a GYPSY is coming into play. Both of those are such interesting well-thought and developed character elements that I friggen adored how the author continues to make themselves unique and established… not just tagalong side characters. Wait a second, do I like the secondary character’s side plot lines better than the heroine’ story ???
The worldbuilding continues like its an intro book where we slowly getting revelations we get more facts about Tate and her dragon Ilith in how they bonded came to be and the whole sleeper element.
She’s still learning the empire royal dynamic. The servants being a hilarious addition bringing comedy to otherwise boring plot developments
“He straightened and spoke, sounding as if he was reciting a message. "My Lord Ryuji has sent me to request your presence."
"What's the exact message?"
The man straightened, his face smoothing into placid lines as he recited, "Get your ass out of bed and hightail it up to headquarters now.”
My main complaint of the disconnect between old life Tate and current Tate still continues to be gaping plot hole. I guess what Im trying to say is *clears throat* SHE’S A FUCKING PUSHOVER
Its just this weird dynamic of Tate being a total pushover with the other badasses … then they refuse to tell her diddly shit … then she goes off all reckless and and stupid and ruins all the plans put in motion she had no clue about.
Tate is supposed to be this ancient, uber dragon but she lets EVERYONE trample all over her.
No one tells her anything *cough Ryu cough* then she runs off trying to figure out things that other have been taught over course of years and causes everything to explode from her rashness
Now I have more questions than I started with. By the third of the series, the readers should have some idea of where the series going — who’s the bad guys, what’s the main problem we trying to even solve here. But we are still firmly planted in the buildup where we still don't have most of the facts and it looks like each book will continue to be a series of coincidences where we find out another fact about Tate and solve the problem at hand. which isn't bad but isn't my cup of tea either.
I’d like to take this moment to talk about the titles.
They make no fucking sense.
The first book is called "Dragon ridden" in which our heroine never learns about her powers and denies she has any dragon abilities. uhhhh
The second is called "Bone and Ruin"… well okay there was a skeleton and everything went to shit
Now we at "Destruction’s ascent" and I not really sure how/if its related to the book
July 10, 2021
This series may have had a rough start for me but now I'm really enjoying it. With each book we learn more and more and maybe a few more questions added on. Tate is become that underdog hero that this author is known for in her heroines. She's much more powerful than everyone thinks and I do enjoy seeing the others eyes begin to open towards her. There is still so much more to learn and I can't wait to keep reading.
October 31, 2021
Getting really good, and the romance started by the end of the book! 🙄😂
Also, despite her majestic and fierce appearance, Ilith’s POV is hilarious 😆🤣
Also, despite her majestic and fierce appearance, Ilith’s POV is hilarious 😆🤣
April 25, 2019
3 1/2
Some editing mistakes, but of the 3 this is the book I liked most. It's a less exciting series than The Broken Lands, in fact I remember almost nothing from books 1 and 2 (but you can still follow along).
Dragon Ridden reminds a bit of the Chronicles of Elantra (lack of growth at times, a missing past... That kind of detail).
Some editing mistakes, but of the 3 this is the book I liked most. It's a less exciting series than The Broken Lands, in fact I remember almost nothing from books 1 and 2 (but you can still follow along).
Dragon Ridden reminds a bit of the Chronicles of Elantra (lack of growth at times, a missing past... That kind of detail).
February 2, 2022
3.5
I’ve officially decided that Tate’s relationship with Dewdrop is my favourite, they’re so wholesome and funny, every interaction just warms my heart.
This was another great instalment, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. We’re finally learning more about Tate’s past and it feels like we’re actually going to get an overarching plot for the series (even if it only came during the 3rd book). I look forward to seeing where things go. I feel like we might actually be getting to know Ryu better now which I’m glad for. We shall see.
I’ve officially decided that Tate’s relationship with Dewdrop is my favourite, they’re so wholesome and funny, every interaction just warms my heart.
This was another great instalment, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. We’re finally learning more about Tate’s past and it feels like we’re actually going to get an overarching plot for the series (even if it only came during the 3rd book). I look forward to seeing where things go. I feel like we might actually be getting to know Ryu better now which I’m glad for. We shall see.
July 30, 2019
2.5 stars.
The mystery in the story is what made this installment interesting. I liked that we learned more about all the MCs and saw relationship development between the heroine and her friend, Ryu. I still didn't like how he continued to boss her around, but there wasn't too much of the questionable manipulation going on.
The mystery in the story is what made this installment interesting. I liked that we learned more about all the MCs and saw relationship development between the heroine and her friend, Ryu. I still didn't like how he continued to boss her around, but there wasn't too much of the questionable manipulation going on.
April 18, 2025
3.5~4
March 4, 2023
Good! I enjoyed learning more about Tate's past!
July 7, 2021
It’s becoming clearer
Things are STARTING to make sense, but there are still so many questions. Like Christopher. Am I crazy to think he was the brown eyed man from the first book in the dream scene? Wasn’t he an old friend? I’m doing a reread soon to catch these details better, as I feel I may have missed some important facets. Regardless, this is a fascinating series in true TA White style.
Things are STARTING to make sense, but there are still so many questions. Like Christopher. Am I crazy to think he was the brown eyed man from the first book in the dream scene? Wasn’t he an old friend? I’m doing a reread soon to catch these details better, as I feel I may have missed some important facets. Regardless, this is a fascinating series in true TA White style.
May 24, 2022
Mmmm I’m not sure about this instalment.
Nothing has changed. Tate and Lilith still arnt talking to each other they way they need.
Fmc and mmc as a romantic couple still have little to no interaction about their feelings for each other.
I’m not really sure what’s happening. I feel like compared to TA Whites series this one is starting to be lacking. I still enjoyed it but I’m a little lost tbh.
3 star listen.
Nothing has changed. Tate and Lilith still arnt talking to each other they way they need.
Fmc and mmc as a romantic couple still have little to no interaction about their feelings for each other.
I’m not really sure what’s happening. I feel like compared to TA Whites series this one is starting to be lacking. I still enjoyed it but I’m a little lost tbh.
3 star listen.
July 27, 2021
More dragons please! 🐉
Destructions’s Ascent was a very addictive read - I couldn’t put it down as the mystery of the missing boy and who was responsible played out over the storyline. The reader learns more about Tate’s past, and there was just enough Ryu to keep me satisfied. Love when Tate’s dragon Ilith takes over, she has a stubborn personality just like Tate :)
Destructions’s Ascent was a very addictive read - I couldn’t put it down as the mystery of the missing boy and who was responsible played out over the storyline. The reader learns more about Tate’s past, and there was just enough Ryu to keep me satisfied. Love when Tate’s dragon Ilith takes over, she has a stubborn personality just like Tate :)
June 20, 2019
Still Adore It
I'm still loving this series. Things are revealed in bits and pieces, but this book finally confirms a few things about Tate and her origins. I still want to know how she and Ilith became bonded and why Tate slept and for so long at that.
We also get to see Ryu open up more and Tate become more open about how she feels about him and why she keeps a wall between them. He is slowly wiggling his way into her heart, though.
We meet some new characters , learn more about Dewdrop's past and get a big surprise at the end. Plus Christopher is still running around. With him and this new big bad on the loose, I wonder what is up next for Tate and her family.
I'm still loving this series. Things are revealed in bits and pieces, but this book finally confirms a few things about Tate and her origins. I still want to know how she and Ilith became bonded and why Tate slept and for so long at that.
We also get to see Ryu open up more and Tate become more open about how she feels about him and why she keeps a wall between them. He is slowly wiggling his way into her heart, though.
We meet some new characters , learn more about Dewdrop's past and get a big surprise at the end. Plus Christopher is still running around. With him and this new big bad on the loose, I wonder what is up next for Tate and her family.
May 31, 2020
Lines of good and evil often blur
Hello sweet sweet confirmation of some of my guesses regarding Tate's past. Also Ryu, look at you finally stepping up! Good for you lad, try not to lose that momentum.
Tate learns that there are some people who are worse then Daske (Thora isn't maliciously awful like Daske though, and genuinely cares about Tate insofar as the fact she's dragon-ridden).
More world lore comes out including some factoids about the founding of the Empire, Dewdrop's background (with surprise connection to several other characters), Night's bid for protection and rights is given a huge boost and Tate makes new enemies!
This is my third series from White - though I plan to read her fourth series as well - but a pattern has emerged. Snarky, brash female of Awesome Power leaps before she looks and winds up giving the surly, wickedly delicious male lead constant headaches. Even as she manages to save the day. Repeatedly. Bonus pissing off whoever is nominally her boss while gaining the attention of whoever is technically in charge of everything.
That's my cup of tea with dessert and candy topping right there. Keep it coming, I'll keep reading.
The plot's pacing does suffer from being cramped and full of almost too good to be true tangled webs to not give you pause however. What begins as a simple kidnapping of a street kid somehow mashes together Dewdrop's rather tragic backstory that dovetails into the Guardians nefarious acts that is related to the Order's corruption that is hand in hand with Night Lord business before all coming back to Tate needing proper training as a newbie Dragon-ridden and saving a feckless cowardly novice Guardian. Between all of which is Dewdrop's romance shenanigans, Night's cubs surprises, Roslyn's involvement, so many mysteries of Tate's past biting her in the butt now and oh yeah Ryu's fierce protection of Tate really in overdrive.
There's A LOT and the pieces altogether sometimes doesn't work as well as it should.
Hello sweet sweet confirmation of some of my guesses regarding Tate's past. Also Ryu, look at you finally stepping up! Good for you lad, try not to lose that momentum.
Tate learns that there are some people who are worse then Daske (Thora isn't maliciously awful like Daske though, and genuinely cares about Tate insofar as the fact she's dragon-ridden).
More world lore comes out including some factoids about the founding of the Empire, Dewdrop's background (with surprise connection to several other characters), Night's bid for protection and rights is given a huge boost and Tate makes new enemies!
This is my third series from White - though I plan to read her fourth series as well - but a pattern has emerged. Snarky, brash female of Awesome Power leaps before she looks and winds up giving the surly, wickedly delicious male lead constant headaches. Even as she manages to save the day. Repeatedly. Bonus pissing off whoever is nominally her boss while gaining the attention of whoever is technically in charge of everything.
That's my cup of tea with dessert and candy topping right there. Keep it coming, I'll keep reading.
The plot's pacing does suffer from being cramped and full of almost too good to be true tangled webs to not give you pause however. What begins as a simple kidnapping of a street kid somehow mashes together Dewdrop's rather tragic backstory that dovetails into the Guardians nefarious acts that is related to the Order's corruption that is hand in hand with Night Lord business before all coming back to Tate needing proper training as a newbie Dragon-ridden and saving a feckless cowardly novice Guardian. Between all of which is Dewdrop's romance shenanigans, Night's cubs surprises, Roslyn's involvement, so many mysteries of Tate's past biting her in the butt now and oh yeah Ryu's fierce protection of Tate really in overdrive.
There's A LOT and the pieces altogether sometimes doesn't work as well as it should.
October 20, 2025
Not safe enough in my book and it annoys me that it took for me to read the third book to find this out. The h mentioned that she wasn’t the H’s usual type, which I took it as her seeing him with OW before to know this. It also took me a lot longer to get into this book, I didn’t care much for the plot. The h was also annoying af at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2021
3.5/5.0
Still loving the series, still frustrated and needing more depth in understanding the nuances that sit glaringly on the page.
Still loving the series, still frustrated and needing more depth in understanding the nuances that sit glaringly on the page.
November 17, 2022
4.5 Stars
April 7, 2018
DESTRUCTION'S ASCENT is book three in the Dragon Ridden Chronicles by T.A. White. This entertaining fantasy series follows Tate Fisher, a young woman who was joined to a dragon. When in human form, her dragon, Ilith, hangs out on her body as a moving tattoo. Ilith can also talk in Tate's head. Tate is slowly discovering more about herself as the series progresses. She came to herself (maybe a year ago?) with no memories of her earlier life, and was working on a pirate ship. Since then, she's been rather stumbling from situation to situation trying to figure out what she is and how to survive in the very political world she's been thrust into.
Tate has her small band of cohorts, a bearcat named Night and his two cubs that she found when stranded in the tunnels below the city in book one. Also an impetuous teenager named Dewdrop who she rescued, who in turn left his gang to follow Tate. Tate has a growing friendship with Ryu, another Dragon-Ridden who works for the emperor. Ryu is teaching her a little bit about what being a Dragon-Ridden means, but Ryu and those he works with are pretty much keeping Tate in the dark about herself and about the charged political situation around her. This totally pisses me off. Ryu, the emperor, and Tate's magics teacher can just all go F off, in my opinion. If they told her more about what is going on, she wouldn't make nearly so many stupid mistakes that get her and everyone else in hot water.
Tate has been placed in the Emperor's Dragon Corps, and she's struggling to quickly learn the things that others has been taught over the course of years. Tate's character is not cut out for buckling down and quietly working, so it's pretty funny to watch her struggle to comply, but at the same time I want to shake her superiors until their teeth rattle for their treatment of her. While Tate can be pretty annoying, no one seems to be cutting her any slack.
Tate is very impetuous. She's foolhardy and no one tells her anything about the dangers around her. So she gets into a lot of trouble. A LOT. It can get a bit exhausting, but she manages to just pull things out in the end, with some help from her friends and her erstwhile allies. The pace of action keeps the book rollicking along. Tate stumbles across a mystery and continues to follow the threads of said mystery, even against the explicit orders of her superiors. It turns out that she is justified in her actions, discovering a missing dragon and a bunch of missing children. I love how she manages to help save the day.
I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an unbiased review. I stumbled across White's work from a book blog review a couple of months ago, and have been greedily working my way though her backlist. These Dragon Ridden Chronicles remind me a lot of Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series. A clueless heroine with untold power bumbling around in a magical world of many kinds of creatures, working as a foot solder, getting into all kinds of mishaps and managing to solve or save things nonetheless. This series is fun and engrossing!
Tate has her small band of cohorts, a bearcat named Night and his two cubs that she found when stranded in the tunnels below the city in book one. Also an impetuous teenager named Dewdrop who she rescued, who in turn left his gang to follow Tate. Tate has a growing friendship with Ryu, another Dragon-Ridden who works for the emperor. Ryu is teaching her a little bit about what being a Dragon-Ridden means, but Ryu and those he works with are pretty much keeping Tate in the dark about herself and about the charged political situation around her. This totally pisses me off. Ryu, the emperor, and Tate's magics teacher can just all go F off, in my opinion. If they told her more about what is going on, she wouldn't make nearly so many stupid mistakes that get her and everyone else in hot water.
Tate has been placed in the Emperor's Dragon Corps, and she's struggling to quickly learn the things that others has been taught over the course of years. Tate's character is not cut out for buckling down and quietly working, so it's pretty funny to watch her struggle to comply, but at the same time I want to shake her superiors until their teeth rattle for their treatment of her. While Tate can be pretty annoying, no one seems to be cutting her any slack.
Tate is very impetuous. She's foolhardy and no one tells her anything about the dangers around her. So she gets into a lot of trouble. A LOT. It can get a bit exhausting, but she manages to just pull things out in the end, with some help from her friends and her erstwhile allies. The pace of action keeps the book rollicking along. Tate stumbles across a mystery and continues to follow the threads of said mystery, even against the explicit orders of her superiors. It turns out that she is justified in her actions, discovering a missing dragon and a bunch of missing children. I love how she manages to help save the day.
I received an ARC copy from the author in exchange for an unbiased review. I stumbled across White's work from a book blog review a couple of months ago, and have been greedily working my way though her backlist. These Dragon Ridden Chronicles remind me a lot of Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series. A clueless heroine with untold power bumbling around in a magical world of many kinds of creatures, working as a foot solder, getting into all kinds of mishaps and managing to solve or save things nonetheless. This series is fun and engrossing!
May 4, 2018
White is writing three series in parallel, and they're all worth reading. (One is set on another world, one is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, one in today's world - plus vampires. Each has a protagonist of relatively-low rank or station, who is highly competent - except at respecting the authority of her nominal superiors.)
"Destruction's Ascent" is the most-recent book in the Dragon-Ridden series. I believe it was the first of the three to appear; it has rougher edges than the other two. I enjoyed the book, but it lacked momentum. The plot is structured around a search for kidnapped children, but it is mostly driven by Tate being rash, Tate being disobedient, or the people she's disobeying being arbitrary and condescending.
The book was fun to read, but it didn't do much for the overall story. We have a few more revelations that might become relevant in future books; we know a bit more about the world in which Tate finds herself. This series needs a trajectory.
"Destruction's Ascent" is the most-recent book in the Dragon-Ridden series. I believe it was the first of the three to appear; it has rougher edges than the other two. I enjoyed the book, but it lacked momentum. The plot is structured around a search for kidnapped children, but it is mostly driven by Tate being rash, Tate being disobedient, or the people she's disobeying being arbitrary and condescending.
The book was fun to read, but it didn't do much for the overall story. We have a few more revelations that might become relevant in future books; we know a bit more about the world in which Tate finds herself. This series needs a trajectory.
October 14, 2022
3.5 stars
July 22, 2025
2 stars — because I can’t pretend anymore.
I forgave Book 2. I gave it a generous 3 stars. I chose to focus on the good parts, hoping things would finally start climbing back to the brilliance I know T.A. White is capable of.
But here I am, closing Book 3 with a sigh of frustration and a growing sense of betrayal. I can’t keep making excuses. I can’t keep pretending this series is going to get better. Because if we’re being honest? It’s not.
🗺️ Worldbuilding: Confusing, Contradictory, and Just... Off
Let’s start with what drove me absolutely up the wall in this book: the worldbuilding. Or more accurately, the lack of usable worldbuilding.
1. The “ancient language”
Yes, I get it. T.A. White wanted to create depth with a unique language system — terms like sotee, lasoso tee, ahvit, and ahnteela (which I think means “elder”? Maybe?) are sprinkled throughout like we should just know what they mean. There’s no glossary. No explanation. No consistent in-world translation. I’ve read the entire series, and I still don’t know what half of it means. That’s not immersive — that’s irritating.
2. Dragon-ridden?
Let’s talk about the actual title concept. "Dragon-ridden"? Of all the terms available, this was the choice? It’s clunky, weird, and every time I read it, I cringed. It sounds like something out of a bad fanfic, not a professionally published fantasy series.
3. Elemental magic? Where?
We’re told the dragon-ridden have access to elemental powers. Awesome! Except... no one uses them. Ryu does, occasionally, but Tate? Nope. Despite supposedly going to school to learn how in Book 2, she never uses her magic. Not once in this book. Why give characters powers if you're never going to let them use them?
4. The dragon content in this “dragon” series is almost nonexistent
We’re three books into a series about dragon shifters and have had maybe two actual dragon scenes. That’s it. It’s like T.A. White wanted to write about dragons, got distracted halfway through, and just decided to sprinkle in the word "dragon" every few chapters and call it a day.
5. Power dynamics? Makes no sense
The dragon-ridden are supposedly the Emperor’s elite — powerful, feared, and second only to him. So explain to me why they’re constantly getting ordered around and bullied by humans with no powers. Why are they tiptoeing around council members and bureaucrats like scared interns? If they only answer to the Emperor, why is every minor human official bossing them around? It’s inconsistent and completely undermines their supposed status.
6. Queen dragon reveal? Completely ignored
In this book, Tate’s dragon is called “queen.” A huge reveal, right? Something that should spark a flood of questions and character decisions. But what does Tate do? Absolutely nothing. She doesn’t tell anyone. Doesn’t ask Ilith. Doesn’t even think about it after a page or two. She just brushes it aside like it’s not a potential game-changer. It’s dumb. And lazy.
7. Tate’s constant avoidance of literally everything
She ignores her dreams. Her memories. Her instincts. Her magical relics. She constantly says “I’ll look into that later” and then never does. It’s like watching someone trip over the same rock every five minutes and wondering why their knees are bleeding.
📉 From Love to Disappointment
I first read The Broken Lands — and I liked it.
Then I read The Firebird Chronicles — and I loved it.
I was convinced T.A. White was one of those rare authors who understood character depth, moral nuance, and slow-burn mastery.
Then I read Aileen Travers. And now this.
And I’m starting to think Firebird might have been a happy accident. Because that level of brilliance? I haven’t seen it again. You get glimpses — in the last few Aileen books, in the first Dragon-Ridden book — but the consistency is gone. It’s like a different person is writing. Maybe she had help. Maybe she had a better editor. Maybe it was lightning in a bottle.
But this?
This is disappointing, sloppy, and deeply frustrating.
🙄 Characters Still Doing the Heavy Lifting
Once again, the only characters I cared about were Ilith, Night, and Dewdrop — because they’re the only ones with consistent personalities and actual charm.
But even they couldn’t save this book from itself.
💬 Final Thoughts
I wanted to love this. I needed to love this. But by Book 3, all I feel is regret — for the wasted potential, the abandoned worldbuilding, and the slow erosion of a protagonist I once rooted for.
T.A. White has shown she’s capable of incredible writing. But this book is not that. It’s a meandering, shallow, underdeveloped chapter in a series that’s quickly losing its magic.
2 stars — and that’s being kind.
Not for the plot. Not for the world.
Just for the lingering memory of what this could’ve been.
I forgave Book 2. I gave it a generous 3 stars. I chose to focus on the good parts, hoping things would finally start climbing back to the brilliance I know T.A. White is capable of.
But here I am, closing Book 3 with a sigh of frustration and a growing sense of betrayal. I can’t keep making excuses. I can’t keep pretending this series is going to get better. Because if we’re being honest? It’s not.
🗺️ Worldbuilding: Confusing, Contradictory, and Just... Off
Let’s start with what drove me absolutely up the wall in this book: the worldbuilding. Or more accurately, the lack of usable worldbuilding.
1. The “ancient language”
Yes, I get it. T.A. White wanted to create depth with a unique language system — terms like sotee, lasoso tee, ahvit, and ahnteela (which I think means “elder”? Maybe?) are sprinkled throughout like we should just know what they mean. There’s no glossary. No explanation. No consistent in-world translation. I’ve read the entire series, and I still don’t know what half of it means. That’s not immersive — that’s irritating.
2. Dragon-ridden?
Let’s talk about the actual title concept. "Dragon-ridden"? Of all the terms available, this was the choice? It’s clunky, weird, and every time I read it, I cringed. It sounds like something out of a bad fanfic, not a professionally published fantasy series.
3. Elemental magic? Where?
We’re told the dragon-ridden have access to elemental powers. Awesome! Except... no one uses them. Ryu does, occasionally, but Tate? Nope. Despite supposedly going to school to learn how in Book 2, she never uses her magic. Not once in this book. Why give characters powers if you're never going to let them use them?
4. The dragon content in this “dragon” series is almost nonexistent
We’re three books into a series about dragon shifters and have had maybe two actual dragon scenes. That’s it. It’s like T.A. White wanted to write about dragons, got distracted halfway through, and just decided to sprinkle in the word "dragon" every few chapters and call it a day.
5. Power dynamics? Makes no sense
The dragon-ridden are supposedly the Emperor’s elite — powerful, feared, and second only to him. So explain to me why they’re constantly getting ordered around and bullied by humans with no powers. Why are they tiptoeing around council members and bureaucrats like scared interns? If they only answer to the Emperor, why is every minor human official bossing them around? It’s inconsistent and completely undermines their supposed status.
6. Queen dragon reveal? Completely ignored
In this book, Tate’s dragon is called “queen.” A huge reveal, right? Something that should spark a flood of questions and character decisions. But what does Tate do? Absolutely nothing. She doesn’t tell anyone. Doesn’t ask Ilith. Doesn’t even think about it after a page or two. She just brushes it aside like it’s not a potential game-changer. It’s dumb. And lazy.
7. Tate’s constant avoidance of literally everything
She ignores her dreams. Her memories. Her instincts. Her magical relics. She constantly says “I’ll look into that later” and then never does. It’s like watching someone trip over the same rock every five minutes and wondering why their knees are bleeding.
📉 From Love to Disappointment
I first read The Broken Lands — and I liked it.
Then I read The Firebird Chronicles — and I loved it.
I was convinced T.A. White was one of those rare authors who understood character depth, moral nuance, and slow-burn mastery.
Then I read Aileen Travers. And now this.
And I’m starting to think Firebird might have been a happy accident. Because that level of brilliance? I haven’t seen it again. You get glimpses — in the last few Aileen books, in the first Dragon-Ridden book — but the consistency is gone. It’s like a different person is writing. Maybe she had help. Maybe she had a better editor. Maybe it was lightning in a bottle.
But this?
This is disappointing, sloppy, and deeply frustrating.
🙄 Characters Still Doing the Heavy Lifting
Once again, the only characters I cared about were Ilith, Night, and Dewdrop — because they’re the only ones with consistent personalities and actual charm.
But even they couldn’t save this book from itself.
💬 Final Thoughts
I wanted to love this. I needed to love this. But by Book 3, all I feel is regret — for the wasted potential, the abandoned worldbuilding, and the slow erosion of a protagonist I once rooted for.
T.A. White has shown she’s capable of incredible writing. But this book is not that. It’s a meandering, shallow, underdeveloped chapter in a series that’s quickly losing its magic.
2 stars — and that’s being kind.
Not for the plot. Not for the world.
Just for the lingering memory of what this could’ve been.
July 10, 2022
After the non-stop action of the first two books, we take a step back from the whirlwind adventure that Tate seems to attract in this third entry of the Dragon Ridden Chronicles, ‘Destruction's Ascent’ by T.A. White. There is a lot more background revealed of the main characters; Tate, Ryu, Dewdrop, and Night, and whilst this allows the reader a deeper understanding of why the events throughout the book affects them personally, so much time is taken up on the explanations and exposition that the narrative did get a little slow at times. I still enjoyed the book but noted that the action and engagement that helped drive the story in the first two books was somewhat missing in ‘Destruction's Ascent’.
The story picks up several weeks after the conclusion of Book 2, ‘Of Bone and Ruin’, with Tate, Dewdrop and Night looking for information on Christopher, aka ‘Brown Eyes’. Tate believes down to her bones that it is only a matter of time before Christopher will reappear and wreak havoc in her life, especially after the information he imparted about the mystery of Tate’s past. She doesn’t really believe what he said about her origins, but she can’t quite put it out of her mind either. Of course, Ryu had given her explicit instructions to drop the search for Christopher, but in the normal Tate fashion, she had ignored him in favour of uncovering the truth.
‘He’d warned her more than once to stay away from anything pertaining to Brown Eyes. She had no doubt that if she said something now, he’d force her out of this tent and give her strict orders to leave well enough alone. Since they both knew it was only a matter of time before she’d disobey, he’d probably up the ante and put her under house arrest or something.’
Tate is also introduced to high commander of the Dragon Corps, Lord Thora, who is not a fan of Tate’s flippant disregard of the rule book and lack of respect for following the status quo. The interactions between the two are quite amusing with Tate’s utter indifference to being intimidated by Lord Thora and Lord Thora aggravation with Tate’s conduct. We also meet a couple other members of the Dragon Corps but not a lot of backstory or information is provided so I am still not sure how large the organisation is or how many Dragon-Ridden there are in the empire.
The story follows Tate as she juggles these new responsibilities with the investigation of a missing boy whom she passingly knew. As they dig further into the mystery, they discover he is not the only child to have gone missing and one of the Dragon-Ridden has also disappeared. Whilst Aurelia is shaken with earthquakes, the revelations that Tate and the others uncover will shake the bedrock of the city’s power players.
Tate continues to be a great main character. She doesn’t go looking for trouble, but it always seems to find her. She has a strong moral centre that will not let her handball the responsibilities that she feels are hers, even if it would be easier in the long run.
‘Jack meant something. The others meant something. To stand by and do nothing when she hadn’t done everything in her power grated. She wouldn’t. No, she couldn’t do such a thing. It went against the moral bedrock that she was beginning to recognize as hers.’
The breath of fresh air that is Tate also means that she doesn’t get whiny and complain when things do get hard and complicated. She just buckles down and works harder to protect those around her. The counterpoint to Tate’s dedication is the hilarious asides by Tate’s dragon, Ilith. I love the little moments where the dragon is ascendant and walking around assuming that everyone is admiring how lovely and pretty she is, but we as the reader know that they are terrified and panicked. These moments of levity are a highpoint in the book in my opinion. Whilst we do learn more about Tate in the book, there is still a lot of the puzzle yet to be put together. Whether it was intended or not, her past is left vague, and I do wish we had gotten more clarity on what Tate does and does not remember.
As per the first two books, her pseudo family – Dewdrop and Night – are a highlight again and the dynamics between them feel natural and comfortable. They have absolute trust and loyalty to one another, even if they do squabble over food. We see more of Roslyn, the Duke of Spiritly’s daughter who revoked her family allegiances at the end of Book 2, ‘Of Bone and Ruin’. However, there was no mention of Gabriella, and I would have loved to see her cutting wit and intelligence again, although I am not too sure how her presence would have been explained. We also get a very brief sighting of the friends Tate had on the pirate ship, the Marauder - Danny, Ripley, and Trent. I am not too sure why they showed up as they had no relevance to the plot and it felt like if you had blinked, you would have missed them.
I still struggle with the relationship between Tate and Ryu that the author is obviously building up and plans to get them together. There is an attraction to one another, but it feels only skin deep with no real admiration of the character and personality that makes up a person. They barely act as friends half the time and there is one scene that annoys me the most. Tate ask’s Ryu why he cares about her when they both know she can be difficult, arrogant, argumentative etc but at no stage does Ryu admit that he is controlling, secretive, scheming, domineering etc. I mean, is it ok to list out the failings of Tate, if you want to call them that, but then why are we are not going to recognise that Ryu hasn’t exactly demonstrated his loyalty or trustworthiness. Maybe my opinion of him will change, but right now I would prefer Tate be single.
‘Tate’s chest heaved, and it was a struggle to speak without shouting. “I didn’t know any of that, now did I? You talk about faith, but it’s you who doesn’t trust me. Instead of dismissing me with a pat on the head, you could have said something about this great plan. You left me knowing nothing, and not just about this.” ’
Overall, ‘Destruction's Ascent’, is a good book. Maybe not the start to finish action of the first two but still enjoyable with a lot of world-building and character development. If you have read and enjoyed the first two books or anything else that the author has written, you will likely enjoy ‘Destruction's Ascent’. If you are new to the Dragon Ridden Chronicles or T.A. White but like fantasy adventure with a sprinkling of tech, magic, mystery and romance, then I highly recommend this series.
3.5 out of 5 stars! Rounded up to 4 stars.
‘Destruction's Ascent’ is the third book in the Dragon Ridden Chronicles by T.A. White. As of July 2022, the series consist of:
Book 0.5: Shifting Seas (Prequal written from Jost’s POV)
Book 1: Dragon-Ridden
Book 2: Of Bone and Ruin
Book 3: Destruction's Ascent
Book 4: Secrets Bound By Sand
Book 5: Where Dragons Collide
The story picks up several weeks after the conclusion of Book 2, ‘Of Bone and Ruin’, with Tate, Dewdrop and Night looking for information on Christopher, aka ‘Brown Eyes’. Tate believes down to her bones that it is only a matter of time before Christopher will reappear and wreak havoc in her life, especially after the information he imparted about the mystery of Tate’s past. She doesn’t really believe what he said about her origins, but she can’t quite put it out of her mind either. Of course, Ryu had given her explicit instructions to drop the search for Christopher, but in the normal Tate fashion, she had ignored him in favour of uncovering the truth.
‘He’d warned her more than once to stay away from anything pertaining to Brown Eyes. She had no doubt that if she said something now, he’d force her out of this tent and give her strict orders to leave well enough alone. Since they both knew it was only a matter of time before she’d disobey, he’d probably up the ante and put her under house arrest or something.’
Tate is also introduced to high commander of the Dragon Corps, Lord Thora, who is not a fan of Tate’s flippant disregard of the rule book and lack of respect for following the status quo. The interactions between the two are quite amusing with Tate’s utter indifference to being intimidated by Lord Thora and Lord Thora aggravation with Tate’s conduct. We also meet a couple other members of the Dragon Corps but not a lot of backstory or information is provided so I am still not sure how large the organisation is or how many Dragon-Ridden there are in the empire.
The story follows Tate as she juggles these new responsibilities with the investigation of a missing boy whom she passingly knew. As they dig further into the mystery, they discover he is not the only child to have gone missing and one of the Dragon-Ridden has also disappeared. Whilst Aurelia is shaken with earthquakes, the revelations that Tate and the others uncover will shake the bedrock of the city’s power players.
Tate continues to be a great main character. She doesn’t go looking for trouble, but it always seems to find her. She has a strong moral centre that will not let her handball the responsibilities that she feels are hers, even if it would be easier in the long run.
‘Jack meant something. The others meant something. To stand by and do nothing when she hadn’t done everything in her power grated. She wouldn’t. No, she couldn’t do such a thing. It went against the moral bedrock that she was beginning to recognize as hers.’
The breath of fresh air that is Tate also means that she doesn’t get whiny and complain when things do get hard and complicated. She just buckles down and works harder to protect those around her. The counterpoint to Tate’s dedication is the hilarious asides by Tate’s dragon, Ilith. I love the little moments where the dragon is ascendant and walking around assuming that everyone is admiring how lovely and pretty she is, but we as the reader know that they are terrified and panicked. These moments of levity are a highpoint in the book in my opinion. Whilst we do learn more about Tate in the book, there is still a lot of the puzzle yet to be put together. Whether it was intended or not, her past is left vague, and I do wish we had gotten more clarity on what Tate does and does not remember.
As per the first two books, her pseudo family – Dewdrop and Night – are a highlight again and the dynamics between them feel natural and comfortable. They have absolute trust and loyalty to one another, even if they do squabble over food. We see more of Roslyn, the Duke of Spiritly’s daughter who revoked her family allegiances at the end of Book 2, ‘Of Bone and Ruin’. However, there was no mention of Gabriella, and I would have loved to see her cutting wit and intelligence again, although I am not too sure how her presence would have been explained. We also get a very brief sighting of the friends Tate had on the pirate ship, the Marauder - Danny, Ripley, and Trent. I am not too sure why they showed up as they had no relevance to the plot and it felt like if you had blinked, you would have missed them.
I still struggle with the relationship between Tate and Ryu that the author is obviously building up and plans to get them together. There is an attraction to one another, but it feels only skin deep with no real admiration of the character and personality that makes up a person. They barely act as friends half the time and there is one scene that annoys me the most. Tate ask’s Ryu why he cares about her when they both know she can be difficult, arrogant, argumentative etc but at no stage does Ryu admit that he is controlling, secretive, scheming, domineering etc. I mean, is it ok to list out the failings of Tate, if you want to call them that, but then why are we are not going to recognise that Ryu hasn’t exactly demonstrated his loyalty or trustworthiness. Maybe my opinion of him will change, but right now I would prefer Tate be single.
‘Tate’s chest heaved, and it was a struggle to speak without shouting. “I didn’t know any of that, now did I? You talk about faith, but it’s you who doesn’t trust me. Instead of dismissing me with a pat on the head, you could have said something about this great plan. You left me knowing nothing, and not just about this.” ’
Overall, ‘Destruction's Ascent’, is a good book. Maybe not the start to finish action of the first two but still enjoyable with a lot of world-building and character development. If you have read and enjoyed the first two books or anything else that the author has written, you will likely enjoy ‘Destruction's Ascent’. If you are new to the Dragon Ridden Chronicles or T.A. White but like fantasy adventure with a sprinkling of tech, magic, mystery and romance, then I highly recommend this series.
3.5 out of 5 stars! Rounded up to 4 stars.
‘Destruction's Ascent’ is the third book in the Dragon Ridden Chronicles by T.A. White. As of July 2022, the series consist of:
Book 0.5: Shifting Seas (Prequal written from Jost’s POV)
Book 1: Dragon-Ridden
Book 2: Of Bone and Ruin
Book 3: Destruction's Ascent
Book 4: Secrets Bound By Sand
Book 5: Where Dragons Collide
Read
October 12, 2024if tate was joining my army i wouldn’t tell her ish either with how reckless she is. her fear of getting hurt by others is clouding her judgment. like girl you couldn’t have had that conversation with ryu before? idk i find her aggravating. if she just went along with the training instead of drinking with her friend and took it seriously or didn’t hide information they end finding out ANYWAY then ryu could see she is trying but she doesn’t and then blames ppl for not trusting her. her way of talking and attitude at this point is giving me a headache(adding to my headache really i do have covid right now).
ryu as a love interest is okay i guess. i don’t think he is as alpha aholey as the other two series by white that i’ve read(well i dnfed pathfinder bec mc was helping her colonizers like girl are you an idiot!). i actually think his actions make sense esp since tate is truly a pain in the ass. yes he spied on her. yes he should of told her but trust works both way. she didn’t reach out and he didn’t. making them a perfect match really. you might argue he is bosses her around rudely and to that i say if you had someone in your army/crew who never asked for help or just does what they want without any regard for anything other than immediate thing she thinks is right with minimal info how would you act? and if to that you are like well he didn’t tell her ish! i would say yeah cause she keeps getting almost killed and attacked. all of this started bec she didn’t even attempt tell jost she was being attacked by the ship men. she innately has no ability to rely on anyone bec she is consumed with fear but not in a way that would help with actual survival.
my complaints still stand from first two books. the author still doesn’t trust us, we still know nothing about tate and this world and the snarky sassy way everyone talks(esp tate) is killing me(covid might be too i am breaking out in hives randomly).
i’ve already pushed through one series that had similar issues and ended up dnf at the fifth book. if the main character grates me i don’t think i can cont. so there a third t a white series i’ve let go of. unfortunate bec i think her worlds and stories are so fascinating. there is usually one character that makes me say no i’m good.
ryu as a love interest is okay i guess. i don’t think he is as alpha aholey as the other two series by white that i’ve read(well i dnfed pathfinder bec mc was helping her colonizers like girl are you an idiot!). i actually think his actions make sense esp since tate is truly a pain in the ass. yes he spied on her. yes he should of told her but trust works both way. she didn’t reach out and he didn’t. making them a perfect match really. you might argue he is bosses her around rudely and to that i say if you had someone in your army/crew who never asked for help or just does what they want without any regard for anything other than immediate thing she thinks is right with minimal info how would you act? and if to that you are like well he didn’t tell her ish! i would say yeah cause she keeps getting almost killed and attacked. all of this started bec she didn’t even attempt tell jost she was being attacked by the ship men. she innately has no ability to rely on anyone bec she is consumed with fear but not in a way that would help with actual survival.
my complaints still stand from first two books. the author still doesn’t trust us, we still know nothing about tate and this world and the snarky sassy way everyone talks(esp tate) is killing me(covid might be too i am breaking out in hives randomly).
i’ve already pushed through one series that had similar issues and ended up dnf at the fifth book. if the main character grates me i don’t think i can cont. so there a third t a white series i’ve let go of. unfortunate bec i think her worlds and stories are so fascinating. there is usually one character that makes me say no i’m good.
May 29, 2023
I listed to all 5 of these audiobooks back-to-back during a particularly mindless work project (and about 10 others in other series by this author - it was a very long project!) I had stumbled on this author at someone's recommendation (thank you Goodreads!) and listened to all of another of her series, so I gave the others a chance. Glad I did.
First off: All of Ms. White's heroines have the same personality at their core. If you like one, you will like them all. Secondly: Most of her audiobooks are voiced by the same actor, so there's a lot of overlap in voices from one series to another. This is only confusing if you binge through them like I did. Thirdly: All the series follow the standard urban fantasy trope of a snarky, gifted woman with a heart of gold who collects a family of her own making. And there's always a powerful man who pursues her romantically and eventually helps her shine. If you are good with those, you will probably like these books.
Book One: This series opens with a woman, found abandoned and feral on a deserted island with no memory and a moving dragon tattoo, leaving the pirate ship that rescued her to live in the capital city of the realm. There's something a bit uncanny about her - learning with unbelievable speed- and she's pressured to leave by some of the more unsavory crewmen.
On a lark, she foils a theft by some street urchins, because she's fascinated by the race of their target - a noblewoman who seems part sea creature, apparently. She's never seen the like. This act of kindness does not go unpunished, bringing her to the attention of the kings of the underground. While at their mercy, she breaks out, bringing a sapient large cat (think panther) with her, and adopting one of the street urchins as her sidekick. She's also tortured. Eventually, she turns into a dragon and eats some of the bad guys.
Book Two: So it turns out she's the only female dragon ridden, ever. And all dragon ridden are required to be in the service of the crown. She's assigned to a dragon for supervision and sent to magic school while she adjusts to her new reality, but not given a job that pays. She's got 4 dependents to house and feed, so she and the 2 older dependents are looking for work, and sometimes step on toes. Eventually, she's assigned to escort some people to an archeological find that is in dispute. Slowly, some of her memories are unlocking, and she ends up deep underground at the mercy of a mad AI and some other unsavory characters. By the end, she's recruited another ally and impressed another race of people who seem melded with apex predators.
Book Three: Now our heroine is assigned to the dragon corp and not the best of recruits. I don't even remember the details of this book, but the gist is, there's a conspiracy afoot, and a lot of that conspiracy is layered into 1000-year-old history. One of her adopted meets up with his family of origin in this book, and there are lots of earthquakes. Turns out, the baddies are trying to awake something from below the city that will not be good news for the cities' residents. The heroine upsets a lot of powerful people foiling the plot.
First off: All of Ms. White's heroines have the same personality at their core. If you like one, you will like them all. Secondly: Most of her audiobooks are voiced by the same actor, so there's a lot of overlap in voices from one series to another. This is only confusing if you binge through them like I did. Thirdly: All the series follow the standard urban fantasy trope of a snarky, gifted woman with a heart of gold who collects a family of her own making. And there's always a powerful man who pursues her romantically and eventually helps her shine. If you are good with those, you will probably like these books.
Book One: This series opens with a woman, found abandoned and feral on a deserted island with no memory and a moving dragon tattoo, leaving the pirate ship that rescued her to live in the capital city of the realm. There's something a bit uncanny about her - learning with unbelievable speed- and she's pressured to leave by some of the more unsavory crewmen.
On a lark, she foils a theft by some street urchins, because she's fascinated by the race of their target - a noblewoman who seems part sea creature, apparently. She's never seen the like. This act of kindness does not go unpunished, bringing her to the attention of the kings of the underground. While at their mercy, she breaks out, bringing a sapient large cat (think panther) with her, and adopting one of the street urchins as her sidekick. She's also tortured. Eventually, she turns into a dragon and eats some of the bad guys.
Book Two: So it turns out she's the only female dragon ridden, ever. And all dragon ridden are required to be in the service of the crown. She's assigned to a dragon for supervision and sent to magic school while she adjusts to her new reality, but not given a job that pays. She's got 4 dependents to house and feed, so she and the 2 older dependents are looking for work, and sometimes step on toes. Eventually, she's assigned to escort some people to an archeological find that is in dispute. Slowly, some of her memories are unlocking, and she ends up deep underground at the mercy of a mad AI and some other unsavory characters. By the end, she's recruited another ally and impressed another race of people who seem melded with apex predators.
Book Three: Now our heroine is assigned to the dragon corp and not the best of recruits. I don't even remember the details of this book, but the gist is, there's a conspiracy afoot, and a lot of that conspiracy is layered into 1000-year-old history. One of her adopted meets up with his family of origin in this book, and there are lots of earthquakes. Turns out, the baddies are trying to awake something from below the city that will not be good news for the cities' residents. The heroine upsets a lot of powerful people foiling the plot.
September 23, 2019
Aurelia has been plagued by earthquakes recently. While Tate, Dewdrop, and Night are watching a performance by the Avertine's, a group that always wears heavy makeup and cloaks to hide the fact that not all of them are human or part of the two other main races, an earthquake collapses their tent. In the chaos, a child known to them disappears. When Tate and her band investigate, they find out that this wasn't the first child to disappear. But because these children are from not from rich houses the Black Order, a security force that has slowly been pushing back the normal police, don't investigate. As the Black Order and order start preaching a humans only mentality, the political situation is pretty loaded. Therefore Ryu asks Tate not to investigate as her lack of subtlety could make things worse.
As before this book is standalone. Two minor characters, a daughter of a noble house called Roslyn and a seamstress were introduced in the second book. Other than that you could read this book without having read the second one.
This book delves deeper into Tate's past and potentially marks a difference in her relationship with Ilith. I love that dragon and would enjoy her taking a more active role. It has some hilarious interactions with former allies (going drinking with the crew of a pirate ship is never a good idea), introduces some new ones (the dragon-ridden corps), and some new antagonists (foremost the Black Order). There are the usual editing issues, but aside from that, the book was immensely enjoyable.
Having said that, I do hope that Tate will start to mature a little bit. While most of the happenings come about because Tate doesn't know how much she can trust Ryu or the other dragon-ridden, which is understandable, her gung-ho approach to everything is starting to get a little bit tiresome.
Look forward to the next one.
As before this book is standalone. Two minor characters, a daughter of a noble house called Roslyn and a seamstress were introduced in the second book. Other than that you could read this book without having read the second one.
This book delves deeper into Tate's past and potentially marks a difference in her relationship with Ilith. I love that dragon and would enjoy her taking a more active role. It has some hilarious interactions with former allies (going drinking with the crew of a pirate ship is never a good idea), introduces some new ones (the dragon-ridden corps), and some new antagonists (foremost the Black Order). There are the usual editing issues, but aside from that, the book was immensely enjoyable.
Having said that, I do hope that Tate will start to mature a little bit. While most of the happenings come about because Tate doesn't know how much she can trust Ryu or the other dragon-ridden, which is understandable, her gung-ho approach to everything is starting to get a little bit tiresome.
Look forward to the next one.
July 1, 2021
“Destruction’s Ascent” allows fans to get closer to the truth behind who Tate really is as well as her origins. Nothing and no one is what it seems.
Tate goes to a street fair of sorts with people known as the Avertine providing the entertainment. As the festivities begin it is clear that Dewdrop has a history with these people that he not quite ready to share. White watching a performance an earthquake hits and everyone scurries to safety. During the commotion Jack, a boy Tate defended has been separated from his sister, Daisy and is now missing. What is most significant about this is he is one of many children who have gone missing. Additionally, a dragon ridden has gone missing as well.
As Tate decides to investigate Jack’s disappearance she is told time and time again to focus on her training by Rhy and her new instructor, Thora. They are totally vexed by her disobedience but also recognize that her actions also has lead them to uncovering a plot of an epic proportion. If the city and their world is to survive the empire will have to follow Tate’s lead for a change
This read was the best in the series to date for me. The action was good, the characters are wonderful and it’s hard to determine just who the bad guys really are. One thing for sure there is definitely a gray line as to who is right or wrong. While signs of a potential romance is starting to manifest I am ready for Tate to have some serious kissy face. With all she has endured she deserves it!
Tate goes to a street fair of sorts with people known as the Avertine providing the entertainment. As the festivities begin it is clear that Dewdrop has a history with these people that he not quite ready to share. White watching a performance an earthquake hits and everyone scurries to safety. During the commotion Jack, a boy Tate defended has been separated from his sister, Daisy and is now missing. What is most significant about this is he is one of many children who have gone missing. Additionally, a dragon ridden has gone missing as well.
As Tate decides to investigate Jack’s disappearance she is told time and time again to focus on her training by Rhy and her new instructor, Thora. They are totally vexed by her disobedience but also recognize that her actions also has lead them to uncovering a plot of an epic proportion. If the city and their world is to survive the empire will have to follow Tate’s lead for a change
This read was the best in the series to date for me. The action was good, the characters are wonderful and it’s hard to determine just who the bad guys really are. One thing for sure there is definitely a gray line as to who is right or wrong. While signs of a potential romance is starting to manifest I am ready for Tate to have some serious kissy face. With all she has endured she deserves it!
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June 19, 2022I really love sooooo much about this series! I mean... DRAGONS!!
But OMG, it makes ZERO sense that we are on Book 3 and the lack of basic curiosity and time Tate has spent on exploring her bond with the Dragon she literally shares a body with..... it really made me crazy enough that I put this book down for weeks. I was so annoyed. I'm glad I pushed myself to set that aside and continue our journey. I need to see our Found Family come out with a win and live happily every afters.
But OMG, it makes ZERO sense that we are on Book 3 and the lack of basic curiosity and time Tate has spent on exploring her bond with the Dragon she literally shares a body with..... it really made me crazy enough that I put this book down for weeks. I was so annoyed. I'm glad I pushed myself to set that aside and continue our journey. I need to see our Found Family come out with a win and live happily every afters.
August 27, 2024
What a beautiful story! I have read most other works by this author, but this series is my favorite so far.
I started the series thinking it was fantasy when it really is science-fantasy. The resolution of the story in this book follows in the tradition of some of the best Star Trek episodes which is maybe why I enjoyed it so much.
That said, Tate annoyed me at times. She acts like an insolent child. But then, Ryu and Thora treat her like one, too. I think she is just reacting to their treatment, at least partially, most of the time. I wish they would just communicate with each-other like adults and I hope the events in this book helped them all build some trust so they can work with each-other going forward.
And can we talk about Ilith? She's a delight. I hope we get so see more of her in the coming books. I would happily read a whole novel just from her point of view.
Right, on to book 4. I have now reached the stage at which I have to keep going but I don't want to go too fast because then it will be over too soon. Any book or series that manages to achieve that will stay with me forever.
I started the series thinking it was fantasy when it really is science-fantasy. The resolution of the story in this book follows in the tradition of some of the best Star Trek episodes which is maybe why I enjoyed it so much.
That said, Tate annoyed me at times. She acts like an insolent child. But then, Ryu and Thora treat her like one, too. I think she is just reacting to their treatment, at least partially, most of the time. I wish they would just communicate with each-other like adults and I hope the events in this book helped them all build some trust so they can work with each-other going forward.
And can we talk about Ilith? She's a delight. I hope we get so see more of her in the coming books. I would happily read a whole novel just from her point of view.
Right, on to book 4. I have now reached the stage at which I have to keep going but I don't want to go too fast because then it will be over too soon. Any book or series that manages to achieve that will stay with me forever.
December 9, 2021
Very Confusing At Times
As much as I’ve really wanted to enjoy this series, I’ve had a hard time reading pretty much all 3 so far.
It becomes very muddled, causing the reader to question if they’ve missed something. There’s been a few times, I’ve actually backed up to read over what I’ve already read, looking for a clue as to what it all means, and how it all ties together.
Suspense is one thing, but outright confusion is a whole different story! I wasn’t always sure who White was referring to, or how the situation was applicable to the storyline, especially with her use of nicknames.
There’s a lot of characters to keep track of, as well as plot lines which become overbearing. In this case, I truly feel there should have been an expansion to the book, with more explanation, and an emphasis on slowing down the train wreck. There’s also a lot of page fluff that just isn’t necessary to the story to make it work, and could’ve easily been left out, and replaced with what I mentioned above.
My opinion didn’t change by the end. I’m still just as confused as I was from the beginning. I took an extended break between 2 and 3. I’m not even sure I will carry on with this particular series or not.
As much as I’ve really wanted to enjoy this series, I’ve had a hard time reading pretty much all 3 so far.
It becomes very muddled, causing the reader to question if they’ve missed something. There’s been a few times, I’ve actually backed up to read over what I’ve already read, looking for a clue as to what it all means, and how it all ties together.
Suspense is one thing, but outright confusion is a whole different story! I wasn’t always sure who White was referring to, or how the situation was applicable to the storyline, especially with her use of nicknames.
There’s a lot of characters to keep track of, as well as plot lines which become overbearing. In this case, I truly feel there should have been an expansion to the book, with more explanation, and an emphasis on slowing down the train wreck. There’s also a lot of page fluff that just isn’t necessary to the story to make it work, and could’ve easily been left out, and replaced with what I mentioned above.
My opinion didn’t change by the end. I’m still just as confused as I was from the beginning. I took an extended break between 2 and 3. I’m not even sure I will carry on with this particular series or not.
July 22, 2023
Good
This is the third book in the series, and you definitely need to have read the first two books before this one.
Tate’s duties as one of the Dragon Ridden take a back seat when she discovers children have been going missing.
Determined to figure out the culprits, she and her friends have to work fast, and in a tense political situation.
Things start to get heated in this book, as Tate learns some interesting truths, and as those seeking power start to make their moves. Tate’s not the most diplomatic of people, a flaw that causes her a few problems; but also a trait that causes so many to feel indebted to her, and loyal.
Night and his cubs might just be the stars of this book, though Ilith gives them a run for their money!
An engrossing story, this is a fabulous epic sci-fantasy that fans of sci-fi, and fantasy will enjoy.
This is the third book in the series, and you definitely need to have read the first two books before this one.
Tate’s duties as one of the Dragon Ridden take a back seat when she discovers children have been going missing.
Determined to figure out the culprits, she and her friends have to work fast, and in a tense political situation.
Things start to get heated in this book, as Tate learns some interesting truths, and as those seeking power start to make their moves. Tate’s not the most diplomatic of people, a flaw that causes her a few problems; but also a trait that causes so many to feel indebted to her, and loyal.
Night and his cubs might just be the stars of this book, though Ilith gives them a run for their money!
An engrossing story, this is a fabulous epic sci-fantasy that fans of sci-fi, and fantasy will enjoy.
April 11, 2018
***Note I received an ARC***
This series was the first to hook me into T.A. white's literature world. Her style of writing is unique and her heroine, Tate, is breathe of fresh air with her witty sense of humor and strong moral. This third book does not disappoint as we continue to learn more about who Tate is as she slowly regains her memories. My favorite part is the DRAGONS! They are amazing. I keep rereading their scenes over and over. I wish we knew more! And not to spoil, but the bantering and chemistry of Ryu and Tate continues on. >___< Buuut of course Mrs. White, keeps us hooked with a small reveal and more mystery to come in the upcoming books.
Definitely give this book a read! I wish the next one was out already!!
This series was the first to hook me into T.A. white's literature world. Her style of writing is unique and her heroine, Tate, is breathe of fresh air with her witty sense of humor and strong moral. This third book does not disappoint as we continue to learn more about who Tate is as she slowly regains her memories. My favorite part is the DRAGONS! They are amazing. I keep rereading their scenes over and over. I wish we knew more! And not to spoil, but the bantering and chemistry of Ryu and Tate continues on. >___< Buuut of course Mrs. White, keeps us hooked with a small reveal and more mystery to come in the upcoming books.
Definitely give this book a read! I wish the next one was out already!!
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