Might of the Dragon

Dragon Riders of Elantia #3

by Jessica Drake

Zara and Lessie's adventure continues in book three of this action-packed dragon rider series!

Separated from her dragon and stranded in enemy territory, Zara Kenrook has been branded as a traitor and a deserter by her own people. In order to survive, she temporarily teams up with Salcombe, posing as his high society wife and pretending to help him while desperately searching for a way to foil the impending war and reunite with Lessie.
 
With no allies to aid her, and danger lurking around every corner, Zara's chances of success grow slimmer by the day. But insurmountable odds have never stopped Zara before, and she's not about to give in. Not when the price of failure is not just the fall of Elantia, but of dragonkind itself...

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Magic, Steampunk, Fiction, Romantasy, Action

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2018

About the author

JESSICA DRAKE is the epic fantasy pen name for New York Times bestseller Jasmine Walt. She's always wanted to write epic and sword and sorcery fantasy, and is really hoping that readers will love the new dragon rider series she's put out. When she’s not binge-watching Lord of the Rings or planning her dream vacation, she can be found chained to her computer, feverishly working on her next project. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to drop her a line at jessica@authorjessicadrake.com.

Reviews

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The adventure continues as Zara fights the good fight to keep her homeland from war, works against her old mentor, and grows closer to her wonderful dragon Lessie. I will admit that my favorite character out of all the books is Lessie. She’s so fierce and protective, and I just love her! She’s grown so much from the first book. Not that I don’t like the other characters, but she just speaks to me more than the others. And speaking of the other characters, I also adore Lord Tarvarian. I hope we see more of him in the next installment. While there wasn’t much forward momentum in the plot, this was an action-packed sequel full of escapes, pursuits, and fights. Besides all the obvious plotline resolutions, I’m anxious to see what Zara will learn about her birth parents. That is the book I’m really, really looking forward to. If you liked the first two books, you will definitely like this third one! Recommend! I was provided a complimentary copy of the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so Google is a thing that this author has full access to. I am just a little upset because I was actually in the military and would like a little effort here. There is a scene where the MC flies over a marching army of mixed men numbering in the 56K range with carriages (steam powered). Having marched before something seemed a bit off. She described flying past them from the clouds and entering a nearby city. Well they are about 2 hours out at this point and she is trying to hurry to inform the city. Here is the thing about that, you don't have to tell some one there is a 56K person army 2 hours out! They are like a quarter mile away at that point! Even more modern age armies travel at a very slow pace. Just foot soldiers without a supply chain will travel at around 3 mile per hour. One of the only modern examples of this kind of advance traveled at a snail's pace if 5km per day! You could literally see them coming for the better part of an afternoon. I am not saying that you have to be technically perfect just think about how slow an army must be and how fast a dragon would probably be. Nobody would want to fly on a dragon if it went 4 mph. If you are reading this book that means that you have most likely read the other 2 books before it, and therefore know that there are multiple issues with the series. Most of the time this just requires a suspension of disbelief or the need to look the other way on a few things, so why did it suddenly start bothering me? Well I think it is because the pace started to slow down, or because it is getting a little monotonous, or maybe it is just all together falling apart. I thought that by the third book things would start coming together and the main character wouldn't just be bouncing between events with seemingly no plan or thought. I enjoyed reading this series, but some things are just hard to get over, for example she doesn't get along well with superiors, which isn't bad. Maybe I was in a better mood, but my wife read them too and had a similar opinion. I think it was the needless review, these books are super short and very to the point, but the author saw the need to review every part of the story up to now. Maybe it is just an overall frustration with attention to detail, because I normally read well executed books. I am not sure, but for whatever reason I have not been able to overlook some of the overlooked details in this book. The characters are still good, but you don't get to see as many of them for most of the book, and maybe that is the issue, when you strip away her gear and her dragon and her friends the MC is just kind of boring.

[caffeine reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I didn’t write reviews for the 1st 2 books just because I don’t feel like I could I enjoyed them of course but the action was so fast it was so easy to jump into the next book and I wanted to be sure of what I wanted to say.

Zara is a kick ass grounder that is not part of the nobility world. But now having Lessie (her dragon) and the noble house of tavarian on her side she is unstoppable.

War has now be declared and with tavarian showing up in the nick of time to save her from imprisonment from her own country due to incorrect information. She is home with tavarian.
But not for long as her, Lessie and Tavarian try to find a way to save their country from a war.

I love Zara she has a sassy attitude and a bucket full of loyalty and morals. She will always do the right thing even at her own expense.

Lessie might be only a baby but she also has a sassy nature about her and for a female baby dragon she has all the other dragons doing her bidding (girl power)

Jallis started as a love interest but I think k his personality is to far gone from years of grooming to be in the military and authority dictating his moves even when he knows deep down they might not be the right ones.
I don’t like there relationship and I don’t think he would ever be good for Zara. If your not willing to even disobey your mothers opinion of someone your suppose to like, it’s for sure certain that man is not for you!

Rhia, I love her she’s a loyal friend and as an outsider herself coming from the lowest noble family she also has never been fully accepted so finding a kindred spirit in Zara they both form a loyal friendship.
Everyone needs a bestie that will kick ass for you when everyone is against you.

Tavarian, now although we haven’t had a great deal of him he has firmly cemented himself in Zara’s world.
He took her in when she was infact stealing from him (lessies egg).
He has a cold nature about him to begin with his alone with no family or heirs.
But as time passes he has her bag takes her away to a private estate to train Lessie and Zara and they grow closer learning that tavarian dragon Muza is alive but he refuses to have him used for war so set him free.
Zara learns that he is truly not what everyone has painted.
And so a friendship blossoms and maybe a little spark of more.
He is willing to do anything for Zara and Lessie regardless of the cost and wants nothing in return.

I am getting into this and feel like this series is hyped enough

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Alexandria Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****Spoilers*****

Zara spends a lot of time in this book being frustrated by the actions and decisions of military commanders. With such poor leadership and decision making skills of her superior officers and some egos to match, it's a wonder Elantia was the power it was though we've seen how the arrogance cost them technologically. Zara is fortuitously in the right place at the right time to cause a rift that limited Elantia's adversaries in the coming war and reunites briefly with Travarian before she's off with Salcombe.

Salcombe is making progress on his quest for the dragon heart. The whole time though I couldn't help wondering why Zara was helping him instead of throwing him off. She tries at one point but a family conveniently comes from the house and they're threatened so she tells Salcombe where the dragon heart piece is to save the family. And he escapes with it when Zara is knocked unconscious.

Zara has a few more rounds with the military brass and is briefly imprisoned again and another time. It's amazing how she's stumbling upon so much intelligence singlehandedly and sharing her news while under suspicion. With a small dragon rider contingent on one side and a leveler with the cannons and a much larger army by all accounts on the other side in the coming war, it seems that all Zara is doing is staving off the inevitable but we'll see. One thing I didn't understand in this book was Zara's decision to go live at Salcombe's old residence. That was certainly a head scratcher.

The other surprise was the kiss Zara shared with Travarian. It was sudden not only in action but in their relationship development as before then, there wasn't much else to point to romantic feelings between them. Since Zara seems to realize that Jallis isn't right for her I guess it's fitting to move on. Speaking of Jallis and Zara together, I didn't think he was right for her, particularly given Jallis' rigidity in thinking.

[Jumms · Rating 5 out of 5]

his book was fantastic. The second book was a bit slow for me and threw me off a bit. I liked it but i loved the 1st book. This one reeled me right back in. It was as great as the first book. We pick up where we left off in the 2nd book and Zara is still in the clutches of Salcombe. You think he was low and evil before but when you find out what he was keeping from Zara you hate that man even more. I feel the storytelling and action in this book was very well balanced and you didn't want to put it down when it ended. I was even trying to sneak read this at work. Zara is stuck behind enemy lines for most of this book but when she comes back home you have to wonder if it is even worth it. Zara doesn't love the army and this book brings home why, but she realizes what is worth fighting for. I wish we had a bit more of Rhia in this book but loved that she is still a good friend to Zara. Lessie is just as "bad" as she wants to be but still growing. Can't wait till we get to truly see her at her peak.

For those looking for a new book i highly recommend this series. It's a refreshing take on dragons and their riders and a book that allows you to root for the underdiog. You can relate to female lead. She doesn't seem grandiose but might be a girl you know. She is tough, has been through hard times but keeps trucking because sometimes that is all you have left to do.

For those of us who aren't new to the series i think the last two pages in the book are everything..well it was for me. My only complaint is i wanted more of that and wish there was more interaction on that level earlier. Oy.

Go and read the book!!!

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book for my honest review of it and i really really reallllly recommend it :-).

[Jemimah Decker-Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What another great book in this awesome series. It's a refreshing change to most of the books out there at the moment in that it's not full of romance but it focus more on the relationship between our heroine Zara and her dragon Lessie (who is my favourite character by the way). Book three picks up pretty much where book two ended as it did leave us on a bit of a cliffy. Zara is in danger, in a country about to declare war on her own one with the evil Salcombe, she is separated from Lessie and for the both of them that's the hardest part. I loved how this book described all the adventure and scary situations Zara gets into. I love how Lessie is the greatest Dragon and friend and will do whatever she possibly can to protect Zara and get back to her. I loved how the story moved along and we discovered some more things about Zara along the way. Seriously, this series is turning out to be one of my favourites, it reminds me of the fantasy books I used to read in the past. There was just a hint of romance at the end of this book and it was taking the story in the route I've been hoping it would go. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. A great five star read for me.

[Tina G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, easy read...recommend for dragon fantasy lovers

The only problem with this book series is I need more! Might of the Dragon (Dragon Riders of Elantia Book #3) is the best in the series so far. I read it in under 24 hours.

I would recommend this series if you are looking for a new fantasy or dragon series.

Minimal spoilers below……..
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Zara and Lessie are back and trying to evade the bad people that are coming at them from all angles. This book is fast-paced and has a lot of action.

Some things to expect: dragons, new love interest, war with bordering lands, noble court events, ongoing nefarious plans, and more.

This book is part of an ongoing series. If you are looking for closure at the end, you will not get it yet. I wouldn’t recommend starting with this book as you will miss key information from the previous books.

Parental warnings/trigger advisory: a couple swear words, drugs that are used to drug other people, death, war, stealing, and a kiss.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, however I also pre-ordered (purchased) the book.

[C. Erani Kole · Rating 3 out of 5]

*voluntarily and honestly reviewed the ARC I received from the author*

This one's like 3.5 for me. Lessie, who's probably my favorite character, wasn't in this as much for obvious reasons, so I had a lot of time to look at the other characters in the series, and it was... interesting. Part of my reading experience was me feeling confused about how I should be feeling toward certain people that were portrayed differently in the first book, and the second one felt like it was trying to steer me in a different direction from what I got from the first book, and then THIS one kinda just, like, tugged me the rest of the way. A few things were unexpected, and though I also at times wanted it to happen, it still slightly bothered me that it did. I think personally, I just took the first book a certain way, so having to see everyone's reasoning in a different light threw me off. Story-wise, it felt a little slow because it concentrated less on Lessie and Zara and more on the war itself, but it was done in a way that made it feel like Zara would never be rid of her 'cage' so long as a certain person lived. Pretty interesting, overall, a bit of a strange experience.

[Erin Remen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another five star adventure by Jessica Drake! They each read like an extended episode of your favorite show. Exciting, heart-pounding, adrenaline inducing ride in a world filled with dragons, mysteries, treasures and a cast of characters you both love and hate. Old friends and fowes make appearances, some more appreciated than others. Danger at every turn is almost normal for Zara now, so being hunted by the military while being held against her will should be a walk in the park, while in enemy territory! Being separated from Lessie who grows more anxious by the day to reunite makes it all the harder. But that is just the beginning! I loved it, and I can't wait to read the next installment. More Tavarian to come I hope! Brooding, sexy scholarly magicians have a way of worming their way in, and I adore him as much as Lessie and Zara.

[Nicole Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kidnapping, betrayal, and intrigue

Poor Zara has a rough time of it in this part of her story. Forced to use her treasure sense by Salcombe, she secretly fights him at every step possible. But he threatens Lessie and Zara’s friends, so she goes along with his plans until she can figure out how to escape. In the meantime, war is threatening Alantia and Taverian is risking his life to prevent more countries from joining the fight.

Again, a well-written and fantastically edited story. It was hard to read the pain Zara was forced to endure, but her special bond with Lessie was a saving grace. As well as her friendship with Carina and the orphans. I just hope a certain devious, overly smug, and dragon-rider-aggressive general gets her comeuppance. Sooner, rather than later.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zara and Lessie are still separated and Zara is stuck in the clutches of Salcombe who keeps her behaving as if she is happy to be there by threatening both her and Lessie. By a combination of Zara's wits and Lessie's determination she manages to escape only to be charged with treason and jailed before a court martial.

Wow - loved this instalment of the story. It was amazing to read about Lessie's love and faith in Zara and what she would do into order to protect her. There was a lot of drama, danger and excitement in sections of the story and I loved the way it ended - I wondered it that might happen and now I'm hoping with everything that it works out and becomes a real and permanent thing (no I'm not going to tell you more - you just have to read it lol).

[D. Messing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous read! It sucks you in from the first sentence and doesn't let you go until the rollercoaster comes to a screeching halt! Seriously though, Lessie and Zara have grown dramatically over the last three books, lol, Lessie is becoming a force in her own right, and Zara if she's not careful could become the best spy/diplomat the world has ever seen! The pair together is becoming nigh unstoppable and can achieve whatever needs to be done, though not always in the way everyone would prefer! I loved the twisty turns that take you by surprise, ( Tavarian??? Totally rooting for him!!!) and leave you guessing what happens next. Fantastic read, extremely well done, and thank you for the opportunity to review this work!!

[Alice Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zara, a former ground dweller and newly dragon rider has been kidnapped by her former mentor, Salcombe. He wants to use her treasure sensing abilities to locate the pieces of the dragon god's heart that was hidden by five mage families many years ago. In the meantime, Elantia is on the brink of war with Zallabar and Traggar. Zara sent Lessie, her dragon back to the military camp after she was injured and has been unable to communicate with her. Adding to Zara's stress is being watched continually by a thug, Trolbos hired by Salcombe and she has been unable to converse with Lord Tavarian.. Follow the story to see if Salcombe finds the dragon's heart, if Zara reconnects with Lessie and Lord Tavarian.

[Denise Wengert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zara and Lessie are back in the third installment of the Dragon Riders series and this is the best book yet! The book starts off with Zara having to reluctantly teaming up with Salcombe to help him find the next piece of the dragon's heart.That doesn't mean she isn't going to fight him every step up of the way so she can get back to Lessie and try to prevent the coming war.

This book had be enthralled from the beginning and I fall more in love with the characters every book. I devoured it in one sitting, staying up late to finish it since I couldn't put it down. There was also a point towards the end of the book where I actually squealed because I was so happy that something happened (no spoilers). I seriously can't wait for the next book!

[Zoiy Galloay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The timing wasn't making sense reading from an audiobook perspective (unless I missed something). If it takes two days to fly to a foreign island to a location in her homeland, and it takes 3 days by boat, how come an army of 1000 cannons and 50K troops can walk that same distance in two days? It would take them 3-4 weeks.

Many questions arose in this book that didn't make sense, and I wasn't a fan of all officers having personal prejudices against Zara. Ground dwellers didn't like her for being a rider and riders don't like her for being a ground dweller. The amount of oppression for no reason was getting old.

Nevertheless, the story is so interesting that it warrants 5 stars. The politics were fun. I want more of her and Lord T. but he hardly has any scenes in any of the books.

[Leire Maleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m speechless. My mind is blown away. What an amazing book, it had me craving for more, to see what was going to happen next.

There are so many things packed in this book. When you think that finally something good is going to happen, something else comes up. Zara is so strong, specially mentally. I loved every bit of this book.

And that ending.. . I defenitely didn’t see that coming, maybe in the next book, but most certainly not that suddenly or that way. A surprise, but a pleasant one for me.

Defenitely recommend to keep reading if you’ve already read the first two books. I loved it. I’m immediately buying the next one.

[Ashley Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zara and Lessie are back in the next book in this series. After being kidnapped but salacombe again, Zara is forced into the charade of being his wife in order to find the next piece of the Dragon gods heart. Zara must fight against helping him find the piece and try to stop the impending war. Interesting turn of events. Wished that was more of Lessie in this story, love the sassy dragon.

I received an arc copy of this book in return for an honest review. And here it is. Can’t wait for the next book

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally enjoying this series!!!

Ever since Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern series, I have been fascinated by dragon stories. This new series has me anticipating the next book every time! I look forward to continuing the story of Zara and Lessie and this new war in Elantia. I'm always impressed with how an author can take modern day themes and sentiments and make them so entertaining in a fictional story. But while I'm loving the story as a whole, I honestly can't wait for Zara and Lord Tavarian to fall in love and live happily ever after!

[Candy Laine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zara's hit rock bottom on this path. She's separated from Lessie because the dragon will be hunted down and killed. She's got to make her own way back to the base, where people are already assuming her to be AWOL or a traitor.
To make matters worse she's captured by Salcombe who is exploiting her treasure sense to hunt down the pieces of the Dragon God's heart. And while she is happy to bump into Tavarian at the Traggaren court, he's also in not much better position than a glorified prisoner.
She's got to do something to get out of there, and she does!

[Deanna Hovinga · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked how this series started, it had a fresh feel. Somehow during the third book the author seemed to lose focus on her main character and one minute she’s clever, cunning and preventing a war, then she’s saying something ridiculous and her “wise” BABY dragon had to be the voice of reason. Then she’s dragged off to prison and “comes quietly” with her head held high the ENTIRE WAY and then bursts into tears yelling “let me out!!!” Then the military personnel act like 15 year olds and yeah I’m done. It rang so false with me I’ve now lost interest…

[Joy Ki`Ili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unstoppable force and immovable object, that describes Lessie to a tee. Zara is quite good at using her wits to get out of harrowing situations and she definitely winds up in a couple of those. The plot thickens and Zara finds herself pulled in multiple directions as she tries to foil her nemesis and help save her country.

I received an ARC of this story and have voluntarily chosen to review it here.

[Debbie Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The continuing adventures of Zara and Lessie see them separated. Zara held captive by the villain Salcombe and forced to help track the second piece of dragon heart. She is chased as fugitive and deserter and eventually faces a court martial! Is this the end of her and Lessies military career? You will have to read it find out.
Another great book and a story that you will want to find out the end of.

[Tara Bolden · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, this was even more exciting than the first two! Love Lessie and Zara, together they make an unstoppable pair, both stubborn, intelligent, and determined to do the right thing. Zara is kidnapped again by Salcombe and forced to help him, until she escapes, but then is put in prison for being a 'deserter'. The military leadership is prejudiced against dragonriders and refuses to listen to her, but it all works out in the end, can't wait for the next book!!!!

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in a new series, and it’s a continuation for “Call of the Dragon” and “Flight of the Dragon”. Drake’s writing draws you into her world and won’t let you go. You’ll find yourself wishing for a dragon of your own. There’s plenty of action and adventure here. The story moves at a fast pace, with a seductive slow burn romance. If you are a fan of epic fantasy, you owe it to yourself to read this new series by Jessica Drake.

I received an ARC for an honest review.

[Hsu Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest
The characters + storytelling were very captivating
This is book 3 of the series.
We follow along the adventures of Zara + Lessie.
In this book, Zara is separated from Lessie.
Now, Zara is doing everything she can to reunite w/ Lessie.
I loved the storytelling + the characters
It has all the ingredients that you need for a great book!

[Oy Geeringh · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far the 1st 2 books in the series were excellent, but this one was a bit disappointing. It feels disconnected and rushed somehow. Too many unfinished plots that I feel the Author is trying more to get the reader gear up for the next book in the series with boring gaps. Come on Tavarine & Zara hardly interact then all of a sudden they hugs & kiss...viola! Really? Personally, I feel very disappointed and let down.

[Dave Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by a great author!

Well I've just finished the third instalment of this dragon series, and once again I haven't been disappointed! The twists and turns throughout this book keeps you on the edge of your seat...I can't wait to get started on the fourth book!!!

If u like dragon fantasy books then this book is for you. I would recommend this book to anyone, so what are you waiting for, download it now!!!😁

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third of this book was depressing, and I didn't enjoy it at all. The rest of it was great though, and (mostly) made up for the beginning of the story. I was seriously considering dropping the series after a few pages into the book, but by the end, it was definitely back on the must read list, so I guess it's time to go get the next one in the series now.
A good tale, if a bit harsh to start.

[April Villone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful installment in Lessie and Zara's story. Zara manages to get herself in a lot of sticky situations. She uses quick wit and Lessie's determination to deftly navigate her way out of them. This time they find themselves trying desperately to avert a war and if that fails to protect themselves and those they love. Not an easy task when no one believes you. I really love this series and cannot wait for the next book. Prepare yourself for a major plot twist by the end!!

[Book Addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting instalment in this series about dragons and their riders! I will say that Lessie is a favourite in this book and how she feels for Zara. This book is full of action, drama and danger, It keeps the reader fully invested in the story and sets the scene for what is to come next. If you enjoy fantasy and some exciting dragons thrown in then this is the series for you.