What do you think?
Rate this book
Thunder of Dragons #1
Heartscale
On one side of the world Graith discovers a dying dragon in his barn. While the country is hunting after the monster, he doesn’t hesitate in doing his best to aid her. Before she is fully healed, Azelia urgently needs to get back to her cave to protect her eggs. Unable to even fly, Graith decides to accompany her, worried of what might happen.
On the other side of the world, where the future ruler is decided by dragons, Nerie is chosen by the Kiriga, the golden hatchling. Raised as a merchant in the middle district of Roria, she’s shocked to learn that she is the king’s bastard. Thrown into a chaotic palace life, she’s forced to balance learning to be princess and being bonded to a dragon.
On the other side of the world, where the future ruler is decided by dragons, Nerie is chosen by the Kiriga, the golden hatchling. Raised as a merchant in the middle district of Roria, she’s shocked to learn that she is the king’s bastard. Thrown into a chaotic palace life, she’s forced to balance learning to be princess and being bonded to a dragon.
ebook
First published April 15, 2020
317 people are currently reading
1066 people want to read
About the author
Lola Ford
2 books43 followersLola Ford lives in Kansas with her husband and two dogs, Etna and Midna (both of whom she'll assure you are very good girls). Lola spends most if not all of her time reading, writing, and thinking about dragons. Other things like bills and working get slipped in there as well - but those aren't dragons, and thus not fun.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 12, 2021
So, first priority, when will book two be out? I need it now.
This was a fabulous novel, told primarily by two perspectives that don't intersect until the very end. Graith is a contented middle-aged farmer, but when he meets the dragon Azelia, he sets off on a quest with her to rescue her eggs which have been stolen. Along the way, he begins to collect random individuals. Over the course of the quest, he comes to see them as family. A teenager, Nerie grew up with just her and her mom, but when she attends a dragon hatching, the hatchling, Kiriga, chooses her, marking her as a descendant of the royal line. She gets immediately swept up into the polite society and intrigue that is palace life as she begins training as the crown princess.
I love books that take two storylines and make the readers care about both, but also maintain the mystery of how the two lines come together. Heartscale did that beautifully. I also loved that Graith wasn't a warrior. And he never became a warrior. He was a healer by temperament as well as ability, and as a result, he didn't settle things the way a typical middle-aged male hero often does in this sort of story. Instead, he planned and helped others play to their strengths. Nerie's relationship with her father was also really cool. Royalty aside, it would have been understandable for both of her parents to air their dirty laundry and Nerie to feel caught in the middle. But other than Nerie's mother telling her the story once (which was mostly history, although definitely a bit of blame as well), both of Nerie's parents focused on their relationship with her.
This book grabbed and kept my attention, refusing to let me put it down until it was done. I can't wait to read where the story goes next.
I received a free audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly.
This was a fabulous novel, told primarily by two perspectives that don't intersect until the very end. Graith is a contented middle-aged farmer, but when he meets the dragon Azelia, he sets off on a quest with her to rescue her eggs which have been stolen. Along the way, he begins to collect random individuals. Over the course of the quest, he comes to see them as family. A teenager, Nerie grew up with just her and her mom, but when she attends a dragon hatching, the hatchling, Kiriga, chooses her, marking her as a descendant of the royal line. She gets immediately swept up into the polite society and intrigue that is palace life as she begins training as the crown princess.
I love books that take two storylines and make the readers care about both, but also maintain the mystery of how the two lines come together. Heartscale did that beautifully. I also loved that Graith wasn't a warrior. And he never became a warrior. He was a healer by temperament as well as ability, and as a result, he didn't settle things the way a typical middle-aged male hero often does in this sort of story. Instead, he planned and helped others play to their strengths. Nerie's relationship with her father was also really cool. Royalty aside, it would have been understandable for both of her parents to air their dirty laundry and Nerie to feel caught in the middle. But other than Nerie's mother telling her the story once (which was mostly history, although definitely a bit of blame as well), both of Nerie's parents focused on their relationship with her.
This book grabbed and kept my attention, refusing to let me put it down until it was done. I can't wait to read where the story goes next.
I received a free audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly.
March 20, 2021
A lovely book
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of dragons. I know it made me consider them in a new light. I loved Nerie and Graith and enjoyed accompanying them on their adventures as those unfolded. A gem of a story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of dragons. I know it made me consider them in a new light. I loved Nerie and Graith and enjoyed accompanying them on their adventures as those unfolded. A gem of a story.
January 25, 2021
Heartscale is an excellent book exploring the relationships between dragons and humans in various different kingdoms. I had picked up and put down several books before reading this one, unable to find one that caught my interest. Then I picked up Heartscale and I was into it from the start.
It follows the story of two main characters who discover and form bonds with dragons. One of them, Graith, is a farmer living in a land where dragons are feared and killed on sight - a land where dragons were hunted down and killed off years ago. He finds an injured dragon in his barn one night. The second character is a girl, Nerie, who finds a way to go see the hatching of the dragon egg in the royal palace. In her kingdom, the dragons choose the next ruler and give them legitimacy.
Both storylines are gripping right from the start. Around the 20% mark I found the story dragged a little bit because it was following the minute details of their lives, but a couple of chapters later it became very interesting again.
The ending was a little bit less conclusive than I would have hoped, but it was a satisfying enough conclusion for the first in a series without me feeling cheated. The characters are well-written, the plot progresses well, there is plenty of interesting backstory to uncover throughout the story. There were a couple of little spelling mistakes that I was too interested in the story to care about, but other than it was an excellent read that I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an easy to read, well-written dragon story!
Check it out!
Edited to take about the note about the map! There is one at the start of the ebook!
It follows the story of two main characters who discover and form bonds with dragons. One of them, Graith, is a farmer living in a land where dragons are feared and killed on sight - a land where dragons were hunted down and killed off years ago. He finds an injured dragon in his barn one night. The second character is a girl, Nerie, who finds a way to go see the hatching of the dragon egg in the royal palace. In her kingdom, the dragons choose the next ruler and give them legitimacy.
Both storylines are gripping right from the start. Around the 20% mark I found the story dragged a little bit because it was following the minute details of their lives, but a couple of chapters later it became very interesting again.
The ending was a little bit less conclusive than I would have hoped, but it was a satisfying enough conclusion for the first in a series without me feeling cheated. The characters are well-written, the plot progresses well, there is plenty of interesting backstory to uncover throughout the story. There were a couple of little spelling mistakes that I was too interested in the story to care about, but other than it was an excellent read that I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an easy to read, well-written dragon story!
Check it out!
Edited to take about the note about the map! There is one at the start of the ebook!
December 29, 2020
Wonderful book
The book was fun and a great book, Had a hard time to but it down, love all the people. It felt I was right there with them,
The book was fun and a great book, Had a hard time to but it down, love all the people. It felt I was right there with them,
December 18, 2023
This book felt like it both lasted forever and also ended too soon
March 3, 2024
Literally one of my favorite books I loved the POVs from Nerie and Graith and I loved all the different dragons and their little family 13h long but all worth it can’t wait for the second!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2024
Really good start, easy to follow flow, difficult to finish in my opinion
September 16, 2020
A nice read.
August 27, 2020
Great read Could have gone deeper in many areas but good to keep it moving.
When is the next one? I am usually good with things left unfinished but this can not end at this point. Come on Lola I had to stay up more than half the night to finish the book, time for you to stay up and write the next book!
Thanks for this one.
When is the next one? I am usually good with things left unfinished but this can not end at this point. Come on Lola I had to stay up more than half the night to finish the book, time for you to stay up and write the next book!
Thanks for this one.
August 28, 2020
Good book
Very good book ,well thought out plot and the characters were very well written. Im looking forward to the next book in the series
Very good book ,well thought out plot and the characters were very well written. Im looking forward to the next book in the series
July 18, 2020
Awesome
Awesome read with twists and turns of treachery and deceit while the life of a mother to save her young is intertwined with the goodness of one man to help her, even if she is a dragoness
Awesome read with twists and turns of treachery and deceit while the life of a mother to save her young is intertwined with the goodness of one man to help her, even if she is a dragoness
November 11, 2020
Finally a book that begins, not with a troubled youngster being Chosen by Destiny, but a grown man. It's Graith, who has been living his life without much real thought until the day he finds a dragon in his barn. As it turns out, she's a mother-to-be who needs his help getting back to her eggs.
His story is interspersed with that of Nerie, a non-abused youngster who sneaks in to watch the dragon hatching and finds herself Chosen as the next ruler of the kingdom. Being Chosen, though, doesn't erase the problems this surprise revelation of her birth causes.
In a world where some kingdoms revere dragons, some enslave them, and others hunt them, these two storylines are destined to cross.
A really good story, with great characters, good world-building, and plenty of plot twists and turns. All I need now is the next book in the series! :)
His story is interspersed with that of Nerie, a non-abused youngster who sneaks in to watch the dragon hatching and finds herself Chosen as the next ruler of the kingdom. Being Chosen, though, doesn't erase the problems this surprise revelation of her birth causes.
In a world where some kingdoms revere dragons, some enslave them, and others hunt them, these two storylines are destined to cross.
A really good story, with great characters, good world-building, and plenty of plot twists and turns. All I need now is the next book in the series! :)
dnf
May 10, 2025DNF at 9% just didn’t like the writing and the dragon character felt very childish for a grown adult
May 6, 2020
The first few lines in and I didn’t think I was going to like the book. I thought Graith was boring and there was too much telling instead of showing. But as soon as I met Azeris, I was hooked. I can hardly wait for book 2 to come out!
May 1, 2024
This book was.. mediocre. Okay at best. But it still somehow avoided actually being bad at any given point.
Build up from a reddit writing prompt, and found via tiktok, the story is set in a fairly typical fantasy world where all magic is actually dragons. The prompt itself (which ive read, but cant find to link) was really well done as far as those prompts go, and made enough people ask for an actual book on the story.
Here we are. And it feels much like a writing prompt would if it was just a bit longer.
The imagery can be extremely choppy, the dialogue weird, everything about the stories structure seems to be hanging on by a thread. But despite that for at least a few moments the characters managed to be interesting and likable.
Was it worth buying with real money? Probably not. Do hate it? No, it tried, and it had a little fun with a (hopefully) new author figuring out how writing works. And for how bad writing prompts becoming full stories can be? This one did okay.
Build up from a reddit writing prompt, and found via tiktok, the story is set in a fairly typical fantasy world where all magic is actually dragons. The prompt itself (which ive read, but cant find to link) was really well done as far as those prompts go, and made enough people ask for an actual book on the story.
Here we are. And it feels much like a writing prompt would if it was just a bit longer.
The imagery can be extremely choppy, the dialogue weird, everything about the stories structure seems to be hanging on by a thread. But despite that for at least a few moments the characters managed to be interesting and likable.
Was it worth buying with real money? Probably not. Do hate it? No, it tried, and it had a little fun with a (hopefully) new author figuring out how writing works. And for how bad writing prompts becoming full stories can be? This one did okay.
February 7, 2021
This was an ok read. BUT there were just so many times when the characters had better moves to make and they dont. Lots of bad things happen that dont really flow with the story. It feels more like the events of the book were just thrown together before the story was fully written and then no one thought to go back and edit out parts that were not needed or that didnt make sense. Not to bad if you can ignore the plot holes. tho.
March 7, 2025
OMG THIS BOOK WAS LITERALLY SO AMAZING!! I love the mix of POVs! It was like I would be so invested in one POV and then the chapter would leave on a cliffhanger and then it was the next POV, which I hated yet loved at the same time
It’s a shame that the second book isn’t out, and I’ll admit I did some FBI level stalking to find out anything about it, and I’m still unable to find it😭😭
Lola if you’re seeing this.. PLEASE GIVE IS BOOK TWO🙏🥺
It’s a shame that the second book isn’t out, and I’ll admit I did some FBI level stalking to find out anything about it, and I’m still unable to find it😭😭
Lola if you’re seeing this.. PLEASE GIVE IS BOOK TWO🙏🥺
October 30, 2022
Could not put it down!
I loved this book! It was a little tiny bit hard to read in the beginning few chapters, I think they be the phones I used. But once I switched to my Kindle it was much easier to read!
I simply can not wait to read the next book! It as inspired me to continue on my own books!
I loved this book! It was a little tiny bit hard to read in the beginning few chapters, I think they be the phones I used. But once I switched to my Kindle it was much easier to read!
I simply can not wait to read the next book! It as inspired me to continue on my own books!
December 5, 2023
I love Azelia
This was perfect dragon bonding book. Male human bonded to female dragon and basically a pair. I need more. Where is book 2? I need more of Gaith and Zel! The ending was a cliff hanger. Azelia was the perfect chonky drageness. Especially her size. Looking forward to more. Their adventure was over to soon.
This was perfect dragon bonding book. Male human bonded to female dragon and basically a pair. I need more. Where is book 2? I need more of Gaith and Zel! The ending was a cliff hanger. Azelia was the perfect chonky drageness. Especially her size. Looking forward to more. Their adventure was over to soon.
July 1, 2024
This book is for a younger YA crowd, but still very enjoyable. I hope the second one comes out because I will read it.
This is one of the first books I read in a while where the characters feel their age, honestly was refreshing. Instead of your typical chosen one 14-year-old that’s making all the decisions of a 30-year-old. If you’re looking for a lighter read, this is it.
This is one of the first books I read in a while where the characters feel their age, honestly was refreshing. Instead of your typical chosen one 14-year-old that’s making all the decisions of a 30-year-old. If you’re looking for a lighter read, this is it.
November 19, 2020
I'd have given it a 5 if it weren't for the ending!
A good story which I enjoyed a lot.
Unfortunately left us hanging with no indication as to when a sequel will be published, disrespectful of your readers.
A good story which I enjoyed a lot.
Unfortunately left us hanging with no indication as to when a sequel will be published, disrespectful of your readers.
January 2, 2021
I'm not sure I liked the split between the storylines, it felt like it jumped around a bit randomly for me. That being said, this was a pleasant enough read. Especially if you like intelligent dragons.
September 23, 2021
Not bad, though I did feel slightly disappointed by some of the aspects of the story as it just didn't seem plausible in some instances. Still, enjoyable, especially if you have a weak spot for dragons :)
January 7, 2022
I liked both point of views in this one. It's interesting seeing the perspective of both countries, one that reveres dragons and the other that loathes them. I thought the queen was a really interesting character. Looking forward to the sequel.
January 8, 2023
Amazing, absolutely amazing 10/10
This was such a good read. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait for the next installments. Mrs. Ford is an amazing author and I'm happy to have stumbled upon her works.
This was such a good read. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait for the next installments. Mrs. Ford is an amazing author and I'm happy to have stumbled upon her works.
December 13, 2023
Excellent
I cannot wait to read the next book. Very well written and establishing a great world of many adventures. Action, drama, rags to riches, adventure, and I think romance on the horizon.
I cannot wait to read the next book. Very well written and establishing a great world of many adventures. Action, drama, rags to riches, adventure, and I think romance on the horizon.
January 2, 2024
I started to read this after it went viral on tiktok and I was hooked from the reading. It was delightful to be engaged the entire time and enjoy going on a journey with the characters. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
January 17, 2024
This book was so compelling! I found a chapter on Reddit and thought "I'd like to read that book". Lucky for me it was actually a book! I finished it in two days, fell in love with the characters and the dragons too.
April 24, 2024
It was a absolutely wonderful read. The world building and the characters absolutely brought this book to life. A true emotional rollercoaster from moments of pure elation to heartbreaking tragedy. I truly can't wait to see where the story goes.
June 14, 2024
Absolutely could not put this down. The world building, found family, the unique dragons and social structures, I genuinely don't have a bad thing to say about this. I was in a huge reading slump and this book pulled me right out of it. Cannot wait for the sequel!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews