Anakisha's Dragon

Riders of Fire Dragon Masters #1

by Eileen Mueller

A feisty street fighter avenging her dead brother. A dashing dragon rider in the right place at the wrong time. And an unlikely pirate captain with nothing left to lose.
Being a dragon rider is not in Anakisha’s plans. And Anakisha’s stubborn. She’s not giving up her dreams anytime soon.

When Anakisha’s brother is murdered by a gang, she joins the Night Wings, a team of local vigilantes, and takes to the streets to avenge him. With a soft spot for defending underdogs, she’s found her niche.

The Night Wing’s leader is the dreamy golden-haired son of the village arbitrator — a fine catch. If she can impress his father, she can marry him and improve her family’s fortune. But the underbelly of Fieldhaven is rife with politics and deceit. Although Anakisha is good with a bow and a dagger, she’s not always the best judge of character…

And her plans do not include a dragon.

But then, the King’s Rider appears on his sleek onyx dragon.

And a bloodthirsty pirate captain rises to power, spreading terror on the Naobian Sea.

Leaving Anakisha torn between her dream and her duty…

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dragons, Enemies To Lovers

406 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2021

About the author

Eileen Mueller is a USA Today multi-award-winning author of heart-pounding fantasy novels that will keep you turning the page.

Dive into her worlds, full of magic, love, adventure and dragons! Eileen lives in New Zealand, in a cave, with four dragonets and a shape shifter, writing for young adults, children and everyone who loves adventure.

Visit her website at www.EileenMuellerAuthor.com for FREE books, new releases or to become a Rider of Fire!

Awards:
2019 Two Storylines NZ Notable Book Awards - Ezaara & Dragon Hero
2017 Sir Julius Vogel Award, Best New Talent
2016 Sir Julius Vogel Award, Best Youth Novel
2017 finalist, Romance Writers New Zealand Chapter Short Story contest.
2013 winner, SpecFicNZ Going Global
2013 co-winner, New Zealand Society of Authors’ NorthWrite Collaboration
New Zealander of the Year Local Hero medalist.

Reviews

[Brian Busby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely brilliant , the storyline introduces the kings rider and how Anakisha became Zaarusha's rider. We are also introduced to a lot of the characters in the original books and their stories .
I would love to say more but it would mean giving spoilers so I will finish by congratulating the author for the superb book she has written and I have no hesitation in totally recommending this.

[Jonathan Pembroke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anakisha's Dragon centers around a handful of young characters and their adventures with--and around--intelligent, allied dragons, who imprint (basically, form a semi-permanent mind bond) with a rider of their choice. I thought interplay between the riders referring to the "their" dragons and the dragons saying, "no, you're *our* riders" amusing and fun. There are three primary POVs, with a fourth coming later in the book. The POV characters are generally relatable, though I expect they would be a little more so to the target YA audience. Mueller does an excellent job of packing good character development in a relatively tight space. The protagonists are decent, if flawed people, and the antagonists are suitably vile.

This is a fast-paced book ( I completed it in two evenings), that read smoothly and kept things interesting. It didn't feel like the plot got bogged down anywhere, though I will say the standard YA-style tropes about adventure, leaving home, and young love were pretty much in full force. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it was familiar ground. I didn't get a super-deep view of the world building but I get the feeling I would have if I had read the previous series set in the same world. I had some questions at the end but perhaps those will be answered in future volumes.

All things considered, this was a fun, fast read. I'd recommend for any YA fans who like intelligent dragons, destined love, and pirates.

[Hanneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the first book by Eileen Mueller and her dragons that I am reading, so one would say I should know what I had bargained for. But as always I was ill prepared. Starting the book on Sunday night didn’t give me the time to read it all in one go and this is the book that you kinda wanna read in one go!

So my monday, thuesday and wednesday had to suffer (wednesday only because I had sport on thuesday night and therefor lost precious reading time) and it was so worth it. This is once again a book that will hit you right in the feels. The world is amazing (but that was something I already knew from Riders of Fire) and the characters are just astonishing! And the storyline…. is happy, and sad, an why God please why?! Seriously, I feel that I lack the words in English to give proper praise to this book.

So I will do this: TL;DR > Do you love dragons? Good worldbuilding? Stunning character arces? Buy it, read it and be happy!

[Amanda Sagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Eileen has knocked it out of the park with this tale. A story of growth, friendship, opportunity and choices that can either make or break a person, Eileen has expanded on the world we know and love from the original series, Riders of Fire, and given us more! Not just more background to characters we learned of throughout Riders of Fire, but more of the world, more of the dragon's, just more!
It's easy to feel for the character's, even those who perhaps aren't all that good in the end and it's easy to feel like you're truely a fly on the wall (or dragon's neck!) As the story pulls you in with vivid description, making it an absolute page turner.
I cant wait to see what happens in the next beginnings story from Eileen!

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. It has a bit of everything - action, dragons, magic, slow romance, pirates, interesting characters and more dragons. It is an easy reading great story that introduces some characters from the Riders of Fire (which is also a great series) which chronologically follows this series. Going to start book 2 right away

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my introduction to Eileen Mueller. I had no idea what to expect, except that she is well thought of, going by the reviews. How absolutely exciting it was for me to discover that she is indeed a master storyteller! From the very beginning, she spins such a wonderful tale, of nativity, love and misplaced loyalty. I particularly enjoy it when I have no idea who my favourite character is! Anakisha is naive and gullible young woman, who's perception is majorly skewed but then again, I can relate. After all, I was once a 17 year old, just as naive and gullible. Then there's Yanir, a gentle, wholesome, righteous, as well as the Dragon King rider. The scene where Anakisha meets her dragon, is so beautifully captured, the wonder of the moment profound. But then again, there's Will, I spent most of my time wanting to console him, to hug him. Poor Will, thrust into situations that were way beyond him, he tries to find an out, until he finally surrenders to events his character would never dream of. There are so many wonderful characters, integral to the plot, not least the young mage, who's role is only going to get better. A lovely, lovely read. I would recommend it in a heartbeat!

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know how it happened, but Eileen Mueller made me root for the villain. And it wasn’t like I hated the good guys either! So, I just sat there during the final battle all confused on how I wanted it to end, and I still don’t know what to do with my feelings. But anyway, fun dragony adventure—with pirates!

I read her last series too, and it was good, but this was WAY better.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the prologue story to the main Riders of Fire series, Anakisha's Dragon does a good job of introducing the origin tale of Anakisha, rider of the Queen Dragon. Split between two narratives; that of Anakisha, daughter of a tavern owner determined to avenge her brother's murder and improve her family's fortune and that of Will, a young man doing his best to keep his sister fed only to fall into the hands of pirates.

I'll admit, I found Anakisha's story far more compelling than Will's and had to stop myself from skim reading his sections so I could get back to her. I kind of felt sorry for Will, but struggled to engage with his perspective although a handful of scenes caught me right in the feels. In contrast, I was drawn in by Anakisha's story, although the predictable romance angle fell rather flat for me. If she hadn't already bashed her head in several times, I'd have been tempted to do it for her. But clearly that is not the way to knock some sense into the girl.

I think the difference between the two perspectives is that the personal conflicts in Anakisha's life really caught me. Her love for her family, her need to avenge her brother's murder, the tug-of-war in her heart between becoming a Dragon Rider and protecting her family. There was a real sense of character and drive in her character, even if it sometimes leads to her being a complete idiot. In contrast, Will's character felt a little thin and I didn't quite believe the fairly drastic change in personality in the latter half of the book.

All in all though, this is a well written and well paced YA fantasy novel. There were some frustrating moments - the back and forth on the romance when I just wanted to scream at her to open her eyes and wake up for instance. But it's a strong start to this prequel universe and I'm intrigued to see where it goes next.

[Boo Vickery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of adventure, lose, hope and action.


First off: This was my first story about pirates/the sea and I think Ms. Mueller did a ton of research and made it sound so true.

Mueller has a great way with her words and wrote the story very well.

DRAGONS! This story was so cool and full of the magical creatures. I love that, in Muellers' world, Dragons can mind-meld with their Riders. Which brings fun and laughable scenes.

I stayed up late many, many nights to read what happened next... it's definitely a page turner and keeps you guessing. There's mages and magic sprinkled throughout the story which makes it even more fun!

I love how Mueller interlocks her characters and stories together, and I can't wait to read more of the characters from this book in her other novels. Each book is separate characters from the same universe, but I hope we see more of Anakisha, because she was a great character.

I loved the multiple point of views. I was slightly confused at first how Wills' POV made sense in the story, I quickly learned why his side of the story made sense to read though.

This story is pointed toward the YA world (with little to no romance) but I think anyone would enjoy this adventure! Mueller has a great way of painting the picture of her scenes so well, a movie just plays out in your head.

The ending was unexpected, there will be losses and heartache but in the very end, there is also hope and love.

If you love adventures, Dragons and excitement you will love this story.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was frustrating and I mean it in the best way possible.
I spent the time shaking my head at Anakisha, willing her to open her eyes; then there was Yanir and his introduction... And boom, suddenly he's the King's Rider? His PoV let me know how sweet he really is, but I can see why Anakisha didn't think so.

And then there was Will. You know that meme about a reader snatching away a character from a mean author, wrapping them in a blanket and telling the author they can have him back when they learn to behave? That's me and Will. Mean, mean author! I want to hug him so much, poor baby. At the same time, I almost dread reading more about him because his character can go in few directions... he's been dragged kicking and screaming where he's now and I don't see a lot of options for him 🙁

The one thing that left me confused is how the imprinting work, or better, how it works for the rider: are they really supposed to drop everything in their life to follow their dragons? What about those with families? Responsibilities? Anakisha was the perfect example for that, and it confused me how everyone was just "hey, you imprinted a dragon, nothing else matters!"
Anyway her life obviously improved and I'm sure many adventures are waiting for her! I never read the original series but I suspect I'll want to put my hands on it sooner rather than later if this is the prequel!

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

Young Anakisha hurries to keep up with the constant flow of patrons at her family tavern in the days before a tournament she has been forbidden from entering - but the prize could mean more to her family’s fortune than their customers.

This was the most active, working-in-a-tavern scene I’ve ever read. It deftly grounded me in the story and kept me turning the pages, getting to know the MC and her small, hard-working family.

The prose is direct and expressive and easy to read. The dialogue sounds like people talking and reveals character, and the characters were what pulled me into the story, especially surprises like the 9-yr old cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

The fact that the MC’s family has recently met with tragedy, but they're still carrying on with things, though they aren’t as easy as they used to be, touched me as a subtle, true detail.

This strikes me as a fun read with good pace. The MC has responsibilities. Because of how hard things are, and likely the inherent dangers of this tournament, the MCs father has forbidden her to participate.

But our young stalwart wants to participate, not least of all because of the prize money. The opening has motives, goals, conflicts, a sense of place, characters - I’m enjoying turning the pages & I’m interested to see what else it has. I’m in.

[Vancil C. Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragons! Need I say more?!

I love stories written in POV style that at first seem to be disjointed, but tend to give backstory about the characters, then becomes a blended story that is awesome! Eileen Mueller accomplishes that with ease! Anakisha is definitely a very strong-willed person. Will and his friend Treyvin seem to be having a great trip to town, but things do not end well in a game of Nukils! An onyx dragon and his rider rescue Anakisha, who somehow still shows up at the Tournament even though she has been injured. Will and Treyvin are not doing after being pressganged onto a pirate ship. Then we learn some startling things about the onyx dragon and his rider! Love all these POV interlinked goings on with all the characters!
The pirates find out that Will was told of the whereabouts of a dragon egg. Lots of exciting action goes into this part of the story! Meanwhile, Justan shows his ‘true colors’ and attempts to harm Anakisha. His attack on her did not go the way he thought it would! There is so much going on in this story but I am seeing the different threads about to come together!
The egg is taken, but help is on the way!
I need to warn you that from this point on there is a breathtaking rush of action, secrets revealed, hearts broken and healed, forgiveness and vengeance, and I am anxious to be reading the next book!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic multi pov


This is my first Eileen book and (I found out at the end,) a prequel to her other series that takes place a generation or so in the future.

This multiPOV epic focuses on Anakisha and her time at her father's tavern, her vigilanteism, and her skill at archery. Wounded, she is cared for by a lovely dragon rider. It reads as a YA tale but is surprisingly descriptive in its brutality.

I liked the characters, the complex "bad guy" and the descriptive prose. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to Anakisha. Anna-keesha? un-AH- kish-A? So if someone knows, lemme know.

I will forever and always struggle with multiple POV. It seems I'll never be a true Epic fantasy fan. But once I got into it, each story line was good on its own right. And of course I love when all the story lines come together.

I felt full on dread at the head of the deck, and was shocked by one particular death that i shall never forgive the author for 😆 🤣. But if you like dragons, dragon riders, pirates and coming of age. This one is for you.

[Gayreth Walden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing first book of a new series!

Eileen Mueller never fails to provide us with grand and sweeping tales. This book is amazing! I loved learning how Anakisha met Yanir, the King Dragon rider and bonded with the Dragon Queen. Got insight on young Giddi the mage in training and some other characters from the original series. And then there is the flamboyant and at times mouthy Will who was press ganged to a pirate ship! With intelligent plotting, skillful pacing and charismatic characters, you can't ask for much more. I was mesmerized from the beginning with this fantastic page turner. A truly enjoyable, captivating and irresistible novel. I am thrilled to recommend this book to everyone!

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Magical Ride!!!!!!!

As I read this book I went through a bunch of emotions. I could feel the characters pain, happiness, love, and joy. There are moments that you see how very naive Anakisha really is. This nativity makes you want to smack her upside her head at times and tell her to think. I absolutely loved the characters though. They have amazing personalities that fit well in their roles. I throughly liked Will until circumstances change him. I am very glad I read the story as it is jammed packed with action, drama, and suspense. It pulled me in and didn’t let go. It is an absolute must read.

[Drew Knuth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow the story of Anakisha and Will as they seek to improve their familys' fortunes - and somehow end up with dragons, pirates, and loss. While I was not a fan of Anakisha/her story arc, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Will's adventure and when I discovered how the two stories intertwined in the latter half of the book, my jaw dropped. The whole time I kept thinking "I cannot figure out how these two (main) storylines will intertwine" and it was marvelous in the way that it did. Even though the title of the book led me to believe I should be more interested in Anakisha, I'm actually rooting for Will at the end of this book.

[Francesco Tehrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected delight!

This story was an unexpected delight and I look forward to reading what happens next! Since the theme for most of my reads this year involved some kind of bonding, connecting, tethering, befriend, etc., and now imprinting, that was the major reason I wanted to try out and this series. This story surprised me with how different but yet familiar it was to many others like it. It was those differences that made me love the story, but also devour it as quickly I did! The characters were well written and had their relatable moments. The overall plot is also quite intriguing as everything builds up. Overall, it's a fantastic start!

[Marie Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent the first quarter of the book so annoyed and angry at one character I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. Kudos to the author for making me hate someone so much so quickly.

At first I was thrown off by the multiple points of view that didn't seem to have anything to do with each other, but by the end all of the storylines had twisted together nicely with plenty left over to start into the next book. The world is put together so well and while I wait on this sequel I have prequels and another series to get into!

[Vicki DeVico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storytelling!

I am totally blown away by how much I love this book. The characters have depth and the storyline moves at a great pace. Not all of the characters are likeable...but even those that aren't are...interesting. I've pre-ordered Dragon Mage because I absolutely must learn more of this story. Much as I like Anakisha and Yanir (and I DO!), I'm fascinated with Giddi. I can't wait to read more about him! I highly recommend Anakisha's Dragon to fantasy fans of all ages.

[Dp2k · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unbelievably frustrating. The author did well to build up the personal conflicts in the beginning but had the downside of being utterly predictable. That itself isn't the problem: it's that the author dragged the conflicts on much much much much longer than would be appropriate. We all know what will happen (and it did, just to be clear), so stop making me hate the female lead for being utterly insane. I cannot care for idiotic characters who repeatedly bash their own heads in (literally! Holy shit!) thinking something will be different the tenth time around. Yeah, it's that bad.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the past

If you have read the first stories of the dragons and their chosen riders, you will see names, places, etc that are familiar.
The stories are quite different, and this book comes from a time many years before the 6 main books of the first series.
Reading how things came to be, knowing the fates of some of the individuals in this novel, presents one with a feeling of future sight.
The action of the two storylines are separate enough to not give up much info to the reader.
The subsequent novels will certainly tell us much of those previous years.

[MGB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a great job of introducing the characters, then revealing more about them as the story progresses. You'll feel that you are part of the town and know the people as she describes them and the town they live in.

The disjointed part was that there were two storylines, the major one with the main characters and a minor one. The storylines intersect in a violent battle and then separate. The storylines were developed separately, giving a feel as of two books.

Great story that felt a little unfinished, but there is more to come, so read the follow on stories.

[Ramona Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anakisha Is a young girl who Eileen Mueller right about in her new book . This book gives Hey history of the dragonriders before Eaazra comes along and mind melds with the queen dragon. It is well written and very readable. It is an excellent book and gives some background info to the previous series of Dragonrider books about the war. Yet gives nothing away about that series. I highly recommend you read this book...

[Mrs. J.P. Cantle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anakisha did not see a dragon in her future

All Anakishsa saw was a future tending bad with her father and little sister who was nine. The only way out seemed to be marriage to a gorilla fighter who seemed the best of a bad bunch. When the Queen Dragon chooses her as her lifelong rider she turns down the honour. But that is not the seat the future was to be.
I have seldom read such a satisfying story. It has dragons, mages, pirates and all the best elements of a fantasy.

[Lisa Maughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually like my book with a much darker flair, but I really enjoyed this book. The characters are great. The book is so descriptive, my imagination came alive. So much adventure. Although Anakisha can be a tad bit childish one moment then suddenly adult, she can be infuriating at times. With royal dragons, crazy pirates, swords, daggers, fire, training, gangs, emotions, intrigue, magic, you can't go wrong reading this story.

[Quilting Tangent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Adventure!
The series tells the stories of the Dragon Masters, when they were young and growing into their skills. This unpredictable story starts out with Anakisha's, Yani's and Giddi's wild wonderful adventures. Easy to read, enjoyable for any age. Looking forward to the whole series.

[Leanne]

Oh, man! Eileen Mueller has done it again!

What a wonderful adventure! I thoroughly enjoyed this, almost more so than her original Dragon Rider series. Almost. Lol! The dueling of storylines, the backstory that had me thinking fondly of Ezarra.

I, very much, look forward to Dragon Mage being released. 😊

[Margie Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the story line ! Can't wait for the next one to come out. The books are exciting and usually I can t out the book down when I get into it. Lots of adventure !

I had the book a 5 star ,because I really enjoyed reading them, I would recommend them to anyone ! Can't wait for the next one to come out.

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to a prequel series. It is a good book on its own and even richer if you have read the books it is a prequel to. I love Anakisha and how determined she is to avenge her brother and increase her family's fortunes. Throw in a complete curveball that she has to deal with and it allows you to see exactly how strong a personality she has.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good.

Anakisha is a young girl whose mother and brother have died. She helps her father run an inn and her young sister does the cooking. She meets Yanir the dragon king rider and Syan the dragon king at the inn where Yanir took her after she was injured while helping go after some of the towns undesirables. The story is interesting up to this point but only gets better as it progresses.