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Dragon Curse Chronicles #1
Queen of Ashes: Dragon Curse Chronicles I
Slaying dragons is her only purpose in life…
As the lone survivor of a kingdom decimated by dragons, Breanna of the House Moray has one mission…to slay every last fire-breathing piece of filth left on the continent. Five years later and Bre is making good on that vow, until the day she meets the biggest beast she’s ever seen. Unfortunately, a failed attempt to slay the monster leaves Bre half-dead on the doorstep of Lorent Castle, home of Prince Cahill.
All Cahill needs to assume the throne of Lorentia is one simple thing: a wife. Oh, and she must be virtuous as well as of noble blood. The problem is, every eligible woman has failed the test of purity concocted by the regent as a ruse to keep Cahill from becoming king. Thus, he vows that the next maiden to cross his threshold will be his bride and when Breanna appears—injured and reeking of dragon dung—Cahill sees her as his last chance to step into his birthright.
Breanna couldn’t be less interested in marriage. It doesn’t matter that Cahill is strong and noble and even—on occasion—has the ability to make her smile. Damn him! He’s wasting his time with her. Bre’s got a date with a dragon and as soon as she’s fully recovered, she intends to hunt the beast down and thrust her sword straight through its pea-sized brain.
After fighting by Cahill's side during a dragon attack, Bre begins to see the man differently and finds she wants him in ways she’s never wanted a man before.
However, wanting and marrying are two very different things, and Breanna has no intention of giving up her freedom. Not to Cahill, not to anyone.
As the lone survivor of a kingdom decimated by dragons, Breanna of the House Moray has one mission…to slay every last fire-breathing piece of filth left on the continent. Five years later and Bre is making good on that vow, until the day she meets the biggest beast she’s ever seen. Unfortunately, a failed attempt to slay the monster leaves Bre half-dead on the doorstep of Lorent Castle, home of Prince Cahill.
All Cahill needs to assume the throne of Lorentia is one simple thing: a wife. Oh, and she must be virtuous as well as of noble blood. The problem is, every eligible woman has failed the test of purity concocted by the regent as a ruse to keep Cahill from becoming king. Thus, he vows that the next maiden to cross his threshold will be his bride and when Breanna appears—injured and reeking of dragon dung—Cahill sees her as his last chance to step into his birthright.
Breanna couldn’t be less interested in marriage. It doesn’t matter that Cahill is strong and noble and even—on occasion—has the ability to make her smile. Damn him! He’s wasting his time with her. Bre’s got a date with a dragon and as soon as she’s fully recovered, she intends to hunt the beast down and thrust her sword straight through its pea-sized brain.
After fighting by Cahill's side during a dragon attack, Bre begins to see the man differently and finds she wants him in ways she’s never wanted a man before.
However, wanting and marrying are two very different things, and Breanna has no intention of giving up her freedom. Not to Cahill, not to anyone.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2020
90 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
D.L. Snow
15 books28 followersDL SNOW has a passion for bringing myths to life. Whether it's stories about time travel, reincarnation, Robin Hood or any number of legends, she believes there's magic to be found in the world around us even if we only experience it through our imagination. DL lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her two dogs, two cats, two children...and one husband. To learn more about her, visit www.dlsnow.ca.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 30, 2020
I have come to expect very little from books I find free on Amazon, so this one well exceeded my expectations!
It's no masterpiece of literature but it's quick, easy and fun to read. It's got a dragon-slaying heroine, a charming prince who doesn't mind a lady who likes to get her hands dirty, a scheming royal relative, a retold fairytale, and a bunch of dragons. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There is a bit of romance that comes with a couple of explicit scenes, but I also found a lot of humour in the way sex was treated by these blushing virgins. Completely unexpected so it added an extra joy for me, where normally I'd be rolling my eyes at over-the-top sex scenes. There's also an ease to the budding relationship between Breanna and Cahill so I never found it contrite - they were both really honest characters and it was a rather refreshing change.
The dragon slaying is great fun, if a little light on. I'd be interested in reading the second book because it definitely feels like we have not seen the last of these creatures; like this book was really just whetting our appetites. But I love how committed to her craft Breanna is, and in those dragon-slaying moments there's a lot of thrill and adventure that helped make this such an easy read for me.
This was the unexpected, last minute entry for my reading list for the year, and it is has been a fun one to finish the year on. Suss it out on Kindle and if it's still free you've got nothing to lose. I highly recommend it.
It's no masterpiece of literature but it's quick, easy and fun to read. It's got a dragon-slaying heroine, a charming prince who doesn't mind a lady who likes to get her hands dirty, a scheming royal relative, a retold fairytale, and a bunch of dragons. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There is a bit of romance that comes with a couple of explicit scenes, but I also found a lot of humour in the way sex was treated by these blushing virgins. Completely unexpected so it added an extra joy for me, where normally I'd be rolling my eyes at over-the-top sex scenes. There's also an ease to the budding relationship between Breanna and Cahill so I never found it contrite - they were both really honest characters and it was a rather refreshing change.
The dragon slaying is great fun, if a little light on. I'd be interested in reading the second book because it definitely feels like we have not seen the last of these creatures; like this book was really just whetting our appetites. But I love how committed to her craft Breanna is, and in those dragon-slaying moments there's a lot of thrill and adventure that helped make this such an easy read for me.
This was the unexpected, last minute entry for my reading list for the year, and it is has been a fun one to finish the year on. Suss it out on Kindle and if it's still free you've got nothing to lose. I highly recommend it.
December 24, 2021
The blurb seemed interesting, and i really liked the cover.
But that is it. The story and characters was meh.
But that is it. The story and characters was meh.
January 5, 2021
First off I would like to say that I DO RECOMMEND this book. I wasn’t expecting much because it was a free book from Apple Books, however it well exceeded my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
What I liked:
- It has great fairy tail elements such as an evil stepmother as in “Cinderella” & a purity test as in “The Princess and the Pea”
- Badass Dragon Slayer Woman (aka Breanna the best character in this book) WOMEN WITH SWORDS WOMEN WITH SWORDS
- Entertaining: I was never bored with the story, it is fast paced and something you don’t want to put down
- THE STORY... I really enjoyed the main plot
What I didn’t like:
- Even though this book was written by a woman, it feels like it was written by a man. (Yes, I mean this in a bad way) Bre, the main female character, was written in a sexual way despite that not fitting her character at all, “Her rump rounded temptingly between his parted thighs.” There is also a lot of “growling” and “snarling” like please someone tell me how you GROWL ROMANTICALLY. Another thing I noticed is that everyone is gazing, “Their gazes met, he gazed at her, they gazed together.” I have nothing against this work but it is SO overused in the text.
- WHERW IS MY WORLD BUILDING?!?!??? I WANT THESE CASTLES AND FORESTS AND SUNSETS TO ACTUALLY BE DESCRIBED! I understand it’s a shorter book so they might not be room to do Harry Potter level world building but I would still appreciate is the world could described. There was so much potential here but there was not really any world building.
- BACKSTORIES: were the kingdoms together at one point? Who is allied with who? When did dragons start to become a problem? These are just a few simple questions that would have been simple to incorporate into the text. In the book, it is never explained how the world came to be, why is is how it is. There is also very little on the characters. :(
- Where are my side characters? NOT HERE! There are about 3 side characters. Only one of these 3 has actually characteristics... all the other “side characters” are just there without a purpose. None of the side characters change or grow over the course or the story. They just exist.
- There are literally no side storylines. Sure you could the main plot into different parts but there really aren’t any side plots happening here. MAYBE ITS BECAUSE THERE’S ONLY TWO CHARACTERS hmmm it’s kinda hard to have alternate storylines when there isn’t an other characters to involve.
Believe it or not I actually did enjoy this book despite all my criticism. I’m happy this got to be my first book of 2021!
* Sorry for all the typos
What I liked:
- It has great fairy tail elements such as an evil stepmother as in “Cinderella” & a purity test as in “The Princess and the Pea”
- Badass Dragon Slayer Woman (aka Breanna the best character in this book) WOMEN WITH SWORDS WOMEN WITH SWORDS
- Entertaining: I was never bored with the story, it is fast paced and something you don’t want to put down
- THE STORY... I really enjoyed the main plot
What I didn’t like:
- Even though this book was written by a woman, it feels like it was written by a man. (Yes, I mean this in a bad way) Bre, the main female character, was written in a sexual way despite that not fitting her character at all, “Her rump rounded temptingly between his parted thighs.” There is also a lot of “growling” and “snarling” like please someone tell me how you GROWL ROMANTICALLY. Another thing I noticed is that everyone is gazing, “Their gazes met, he gazed at her, they gazed together.” I have nothing against this work but it is SO overused in the text.
- WHERW IS MY WORLD BUILDING?!?!??? I WANT THESE CASTLES AND FORESTS AND SUNSETS TO ACTUALLY BE DESCRIBED! I understand it’s a shorter book so they might not be room to do Harry Potter level world building but I would still appreciate is the world could described. There was so much potential here but there was not really any world building.
- BACKSTORIES: were the kingdoms together at one point? Who is allied with who? When did dragons start to become a problem? These are just a few simple questions that would have been simple to incorporate into the text. In the book, it is never explained how the world came to be, why is is how it is. There is also very little on the characters. :(
- Where are my side characters? NOT HERE! There are about 3 side characters. Only one of these 3 has actually characteristics... all the other “side characters” are just there without a purpose. None of the side characters change or grow over the course or the story. They just exist.
- There are literally no side storylines. Sure you could the main plot into different parts but there really aren’t any side plots happening here. MAYBE ITS BECAUSE THERE’S ONLY TWO CHARACTERS hmmm it’s kinda hard to have alternate storylines when there isn’t an other characters to involve.
Believe it or not I actually did enjoy this book despite all my criticism. I’m happy this got to be my first book of 2021!
* Sorry for all the typos
April 13, 2021
great cover and premise, the book begins with a bang. But then about the 30% mark it lost all momentum, several characters were introduced who were so over the top manipulators that I was just rolling my eyes constantly at their antics, whilst suddenly the H seemed limp and ineffectual caught in their web. A fairy tale element was thrown in that just felt wrong - and I questioned why the author couldn't have come up with a fresh/novel hook instead.
I gave up at the 45% mark - the story wasn't going in the direction, or any direction for that matter, that I cared for. It had been robbed of all pace and I couldn't be bothered to hang around to find out if it ever got its mojo back.
I gave up at the 45% mark - the story wasn't going in the direction, or any direction for that matter, that I cared for. It had been robbed of all pace and I couldn't be bothered to hang around to find out if it ever got its mojo back.
May 20, 2022
Dragonslaying Princess and the Pea
A unique take on the Princess and the Pea story.
Though the requirement for a virgin bride is archaic, it is a main plot point in this story. Still, it could have just been the requirement that Prince Cahill marry a royal, but that would have changed about 80% of the story.
The relationship between Breanna and Cahill was tangled. She only believes marriage is loss of freedom, and she has already lost everything, and refuses to even consider being tied down. Cahill needs to be married in order to become King, otherwise his evil stepmother will continue to rule and probably destroy the kingdom in her greed. While their initial reasons for their attitudes about marriage become blurred by their mutual attraction, it still creates a barrier they both eventually overcome.
Pretty good read overall.
**SPOILERS**
I'm dissapointed with the queen's death. I was hoping she'd be run through with either Breanna's or Cahill's sword. Her death was more ironic, considering her origins.
On the subject of virginity.. Wouldn't Breanna be ineligible as a bride under Lotentian law once she and Cahill had sex before they married. Yet, that didn't matter by the end anyway. Though, who really would have known since they likely would not have said anything, and the results of the Pea test became irrelevant by the end, and I doubt anyone would have been able to prevent Cahill and Bre from marrying once the queen was dead.
A unique take on the Princess and the Pea story.
Though the requirement for a virgin bride is archaic, it is a main plot point in this story. Still, it could have just been the requirement that Prince Cahill marry a royal, but that would have changed about 80% of the story.
The relationship between Breanna and Cahill was tangled. She only believes marriage is loss of freedom, and she has already lost everything, and refuses to even consider being tied down. Cahill needs to be married in order to become King, otherwise his evil stepmother will continue to rule and probably destroy the kingdom in her greed. While their initial reasons for their attitudes about marriage become blurred by their mutual attraction, it still creates a barrier they both eventually overcome.
Pretty good read overall.
**SPOILERS**
I'm dissapointed with the queen's death. I was hoping she'd be run through with either Breanna's or Cahill's sword. Her death was more ironic, considering her origins.
On the subject of virginity.. Wouldn't Breanna be ineligible as a bride under Lotentian law once she and Cahill had sex before they married. Yet, that didn't matter by the end anyway. Though, who really would have known since they likely would not have said anything, and the results of the Pea test became irrelevant by the end, and I doubt anyone would have been able to prevent Cahill and Bre from marrying once the queen was dead.
October 8, 2020
This is an intriguing story with all the perfect elements of an enchanting fairytale. The characters are all uniquely well drawn with Breanna as the unexpected dragon slayer and Cahill as the stalwart prince beleaguered by his malicious stepmother. It grabs your interest from the beginning and holds your attention throughout until the very end. You will find this a very entertaining read that is hard to put down. Although there is a happy ending for Breanna and Cahill, we’re left with a tantalizing taste of there being more to come. This I can’t wait to see!
March 24, 2021
Book 1
Book 1 had a few errors throughout. The overall book was mostly about love making and ruined the book overall. The plot was interesting, but could have developed better if it was about the people and the dragons. The characters where okay, but was ruined because of the "love scenes " throughout the book and took away the story because of that.
Book 1 had a few errors throughout. The overall book was mostly about love making and ruined the book overall. The plot was interesting, but could have developed better if it was about the people and the dragons. The characters where okay, but was ruined because of the "love scenes " throughout the book and took away the story because of that.
June 9, 2022
I so wanted to like this story, but honestly?
The story quickly becomes a massive weak point, and the characters aren't believable or even very likeable. And trust me, I don't say that lightly.
I finished by skimming the last chapter or so, and already know that this won't be a book or author I'll ever return to.
The story quickly becomes a massive weak point, and the characters aren't believable or even very likeable. And trust me, I don't say that lightly.
I finished by skimming the last chapter or so, and already know that this won't be a book or author I'll ever return to.
January 28, 2021
Great Story
As a lover of dragons, this story was a different rendition for me. It was awesome. I like what the author did with mentioning books and stories such as princess and the pea which brought back childhood memories for me.. awesome
As a lover of dragons, this story was a different rendition for me. It was awesome. I like what the author did with mentioning books and stories such as princess and the pea which brought back childhood memories for me.. awesome
October 6, 2020
Amazing book, very enticing with brilliant independent female role!
October 27, 2020
A great mix of dragons, swords and sorcery, fairy tale, and romance. Complete with an evil step-mother. :)
March 16, 2021
For this to be free on the book app, it was a nice book. For me the character development was a little spotty, but it was easy to follow along! It was a great quick read!
April 5, 2021
Love love love
Great start to a series. I love the characters, the plot and basicly everything. Bre is an amazing mc. I just love this damn book!
Great start to a series. I love the characters, the plot and basicly everything. Bre is an amazing mc. I just love this damn book!
September 30, 2021
This was a cute, easy and fun read!
It definitely deserves a try!
It definitely deserves a try!
March 21, 2025
Nice
This was a good fantasy adventure. I love a strong female lead and Bre definitely fits the bill. Would love to continue the series.
This was a good fantasy adventure. I love a strong female lead and Bre definitely fits the bill. Would love to continue the series.
Read
October 30, 2025did not finish at 12%
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews