What do you think?
Rate this book
Heirs of Magic #3
The Dragon's Daughter and the Winter Mage
Book Three in the adult Fantasy Romance adventure series from award-winning, bestselling author Jeffe Kennedy. Follows the prequel novella,The Long Night of the Crystalline Moon,in the Under a Winter Sky romantic fantasy holiday anthology, Book One of Heirs of Magic,The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince, and Two of Heirs of Magic, The Sorceress Queen and the Pirate Rogue.
Invisible Loner
Gendra—partblood daughter of an elite mossback soldier and the only shapeshifter to achieve the coveted dragon form—is anything but interesting. She’s actually plain and awkward and … invisible. Every guy she meets either looks right through her or—worse—thinks of her as just a friend. Fortunately Gen is far too practical to wallow in self pity. Much.
A Search for True Love
But as Gen accompanies her oldest friends on a quest for Her Majesty High Queen Ursula, she can’t help feeling bitter about her lonely fate as, two by two, they pair off with each other. As usual, everyone but odd-woman-out Gen seems to be finding the happiness in true love that has always eluded her. And Gen’s pathetic attempts to come out of her shell have only met with social disaster.
Dragon’s Daughter
Still, with magic rifts plaguing the Thirteen Kingdoms and a strange intelligence stalking them from an alter-realm, Gen has plenty to deal with—especially when she’s cut off from the group, isolated and facing a lethal danger. It just figures that Gen is on her own, once again. But with no one coming to save her, she has only herself to rely upon.
And, perhaps, the help of a mysterious, stranded magician…
Invisible Loner
Gendra—partblood daughter of an elite mossback soldier and the only shapeshifter to achieve the coveted dragon form—is anything but interesting. She’s actually plain and awkward and … invisible. Every guy she meets either looks right through her or—worse—thinks of her as just a friend. Fortunately Gen is far too practical to wallow in self pity. Much.
A Search for True Love
But as Gen accompanies her oldest friends on a quest for Her Majesty High Queen Ursula, she can’t help feeling bitter about her lonely fate as, two by two, they pair off with each other. As usual, everyone but odd-woman-out Gen seems to be finding the happiness in true love that has always eluded her. And Gen’s pathetic attempts to come out of her shell have only met with social disaster.
Dragon’s Daughter
Still, with magic rifts plaguing the Thirteen Kingdoms and a strange intelligence stalking them from an alter-realm, Gen has plenty to deal with—especially when she’s cut off from the group, isolated and facing a lethal danger. It just figures that Gen is on her own, once again. But with no one coming to save her, she has only herself to rely upon.
And, perhaps, the help of a mysterious, stranded magician…
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 24, 2021
15 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Jeffe Kennedy
97 books1,333 followers💙She/her💙 Award-winning Bestselling Author of epic fantasy romance. Taoist. Swiftie. Santa Fean. Cat lady @sfwa_inc Past-President. Rep by @seyitsme
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 25, 2021
Absolutely my kind of Fantasy! Loved the alter-realm in this story, where the hero/a magician was trapped for fifty years! While in real time, he had been missing for just a couple of months! The shifting of the alter-realms was chillingly unpredictable. I was on the edge of my seat whenever random portals open & my favorite characters fell through!
Gendra was on a quest of her own, searching for her one true love, while on a quest for Her Majesty High Queen Ursula . I actually had little sympathy with Gen's sad body image and insecurity. This was a Fantasy, after all! For her to spend tons of page time reliving a horrible experience she had with an ass of a man, was so boring! But she later charmed me with her every interaction with the hero, plus her sacrifice to save him.
Who would've thought a romance between a twenty something wall flower and a supposedly eighty plus year old magician would rock the alter-realm and blow my mind away! Not me! Oh, as for eighty plus, that was in the alter-realm! He wasn't thirty yet, in the real realm!
The final rescue was heart stopping! The healing by the sorceress was epic! What I loved the most was the interaction among the group of seven! Hilarious, entertaining, and heart warming!
Looking forward to Book 4 ~ "The Storm Princess and the Raven King ~ February 22nd, 2022!" Yes! Already preordered!
Sharing one of my favorite scenes:
Gendra was on a quest of her own, searching for her one true love, while on a quest for Her Majesty High Queen Ursula . I actually had little sympathy with Gen's sad body image and insecurity. This was a Fantasy, after all! For her to spend tons of page time reliving a horrible experience she had with an ass of a man, was so boring! But she later charmed me with her every interaction with the hero, plus her sacrifice to save him.
Who would've thought a romance between a twenty something wall flower and a supposedly eighty plus year old magician would rock the alter-realm and blow my mind away! Not me! Oh, as for eighty plus, that was in the alter-realm! He wasn't thirty yet, in the real realm!
The final rescue was heart stopping! The healing by the sorceress was epic! What I loved the most was the interaction among the group of seven! Hilarious, entertaining, and heart warming!
Looking forward to Book 4 ~ "The Storm Princess and the Raven King ~ February 22nd, 2022!" Yes! Already preordered!
Sharing one of my favorite scenes:
"Astar says no shifting," Zeph corrected . . . "He wants us to stay together."
"That's only fair," Lena pointed out . . . "Since not all of us can shapeshift."
"And not all of us have forms that can survive the arctic hell they call a strait," Rhy agreed sourly.
"So if we drown, we all drown together," Jak declared cheerfully . . . "Worthy of a Dasnarian romantic ballad."
"Only Dasnarians think death is romantic," Zeph countered . . . "It's the worst quality of the race. You wouldn't believe some of the stories my mother tells, expecting us to somehow appreciate them. Some would depress me for days."
"Did she tell you about the newlyweds who went looking for their lost kitten?"Jak asked.
"Oh, Moranu, yes! . . . I wish I could erase that one from my brain."
November 7, 2021
Gendra was my favorite in this group of friends and I was waiting for her book and for her to find her 'mate'. Especially since the whole group was paired up, so it had to be someone new. Unexpected turn of events for sure and how it all happened. But IDK how I feel about this couple...
October 22, 2021
Being the odd person out when it comes to couples within your group of friends is not easy. For Gendra, she sees their group of 7 friends all matching up and finding their "one". As a plain and boring one, she is starting to give up hope. Even though she is relatively young, a babe in the woods if you will, she feels the loneliness more due to the others matching up.
To read the rest of my review, click on the image below to see it on my website.
To read the rest of my review, click on the image below to see it on my website.
Read
April 6, 2022I fell into a trap I know better than to fall into - and yet I did it so I know this is on me but ... here we are.
I think I thought this was a novella not a full novel so I thought I could read it out of order/more stand alone ish despite it being part of a series - but I hadn't realized how much I'd missed/has changed.
So we start with meeting /seeing these characters when they're 17 ... and then the "seven years later." ... and I was still like "the human brain isn't fully developed until 25 and I get this is fiction and in their world 24 is grown ass" but like ... they just FELT like a mess. [Which ... I guess is totally accurate for a bunch of idiot - and I say that with love - 24 year olds...]
It was ALLL the characters that ... well I vaguely remembered their parents but oof there are a LOT and too much going on and seriously portals to other worlds?
>.<
...
it was too much for my broken brain.
I think I'm going to have to try to revisit this series/the spinoffs ... when my brain isn't broken/dear god I can't ALWAYS have migraines right?! T_T seven months already is .... enough, universe?
But anyway - portals. To other worlds.
And disappearing characters and we haven't even GLIMPSED the hero nearly 10% in and ...
pass on this book for now.
[Not even saying the main characters have to have met - just like ... let me know who I'm supposed to be rooting for!]
I think I thought this was a novella not a full novel so I thought I could read it out of order/more stand alone ish despite it being part of a series - but I hadn't realized how much I'd missed/has changed.
So we start with meeting /seeing these characters when they're 17 ... and then the "seven years later." ... and I was still like "the human brain isn't fully developed until 25 and I get this is fiction and in their world 24 is grown ass" but like ... they just FELT like a mess. [Which ... I guess is totally accurate for a bunch of idiot - and I say that with love - 24 year olds...]
It was ALLL the characters that ... well I vaguely remembered their parents but oof there are a LOT and too much going on and seriously portals to other worlds?
>.<
...
it was too much for my broken brain.
I think I'm going to have to try to revisit this series/the spinoffs ... when my brain isn't broken/dear god I can't ALWAYS have migraines right?! T_T seven months already is .... enough, universe?
But anyway - portals. To other worlds.
And disappearing characters and we haven't even GLIMPSED the hero nearly 10% in and ...
pass on this book for now.
[Not even saying the main characters have to have met - just like ... let me know who I'm supposed to be rooting for!]
February 11, 2023
I was really looking forward to this one, and while it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, that was more about my expectations than anything wrong with the book. The romance did feel a little rushed, and I'd have loved to see more build-up to Gen and her lover meeting, just because the dream where they did was so well-realized and lovely, but what is there is very sweet. I also like how we can read Gen as sex-positive ace or demisexual, even if it's not explicitly stated, and that there are nods to how the love of her group of friends is just as important and fulfilling as romantic love. Of course, Gen ends up with both, but it wouldn't be a romance otherwise!
Still light on plot, but I do love the feeling I get that this whole series is ramping up like a TTRPG campaign before the boss fight!
Still light on plot, but I do love the feeling I get that this whole series is ramping up like a TTRPG campaign before the boss fight!
April 10, 2022
I’m calling it quits. I keep hoping the next book will be better in this series and I keep being disappointed. No more of these for me. Especially since the next book is with the worst couple ever.
So in this book the female characters continue to have shallow girl talk about boys, because really what else is important for them to be talking about? (Who cares about tears between realms and a creepy intelligence?)
Our lovely heroine falls in love with a 70-80 year old in an alternate realm. That’s pretty much all that happens in this book when you unpack it. He’s so fit though you know 🤨 This could have worked for me if it had been kept to an emotional connection until his age got sorted out, but going further that that while he was still that old the ick factor is just too high for me.
So in this book the female characters continue to have shallow girl talk about boys, because really what else is important for them to be talking about? (Who cares about tears between realms and a creepy intelligence?)
Our lovely heroine falls in love with a 70-80 year old in an alternate realm. That’s pretty much all that happens in this book when you unpack it. He’s so fit though you know 🤨 This could have worked for me if it had been kept to an emotional connection until his age got sorted out, but going further that that while he was still that old the ick factor is just too high for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2022
3+ stars- I liked it. For the most part I liked this fantasy romance. I am thinking that these are more novela length but that might be that they are more on the smexy side of the story vs sex balance. My major nit with the story though is the author made the love interest too old - he's been trapped in an alternate dimension for 50 years so say he's 70 and I am thinking she's a twenty something... I've only read these spinoffs and and not the main series so unless mages don't age like regular humans, that's a bit much of a difference.
October 5, 2021
Him being older, I was trying to wrap my brain around that one. I figured he would become young again, but wish we would have been able to read about them having sex when he was young.
I think she should have told him the deal she made, so he would understand why she was behaving that way, but oh well
I think she should have told him the deal she made, so he would understand why she was behaving that way, but oh well
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2022
Starting to get repetitive
Although I enjoyed this book I find I am getting a bit tired of the same base line running through all the books in this series, so much so I dont think I will be purchasing book 4,or maby I will just so I've read them all... the end was exciting, if expected but still well written as Jeffe Kennedy books always are!
Although I enjoyed this book I find I am getting a bit tired of the same base line running through all the books in this series, so much so I dont think I will be purchasing book 4,or maby I will just so I've read them all... the end was exciting, if expected but still well written as Jeffe Kennedy books always are!
November 10, 2022
This was my favorite of the Heirs of Magic stories. It made me happy that the hero and heroine looked beyond physical limitations - like age - and found love. This was a fun read and ended happily ever after. The final gift of the goddess to our hapless hero was overly convenient.
Book was fun. Characters are great.
Book was fun. Characters are great.
February 15, 2024
3.5 Stars only rounded down due to YA-ish which I'm not into (and skimmed past) but which was done perfectly well, for those who are.
I liked the realistic snipey banter among friends. The plot was interesting and the fight scenes were energetic.
I only dropped onto the series via this volume bcz I favor dragons.
I liked the realistic snipey banter among friends. The plot was interesting and the fight scenes were energetic.
I only dropped onto the series via this volume bcz I favor dragons.
July 7, 2023
It was lovely to see odd woman out, Gendra, finally get her romance. The isolation of the characters worked well to create intimacy and bonus points for a literal There's Only One Bed The Right Size for Humans on this Entire Island.
September 27, 2021
thin writing
I loved jeffe Kennedy’s other books but thus has plot and no substance. It reads like the outline of a book with no depth
I loved jeffe Kennedy’s other books but thus has plot and no substance. It reads like the outline of a book with no depth
May 7, 2022
Not too sure about this one. I enjoyed the others and the idea of the book but I'm not a fan of romances with such a big age gap.
May 14, 2022
Think I’ve already written a review - but just to say I really enjoyed this diverting series - romance, magic and exciting adventure - all the women resourceful and brave
June 27, 2022
My favorite of the 4 books so far.
December 20, 2022
I'm still loving this series and its connection to the wonderful Twelve Kingdom's saga. This story was interesting because it focused on Gen, who hadn't been explored as a character as much in the previous books in part because she's a little quiet and held apart from the others. I liked getting to see what made her tick, and how both her flamboyant mother and "mossback" father shaped her. Isyn was a nice foil for her, especially as someone who didn't have any preconceived notions about who she was, and as a blunt speaking person who wanted to do right by her. I did struggle a bit with trying to picture him as a character--he was described as near eighty, but also was totally built (aside from a broken leg) so I kept imagining Boomy from Avatar the Last Airbender, which...well, isn't a great look for a romantic hero. He was such a good hero in other ways--especially in how he talked with and listened to Gen--that I got over it. It just made it a little harder to lose myself in the story at first. I'm still enjoying this series and looking forward to the final book, but this is not my favorite installment so far (all the awards and heart eyes go to Stella and Jak from book 2) I certainly recommend this series for anyone who has enjoyed the other books in the Twelve Kingdoms saga.
January 30, 2022
I will confess I read this book as it was still being written, and I can tell you I was eagerly waiting for every update as this story is amazing!
I love Gen, she is used to being overlooked, but that says more about the men around her than about her. She is kind, levelheaded, and passionate. I loved seeing inside her head and see her hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities. I was rooting for her to find happiness.
And then she meets Isyn. He is not your typical romantic hero, but I connected with him right away. He had a hard life, and can be gloomy at times, but at his heart he's a survivor. I loved seeing Gen and Isyn get to know each other and fall in love. I will confess I was a little worried about their future, but as always trusted in Jeffe to bring this story to a satisfying end.
And that trust was rewarded!
The problems for the Thirteen Kingdoms aren't over yet, and the last book in this series promises to be fraught with danger, but I was more than satisfied with the conclusion of Gen's and Isyn's romance.
I loved the worldbuilding and overall mood of the story, which next to having some cool new characters, had a fairytale vibe
I love Gen, she is used to being overlooked, but that says more about the men around her than about her. She is kind, levelheaded, and passionate. I loved seeing inside her head and see her hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities. I was rooting for her to find happiness.
And then she meets Isyn. He is not your typical romantic hero, but I connected with him right away. He had a hard life, and can be gloomy at times, but at his heart he's a survivor. I loved seeing Gen and Isyn get to know each other and fall in love. I will confess I was a little worried about their future, but as always trusted in Jeffe to bring this story to a satisfying end.
And that trust was rewarded!
The problems for the Thirteen Kingdoms aren't over yet, and the last book in this series promises to be fraught with danger, but I was more than satisfied with the conclusion of Gen's and Isyn's romance.
I loved the worldbuilding and overall mood of the story, which next to having some cool new characters, had a fairytale vibe
February 19, 2023
Friendship really shows up as key here. The 7 are united by ties of friendship across many years. We see them work together here -- sailing in impossible seas, rescuing one another, fighting against the Intelligence, and making progress on their mission.
Plus Gendra meets someone Nice (not bleh Henk from the last book).
Plus Gendra meets someone Nice (not bleh Henk from the last book).
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews