Across the Wall of Fire, Bayloo hunts for his stolen sister, while new enemies hunt him. In the near endless land of Ni-Yota, Bayloo finds far more than he ever expected as a civil war rages, and both sides vie for his allegiance. Bayloo’s choice will decide the fate of a continent as well as that of his sister.
Proofreading this was a joy. The world grows. We meet characters and face challenges we never could have expected in the first book. Bayloo is forced to make a lot of difficult choices. But still, we get the trademark humor his unique perspective provides. This series continues to be imminently-readable. Addicting, even.
There's a large problem though. Based on this book, it would appear that the land of Ni-Yota, a place described as incredibly vast and ruled by dragons since time immemorial, had less than 10 whole dragons in the entire continent at the time of the Schism. This is about as many if not fewer than all of the dragons in Rolm, a place described as merely a lost colony and one that has lost the ability for dragons to procreate.
That does not make any sense at all.
Also, the timelines between Drasu departing back to the Wall of Fire and Bayloo leaving don't line up. It was several days that he was recovering in his cell. There's no way a soldier stayed alive, bleeding from his wounds, on the Wall's defensive raft for that long. Or that the scanvegers stayed away for that long. Drasu would have had to pass through mere hours before Bayloo, which clearly doesn't work.
A good entertaining, fun story that is rife with grammatical errors. What could have been a 4+ rated book drops to 3. Me/I misused frequently, commas instead of apostrophes, incorrect word order, past tense missed, singular/plurals missed, missing words... Too much for a professional author. Even a basic grammar checker would have caught 90% of these issues. No book should be released with this quantity of poor English grammar. The author must realize that this reflects poor writing/editing skills and is detrimental to him. Still a good read if you can live with the atrocious grammar. I have just finished book 2 and it has all the same issues.
At last Bayloo is free. As he travels westward, a vast and unsuspected world unveils. Warring factions are soon prompting Bayloo for a choice he has to make with only what he learns from the involved ones, and for other reasons too, his quest is no longer so straightforward. So much for freedom... Even as he's somewhat helped in choosing by a last minute revelation, he's once again forced to bring down another fellow enslaved dragon. This, and the expected revenge, once achieved, can have a bitter taste. If you get into it, this series is hard to put down and the books are tightly coupled.
Wow! I'm so glad that Amazon recommended the first book to me. I couldn't put the first book down and was so excited for the second one. The second book was beyond my expectations and Robert Vane really wrote something impressive here. I'm a big dragon fantasy book lover, and this book shocked me with how good it was. Fans of newer, popular books need to add this book to their to-be-read lists. As a comparison, I think the pace, action, creativity, and writing can hold it's own with current popular fantasy such as McLellan's Powder Mage universe, Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor series, Evan Winter's Burning series.
Bayloo's adventure continues and he finds himself in the middle of a foreign land and their civil war. He does not know who to trust and both sides are not what they seem. He has to make a choice on what side to support in order to save his sister. There are PLENTY of well written dragon fighting action sequences and the pace is snappy. It was very hard to put this book down. There were twists and nuances in all his interactions with new characters. There is plenty of humor related to observations on dragon/human behavior, and plenty of emotion and heart/heartbreak. The book is honestly not that long but the author is able to cram in so much fleshed-out, creative worldbuilding.
Honestly, I have to give this book 5/5 stars. I thought it was a great entry in dragon fantasy, especially from a debut author. Vane really found his stride with book 2. Bravo. I can't wait for the conclusion of the trilogy.
(Minor Spoilers) I only give this 4 out of 5 because Bayloo's travels essentially transport the reader to an entirely new realm, which had only previously been hinted at, without having expanded upon the original. Although, the author (and Bayloo) makes it clear that that homeland has not been forgotten.
Getting involved in the affairs of others dragons and a land with a long history of dealing with those dragons, was interesting enough, but it was also nice to see Bayloo really beginning to come into his own. His companion is a very likeable character and I think an excellent addition--one that also helps expand on the growing world across the wall of fire.
Overall, this book got me very excited for where the story is going, the history behind the current happenings, and Bayloo's role in all of it. The author has a way of writing that really moves the story along at a great pace, much like Jim Butcher, I think.
Well, true to what I read in reviews for this series, book two manages to be even better than the first one. Even more world building and character development in this one, which is very impressive, considering how rich and well fleshed out the world was in the first book.
Plot is still as engaging and action packed as before, with Bayloo's quest taking him past the Wall of Fire and into a new and very mysterious realm where his kin rules and a unknown force threatens everything, and the allies he makes may not be as trustworthy as they first appear. A very gripping and engaging read, and very hard to put down.
If the first book hasn't convinced you to read this series further, this one definitely will, and for me, it convinced me to keep reading this series until the very end.
This book dragged quite a bit more than the last. Less action sequences, a lot more exposition. Vane is setting up his main character, the dragon Bayloo, to live with a decision he makes.
Having spent the entirety of this book discovering factions and trying to come to a decision, I expect the action will pick up again in the next. In this one, he’s made enemies and friends, as well as promises he must keep, although he may not be able. We’ll see what happens.
Edit: I wrote the short review before finishing the book. The last paragraph was killer, setting up a great story for Book Three.
The initial series I read by this author (The Girl in the Box) often seemed simplistic & at times, written for a juvenile audience. His themes & writing style are getting much better, & he has always had interesting story lines. My only complaint? He seeks to create familiarity, uniqueness & kinship with the protagonist Bayloo by repeating lines re: chicken piss & potatoes. We are back to juvenile writing in those moments. Nevertheless I have enjoyed the books enough to continue reading.
A very good book 2! Bayloo the dragon doesn't seem to have many leadership qualities yet, he seems willing to follow most anyone. At least he has someone clever to follow in book 2, to save him from making quick decisions without contemplating all angles first. Bayloo is much like a child still, since in the first book he was freed from mind-slavery and only recently was able to think for himself. But he continues to learn and adapt. There is still much unknown that will hopefully be revealed later in the saga. I look forward to seeing Bayloo's development as well.
I was hooked from the start of the series! These dragons are eminently BELIEVABLE! If we had dragons among us today, they would absolutely look and act like Robert Vane describes. Outstanding world building that draws you in and makes you feel like the characters will hear you if you make a peep. Realistic dialogue and action, as well as exceptional fight scenes. He doesn't lose you in the telling of what is apparently his firsthand account of a true history that none of us ever knew about before.
Bayloo has crossed the Wall of Fire in the hunt for his stolen sister and the wizard who killed their mother. New enemies pursue him along with 2 armies who each seek to make him an ally.
As both sides vie for his allegiance, will Bayloo be able to make a choice which can decide the fate of the continent, his sister and his own future?
Again quite a hard book to get fully into. It does get interesting and was certainly a little more interesting than the first but it still felt like I was having to try too hard to finish the book. 3 more to go..
A Dragons War book 2 by: Robert Vane The slave Dragon who is called Ballyoo by his humans has escaped from Rolm and crossed the Wall of Fire into the land of the Mitzu.
Here he meets several advisories he must fight while searching for his baby sister to free her from her captors.
This was an excellent sequel filled with awesome fight scenes and wonderful dialog. I am really excited to start book 3 😁
AS a lover of all things dragon, finally a series about dragons and from the point of view of a dragon. Humans usually are the voices heard in books and dragons are depicted as their weapons or even their much loved friend. But here we read The story of Bayloo. As experienced by him. I can't get enough! Definitely read The books in order. Prepare to see things through a dragon's eyes.
I found both books highly entertaining and looking forward to the next book. I thought how amusing to have the dragons communicate with human slang, ie referring to older humans with little hair on top but g hairy ears and many more references to our human imperfections. ❤
With a sprinkling of humor, the continuing story keeps you on the edge of your seat. Surprising turns that are not predictable and a point of view that is different from most in this genre will keep me reading.
It gets better and better ! Loved this book. Wanted more answers about Elasu...i thought some type of mind controlling or something as to why she manipulates so well.. but whatever ... still a great read and ready to read the next in series 👍🏼
I’m 20% of the way through the book and not enjoying it so far. This book is grimly repetitive. Bayloo is constantly wounded (sometimes avoidably), or captured. He always seems to blunder into a trap of some sort or another. And most of all, it doesn’t feel like there is a purpose to any of it.
Never has a book been read so happily by this reader. I was hooked from the first paragraph of the first book. You made me captivated, breathlessly, and full of laughter.
I’m enjoying this light reading. Dragons are front and center. In a totally fantastical made up world there is war, intrigue, growth of understanding and cooperation. Not for the erudite. Strictly some swashbuckling dragon fun.
I was so enthralled by this book I had to keep reading. Everyone in the house slept but I read late in the morning until my eyes hurt. I just had to know what was going to happen next. I am hooked.
A Dragon's War is such a step up from A Dragon's Chains. The first book started introducing the deep world building and lore through a dragon's perspective, but we really get a lot of it in this one. Bayloo, First of the Free, is now looking for his sister in a whole new land beyond the Wall of Fire, and he finds himself in a war where he must make some very difficult decisions. I could hardly put this down. There are many twists and turns as he navigates through this war, betrayal awaits at every corner. One enemy of this land that he faces is just so...jarring and creepy compared to what we've learned by the time they are revealed. They're unsettling, and I can't wait to continue this series with the third book.
Continuing right where the first book started, this one puts Bayloo into the middle of a conflict he knows nothing about, with hard decisions to make - and also gives him an unlikely ally.
This story is getting better and better. A little clunky around the middle, with too many new characters and developments being introduced, but necessary to the narrative. I'm jumping right into the third book.