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Marked by the Dragon #1
Scale of the Dragon
Her key to freedom is also her torment.
Mina is an outcast. A childhood accident left her scarred and with a curse that her master exploits to hunt dragons for sport.
She wants freedom, from both her master and the curse, but unless the right dragon is killed, she’ll be a bondservant for the rest of her days.
With Mina’s uncanny ability and her master’s magical strength, the beast responsible for her misery will fall … even if she has to take matters into her own hands.
Scale of the Dragon is the first episode in the series Marked by the Dragon.
Scale of the Dragon
Egg of the Dragon (August 2021)
Call of the Dragon (September 2021)
Mina is an outcast. A childhood accident left her scarred and with a curse that her master exploits to hunt dragons for sport.
She wants freedom, from both her master and the curse, but unless the right dragon is killed, she’ll be a bondservant for the rest of her days.
With Mina’s uncanny ability and her master’s magical strength, the beast responsible for her misery will fall … even if she has to take matters into her own hands.
Scale of the Dragon is the first episode in the series Marked by the Dragon.
Scale of the Dragon
Egg of the Dragon (August 2021)
Call of the Dragon (September 2021)
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2021
285 people are currently reading
992 people want to read
About the author
Richard Fierce
119 books112 followersRichard Fierce is a fantasy author best known for his novella The Last Page. He's been writing since childhood, but became seriously vested in it in 2007. Since then, he's written several novels and a few short stories.
In 2000, Richard won Poet of the Year for his poem The Darkness. He's also one of the creative brains behind the Allatoona Book Festival, a literary event in Acworth, Georgia.
A recovering retail worker, he now works in the tech industry when he's not busy writing.
He has three step-daughters, three huskies and two cats.
His love affair with fantasy was born in high school when a friend's mother gave him a copy of Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
In 2000, Richard won Poet of the Year for his poem The Darkness. He's also one of the creative brains behind the Allatoona Book Festival, a literary event in Acworth, Georgia.
A recovering retail worker, he now works in the tech industry when he's not busy writing.
He has three step-daughters, three huskies and two cats.
His love affair with fantasy was born in high school when a friend's mother gave him a copy of Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 8, 2022
An even 3/5. On a scale of 1-10, probably a 4.
It was casually interesting and entertaining. It was more set up for future books than not, I think, which is fine but I know that's something some readers tend to dislike. Not incredibly high stakes or anything of the sort, but interesting world building and decent flow, plus the pacing was good.
I don't imagine I'd buy this book (unless I end up loving the later books in the series), but given I listened to the free YT audiobook (posted by the author) and it was fairly short (less than three hours) it's not like I've lost anything.
I enjoyed it for what it was, and do intend to continue with the series as I am curious(and I imagine things will pick up in the next book). And for those trying to decide if they'd like to read this - go ahead and give it a go! Again, the audiobook is free, so it's not like you've got anything to lose (I link to it at the end of this review).
I may revisit this review to go into more detail about the book later when I have more tangible thoughts, but for now I'll conclude by saying it was pretty good but so short that I don't think I had much time to form an opinion.
But I am interested to seeing where it goes!
Content: I'd put it at PG-13. Some innuendos, but nothing sexual actually happens. In one instance a woman is shirtless for a brief moment, and while a character notes that she's attractive nothing's described and it's a passing moment.
Honestly don't remember whether there was cussing, which means if there was it was probably very mild.
Violence was mild as well.
If you'd like to listen to the audiobook of it, here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QrLG...
It was casually interesting and entertaining. It was more set up for future books than not, I think, which is fine but I know that's something some readers tend to dislike. Not incredibly high stakes or anything of the sort, but interesting world building and decent flow, plus the pacing was good.
I don't imagine I'd buy this book (unless I end up loving the later books in the series), but given I listened to the free YT audiobook (posted by the author) and it was fairly short (less than three hours) it's not like I've lost anything.
I enjoyed it for what it was, and do intend to continue with the series as I am curious(and I imagine things will pick up in the next book). And for those trying to decide if they'd like to read this - go ahead and give it a go! Again, the audiobook is free, so it's not like you've got anything to lose (I link to it at the end of this review).
I may revisit this review to go into more detail about the book later when I have more tangible thoughts, but for now I'll conclude by saying it was pretty good but so short that I don't think I had much time to form an opinion.
But I am interested to seeing where it goes!
Content: I'd put it at PG-13. Some innuendos, but nothing sexual actually happens. In one instance a woman is shirtless for a brief moment, and while a character notes that she's attractive nothing's described and it's a passing moment.
Honestly don't remember whether there was cussing, which means if there was it was probably very mild.
Violence was mild as well.
If you'd like to listen to the audiobook of it, here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QrLG...
November 22, 2023
Just trying to reach my goals.. it's a good filler while working and doing chores.
April 12, 2022
Oddly enough this is the second book I've read today that has a gift someone thinks of as a curse.
The girl in this story has a dragon scale embedded in her leg. This allows her to sence when dragons are near. She hates, and dragons, so much that she is helping a lord hunt them down and kill them in hopes that killing the right one will make the visions stop.
Much of this book is setting up the world, and putting the characters in place for something much bigger that appears to be coming. The writing is a bit on the formal side, but still a good story and interesting world.
The girl in this story has a dragon scale embedded in her leg. This allows her to sence when dragons are near. She hates, and dragons, so much that she is helping a lord hunt them down and kill them in hopes that killing the right one will make the visions stop.
Much of this book is setting up the world, and putting the characters in place for something much bigger that appears to be coming. The writing is a bit on the formal side, but still a good story and interesting world.
June 22, 2023
A short, kinda fun fantasy. I was somewhat frustrated at the shallow characters (they made odd decisions and acted quite erratically) until I began to read it as a short story - then I enjoyed it much more. It felt like it could have been part of a larger novel, like when there is Part 1, 2 and 3 within a single book. If I stumble across the sequels I may read them, but I will probably not seek them out. I was hoping for more time with the dragons, but I suspect that will be explored in the sequels.
This was very much setting up for the sequels - so who knows, perhaps they are more strongly developed?
2 stars, because the characters were not well-developed and, though it is better if you imagine it as a short story, it is not one. (Bonus points for dragon mentions, though!)
This was very much setting up for the sequels - so who knows, perhaps they are more strongly developed?
2 stars, because the characters were not well-developed and, though it is better if you imagine it as a short story, it is not one. (Bonus points for dragon mentions, though!)
March 19, 2022
Scale of the Dragon was a short fantasy about a young girl with a Dragon Scale fused to her thigh.
As a slave to a dragon-hunting dominion lord, Mina has a personal mission to rid the world of the creatures who destroyed her life.
As a slave to a dragon-hunting dominion lord, Mina has a personal mission to rid the world of the creatures who destroyed her life.
February 22, 2023
good adventure
My favorite reads contain dragon. I always imagined I could be friends with a dragon, possibly fly on his back. To be able to hear their thoughts is amazing.
My favorite reads contain dragon. I always imagined I could be friends with a dragon, possibly fly on his back. To be able to hear their thoughts is amazing.
March 30, 2022
Did you find this as an audiobook on YouTube, and you're wondering if it's worth a listen? That's how I came across Scale of the Dragon, and my verdict is, yes, give it a go. It's not a bad way to spend a few hours at all. Being self-published, it is shallower than some big-name fantasy novel, of course, but the world has potential and the writing is fairly good (outside of the stilted romantic inner dialogue, which feels a bit off from the rest, quality-wise). The narrator is also expressive and easy to listen to.
It looks as though the author put the sequels on YouTube as well, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a nice little fantasy story to listen to while you do hobbies or chores, especially if you don't have Audible or a library account.
It looks as though the author put the sequels on YouTube as well, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a nice little fantasy story to listen to while you do hobbies or chores, especially if you don't have Audible or a library account.
October 13, 2022
I found this book to be very enjoyable!
This book was a very enjoyable read and I found it to be well crafted, fresh and clever. I was drawn in from the beginning. The plot was interesting and it moved forward at a good pace. I really liked the characters, especially Mina. And there are Dragons!!! I have to find out what Mina is up to next so I am looking forward to reading the next book!
This book was a very enjoyable read and I found it to be well crafted, fresh and clever. I was drawn in from the beginning. The plot was interesting and it moved forward at a good pace. I really liked the characters, especially Mina. And there are Dragons!!! I have to find out what Mina is up to next so I am looking forward to reading the next book!
June 28, 2021
Absolutely amazing! I was completely engulfed in this world. Each chapter is packed and kept me hooked! The characters have such depth and I can't wait to rejoin them in the next installment!
January 5, 2024
3/5 or 5/10 and there will be spoilers near the bottom of this review but I've flagged them with a warning
The story so far follows the happenings of two main characters, Mina and Caden. Mina was cursed, or blessed depending on the opinion, after falling into a dragons nest. Since then she has a peculiar knack for finding dragons. Something her Dominion Lord (think Kingdoms) is very fond of, since he gets rich and she doesn't get a say. Caden has grown up in the same Dominion and as a peasant is chasing his dreams of being a Runesman- a type of magic enhanced soldier- and making something of himself.
We meet Thais who so far is mostly seen with Caden's interactions, as she is a Runesman with him. We don't learn a lot about her, other than her past has been hard, and she doesn't take much from people.
In this first book we learn a little about other Dominions, some world building, introduction to different magic systems, the different dragons, and some different opinions on them. There's death and glory, confusion and misunderstandings, changing of positions, and surprises.
It was a quick read for me at, and was a good filler when I couldn't read my physical book (I read it on my Kindle App) I would also rate it (as another reader did) as PG13 as there's one scene where a woman takes her shirt off (innocent enough reason), another scene where a woman lays on a cot with a man (and promptly falls asleep), and another scene when a woman assumes a dude would be naked when they meet up (because other men had done it to her expecting something other than hanging out).
As a quick read, it ends leading to the next book in the series pretty quickly.
I would have liked to see a bit more gradual growth in Thais' character. And I'm hoping that there's some building of the Dominion Lords as well, I'm curious how it'll be portrayed after the ending of the book.
My biggest complaint- *SPOILER SPOILER PLOT SPOILER SPOILER*
*
*
*
*
*
Caden wants to go to a different Dominion- we hear about it all throughout the book- but I cannot find where he tells this to Mina! It may be a little detail, but it connects to a couple things, and is a major part of the plot I'm thinking for the other books. Because he's transferred from the Dominion he's in, without knowing or understanding why, and that leaves some things unfinished for him, and a misunderstanding between him and someone else- all because Mina asked her Dominion Lord to do it.
IF I'm missing it someone please let me know and I'll correct this review because it does heavily weigh on the rating.
The story so far follows the happenings of two main characters, Mina and Caden. Mina was cursed, or blessed depending on the opinion, after falling into a dragons nest. Since then she has a peculiar knack for finding dragons. Something her Dominion Lord (think Kingdoms) is very fond of, since he gets rich and she doesn't get a say. Caden has grown up in the same Dominion and as a peasant is chasing his dreams of being a Runesman- a type of magic enhanced soldier- and making something of himself.
We meet Thais who so far is mostly seen with Caden's interactions, as she is a Runesman with him. We don't learn a lot about her, other than her past has been hard, and she doesn't take much from people.
In this first book we learn a little about other Dominions, some world building, introduction to different magic systems, the different dragons, and some different opinions on them. There's death and glory, confusion and misunderstandings, changing of positions, and surprises.
It was a quick read for me at, and was a good filler when I couldn't read my physical book (I read it on my Kindle App) I would also rate it (as another reader did) as PG13 as there's one scene where a woman takes her shirt off (innocent enough reason), another scene where a woman lays on a cot with a man (and promptly falls asleep), and another scene when a woman assumes a dude would be naked when they meet up (because other men had done it to her expecting something other than hanging out).
As a quick read, it ends leading to the next book in the series pretty quickly.
I would have liked to see a bit more gradual growth in Thais' character. And I'm hoping that there's some building of the Dominion Lords as well, I'm curious how it'll be portrayed after the ending of the book.
My biggest complaint- *SPOILER SPOILER PLOT SPOILER SPOILER*
*
*
*
*
*
Caden wants to go to a different Dominion- we hear about it all throughout the book- but I cannot find where he tells this to Mina! It may be a little detail, but it connects to a couple things, and is a major part of the plot I'm thinking for the other books. Because he's transferred from the Dominion he's in, without knowing or understanding why, and that leaves some things unfinished for him, and a misunderstanding between him and someone else- all because Mina asked her Dominion Lord to do it.
IF I'm missing it someone please let me know and I'll correct this review because it does heavily weigh on the rating.
June 21, 2021
Scale of the Dragon is a really enjoyable read! It’s very well written and easy to read and I would say it’s suitable for all audiences that love dragons. It introduces us to Mina, a girl who is slave to Lord Klodian. He uses her to find, hunt, and kill dragons since she has a curse that allows her to sense where a dragon is located. She wants nothing more than for him to find and kill the dragon that cursed her, since she believes that will free her from the curse. We also meet Caden, a young Runesman who longs for fame and fortune, and Thais, a nearly unheard of female Runesman. This is the first episode in a series so it acts as an introduction to the characters and world and hints at a larger plot since there are many strange happenings going on in the Kingdom. I had a lot of fun reading this book and I definitely want to continue the series and find out what will happen!
I received an ARC from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I received an ARC from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
December 31, 2023
A childhood accident leaves Mina with a dragon scale
Attempts to remove it from her leg all fail.
It has left her with an ability to find dragons now
Her master makes use of her to kill them somehow.
Mina is hoping when he kills the right one
Her strange ability will soon be gone.
She looks on this gift as a curse
And hopes it won't get any worse.
With runesmen, dragons and danger, too,
This is the first in a series with dragons all through.
The world building is there for much of this book
With four others to follow if you fancy taking a look.
It is an enjoyable read though I wanted more
With things to move on and differences to explore.
It finishes at an interesting change for the main characters, too,
Leaving readers wondering what they'll next go through....
Attempts to remove it from her leg all fail.
It has left her with an ability to find dragons now
Her master makes use of her to kill them somehow.
Mina is hoping when he kills the right one
Her strange ability will soon be gone.
She looks on this gift as a curse
And hopes it won't get any worse.
With runesmen, dragons and danger, too,
This is the first in a series with dragons all through.
The world building is there for much of this book
With four others to follow if you fancy taking a look.
It is an enjoyable read though I wanted more
With things to move on and differences to explore.
It finishes at an interesting change for the main characters, too,
Leaving readers wondering what they'll next go through....
November 25, 2024
The first book in a series of four, this is a short but fun read about a young woman who has the scale of a dragon embedded in her leg. It cannot be removed and gives her the ability to sense when dragons are near. As a slave, she is used to find dragons by her owner, a local lord who uses rune magic to kill the dragons and seize their treasure. Running parallel with the story is the tale of Kayden who has just become a ruins man for the same Lord. He is hoping to earn fame and fortune by learning to be an outstanding fighter, while she is hoping to be free of her curse, the dragon scale, so she can live a normal life. As the first book ends and the next begins, both start down paths toward their goals but with and under circumstances they could not have imagined.
February 10, 2024
This was a good story, and I was enjoying it until the plot suddenly ended right as the two main characters started hiking into interesting destinations (especially Mina). When I downloaded the novel, I didn’t notice it was only 152 pages in length. I’d like to continue the story to see what happens, but I see the next book is 170 pages, which is more like a novella than a complete book. I don’t feel that shorter length is worth paying the $2.99 list price. In my opinion, the two books in this series should have been combined into one novel. I did like Mina’s interaction with the dragons; it gave me fond vibes of Susan Fletcher’s Dragon’s Milk (The Dragon Chronicles) series.
June 5, 2022
Definitely more of a YA read/listen. I did do the Audiobook version, which is usually a struggle for me, but it's something I'm working on. Part one was cute and with most fantasy adventures, there's multiple parts. Good story. I'm excited to see where it goes. The main character isn't super likable and seems to complain a bit. To be fair, I was going to give this book a 3 star review, but I think it was mostly do to the guy who read it and not the book's fault. I recommend reading the book instead.
August 25, 2022
I have never heard of this author before, so this is a new one for me. This is a good book, and I like it and, I am looking forward to reading/listening to more in this series. Mina is a slave with a dragon scale embedded in her leg, she can find dragons because of it, she wants to be free of the scale and free of her master, given her freedom. When Mina saves her master, he gives her a wish she uses it for another Kaden, getting him transferred out, she is also made an advisor so she is no longer a slave. First book in the series Marked by the Dragon.
July 22, 2021
Listen to it as a free audiobook on YouTube. Overall just a good solid story. It’s one of those stories where everything is just solid, but it all works so well together you don’t notice there was no super compelling part till you go to analysis it. The characters, plot, and world we’re all just interesting to me, nothing I absolutely loved, but also nothing I didn’t like. Definitely going to continue the series.
July 19, 2022
Interesting start to a new storyline. I'm more than likely to go track down more in the series (though that will have to wait until I clear some of my KU shelf first). Pretty good story, and while there's plenty of hints, there's nothing explaining why the main character has the skills she does, so reading more books in the series should answer some of those questions. I'll be waiting for the chance to read more in this series, I liked this book.
December 1, 2023
Mina has a dragon scaled fused to her leg from a childhood accident and has the ability to sense when a dragon was near and could talk to dragons. Mina is a slave to Lord Klodian who uses her to hunt and kill dragons. Caden is a Runesman who wants fame and fortune. Mina is determined to find and kill the dragon to release the curse and set her free. I really enjoyed this fascinating short-story fairy tale fantasy novel.
June 16, 2025
I had no idea this was a Young Adult book.
I've read some pretty amazing YA books but this doesn't touch those. Sure the tidbits of the dragons are cute but it's so so slow. The FMC hates dragons and wants them all dead (Boooooo), then she meets 3 and can telepathically talk to them... and yet she still hates them. This is 111 pages and is part of a series that I don't find myself jumping to continue.
I've read some pretty amazing YA books but this doesn't touch those. Sure the tidbits of the dragons are cute but it's so so slow. The FMC hates dragons and wants them all dead (Boooooo), then she meets 3 and can telepathically talk to them... and yet she still hates them. This is 111 pages and is part of a series that I don't find myself jumping to continue.
June 28, 2025
This book is for a much younger audience, which is fine; many good books are written for younger readers. This one, however well-written it is, ends abruptly, more like a comic book than a book series. This book makes a great background and story builder, but not a complete work. The way it ended was very disappointing. As a side note, the fact that the lack of a conclusion is upsetting to me is proof of how interesting and well-written the book was.
May 11, 2022
Extra points for making it free on his Youtube channel! <3
I loved the premise behind the Rune magic in this book.
The magic explained:
Awesome!
I'd recommend it!
I loved the premise behind the Rune magic in this book.
The magic explained:
Awesome!
I'd recommend it!
August 3, 2022
Nice beginning
Quite a lot of detail packed into this short book. Enjoyable and nicely edited.
I feel like this book was the background and setup for the real story. It felt complete in that no major ends were left dangling, but there's several characters that need following from here.
Quite a lot of detail packed into this short book. Enjoyable and nicely edited.
I feel like this book was the background and setup for the real story. It felt complete in that no major ends were left dangling, but there's several characters that need following from here.
December 28, 2022
I was really disappointed by instant love thing. A girl falling for a guy because he kicked her a$$... Well... Only a man can think of such a thing. You know, like guys fight and then they become friends thing? No woman will fall for a man who abuses her. Other than that I really enjoyed the story. It's perfect for relaxing after a stressful day, a quick read.
December 28, 2023
I came across this audiobook as I was looking for a book to read at work. It fits all of my work parameters; good pacing, interesting characters and, usually, fantasy genre. Having dragons is a plus for reading the fantasy genre. I also like that the story is short so I can easily finish the book in a day.
June 15, 2024
Decent beginning to set up the other books, writing isn’t bad either, but unless it’s your goal to read all of the books this isn’t anything special… Feels more like the first third of a book than a complete one. I likely won’t continue the series as this first book didn’t really catch me into the world or invest me in the characters.
September 25, 2024
dragons scale
I enjoyed the premise of this story. Mina has a scale embedded in her leg that allows her to locate dragons which she uses to help a Lord hunt them. I couldn’t fully settle into the flow of the story, but the lore and twists were interesting. It’s a short read so it felt like more of a set up to a much bigger story. Not sure yet if I’ll continue 3.5/5 stars
I enjoyed the premise of this story. Mina has a scale embedded in her leg that allows her to locate dragons which she uses to help a Lord hunt them. I couldn’t fully settle into the flow of the story, but the lore and twists were interesting. It’s a short read so it felt like more of a set up to a much bigger story. Not sure yet if I’ll continue 3.5/5 stars
October 15, 2024
This book was just sort of... dull. It's short, and there isn't much happening, so it feels more like the first chapter of a story than a standalone book, even in a series. The characters are not very deep, and their relationships are even more shallow. Apparently there's some romantic interest and friendship, but it's all told rather than shown.
July 5, 2021
Fast paced story. It’s a short, fun read. I enjoyed this cast of characters and I am curious to see what happens to them in the next installment. I’m a sucker for a good dragon tale and this was a different twist, which was enjoyable.
August 4, 2022
Book 1
Book 1 was very short and had errors throughout. The MC complained about everything and everyone. The plot and characters were predictable and naive. The book was slow for such a short story too and repeated a lot of information and story line.
Book 1 was very short and had errors throughout. The MC complained about everything and everyone. The plot and characters were predictable and naive. The book was slow for such a short story too and repeated a lot of information and story line.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews