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Dragons of Mother Stone #1
Spark the Fire
The dragon Lamprophyre prefers poetry to politics and would rather fly than hunt. But when humans intrude on dragon territory for the first time in centuries, only Lamprophyre wants to know why. Her search leads her to meet the human Prince Rokshan—and ends with her mother, the dragon queen, appointing her ambassador to the humans of Gonjiri.
Alone in the humans’ capital city, with Rokshan her only friend, Lamprophyre learns quickly that not all humans can be trusted. Some want dragons gone from Gonjiri. Others want to use them in political intrigue. And a few want all dragons dead. Unless Lamprophyre discovers the culprits behind all these plots, the first contact between humans and dragons will end in war.
Alone in the humans’ capital city, with Rokshan her only friend, Lamprophyre learns quickly that not all humans can be trusted. Some want dragons gone from Gonjiri. Others want to use them in political intrigue. And a few want all dragons dead. Unless Lamprophyre discovers the culprits behind all these plots, the first contact between humans and dragons will end in war.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2021
22 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
About the author
Melissa McShane
94 books861 followersMelissa grew up a nomad, following her family all over the United States, and ended up living in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three very needy cats. Her love of reading was always a constant during those uncertain years, and her love of writing grew out of that. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, and was surprised at how much she liked it. She loves the fantasy genre and how it stretches the imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 6, 2021
My standard non-standard disclaimer applies to this. While I strive to be honest in all my reviews, including (especially) those for Melissa's books, I can't argue with anyone who'd claim I'm partial. I've been in love with Melissa nigh on thirty years, now, and haven't ever bothered to hide that fact.
Lamprophyre is a very different kind of hero/lead/protagonist. She's a strong female character, like most of Melissa's protagonists, but she's a dragon and therefore, in many ways, alien. I loved diving into her perspective and seeing her delight in learning about the humans she has found herself among. She's naïve, insightful, brave, curious, and eager to learn more all the time. She's a delight and not least because I can see those aspects of our oldest daughter in her that Melissa borrowed for this character.
And I love her friendship with Rokshan. Separated by species, they're united in their mutual respect and courage and willingness to put aside prejudice for knowledge. They make a great team and I loved seeing that develop so strongly in so short a time. Their friendship is a highlight of this story, and a foundation for the rest to come.
I also like the worldbuilding in this one and the things Melissa has done with stone, magic, and faith—and how humans and dragons have differing, sometimes overlapping, sometimes conflicting, attitudes towards the things that stand at the base of their societies and cultures. Humans believe there is a dragon god, for example, a god dragons have never heard of. And dragon faith resides firmly in Mother Stone, the great mountain at the heart of their range (and the place dragons go when they die). The conflict is fundamental, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out in the rest of the series.
The plot keeps things moving along quickly, as it doesn't take long for Rokshan and Lamprophyre to see that hidden forces are at work, whose motives are certainly nefarious, though their goals are unknown. Fear can make the most destructive options seem reasonable, so they fight prejudice and misapprehension even as they strive to get at the truth behind attacks against both humans and dragons.
And my favorite scenes are the ones in Lamprophyre's eventual embassy as she gets to know her neighbors. Like the nearby children who, in their innocence, see her as a big talking toy. And the downtrodden who find unexpected compassion in the alien who could kill them without blinking but instead shares a meal and conversation.
So there's heart, as well as adventure, and I think it's well worth all five stars. I can't wait to see what's next for Lamprophyre and her friend Rokshan.
A note about Chaste: Lamprophyre is isolated among humans the entire story, so there's no romance here. Rokshan does get adorably flustered as Lamprophyre tries to figure out how to determine sex with humans, but Lamprophyre is too kind to push when he gets embarrassed. And I think it's hilarious that . So yeah, extremely chaste, in every way.
Lamprophyre is a very different kind of hero/lead/protagonist. She's a strong female character, like most of Melissa's protagonists, but she's a dragon and therefore, in many ways, alien. I loved diving into her perspective and seeing her delight in learning about the humans she has found herself among. She's naïve, insightful, brave, curious, and eager to learn more all the time. She's a delight and not least because I can see those aspects of our oldest daughter in her that Melissa borrowed for this character.
And I love her friendship with Rokshan. Separated by species, they're united in their mutual respect and courage and willingness to put aside prejudice for knowledge. They make a great team and I loved seeing that develop so strongly in so short a time. Their friendship is a highlight of this story, and a foundation for the rest to come.
I also like the worldbuilding in this one and the things Melissa has done with stone, magic, and faith—and how humans and dragons have differing, sometimes overlapping, sometimes conflicting, attitudes towards the things that stand at the base of their societies and cultures. Humans believe there is a dragon god, for example, a god dragons have never heard of. And dragon faith resides firmly in Mother Stone, the great mountain at the heart of their range (and the place dragons go when they die). The conflict is fundamental, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out in the rest of the series.
The plot keeps things moving along quickly, as it doesn't take long for Rokshan and Lamprophyre to see that hidden forces are at work, whose motives are certainly nefarious, though their goals are unknown. Fear can make the most destructive options seem reasonable, so they fight prejudice and misapprehension even as they strive to get at the truth behind attacks against both humans and dragons.
And my favorite scenes are the ones in Lamprophyre's eventual embassy as she gets to know her neighbors. Like the nearby children who, in their innocence, see her as a big talking toy. And the downtrodden who find unexpected compassion in the alien who could kill them without blinking but instead shares a meal and conversation.
So there's heart, as well as adventure, and I think it's well worth all five stars. I can't wait to see what's next for Lamprophyre and her friend Rokshan.
A note about Chaste: Lamprophyre is isolated among humans the entire story, so there's no romance here. Rokshan does get adorably flustered as Lamprophyre tries to figure out how to determine sex with humans, but Lamprophyre is too kind to push when he gets embarrassed. And I think it's hilarious that . So yeah, extremely chaste, in every way.
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December 5, 2024This book began as a short story for a dragon-themed YA anthology in which the dragons had to be young adults, not grizzled ancient wyrms or wisdom-dispensing adults. I had the idea for telling a story that explained why dragons are always carrying off princesses that I thought would be fun. However, when the editor mentioned that she didn't have enough non-European dragons, I suggested that I could alter the story to be about Aztec mythology--the first time I've ever thoroughly altered the nature of a story. It turned out to be fun, though the original concept was diluted somewhat. This story, "The Prize," is collected in the anthology Wings of Change: Stories about Dragons, along with a lot of other really good stories about dragons.
But somewhere in that alteration, I got interested in what I'd established about my dragons, their lives and culture and personalities, and decided I'd like to expand on that. I didn't really want to write about the Aztecs, but I became fond of India after the reading I did for Abounding Might, and I thought it would be fun to use that reading as an inspiration for my fantasy world. (This story is not set in an alternate-world India, just to be clear; Indian history and culture is far too vast for me to want to reduce it to a handful of cultural elements. But I drew on Indian art and some elements of climate, and I borrowed some architectural elements and cuisine.)
The main thing I wanted in writing this book was to make dragons an alien race, not humans in dragon form and not creatures that could transform into humans. I tried to focus on seeing the human world through dragon eyes and dragon minds and on determining what dragons would care about that had nothing to do with humans. It was a fun exercise putting myself in Lamprophyre's head, and I hope readers find it satisfying.
The other thing I had in mind was that this would be a story about the friendship between two people who are very different. This isn't the first book where I've used the concept of differences making a friendship more interesting, because you'd never run out of things to talk about (though for the life of me I can't remember what the other book was; it will come to me at midnight, I'm sure) but it is the first where the friendship is at the heart of the story. I love the relationship between the dragon Lamprophyre and the human Rokshan, and I hope I've established it convincingly enough that as it grows and alters, it will remain believable and compelling.
I wrote the whole four-book series before releasing this one, which is something I like to do when I can because sometimes ideas crop up in writing later books that require changes to earlier books. Here, though, there weren't many changes for consistency, though I did some unexpected spitballing. The one thing I remember changing was Rokshan's attitude toward religion and his brother Khadar, which was more cynical in the original and did not fit with what I wanted to do in book two, Faith in Flames.
Religion and the nature of God are important to this series, and the truth about human and dragon religion, prophecies, and God were one of a handful of ideas I started planning the series with. I'm interested in what drives people to worship, particularly when they have evidence that convinces them their beliefs are true. In this series, dragons and humans worship differently, and that brings them into conflict. I didn't want to make either of them entirely right or wrong, so we'll see if my solution is satisfying.
I had a great time looking up rocks and crystals, particularly their magical and sacred uses, for both the names of my dragons and for the magic system. I've found that I like magic systems that are practical and have everyday uses, and it occurs to me that I never did establish here whether one had to be born with the ability to use magic. I think not. At any rate, magic is a useful tool rather than something mysterious that inspires awe and fear. Someday I'll write a story about the other kind.
I'm excited to get this series out into the world. The next book introduces Lamprophyre's clutch (the group of dragons all born in the same year), which I love, and deals more directly with the religious conflict between dragons and the human ecclesiasts who preach a different faith. With humans believing in a dragon god that dragons have never heard of, conflict must arise...
But somewhere in that alteration, I got interested in what I'd established about my dragons, their lives and culture and personalities, and decided I'd like to expand on that. I didn't really want to write about the Aztecs, but I became fond of India after the reading I did for Abounding Might, and I thought it would be fun to use that reading as an inspiration for my fantasy world. (This story is not set in an alternate-world India, just to be clear; Indian history and culture is far too vast for me to want to reduce it to a handful of cultural elements. But I drew on Indian art and some elements of climate, and I borrowed some architectural elements and cuisine.)
The main thing I wanted in writing this book was to make dragons an alien race, not humans in dragon form and not creatures that could transform into humans. I tried to focus on seeing the human world through dragon eyes and dragon minds and on determining what dragons would care about that had nothing to do with humans. It was a fun exercise putting myself in Lamprophyre's head, and I hope readers find it satisfying.
The other thing I had in mind was that this would be a story about the friendship between two people who are very different. This isn't the first book where I've used the concept of differences making a friendship more interesting, because you'd never run out of things to talk about (though for the life of me I can't remember what the other book was; it will come to me at midnight, I'm sure) but it is the first where the friendship is at the heart of the story. I love the relationship between the dragon Lamprophyre and the human Rokshan, and I hope I've established it convincingly enough that as it grows and alters, it will remain believable and compelling.
I wrote the whole four-book series before releasing this one, which is something I like to do when I can because sometimes ideas crop up in writing later books that require changes to earlier books. Here, though, there weren't many changes for consistency, though I did some unexpected spitballing. The one thing I remember changing was Rokshan's attitude toward religion and his brother Khadar, which was more cynical in the original and did not fit with what I wanted to do in book two, Faith in Flames.
Religion and the nature of God are important to this series, and the truth about human and dragon religion, prophecies, and God were one of a handful of ideas I started planning the series with. I'm interested in what drives people to worship, particularly when they have evidence that convinces them their beliefs are true. In this series, dragons and humans worship differently, and that brings them into conflict. I didn't want to make either of them entirely right or wrong, so we'll see if my solution is satisfying.
I had a great time looking up rocks and crystals, particularly their magical and sacred uses, for both the names of my dragons and for the magic system. I've found that I like magic systems that are practical and have everyday uses, and it occurs to me that I never did establish here whether one had to be born with the ability to use magic. I think not. At any rate, magic is a useful tool rather than something mysterious that inspires awe and fear. Someday I'll write a story about the other kind.
I'm excited to get this series out into the world. The next book introduces Lamprophyre's clutch (the group of dragons all born in the same year), which I love, and deals more directly with the religious conflict between dragons and the human ecclesiasts who preach a different faith. With humans believing in a dragon god that dragons have never heard of, conflict must arise...
June 23, 2021
Not just another dragon book! Don’t get me wrong, I love dragon stories, and many of my favorite fantasy books are about dragons, but it can occasionally seem like it’s overdone, can’t it?
This book, however, is written completely from the viewpoint of a dragon, which I’ve never seen before. It’s very cleverly done, and has just the right note of discovery as she encounters humans and their cities for the first time. The story is very believable, and the growing friendship between the two main characters hooked me in to the point that I couldn’t put the book down; in fact I spent my day off curled up reading it instead of being productive!
McShane has, once again, created a fascinating new world, with magic that we see only hints of in this book, and a history that we glimpse intriguingly as the story progresses. I can’t wait for the next book; this is the disadvantage of receiving an ARC for free, you can’t read the whole series at once! Of course, the option to review was my own, but that’s no hardship here. READ THIS BOOK! You won’t be sorry.
This book, however, is written completely from the viewpoint of a dragon, which I’ve never seen before. It’s very cleverly done, and has just the right note of discovery as she encounters humans and their cities for the first time. The story is very believable, and the growing friendship between the two main characters hooked me in to the point that I couldn’t put the book down; in fact I spent my day off curled up reading it instead of being productive!
McShane has, once again, created a fascinating new world, with magic that we see only hints of in this book, and a history that we glimpse intriguingly as the story progresses. I can’t wait for the next book; this is the disadvantage of receiving an ARC for free, you can’t read the whole series at once! Of course, the option to review was my own, but that’s no hardship here. READ THIS BOOK! You won’t be sorry.
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September 7, 2021I actually finished this book a couple of days ago, but the heat plus a lot of family drama has kept me from catching up with my reviews (among other things!).
Bottom line: I really enjoyed this book, and will be on the watch for the next.
Dragons are not one of my bulletproof tropes, but I enjoy them in fantasies as long as the stories are not horror. This one isn't, though the action and tension and stakes rise steadily in the last third, and there were some bits having to do with dragon diet I skimmed due to personal squick, though that wouldn't bother the average YA reader.
The pacing is brisk, the characters well drawn, and what I like most in a night read, there is humor and heart threaded through. I started reading it because it felt like a "light" fantasy, which is exactly the sort of book I want to read before turning out my nightstand light.
Occasionally what begins as a bedtime read has to switch to daytime due to content for emotional or graphic reasons. This book never crossed that line, though when I consider it, there are some serious subjects introduced in these pages--war among them, religion--cultural differences.
The dragons here are not all about humans. They have their own culture, and not all dragons are thrilled with our protagonist's desire to get humans and dragons living as allies. Nor are the humans. Definitely not the humans. That pretty much forms the keelson for this first book of the series.
Meantime there are so many fun aspects, such as the magical properties of stones, and how dragon physiognomy works, and how difficult it is for a dragon to correctly guess the gender of humans. (I really enjoyed that thread.)
I love the main characters, the villains were satisfyingly villainous, and there are lots of threads set up for book two.
Copy provided by author
Bottom line: I really enjoyed this book, and will be on the watch for the next.
Dragons are not one of my bulletproof tropes, but I enjoy them in fantasies as long as the stories are not horror. This one isn't, though the action and tension and stakes rise steadily in the last third, and there were some bits having to do with dragon diet I skimmed due to personal squick, though that wouldn't bother the average YA reader.
The pacing is brisk, the characters well drawn, and what I like most in a night read, there is humor and heart threaded through. I started reading it because it felt like a "light" fantasy, which is exactly the sort of book I want to read before turning out my nightstand light.
Occasionally what begins as a bedtime read has to switch to daytime due to content for emotional or graphic reasons. This book never crossed that line, though when I consider it, there are some serious subjects introduced in these pages--war among them, religion--cultural differences.
The dragons here are not all about humans. They have their own culture, and not all dragons are thrilled with our protagonist's desire to get humans and dragons living as allies. Nor are the humans. Definitely not the humans. That pretty much forms the keelson for this first book of the series.
Meantime there are so many fun aspects, such as the magical properties of stones, and how dragon physiognomy works, and how difficult it is for a dragon to correctly guess the gender of humans. (I really enjoyed that thread.)
I love the main characters, the villains were satisfyingly villainous, and there are lots of threads set up for book two.
Copy provided by author
February 17, 2022
3.5/5.0
Lovely writing that flows smoothly as it weaves an absolutely beautiful tale of a young dragon who befriends a human prince in her search for meaning… and the thieves who are trying to destroy both their worlds. As enjoyable as the writing style is, it does meander a bit, causing the plot to push forward ever so slowly. It was also rather weird for a dragon to be referred to as “people” with “hands” etc. Without enough understanding of why or how that works it was a bit disconcerting. Still, the friendship, along with Lamprophyre’s delightful personality as she discovers and learns about humans is more than worth the few drawbacks. Truly, it was a delight!
Lovely writing that flows smoothly as it weaves an absolutely beautiful tale of a young dragon who befriends a human prince in her search for meaning… and the thieves who are trying to destroy both their worlds. As enjoyable as the writing style is, it does meander a bit, causing the plot to push forward ever so slowly. It was also rather weird for a dragon to be referred to as “people” with “hands” etc. Without enough understanding of why or how that works it was a bit disconcerting. Still, the friendship, along with Lamprophyre’s delightful personality as she discovers and learns about humans is more than worth the few drawbacks. Truly, it was a delight!
November 14, 2022
This book was a very pleasant surprise, it started off with some VERY quick character development and lots of events crammed together, so much so that it became a little odd to read, because the progression of character relationship felt very unnatural.
But it also very quickly changed that, and became a very interesting story with relatively simple but engaging plot, likable characters and some pretty good world building, especially in regards to the magical aspects the world and the dragons posses. Has a little bit of politics as well.
Really easy to read book, and easy to follow too because the plot isn't anything complex, but it was still a read that had me enjoying it thoroughly, and the premise on which the book ends leaves me very curious to see where and how the plot progresses.
Highly recommend this to anyone who's a fan of dragon focused literature.
But it also very quickly changed that, and became a very interesting story with relatively simple but engaging plot, likable characters and some pretty good world building, especially in regards to the magical aspects the world and the dragons posses. Has a little bit of politics as well.
Really easy to read book, and easy to follow too because the plot isn't anything complex, but it was still a read that had me enjoying it thoroughly, and the premise on which the book ends leaves me very curious to see where and how the plot progresses.
Highly recommend this to anyone who's a fan of dragon focused literature.
September 6, 2021
This is a really fun kick off to a new series.
I love that in Spark the Fire we get a set up of clashing cultures and interesting relationships, but against an atypical background. I love the food and the details of the places and people that Lamprophyre encounters. The magic system surrounding stones and their different uses is also fun. And I love seeing Lamprophyre caught up in figuring out who she is and where she belongs between two different worlds that have so much they can share.
I love that in Spark the Fire we get a set up of clashing cultures and interesting relationships, but against an atypical background. I love the food and the details of the places and people that Lamprophyre encounters. The magic system surrounding stones and their different uses is also fun. And I love seeing Lamprophyre caught up in figuring out who she is and where she belongs between two different worlds that have so much they can share.
November 21, 2025
I liked it a lot! A good fantasy story with fun characters and great intrigue.
September 24, 2023
A good fantasy with dragon pov, with interestingly drawn characters.
Also many secondary characters are more than they appear, even though there are classical twists in the parent/child relationships, the whole story is well plotted and convincing.
I'd be interested to see if the front characters are developped further in the next books.
Also many secondary characters are more than they appear, even though there are classical twists in the parent/child relationships, the whole story is well plotted and convincing.
I'd be interested to see if the front characters are developped further in the next books.
January 9, 2022
A fresh take on a dragon story, with the dragon (a young adult, only 60 years old) as the viewpoint character. She connects with a human prince, and together they fight crime - or rather, they fight a plot to bring about a war between their two peoples. There are multiple different challenges to overcome in multiple different ways; secondary characters who are not just one-note; and main characters who are admirable and competent, but also out of their depth much of the time.
In other words, it's what I would expect from Melissa McShane: entertaining, fun, suspenseful, sometimes amusing, heroic, capably plotted, well-edited apart from a couple of minor slips, and all in all thoroughly enjoyable. I'll definitely be following this series.
It doesn't have quite that extra level of philosophical depth and more-than-just-competent prose that is my threshold for five stars, but it makes it to my gold tier at the top of the four-star range.
In other words, it's what I would expect from Melissa McShane: entertaining, fun, suspenseful, sometimes amusing, heroic, capably plotted, well-edited apart from a couple of minor slips, and all in all thoroughly enjoyable. I'll definitely be following this series.
It doesn't have quite that extra level of philosophical depth and more-than-just-competent prose that is my threshold for five stars, but it makes it to my gold tier at the top of the four-star range.
October 8, 2022
Having finished the entire series, I have to say I consider this some of the best draconic literature I've ever read. This is one of these rare things I shelve high up under a label "masterpieces".
The storytelling is excellent - the protagonist, the world and the plot are all interesting and progress at a good pace, avoiding many worn out clichés along the way.
I had a couple issues with the story - book 3 took a turn I seriously didn't like, but not because of there being something wrong with writing itself. It is as good as in other books, just the chosen plotline might strongly disappoint those looking for books about dragons specifically. And the second thing was the ending of the entire series. Again, while the storytelling is as good as ever, I wasn't the fan the way it was handled from the plot perspective.
Still, even with the aforementioned things, I consider this to be a required reading for xenofiction fans of draconic persuasion. There aren't many books like this out there.
The storytelling is excellent - the protagonist, the world and the plot are all interesting and progress at a good pace, avoiding many worn out clichés along the way.
I had a couple issues with the story - book 3 took a turn I seriously didn't like, but not because of there being something wrong with writing itself. It is as good as in other books, just the chosen plotline might strongly disappoint those looking for books about dragons specifically. And the second thing was the ending of the entire series. Again, while the storytelling is as good as ever, I wasn't the fan the way it was handled from the plot perspective.
Still, even with the aforementioned things, I consider this to be a required reading for xenofiction fans of draconic persuasion. There aren't many books like this out there.
February 9, 2025
Melissa McShane’s Spark the Fire is a fresh and thought-provoking take on dragon fantasy, blending political intrigue, cultural conflict, and rich world-building. Rather than following the familiar trope of humans battling dragons, McShane flips the perspective—placing readers in the mind of Lamprophyre, a poetry-loving dragon who is unexpectedly thrust into the world of human diplomacy.
The novel excels in its portrayal of dragons as a sentient, intelligent society with their own customs, hierarchy, and internal politics. Lamprophyre is an engaging protagonist—curious, introspective, and far from the war-hardened, fire-breathing dragons of legend. When humans begin expanding into dragon territory, she is chosen (somewhat reluctantly) as an ambassador to the human kingdom of Gonjiri. What follows is a tense and layered exploration of prejudice, fear, and the delicate art of diplomacy.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its world-building. McShane crafts a nuanced setting where dragons and humans exist in parallel yet vastly different societies, each shaped by their own biases and misunderstandings. The human court, filled with political machinations and conflicting interests, is just as dangerous as any battlefield. Prince Rokshan serves as a rare ally to Lamprophyre, but even his influence cannot erase centuries of mistrust.
The pacing leans more toward slow-burn than action-packed, focusing on character interactions and the challenges of navigating an unfamiliar culture. While some readers may wish for more dramatic confrontations, the book’s emphasis on diplomacy over combat makes for a refreshing change. The tension is psychological rather than physical—Lamprophyre’s struggle is not about defeating an enemy, but about proving that dragons and humans can coexist without bloodshed.
If you enjoy fantasy that prioritizes diplomacy over war, complex character development, and unique dragon lore, Spark the Fire is a must-read. With themes of cultural misunderstanding, political intrigue, and the courage it takes to build bridges instead of burning them, this novel is both timely and timeless. I can’t wait to see where McShane takes the series next!
The novel excels in its portrayal of dragons as a sentient, intelligent society with their own customs, hierarchy, and internal politics. Lamprophyre is an engaging protagonist—curious, introspective, and far from the war-hardened, fire-breathing dragons of legend. When humans begin expanding into dragon territory, she is chosen (somewhat reluctantly) as an ambassador to the human kingdom of Gonjiri. What follows is a tense and layered exploration of prejudice, fear, and the delicate art of diplomacy.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its world-building. McShane crafts a nuanced setting where dragons and humans exist in parallel yet vastly different societies, each shaped by their own biases and misunderstandings. The human court, filled with political machinations and conflicting interests, is just as dangerous as any battlefield. Prince Rokshan serves as a rare ally to Lamprophyre, but even his influence cannot erase centuries of mistrust.
The pacing leans more toward slow-burn than action-packed, focusing on character interactions and the challenges of navigating an unfamiliar culture. While some readers may wish for more dramatic confrontations, the book’s emphasis on diplomacy over combat makes for a refreshing change. The tension is psychological rather than physical—Lamprophyre’s struggle is not about defeating an enemy, but about proving that dragons and humans can coexist without bloodshed.
If you enjoy fantasy that prioritizes diplomacy over war, complex character development, and unique dragon lore, Spark the Fire is a must-read. With themes of cultural misunderstanding, political intrigue, and the courage it takes to build bridges instead of burning them, this novel is both timely and timeless. I can’t wait to see where McShane takes the series next!
July 15, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2021
Spark the Fire
A new series by Melissa Mcshane! Oh, joy! I first came to read Melissa Mcshane when she set a series in my favorite time period (Regency England). Since then I have read everything that she has written and have seldom been disappointed! Spark the Fire is another winner, with wonderful world building- a world where dragons and men once lived among each other in apparent harmony. But the world in which Rokshan, our hero, was born, has long believed that dragons had all died out following a world wide catastrophe. Imagine Rokshan's surprise when he is suddenly snatched off his horse while pursuing bandits, and being carried away by one of the creatures.
Lamprophyre, our dragon heroine, thinks she has snatched a female. She bases this partly on Rokshan's long hair and partly on the fact that he is clearly a leader of his group of soldiers. After all, dragons are led by a female, why wouldn't humans be the same. Lamprophyre wants the human to explain why humans are encroaching on dragon territory, and to convince them to leave.
She takes Rokshan to the dragon queen, who happens to be her mother. The queen is somewhat dismissive of Lamprophyre's plan, and simply tells her daughter to return the human with a warning to his royal father to stop encroaching on dragon lands.
But on the way back the two discover an injured dragon and learn of a stolen egg and suddenly humans and dragons are comrades in arms with a common enemy and a fascinating story full of the non-stop pacing and adventure for which McShane is so well known.
I love the world McShane has built. Only one sequel is shown in the back matter, but I hope she sets many more here. I highly recommend this book!
Spark the Fire
A new series by Melissa Mcshane! Oh, joy! I first came to read Melissa Mcshane when she set a series in my favorite time period (Regency England). Since then I have read everything that she has written and have seldom been disappointed! Spark the Fire is another winner, with wonderful world building- a world where dragons and men once lived among each other in apparent harmony. But the world in which Rokshan, our hero, was born, has long believed that dragons had all died out following a world wide catastrophe. Imagine Rokshan's surprise when he is suddenly snatched off his horse while pursuing bandits, and being carried away by one of the creatures.
Lamprophyre, our dragon heroine, thinks she has snatched a female. She bases this partly on Rokshan's long hair and partly on the fact that he is clearly a leader of his group of soldiers. After all, dragons are led by a female, why wouldn't humans be the same. Lamprophyre wants the human to explain why humans are encroaching on dragon territory, and to convince them to leave.
She takes Rokshan to the dragon queen, who happens to be her mother. The queen is somewhat dismissive of Lamprophyre's plan, and simply tells her daughter to return the human with a warning to his royal father to stop encroaching on dragon lands.
But on the way back the two discover an injured dragon and learn of a stolen egg and suddenly humans and dragons are comrades in arms with a common enemy and a fascinating story full of the non-stop pacing and adventure for which McShane is so well known.
I love the world McShane has built. Only one sequel is shown in the back matter, but I hope she sets many more here. I highly recommend this book!
December 30, 2024
This was an interesting read. Overall I enjoyed it, but I think that was primarily because I am obsessed with dragons, and frankly the majority of this book seemed to be about exploring the way dragons work in this world.
Not exactly, that doesn't quite do justice to the actual plot. Which in and of itself was interesting enough to keep me going, but never did anything so interesting as to be particularly noteworthy.
As you might expect from this book, there's some minor politicking, which was interesting enough to me. Particularly since they're navigating potential peace between humans and dragons, and there were some interesting nuances to that plot. And integral to that plot was the main characters attempting to locate the root of a conspiracy to spark war between humans and dragons. Again, fairly interesting, enough to at least keep me engaged.
Unfortunately it really wasn't enough to keep me wanting more. Yes, I was curious to see how it would play out, curious to see more of what the main character (Lamprophyre, I guess? The names were all a little much in my opinion), was going to do in her very unique situation. But never more than just curious. Ultimately, I felt that the stakes were never particularly clear, a lot of plot points felt like build up for a sequel I might not read, and one particular mistake the protagonists made towards the end was so mind-numbingly idiotic that I had to put it down for a while. Which can happen for good reason, occasionally. But this time it reeked of them being incompetent simply because the Plot told them to be.
So, 4/5. I'd probably take that down to a 3.5 if I could. Not bad. Enjoyable. I might read the next in the series, but I'm not really going to seek it out.
Not exactly, that doesn't quite do justice to the actual plot. Which in and of itself was interesting enough to keep me going, but never did anything so interesting as to be particularly noteworthy.
As you might expect from this book, there's some minor politicking, which was interesting enough to me. Particularly since they're navigating potential peace between humans and dragons, and there were some interesting nuances to that plot. And integral to that plot was the main characters attempting to locate the root of a conspiracy to spark war between humans and dragons. Again, fairly interesting, enough to at least keep me engaged.
Unfortunately it really wasn't enough to keep me wanting more. Yes, I was curious to see how it would play out, curious to see more of what the main character (Lamprophyre, I guess? The names were all a little much in my opinion), was going to do in her very unique situation. But never more than just curious. Ultimately, I felt that the stakes were never particularly clear, a lot of plot points felt like build up for a sequel I might not read, and one particular mistake the protagonists made towards the end was so mind-numbingly idiotic that I had to put it down for a while. Which can happen for good reason, occasionally. But this time it reeked of them being incompetent simply because the Plot told them to be.
So, 4/5. I'd probably take that down to a 3.5 if I could. Not bad. Enjoyable. I might read the next in the series, but I'm not really going to seek it out.
July 13, 2021
Good start
This was a good start. The world is different and intriguing. It would be great to see more character development in the next book and I am curious about the relationships.
This was a good start. The world is different and intriguing. It would be great to see more character development in the next book and I am curious about the relationships.
October 1, 2021
I love Lamprophyre and Rokshan’s friendship.
June 17, 2023
fabulous
I love dragon books, and this is one of the best, ever. The heroine, a modest and intelligent dragon, is spectacular. Fabulous story!
I love dragon books, and this is one of the best, ever. The heroine, a modest and intelligent dragon, is spectacular. Fabulous story!
Want to read
February 19, 2022DNF the Kindle Sample. All 3rd person, no dialogue, not interested
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