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Adradis Rising #5
Eldrake: Dragon Highlands 1
A spoiled king. A skilled hunter. A magical prison that could kill them both.
Xastrian, the new Dragon King, is selfish and rude and wields far too much power for his own comfort. When that power attracts the interest of a mysterious dark force seeking freedom from centuries of imprisonment, Xastrian is pulled into a pocket dimension full of danger and wild things looking to kill him. And he’s not the only one.
Quiet elven hunter Velithor is trapped alongside him, and he’s the only hope Xastrian has of surviving long enough to regain his powers and free them both before the crazed, ancient monster sharing their confines catches up with them. But even more than survival in the perilous enchanted forest holding them hostage, Xastrian soon realizes he wants so much more. Soul-bonding with the shy, resourceful hunter would be worth anything. Even facing death time and again.
While Eldrake can be read as a standalone, the best reader experience is always with reading the rest of the Adradis Rising books first. Fall into this world of magic, soulbonds, and found family today!
Tags: Omegaverse, elves, magic, mages, an adept hunter, a silly, helpless dragon king, Xastrian is a Kingly Prissypants, Velithor thinks this is hilarious, Xastrian is unamused, bear cubs!, wolf!, Trigger warning: animal companion death, sentient snake-dragon-scorpion-thing with wings and knifelike claws, age gap, why is it always age gap?, there’s over 7000+ years of age gap!, Xastrian is an idiot, Velithor loves him anyway, Velithor has his hands full trying to keep Xastrian alive, dimensional prison, oops…, Skunk spray, Xastrian goes streaking naked through the forest smelling like skunk spray, his stench offends the bear cubs, Castrate… Castrian… No, Xastrate. Sigh Xastrian!, I got his name right like five times throughout the whole book, hilarity ensued, insert “castrate” for Xastrian and see if you can read with a straight face, I died laughing, dead.
This book was previously published under a different title and pen name. It has undergone extensive edits from its original version.
Xastrian, the new Dragon King, is selfish and rude and wields far too much power for his own comfort. When that power attracts the interest of a mysterious dark force seeking freedom from centuries of imprisonment, Xastrian is pulled into a pocket dimension full of danger and wild things looking to kill him. And he’s not the only one.
Quiet elven hunter Velithor is trapped alongside him, and he’s the only hope Xastrian has of surviving long enough to regain his powers and free them both before the crazed, ancient monster sharing their confines catches up with them. But even more than survival in the perilous enchanted forest holding them hostage, Xastrian soon realizes he wants so much more. Soul-bonding with the shy, resourceful hunter would be worth anything. Even facing death time and again.
While Eldrake can be read as a standalone, the best reader experience is always with reading the rest of the Adradis Rising books first. Fall into this world of magic, soulbonds, and found family today!
Tags: Omegaverse, elves, magic, mages, an adept hunter, a silly, helpless dragon king, Xastrian is a Kingly Prissypants, Velithor thinks this is hilarious, Xastrian is unamused, bear cubs!, wolf!, Trigger warning: animal companion death, sentient snake-dragon-scorpion-thing with wings and knifelike claws, age gap, why is it always age gap?, there’s over 7000+ years of age gap!, Xastrian is an idiot, Velithor loves him anyway, Velithor has his hands full trying to keep Xastrian alive, dimensional prison, oops…, Skunk spray, Xastrian goes streaking naked through the forest smelling like skunk spray, his stench offends the bear cubs, Castrate… Castrian… No, Xastrate. Sigh Xastrian!, I got his name right like five times throughout the whole book, hilarity ensued, insert “castrate” for Xastrian and see if you can read with a straight face, I died laughing, dead.
This book was previously published under a different title and pen name. It has undergone extensive edits from its original version.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 22, 2022
15 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Devon Vesper
33 books247 followersIf there’s one thing Devon likes most, it’s chaos. They have a chaotic mind and a messy house, and they throw their characters into every calamitous situation possible. When they aren’t writing, they’re editing or formatting other authors’ works, building websites, creating graphics, reading, playing video games, or watching Fortnite streams on Twitch. They like to stay busy. So yes. Chaos.
Working full time, Devon spends as much time as they can talking to their readers. So if you want to get in touch with them, join their Facebook Group Devon’s Dreamers’ Den, or their newsletter, or email them directly at devon.vesper@gmail.com.
Working full time, Devon spends as much time as they can talking to their readers. So if you want to get in touch with them, join their Facebook Group Devon’s Dreamers’ Den, or their newsletter, or email them directly at devon.vesper@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 14, 2022
It was a good one. I'm glad Veli got someone, he's a complete sweetheart and I though he deserved someone since book 1. And it's nice that we see an assertive ruler who is also an omega. It is a cool twist from the usual trope
July 2, 2022
Xastrian and Velithor . . .
Xastrian, a new alpha Dragon King, had almost lost his life in an attack and sought an ancient forest to take him further from danger. But he gets transported to another dimension shared with a mysterious dark force or deity trying to escape from centuries of imprisonment. Xastrian also meets an Elven hunter, Velithor, an Omega he will need to partner with to avoid the evil and get back home. Velithor is probably his only hope of survival.
As part of the partnering, both Xastrian and Velithor have to learn to trust and rely on each other while they are trapped here. Slowly their relationship evolved from strangers to friends to more. But would they be able to defeat or deter their evil enemy? Would they get back to their own world?
This story line was good with clever world-building and enjoyable characters. The eventual caring of Xastrian and Velithor was done well. The only negative was the sometimes slow areas where the reader felt no strong sense of trying to get out of there. Moving the focus to the action rather than an abundance of detailed environmental description would have kept up the excitement better. But I did enjoy the story.
Xastrian, a new alpha Dragon King, had almost lost his life in an attack and sought an ancient forest to take him further from danger. But he gets transported to another dimension shared with a mysterious dark force or deity trying to escape from centuries of imprisonment. Xastrian also meets an Elven hunter, Velithor, an Omega he will need to partner with to avoid the evil and get back home. Velithor is probably his only hope of survival.
As part of the partnering, both Xastrian and Velithor have to learn to trust and rely on each other while they are trapped here. Slowly their relationship evolved from strangers to friends to more. But would they be able to defeat or deter their evil enemy? Would they get back to their own world?
This story line was good with clever world-building and enjoyable characters. The eventual caring of Xastrian and Velithor was done well. The only negative was the sometimes slow areas where the reader felt no strong sense of trying to get out of there. Moving the focus to the action rather than an abundance of detailed environmental description would have kept up the excitement better. But I did enjoy the story.
June 22, 2022
Eldrake is the first book in the Dragon Highlands series. I have not read the other books in the Aradris Rising, but the story IMO could stand on its own.
The story started on a very strong note - Xastrian, the new Dragon King was almost killed during an attempt on his life. Afterwards, wanting to clear his mind and train he travels to a remote forest where a magical accident transported a section of that place to a different dimension. Here he met Velithor who he must work with in order for them to return home. Complicating matters was the fact that there's an evil deity trapped with them who will go to great lengths to escape the prison they are in.
Circumstance has forced both Xastrian and Velithor to rely on each other. This brought them closer together and their feelings evolved from friendship into love. I did like how their relationship was developed in the story and that is one of the strong points for this book. I also liked their dynamics as alpha and omega where there is a balance of power in their relationship and their is a willingness in the alpha to submit to his omega.
The puppy and the bear cubs were all adorable and it eased the pain of The magic shown and the overall lore were pretty interesting as well.
My problem though was that the book spent too much time on Velithor and Xastrian playing house in the middle of the forest. There was no sense of urgency in trying to get back to their world and as much as I appreciate the details about forest survival, the book would've benefitted in editing out a large chunk of the chapters that really didn't add or move the plot forward. The pacing and the build-up to the climax of the story suffered from the extra bulk those chapters gave.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book despite its flaws. This definitely wouldn't be for anyone looking for a fast paced read. The world presented was interesting. The characters have their own charm and their relationship was sweet. I'd be giving the next book a look when it comes out.
This would be 3 stars out of 5 stars for me.
I received an ARC of this book and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.
The story started on a very strong note - Xastrian, the new Dragon King was almost killed during an attempt on his life. Afterwards, wanting to clear his mind and train he travels to a remote forest where a magical accident transported a section of that place to a different dimension. Here he met Velithor who he must work with in order for them to return home. Complicating matters was the fact that there's an evil deity trapped with them who will go to great lengths to escape the prison they are in.
Circumstance has forced both Xastrian and Velithor to rely on each other. This brought them closer together and their feelings evolved from friendship into love. I did like how their relationship was developed in the story and that is one of the strong points for this book. I also liked their dynamics as alpha and omega where there is a balance of power in their relationship and their is a willingness in the alpha to submit to his omega.
The puppy and the bear cubs were all adorable and it eased the pain of The magic shown and the overall lore were pretty interesting as well.
My problem though was that the book spent too much time on Velithor and Xastrian playing house in the middle of the forest. There was no sense of urgency in trying to get back to their world and as much as I appreciate the details about forest survival, the book would've benefitted in editing out a large chunk of the chapters that really didn't add or move the plot forward. The pacing and the build-up to the climax of the story suffered from the extra bulk those chapters gave.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book despite its flaws. This definitely wouldn't be for anyone looking for a fast paced read. The world presented was interesting. The characters have their own charm and their relationship was sweet. I'd be giving the next book a look when it comes out.
This would be 3 stars out of 5 stars for me.
I received an ARC of this book and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.
July 5, 2022
First, let's start with how amazing this cover is!!! I know we shouldn't judge a book by its cover but after seeing that I immediately knew I'd love it.
I love that this story started on a strong note, it immediately caught my attention and kept me hooked. Xastrian, a new Omega Dragon King, had almost lost his life in an attack and sought an ancient forest to help him come to terms with the attack but something unexpected happened and he found himself in a new environment. There, Xastrian meets an Elven hunter, Velithor, an Alpha who saves his life and teaches him how to survive "in the wilderness". He will need to adapt his attitude and work with Velithor in order for them to return home. Complicating matters was the fact that there's an evil deity trapped with them who will stop at nothing to escape the prison they are trapped in.
I love that circumstances forced Xastrian and Velithor to rely on each other, it brought them closer together, and watching their feelings develop from strangers to friends to lovers was just wonderful. One thing I loved about their alpha/omega dynamic was that there was a balance of power, Xastrian (with as powerful as he was) was willing to submit to his alpha. I honestly can't wait to find out what happens in the next installment! Hopefully, we get to experience more dragons in the next one.
I'd give this book 4.5 out of 5 because of two things, 1: the book spent a little too much time on Velithor and Xastrian playing house in the forest, it felt like there was no sense of urgency in trying to get back to their world and it caused a bit of a drag in the book 2: what happened to the Velithor's cat and the mother of the cubs just plain made me cry.
I received an ARC of this book for a fair and honest review.
I love that this story started on a strong note, it immediately caught my attention and kept me hooked. Xastrian, a new Omega Dragon King, had almost lost his life in an attack and sought an ancient forest to help him come to terms with the attack but something unexpected happened and he found himself in a new environment. There, Xastrian meets an Elven hunter, Velithor, an Alpha who saves his life and teaches him how to survive "in the wilderness". He will need to adapt his attitude and work with Velithor in order for them to return home. Complicating matters was the fact that there's an evil deity trapped with them who will stop at nothing to escape the prison they are trapped in.
I love that circumstances forced Xastrian and Velithor to rely on each other, it brought them closer together, and watching their feelings develop from strangers to friends to lovers was just wonderful. One thing I loved about their alpha/omega dynamic was that there was a balance of power, Xastrian (with as powerful as he was) was willing to submit to his alpha. I honestly can't wait to find out what happens in the next installment! Hopefully, we get to experience more dragons in the next one.
I'd give this book 4.5 out of 5 because of two things, 1: the book spent a little too much time on Velithor and Xastrian playing house in the forest, it felt like there was no sense of urgency in trying to get back to their world and it caused a bit of a drag in the book 2: what happened to the Velithor's cat and the mother of the cubs just plain made me cry.
I received an ARC of this book for a fair and honest review.
June 26, 2022
This is the fifth part in the "Adradis Rising" series. If you have read the other parts as well (you don't have to but you get more out of this book if you do) you will be already acquainted with Velithor who was a minor character there. And now he gets his very own HEA. (About time, Devon!) And how! This book was up to now the best in the series and had me reading half the night through because I thought it would be such a waste just to stop there and continue the next day. If you like elder bossy Omegas and their younger Alphas who are caring and helpful, then this is the book for you. Oh the sweetness, when Velithor finds his fated mate in Xastrian, the Dragon King, who is so arrogant! Velithor is used to live in the woods and has to show Xastrian the ropes of surviving when both are stranded together. They learn to trust and fight for each other. And they learn what it means to be fated and soulbonded. Velithor even finds his own magic when he always thought he hasn't any. They overcome the challenges together. I would gush even more if I could do it without spoilers but that's impossible. The book is action packed. The characters are depicted very nicely with their development throughout the challenge of getting back and the beginning of their relationship.
July 13, 2022
Eldrake delivers another action-packed story in the intricate world of Devon Vesper's elves. Velithor, a young hunter, and Xastrian, a newly-minted king, have found themselves trapped in another dimension after a spell gone wrong. Only they're not alone--ancient beasts, both friend and foe, have fallen into the pocket dimension with them. The elves must race against time and evil to save themselves before their resources run out. Eldrake is a thoroughly engaging survival story, with enough description to give the reader a real sense of the forest and everything it supplies. The characters are also deeply drawn, with a satisfying romance flowing naturally with the plot. A perfect escapist read!
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.
July 1, 2022
Wonderful fantasy
I absolutely adored Xastrian and Velthior.
When Xastrian finds himself stranded in an alternate universe he also realizes he somehow dragged Velthior along for the ride.
It's a good thing too because he's absolutely impractical and Velthior of course has plenty of experience.
These two men couldn't be more completely opposites and yet somehow they've managed to make a relationship work.
It was slow going as they had to slowly get to know one another and learn to rely on each other for survival.
There was a constant thread of humor throughout the book as Xastrian constantly finds himself in ridiculous situations and Velthior is having to play catch-up trying to keep Xastrian from idiotically killing himself somehow.
There was plenty of action, adventure and danger surrounding them as they fight an enemy bent on using them for their own selfish needs.
Amazing world building and I definitely want more from this world.
I absolutely adored Xastrian and Velthior.
When Xastrian finds himself stranded in an alternate universe he also realizes he somehow dragged Velthior along for the ride.
It's a good thing too because he's absolutely impractical and Velthior of course has plenty of experience.
These two men couldn't be more completely opposites and yet somehow they've managed to make a relationship work.
It was slow going as they had to slowly get to know one another and learn to rely on each other for survival.
There was a constant thread of humor throughout the book as Xastrian constantly finds himself in ridiculous situations and Velthior is having to play catch-up trying to keep Xastrian from idiotically killing himself somehow.
There was plenty of action, adventure and danger surrounding them as they fight an enemy bent on using them for their own selfish needs.
Amazing world building and I definitely want more from this world.
June 26, 2022
Eldrake is the first in an exciting new series by Devon Vesper called the Dragon Highlands. Xastrian is the King of the Dragons. Xastrian’s life is almost snuffed out during an attempt. He decides he must practice and clear his mind and is transported to remote forest in a different dimension. There he meets Velithor, a hunter. They must work together and rely on each other. First of all, this story had great world building and quite descriptive! Seriously loved Xastrian and Velithor!! There is action and adventures and elves!! Overall, fantastic!! I cannot wait for the next one. Eldrake is really well written with great pacing.
June 29, 2022
I've read three other books by this author and really enjoyed them, but none others in this series (Adaris Rising). The premise sounded intriguing and dangerous fun and I had to pick it up. Great rich world building. Wonderful characters. I really loved Velithor and Xastrian. They complimented each other so well once they trusted each other and worked together to survive both the forest (of which Velithor has experience and Xastrian not so much) and an evil God longing to be free. The love between Xastrian and Velithor is beautiful. I cannot wait for Eldrakar. 5 stars.
July 1, 2022
This is a very strong start to the Dragon Highland series, it is a part of the Adradis Rising series but can stand apart from the previous books. This book starts very strong and hooked my attention. Xastrian and Velthior have fantastic dynamics. This alpha-omega duo are very cute together. The pups and cubs were an adorable addition to the story. I had alot of fun read the adventure and action of Xastrian and Velthior.
July 1, 2022
He has too much power and he is now trapped with an elf hunter. He knows he will need their help if they are to stop the evil force and get back home. Will they defeat the evil? Will he learn to be a better man and king? Will they escape? Follow them as they battle on.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 22, 2022
I like how elves from the past pop up at any given time. While given that the king and the hunter were being stalked, the two managed to find love and magic in a cave that housed an evil sprit. The two men faced death but came out the winners! Great novel if you love magic this is for you!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 2, 2022
So good
Velithor and Xastrian had an adventure to say the least. They had to get lost to find what they didn't even know they needed, they were so perfect for each other. I cannot wait for the next step in their journey because there's still an assassin to find.
Velithor and Xastrian had an adventure to say the least. They had to get lost to find what they didn't even know they needed, they were so perfect for each other. I cannot wait for the next step in their journey because there's still an assassin to find.
July 4, 2022
this was action filled and interesting... well written and very good.. dragons.. paranormal... elven hunters.. love.. anger... and a soul bond.. so many amazing things going on and it was amazing to read. i enjoyed it a lot.
June 20, 2022
OMG so good. Xastrian is the King of the Dragons. When he went to practice his magic he ended up in a different dimension. Velithor is a hunter who was swept along with him. What happens is all the action and adventures you can have with 2 elves going against a god who wants to return to her dimension and wants Xastri to let her into his body. Lots of animal friends also came into their lives on their adventures. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next one. Really want to see what happens when his court realizes that Xastri and Veli are soul bound. I highly recommend. I received a copy of this book from the author for my review.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews