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Dragon Mage Chronicles #4
Wardrake
Andrei and Jander return home to the city of Vallerin with the grimmest possible news and tell their king to do what he can to prepare his people for war. Kirin is heading toward the capital with a legion behind him, and he is determined to take revenge both on Andrei and on the apprentice he believes supplanted him in his former master's heart. This time, with the might of an entire dragon army at his command, he very well might succeed. (Book IV in the Dragon Mage Chronicles)
- GenresHistorical
260 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2020
2 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jaken
31 books105 followersJ.A. Jaken has been writing homoerotic fiction for more than ten years. She got her start in the profession writing slash fanfiction, where she has published numerous stories under the pen-name Rushlight. Over the years she has written erotic short stories and novels in genres ranging from science fiction/fantasy to gothic horror to modern detective mysteries.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 7, 2020
Once again the author delivers a descriptive, intense story as she wraps up the Dragon Mage Chronicles series here in Wardrake. Everything so far has been building to an immense final conflict between the heroes and Kirin, and with the forces Kirin has amassed—both human and dragon—it’s uncertain how Jander, Andrei, and everyone in Vallerin can come out of things on the right side of victory.
Jander and Andrei’s relationship is stronger than ever, and every scene between them keeps reiterating this. Andrei continues exhibiting his unwavering support of Jander and his abilities as a dragon mage, even as doubts continue to plague Jander as he realizes the scope of what Kirin is bringing to bear. The love between them is unquestionable and inspiring.
Meanwhile, as everyone in Vallerin is scrambling to prepare for Kirin’s army to begin its assault help does start to arrive…though whether it will be enough is anyone’s guess. On a personal level, there is also still the tension between Boaen and Alluin that at this point borders on resignation. I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed for these two for a while now, hoping for something to come about to allow them to stay together. An answer comes, though the convenience of it was just a touch unsatisfying.
The tension and suspense continues to build throughout this story, spurred on by the discovery of spies amongst the ranks. Things are still highly uncertain as the attack begins as Kirin’s army appears to far outnumber Alluin’s forces. Everything will boil down to the dragons, which means both Jander and Kirin are center stage. The end did not come about at all like I expected, and I haven’t decided if I’m satisfied with both Kirin’s and his assistant Daryn’s moments of self-realization.
Wardrake kept my attention securely wrapped up, and overall was a 4.5-star read for me. There are some loose ends that were not fully tied up, so while this was the final book of the series there is still the potential for future related stories. I truly enjoyed this series (and yes, you do need to read them in order), and would absolutely recommend it to any fan of fantasy and adventure romance. This book and series are meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
Jander and Andrei’s relationship is stronger than ever, and every scene between them keeps reiterating this. Andrei continues exhibiting his unwavering support of Jander and his abilities as a dragon mage, even as doubts continue to plague Jander as he realizes the scope of what Kirin is bringing to bear. The love between them is unquestionable and inspiring.
Meanwhile, as everyone in Vallerin is scrambling to prepare for Kirin’s army to begin its assault help does start to arrive…though whether it will be enough is anyone’s guess. On a personal level, there is also still the tension between Boaen and Alluin that at this point borders on resignation. I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed for these two for a while now, hoping for something to come about to allow them to stay together. An answer comes, though the convenience of it was just a touch unsatisfying.
The tension and suspense continues to build throughout this story, spurred on by the discovery of spies amongst the ranks. Things are still highly uncertain as the attack begins as Kirin’s army appears to far outnumber Alluin’s forces. Everything will boil down to the dragons, which means both Jander and Kirin are center stage. The end did not come about at all like I expected, and I haven’t decided if I’m satisfied with both Kirin’s and his assistant Daryn’s moments of self-realization.
Wardrake kept my attention securely wrapped up, and overall was a 4.5-star read for me. There are some loose ends that were not fully tied up, so while this was the final book of the series there is still the potential for future related stories. I truly enjoyed this series (and yes, you do need to read them in order), and would absolutely recommend it to any fan of fantasy and adventure romance. This book and series are meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
May 18, 2025
Wardrake (Dragon Mage 4)
By J.A. Jaken
White Owl Publishing, 2020
Five stars
The fifth and final book in the Dragon Mage Chronicles really packs in all the action. Jander Teregnan, who has only been Andrei Teresh’s apprentice for about a year, has confronted more dragons than he even knew existed before recognizing his potential as a dragon mage—the rarest of all mages.
J.A. Jaken has built the saga well as Jander and Andrei make their way across King Alluin’s domain, trying to find out why, suddenly, dragons are bedeviling the people of various of the nation’s duchies, after lying dormant (to the point of being thought imaginary) for centuries. As their journey has continued, a dark plot against the nation has been revealed, and the involvement of the dragons has also become more clear.
The trick is that the nature of dragons is not to be controlled, making the role of dragon mage inherently problematic. All of this lore is carefully built into the narrative, as the reader discovers, along with Jander, his special place in the world as a human who can speak to the ancient creatures. It is, of course, Jander’s gentle, compassionate nature that, ultimately, will matter most. Right from the beginning his close friendship with the kitling Gabrielle has been a reminder of just what kind of man Jander is.
The two mages’ sidekicks—Boaen, the king’s erstwhile lover, and Tannith, the formerly enslaved witch girl from the ranks of the dragon-worshiping zealots, each contribute their bravery and support to the mages’ quest; an in this final chapter, a young dragon, Ty, has become part of their entourage.
Meanwhile it is Jander’s insecurity, his lack of egotism, which can be frustrating, that also is proof that his power has been granted him for a reason.
There are battles to be fought, but also redemption to be given. It is very interesting that the evil within this tale is tragic rather than simply good-versus-evil (I suppose not unlike Darth Vader’s back story in the Star Wars movies). Jaken uses the dragons very deftly, making it clear that they cannot be judged in human terms.
All in all, an exciting and satisfying finale to a richly theatrical and emotional saga.
By J.A. Jaken
White Owl Publishing, 2020
Five stars
The fifth and final book in the Dragon Mage Chronicles really packs in all the action. Jander Teregnan, who has only been Andrei Teresh’s apprentice for about a year, has confronted more dragons than he even knew existed before recognizing his potential as a dragon mage—the rarest of all mages.
J.A. Jaken has built the saga well as Jander and Andrei make their way across King Alluin’s domain, trying to find out why, suddenly, dragons are bedeviling the people of various of the nation’s duchies, after lying dormant (to the point of being thought imaginary) for centuries. As their journey has continued, a dark plot against the nation has been revealed, and the involvement of the dragons has also become more clear.
The trick is that the nature of dragons is not to be controlled, making the role of dragon mage inherently problematic. All of this lore is carefully built into the narrative, as the reader discovers, along with Jander, his special place in the world as a human who can speak to the ancient creatures. It is, of course, Jander’s gentle, compassionate nature that, ultimately, will matter most. Right from the beginning his close friendship with the kitling Gabrielle has been a reminder of just what kind of man Jander is.
The two mages’ sidekicks—Boaen, the king’s erstwhile lover, and Tannith, the formerly enslaved witch girl from the ranks of the dragon-worshiping zealots, each contribute their bravery and support to the mages’ quest; an in this final chapter, a young dragon, Ty, has become part of their entourage.
Meanwhile it is Jander’s insecurity, his lack of egotism, which can be frustrating, that also is proof that his power has been granted him for a reason.
There are battles to be fought, but also redemption to be given. It is very interesting that the evil within this tale is tragic rather than simply good-versus-evil (I suppose not unlike Darth Vader’s back story in the Star Wars movies). Jaken uses the dragons very deftly, making it clear that they cannot be judged in human terms.
All in all, an exciting and satisfying finale to a richly theatrical and emotional saga.
August 11, 2021
Jaken's Dragon Mage Chronicles series is good. It's not fantastic. It's good, entertaining, with some moments that feel a tad too hamfisted and forced. I never really was able to get into the main relationship, which is a mentor/master who ends up in a relationship with his student/apprentice. As someone who has been a university teacher, this dynamic made me uncomfortable tbh, because the inherent power issues are really glossed over and not explored at all. Of course, the justification is that they truly love each other, although I'm never really certain why other than authorial fiat. That being said, the things they deal with *in the world* are super interesting, dynamic, and well told. The friendships in the series are some of the more engaging relationships for me. The action is exciting, and the writer really does explore the villain... overall, an okay but not stellar read for me.
September 5, 2020
This was a worthy conclusion to a wonderful series.
I loved the storyline about the dragon eggs and the dragons in general and how their stories ended. I also liked the ending of the Kirin storyline and how his apprentice was 'redeemed'.
While I'm not a huge fan of open-ended story lines, I was still pleased with how Tanith's story was wrapped up.
That leaves Alluin and Boaen's storyline. While I enjoyed the neat and tidy ending, it was a complete deus ex machina.
Nevertheless, this was a very enjoyable read and a great and well-written series.
I loved the storyline about the dragon eggs and the dragons in general and how their stories ended. I also liked the ending of the Kirin storyline and how his apprentice was 'redeemed'.
While I'm not a huge fan of open-ended story lines, I was still pleased with how Tanith's story was wrapped up.
That leaves Alluin and Boaen's storyline. While I enjoyed the neat and tidy ending, it was a complete deus ex machina.
Nevertheless, this was a very enjoyable read and a great and well-written series.
October 12, 2020
This was the last book Dragon Mage Chronicles. I am so sorry it is done. J.A. knows how complete a series keeping your attention until the last word is read. All the loose ends were tied up and we are left hoping that everyone has their own happily ever after. After all the pain and uncertainty, they do deserve it. I am going to be looking for more series by this author.
September 29, 2020
Enjoyable resolution to the Dragon Mage Chronicles. Definitely recommend reading them all in order. I really enjoyed Alluin and Boaen, would happily read another story about them.
June 5, 2021
Awesome
Wonderful story- love the charcters. Great ending- looking forward to reading more stories-a little less graphic sex would have made story even better
Wonderful story- love the charcters. Great ending- looking forward to reading more stories-a little less graphic sex would have made story even better
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews