Helpful Score: 6
This book got great reviews on Amazon and it had all the qualities that I usually like in a story, and yet I just couldn't get into it. It's a simply written story but it took me far too long to read it. I was only able to read a few pages at a time because I would find myself losing focus and thinking about other things and constantly re-reading the same passages--even the sex scenes--over and over. I should really like this story and it bothers me that I don't. There are a lot of badly written dragon romances out there and this at least is of better quality than those. The only thing I can think of when I contemplate why this book bored me to tears is that it just lacked soul. The characters seem to go through the motions and they say they love or hate each other but I don't *FEEL* their emotions or believe their actions on a visceral level. The whole story is very bland. If this story were a color it would be a very dour gray. The dragons are gray, the environment is gray, and the eyes of the dragonriders are gray. It's all so very monochrome.
I think, too, that the story tries to succeed as two separate genres, ie romance and fantasy, but doesn't marry the two properly. So one reads a dry romance and a bland fantasy novel. I've mentioned before that the dragons are gray in color and are otherwise very lackluster in character. This bothers me too. Dragons are such colorful creatures of lore, in hue as well as in character. I suppose I wanted Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders Of Pern series and got something far more prosaic.
I think, too, that the story tries to succeed as two separate genres, ie romance and fantasy, but doesn't marry the two properly. So one reads a dry romance and a bland fantasy novel. I've mentioned before that the dragons are gray in color and are otherwise very lackluster in character. This bothers me too. Dragons are such colorful creatures of lore, in hue as well as in character. I suppose I wanted Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders Of Pern series and got something far more prosaic.
Helpful Score: 2
Dragonrider Elera must find a king for her people and settles on Mattaen Initiate Karl. It should take a lot to derail a man from his chosen path but Elera is tempation personified and it really doesn't take all that much effort to persuade Karl to leave everything behind.
Don't they say "turnabout is fair play"? Well in this story, the heroine takes the initiative and enthralls Karl and takes what she wants. It's finally the heroes turn to feel hurt and betrayed and it's about darn time. This is a wonderful tale of dragons and dragon riders, monks, war, kidnapping, betrayal and faraway lands. Karl is a terrific hero; Elera is an incredibly strong heroine; and the action is continuous from chapter one all the way to the conclusion.
Don't they say "turnabout is fair play"? Well in this story, the heroine takes the initiative and enthralls Karl and takes what she wants. It's finally the heroes turn to feel hurt and betrayed and it's about darn time. This is a wonderful tale of dragons and dragon riders, monks, war, kidnapping, betrayal and faraway lands. Karl is a terrific hero; Elera is an incredibly strong heroine; and the action is continuous from chapter one all the way to the conclusion.
