Category: Fantasy

Review: Bonds of the Forsaken (Forbidden Flight Book 3) by H.G. Chambers

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Bonds of the Forsaken brings the Forbidden Flight fantasy series to a satisfying conclusion. 

H. G. Chambers takes Kiva, and Noor, her bonded kiraeen , and Kahalil, a sage, on a thrilling adventure to save her people and Medina Basin from the Red God. 

Already so many from Medina Basin have perished. Kiva taking for herself the burden of their loss, rightly or wrongly,  because of the last battle. Layered on top of which is the devastating death of Noor’s mate and her fiancé’s kiraeen bondmate. With deeply cutting emotional consequences. 

To find the necessary power and magic to defeat the Red God, Kiva must fly through lands to find people she’s never seen before to accomplish her goals and return home safely in time. 

It’s an emotionally charged and satisfying journey. Kiva’s full of anger and grief and realistic fears about herself and her own personal struggles here and abilities to achieve her goals. Chambers crafts new and exciting landscapes and cultures for Kiva and Noor to experience, in every way possible. Ones that will challenge them and their bond in surprising ways and their own will to survive. 

The final result and battles are epic. The resolution for Kiva and Noor and Medina Basin one that’s feels realistic for all sides, grounded in the events, the growth and development of the individuals. 

And Chambers leaves it open ended enough so that he can revisit it and see where Kiva and Noor’s journey’s takes them. 

As I said, highly satisfactory. And a series I definitely recommend reading for all ages. 

Cover Design: vividcovers

Windwalker Series: 

Forbidden Flight #1

Order of the Red Sons #2

Bonds of the Forsaken #3

Buy link

        Windwalker: Bonds of the Forsaken

    

Blurb 

A city under siege. A god’s wrath. One woman’s fight to save everything she loves.

Madina Basin is under relentless attack from the sharun sand-warrior demons. Determined to stop them once and for all, Kiva leads a daring offensive—only to discover the true power behind the sharun is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Now, her only hope to save her people is an ancient artifact with the power to challenge a god. To claim it, she must embark on an epic journey across shifting deserts, perilous forests, and towering mountains. But the weight of her past threatens to destroy her from within, and if she can’t overcome her anger, guilt, and grief, it may consume her first.

Can Kiva conquer her inner demons and secure the artifact in time, or will she return home to find everyone she loves lost forever?

Grab your copy now and join the adventure!

August 18, 2020

Language

‎English

Print length

358 pages

Book 3 of 3

Windwalker

Review:  Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea (Tomes and Tea Book 1) by Rebecca Thorne 

Rating: 4.5🌈

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, the first book in the cozy LGBT romance fantasy Tomes and Tea series by Rebecca Thorne, has an totally different feel than the excellent Moss’d N Space novel I just finished by this writer. 

Slower paced, more to the journey of the couple and the establishment of their new shop than the other space adventure. But the relationship between the two characters, the dynamics and the way Thorne builds her community is just as excellent and thorough. 

The women, each with their fears and strengths about their decision to leave and have a future together in Tawny, despite the ramifications, have relatable moments and credibility here. From talks about power imbalance to money, it’s a relationship between adults who want to make sure their relationship works. 

Even with magic, dragons, bandits, and a psychopath of a queen behind them. 

Reyna, the Queen’s Guard and Kianthe, the Mage of the Ages, fleeing to set up a tea and book shop in the cold hinterlands was a dream, until it became clear that Reyna needed to leave before she became a casualty of the Queen’s cruelty. 

The town of Tawney, its citizens are beautifully drawn. They are soon become part of this couple’s found family and new life. 

And there’s a mystery a foot that needs to be solved, and that’s will take investigating as well as a journey. 

And dragons. 

A slower delight and cozy fantasy mystery that I absolutely enjoyed. 

Another wonderful tale to share. 

Cover art by Irene Huang 

Cover typography by Amphi 

Map by Rebecca Thorne 

Chapter ornaments by Amphi 

Tip-in illustration by Eilene Cherie

Includes the short story:

“Meet and Greet” by Rebecca Thorne

Tomes & Tea (4 book series):

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea #1

A Pirate’s Life for Tea #2

Tea You at the Altar #3

Alchemy and a Cup of Tea #4

Buy link

 Book 1 of 4: Tomes & Tea 

Blurb 

In the tradition of Legends & Lattes, comes a cozy fantasy steeped in sapphic romance about one of the Queen’s private guards and a powerful mage who want to open a bookshop and live happily ever after…if only the world would let them.

All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters… all complemented by love and good company. Thing is, Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives isn’t so easy.

But after an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides she’s thoroughly done risking her life for a self-centered queen. Meanwhile, Kianthe has been waiting for a chance to flee responsibility–all the better that her girlfriend is on board. Together, they settle in Tawney, a town nestled in the icy tundra near dragon country, and open the shop of their dreams.

What follows is a cozy tale of mishaps, mysteries, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. In a story brimming with hurt/comfort and quiet fireside conversations, these two women will discover just what they mean to each other… and the world.

Bramble

Publication date

July 10, 2023

Language

‎English

Print length

345 pages

Book 1 of 4

Tomes & Tea

Review: Order of the Red Sons (Forbidden Flight Book 2) by H.G. Chambers

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Order of the Red Sons, the second novel in the Forbidden Flight YA fantasy series by H.G. Chambers, takes Kiva’s tale of her journey to become her clan’s female windwalker towards a dark, treacherous place . 

Chambers has beautifully crafted a desert world where the people have long dug out an ages old survival among a hidden village place inside a desert cliff . There’s a  sense of an ancient civilization and laws that have arisen inside the rock walls is authentic and believable. So when Kiva goes against tradition of “men windwalkers” only, it’s an also a real issue for her here to go against their religion and laws. For her and her family. 

Order of the Red Sons sees the ramifications of her achieving her goals and bonding with her own kiraeen and becoming a windwalker. There’s an entire order within her village dedicated to stopping her and any other women who might follow her to become windwalkers. They believe she’s an abomination and should be punished. 

Who is a part of this secret society and what their ultimate goal is pushes this powerful storyline. It’s high action, even higher emotional energy, with betrayal and violence at every level.

All happening across richly described desert scenery and vividly imagined areas. And the culture is crafted in great detail by the author so it’s absolutely essential to the story and realistic. 

Order of the Red Sons (Forbidden Flight Book 2) by H.G. Chambers is even better than the first and now I can’t wait to read the third. 

What a fantastic series this is.Highly recommended.

Cover Design: vividcovers

Windwalker Series: 

Forbidden Flight #1

Order of the Red Sons #2

Bonds of the Forsaken #3

Buy link

        Windwalker: Order of the Red Sons

    

Blurb 

Betrayed by those she vowed to protect.

Kiva’s world shatters when a group of masked men attacks her within the walls of her own city. Forced to flee or risk the lives of everyone she loves, she learns the attackers are the Order of the Red Sons, a fanatical group bent on returning Madina Basin to a time when female windwalkers were forbidden.

As their influence grows, Kiva discovers that even the people closest to her are vulnerable to the Order’s dangerous propaganda. But the true threat lies far deeper—hidden in the twisted heart of the Order’s leader, whose dark plans could destroy everything Kiva holds dear.

Can Kiva stop the Red Sons before their victory leads to ruin for Madina Basin?

Grab your copy now and dive into an epic tale of betrayal, survival, and forbidden power.

Review:  The Rut in the Road (Beyond the Veil #11) by K. M. Avery

Rating: 4.5🌈

Rayn’s journey has been one of the most haunting, and tormented of all of the characters to date in this immersive paranormal world where an Arcana virus swept across the world altering the human landscape forever. A large portion of the world’s population perished, others were left altered by the virus, becoming orcs, witches, weres of various species, zombies, vampires and other otherworldly beings. Quickly consigned to hospitals, or institutions or worse when society and families couldn’t accept them or the virus transitions were physically agonizing and long to take hold. 

By book 11, Humans only rights groups, not just the extremists, are fighting to remove the rights the Nids have gained. It sounds very familiar. And the fear and ugly hate groups, the crimes against the Nids going unpunished, is so well written that it feels lifted from events today. 

Rayn,older and working as a touch psychic in alongside Ward and Mason in BTV is still very much the under socialized, on the spectrum person he’s been even as he’s developed physically.  His childhood, and its accompanying deep trauma and abuse along with his lack of knowledge of his own powers, still makes Rayn an introverted, emotionally awkward person. He’s trying to get people to accept him as adult and not as a fragile little traumatized boy most who know his history see him as. 

Avery’s crafting of Rayn is immaculate, he is real in his skin, his efforts to navigate through the communication blocks and issues between Raj and himself are emotionally tough and difficult and feel absolutely credibly raw.  Hart plays a great supporting role here, once again revealing himself to be a fine, intelligent caring man. 

Raj has been a strong presence in the series and his involvement with Rayn starts in the previous book. But the issues between him and Rayn have been building and his extraordinary overprotective nature is a huge problem. 

It’s addressed and seems to be an aspect that he needs to work through. Do I believe that it’s resolved? Not sure. I never know with Avery, maybe it is or maybe it isn’t. There’s one more book in Rayn’s trilogy and the human only faction element has just gotten more complicated and suspenseful by the end of this very amazing story. 

I highly recommend reading it but it’s not something that you can read by itself. Each one should be read in the order that it was written for characters and overall plot development. 

Amazing series and fantastic characters. One of the best paranormal group of storylines I’ve read. Certainly one that has the most impact on current events.

Series couples to date (not standalone and have to be read in the order they are written):

Highly recommended. 

Beyond the Veil Series : 

💀Ward’s story (1-3): 

The Ghost in the Hall 

The Boy in the Locked Room 

The Skeleton Under the Stairs. 

💀Hart’s story (4-6): 

The Dog in the Alley 

The Bones in the Yard 

The Elf Beside Himself 

💀Seth’s story (7-9): 

The Turning of the Tables 

The Badger in his Burrow 

The Past in the Present 

💀Rayn’s Story (10-12) 

The Diamond in the Rough 

The Rut in the Road 

The Rock and the Hard Case (coming 2026) 

💀Dan’s Story (13-15) Coming 2026-2027

Buy link 

 Book 11 of 11: Beyond the Veil 

Blurb 

I was finally getting my life together—I had a job, a boyfriend, was working on my college degree, and was learning to control both my magic and my psychic abilities. I’d reconnected with my sister and I was starting to think that I might actually be able to have something approaching a healthy adult life, even if it wasn’t going to be an even remotely normal one.

And then I hit a rut in the road.

Or, rather, people started hitting other people. What started as a single hit-and-run had become several of them, all targeting Arcanids, and I was being asked to get into the mind of the killer… although I’m starting to think that maybe there’s more than one. Tracking one killer is hard enough, but when you think there might be several, things get a lot messier.

Especially when your boyfriend is a federal agent who just got called in to take over the case. It’s the first time we’ve worked together since we started dating, and it’s definitely taking a toll. I don’t want to have to choose between keeping him and solving the murders.

July 30, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

430 pages

Book 11 of 11

Beyond the Veil

Review:  A Witch’s Legacy (Drakethorn Legal Book 1) by Michael Anderle and Isabel Campbell

Rating: 3⭐️

Michael Anderle is an extremely prolific author who often co writes his books and series with several other authors, Isabel Campbell among them. 

And I admit I often pick up a book by him because the premise is intriguing, offering something I haven’t seen before in a paranormal/fantasy or science fiction novel. 

That happens with A Witch’s Legacy, the first book in the Drakethorn Legal series.  

It has a really great storyline about a main female character who is a lawyer who turns out to be a dragon. There’s so much potential there for interesting character history, courtroom drama, and, well dragon related stuff. 

Stacy Drake, a lawyer who has an eye for cases for the underdog, doesn’t know she’s a dragon until she starts blacking out . Turns out she’s a dragon or the offspring of a dragon and a witch. 

It starts off entertaining and with all the drama and elements that drew me into this story. But then begins to lose me. 

Anderle is very good at writing action and fantasy stories. He can build worlds and make them real. But here the bridges between Stacy’s character and storyline and how we get to her father and his past and the fantasy isn’t well established. 

She’s mad at dad. He’s fabulously wealthy. Huge castle and estate. She sees him again and wonder of wonders, the servants are gone, estate is looking shabby, and our young lawyer says nothing about it. Her dad doesn’t look so hot either. Any chance of Stacy mentioning that? No. 

She’s supposedly extremely intelligent, great attorney. Yet time after time, things slide right by her. Not just her father and the past. But SMH plot points that make a reader wonder about the character’s motivations and smarts. 

Then there’s the entire she’s supposed to be a dragon but we get the magic of her mother, so there’s that. A bit disappointing and the magical system we do get is never explained but more on the poof, it’s magical thing. Not very exciting.

I finally finished it but nothing made me feel as though I had to go further. 

Interesting. But the potential for more was what brought me here. 

Cover by Mihaela Voicu

Drakethorn Legal (With Michael Anderle) 

A Witch’s Legacy (Book 1) 

Scales of Truth (Book 2)

Buy link

 Book 1 of 6: Drakethorn Legal 

Blurb 

You don’t read books about lawyers.

Neither did she — until the lawyer turned out to be a dragon.

Stacy Drake champions the people no one else will fight for. Evicted single moms. Bullied shop owners. An entire nation the city wants to bulldoze. She buried her old-money family name so every courtroom win would be hers and hers alone — and she’s very, very good at making smug, powerful men squirm.

Then a masked man jumps her in an alley with a knife and a warning. She blacks out. She wakes up with no memory, a bloodied shirt, and a headline about three attackers found torn apart — “WITNESS CLAIMS SUPERHUMAN ATTACK.”

The truth is older than she could imagine. Her estranged father is the last Red Dragon. Her dead mother was a powerful witch. And Stacy is both — just as the rival she keeps beating in court hires something inhuman to bring him her head.

A snarky, big-hearted urban fantasy for readers of Annette Marie and Lindsay Buroker — dragon fire, witch magic, found family, and an underdog you’ll be c heering by page two. Clean read, no spice, all bite.

One-click A Witch’s Legacy and start the series readers binge in a weekend.

Review:  Dragon Rogue (Riders of Jade and Fire Book 3) by Melanie Ansley

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Ever read one of those books that you just both wanted to scream at when you got to the end and still loved? Yes indeed. 

Welcome to Dragon Rogue, a book of storylines full of deception, betrayal, heartbreaking revelations and bloody violence that ends in a fight with shocking consequences. 

And it starts right off with violence. Jin and her jade dragon are sent off by the Empress, a shady character herself, to kill the Empress’s “evil enemy”, the blood-bonded traitor Mengkhis Lai, rider of a jade dragon himself. 

But things aren’t as simple as it seems. She’s fought him before and he’s let her live. And she’s been having fragmented dreams about her past and the Prince’s birth. It’s a labyrinthine narrative, full of false plots, intriguing stories about dragon natural history, and blood bonding. 

Even the ability to summon ghosts and what it means to the lifespan of the summoner, the author barely touches on the aspect of this element.  And it’s so fascinating and horrifying.

But all the tightly held secrets and connections that are being strung here, ones that feel more like chains than relationships, are the key. It’s well written, suspense filled, and realistic to the point of anxiety. 

Then comes that ending. Amazing. Now to wait until September. 

Fantastic series and great writing.

Highly recommended.

Cover Design: Get Covers

The Riders of Jade & Fire series: 

Night of the Black Dragon (prequel novella) 

Dragon Class #1

Dragon Flame #2

Dragon Rogue #3

Dragon Blood #4 – Sept 2026

Buy link 

        Dragon Rogue: A Clean YA Fantasy Adventure (Riders of Jade and Fire Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Some truths rewrite the past. Others rewrite your soul.

Jin was sent to kill a man while he dreamed.
Instead, she woke a nightmare.

As the empire’s most celebrated dragonrider, Jin thought her mission was simple: assassinate the blood-bonded traitor Mengkhis Lai before he could ever wake from his mage-induced sleep.

But events at the Well of Fire go terribly wrong. Buried with the man she was supposed to kill, Jin begins to question everything—especially when Mengkhis claims the empress meant for them both to die.

Escaping the Well is only the beginning. Injured and forced to publicly lie about killing Mengkhis, Jin must decide whether to trust the word of the man she was trained to destroy—or risk being silenced forever by the empire that made her a hero. When Jin is put into training with the Royal Veil, the empire’s secret police, Jin decides to uncover the truth behind the mission that nearly killed her, and put an end to Mengkhis once and for all.

But the deeper Jin goes, the more she suspects the empress’s motives. Jin uncovers plots, secrets, and a destiny far greater—and more dangerous—than she imagined.

Her enemies want her dead.
Her allies want absolute loyalty, even at the price of love.

And the one person who may hold the answers… is the one she must kill to earn her freedom.

Review: A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing (Dragons of Safe Haven #3) by Julia Huni

Rating: 4 ⭐️

 I enjoyed the third story far better than the second, circling back to characters who are older, been worn and in many ways, damaged by their past histories, in the particular case, a shared traumatizing event, caused by one of the main characters. 

A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing sees the return of two characters who have had important roles and relationships with the main characters in this series.  

Sarai Lavigne,a Tier One Healer, is dragon rider William Ordell’s sister. Someone who is thought dead by the ruler and Kingdom they both have fled. William and his dragon seeking sanctuary and retirement on Safe Haven, a mysterious island magically hidden from others and inhabited by multiple otherworldly species that coexist together.  She has found her own way to a kingdom currently at war with the one they fled.  She’s a beautifully written, multi dimensional woman, thoughtful, intelligent, whose past life has left its wounds. 

Do I love her? Yes I do.  As much as retired war witch, Calantha Stormbringer, who’s now William’s wife.  The OG couple and story are great. 

Then there’s Tyge de Xerrist, a dragon rider and his wounded dragon Sundri, who have fled the same ruler and Kingdom as William to Safe Haven, seeking help for his dragon who’s in desperate need of healing. Tyge and Sundri have been betrayed and she’s been ordered destroyed. 

So Tyge should be a character we empathize with. But he has a problematic personality and backstory. He kidnapped Sarai previously in another story, and he’s a hot tempered bigot. He’s arrogant and insincere. So, even with a plot line that has him emotionally attached to his wounded dragon, Tyge is still his dragon’s and his own worst enemy.

And it makes him remarkably hard to connect with. I’m with Willam each time he talks to him about his racism/specism towards the islanders and inability to deal. 

The growth of the dragons , including Sundri, their communications and abilities is a joy. As is all the relationships building around them. 

However, I don’t think Huni made a case for Tyge’s character’s makeover here. It’s not credible in the short time frame that he goes from hardcore bigotry to total acceptance of the island’s character and history.  And that the dragons have been able to “talk” directly to their riders all along, which he’s absolutely slow to believe even given proof in front of him. 

So putting aspect aside a not so realistic scenario for Tyge’s redemption, I think it’s a very good story and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Eventually that nasty ol’ Kingdom will notice the dragons. Drama will be coming!

A real winner!

Cover design by David Drummond

Dragons of Safe Haven (4 book series to date):

A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement #1

A Blacksmith’s Guide to Dragon-Rearing #2

A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing #3

A Guide to Mermaids and Mountain Trolls #4 – June 29,2027

Buy link 

        A Rider’s Guide to Dragon Healing (Dragons of Safe Haven Book 3)

    

Blurb 

The only thing harder than mending a dragon’s wing is softening his rider’s heart.

Tyge de Xerrist would rather face a Borgonne army on foot than trust his dragon’s life to a witch. But exiled to Safe Haven with Sundri’s wing torn to shreds, the surly rider is out of options.

Sarai Lavigne is a Tier One Healer who has spent years mending the wounds of war. She’s ready to save Sundri, but his rider is her most stubborn patient yet. Even as Sarai and Tyge clash over dragon-lore and ancient grudges, they must work together to get Sundri back in the sky and help Safe Haven’s dragon fire brigade come to full strength.

A cozy fantasy with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that won’t steam your glasses. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic, and K.M. Shea’s Magiford books—a tale of scales, soot, and second chances.

IPH Media, LLC

Publication date

June 30, 2026

Accessibility

Learn more

Language

‎English

File size

4.6 MB

Screen Reader

Supported

Enhanced typesetting

Enabled

X-Ray

Not Enabled

Word Wise

Enabled

Print length

332 pages

Page Flip

Enabled

Book 3 of 4

Dragons of Safe Haven

Review: Shadowspell Academy: The Culling Trials (Book 2) by K. F. Breene and Shannon Mayer

Rating: 4.5⭐️

The third novel in this portion of this series is excellent. Divided into two trilogies, the three books of The Culling Trials are coauthored by K. F. Breene and Shannon Mayer while the last trilogy is written solely by Mayer. 

So this completes the co-authored mini series, The Culling Trials, and it’s exciting, full of intrigue, surprises, really excellent twists, and leaves our mixed found family of paranormal friends graduating into their respective Houses , ala Harry Potter, and ready for their next chapter as first years. 

Wild and her small crew are headed into the final trials before they are sorted out by their magical abilities into their Houses. If they survive because someone is trying to kill them or just Wild before they can finish. 

And the mystery of their disappearing companions hasn’t been solved yet as a few more teenagers vanish from campus and the authorities have no answers.

Wild and every other person in her group shows realistic personal development as they face growing dangers and a killer that has targeted them. 

I really enjoyed this book, even as I debate going forward without Breene as a coauthor. Her influence in the writing here is clear.

I recommend reading this book as part of the mini-trilogy. Read them in the order they are written. 

Shadowspell Academy (6 book series)

The Culling Trials #1 through 3

Year of the Chameleon #4 through 6 written by Shannon Mayer

Buy link 

        Shadowspell Academy: Culling Trials (Book 3)

    

Blurb 

You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You.

Being accepted into an elite school of magic, monsters, and assassins was not my idea of higher education. But here I am, fighting my way through the Culling Trials to claim my right to be taught.

As if the gauntlet-type physical and mental tests aren’t enough, people are going missing.

People that are my friends.

In a dangerous world where no one is as they seem, the golden rule is simple: Trust no one. They think we should just look out for ourselves. That we should leave the fallen behind and ask no questions.

They clearly think we’re idiots. I got this far by trusting my instincts, and I’m not going to back down now.

Those kids won’t be left to die.

Not on my watch.

Hijinks Ink Publishing

Publication date

June 11, 2019

Language

‎English

Print length

258 pages

Book 3 of 6

Shadowspell Academy

Review:  Dragon Class (Riders of Jade and Fire #1) by Melanie Ansley

Rating: 4.75⭐️

Dragon Class, the first book in the outstanding fantasy series Riders of Jade and Fire by Melanie Ansley, is a book and series that I can recommend across the board for all ages. 

I’ve already read through to the end of third novel and can say this one is very beautifully written series, so well executed and developed that each story exceeds the one prior to it. 

Melanie Ansley, an amazing author I’ve discovered with this book and series, has taken historical figures and history as well as included some of China’s mythology and legends into her world building and characters. 

The Tang Dynasty, its Empress Wu are  facts she drew inspiration from and Aadan is modeled on a Prince Narsieh, who fled to China in 650’s with his father from Persia.  So many of the elements here are based on things that actually existed in China’s “golden age”.  It’s these layers of authenticity that add such richness and depth to this series and to the characters that exist within it. 

The names are in the Chinese language order. Last names come first and what English speakers call first names are listed last when the full name is given. FYI. 

Wang Kway Jin is our main character and she’s a standout among the multitude of similar dragonrider characters and series. The a storyline where Jin, a thief of unknown origins, steals a treasure that’s revealed to be a dragon egg. When it hatches, she and the rare jade dragon, form an illegal bond just before they are caught.

From this point, both Jin the lowly thief and Rayden, the rarest of dragons, fight to retain their bond while navigating the labyrinth of imperial Chinese societal laws and a Empress’s secrets and tightly controlling nature over her power, which includes Jin and her dragon’s future. 

There’s an academy aspect to this, which layers in much of the history of the culture and current political landscape. It’s done so well that we feel a part of Jin’s character as she scrambles to survive in this new complex and dangerous world she’s living in and totally unprepared for. 

The cast is as well executed as every main character. All the personalities continue to evolve and show development as this complicated narrative changes and gives us more secrets and expands into new territories and political disputes. 

Persia, trade agreements, and the lack of dragons outside of the realm as well as how mages are educated and horrifically “created” to help channel their energy.  It’s finely defined, broad in its reach and rich in its design. 

But the emotional heft is beautifully carried by Jin and Rayden in a tightly held dynamic that the reader is absolutely connected to. 

And the more she grows into her role, the darker the she situation becomes. 

Just an incredible story and a cast of fantastic characters. A series that will deepen in the complexity and just get better and better. 

Highly recommended for all lovers of fantasy and dragons. 

Cover Design: Get Covers

The Riders of Jade & Fire series: 

Night of the Black Dragon (prequel novella) 

Dragon Class #1

Dragon Flame #2

Dragon Rogue #3

Dragon Blood #4 – Sept 2026

Buy link

 Book 1 of 3: Riders of Jade and Fire 

Blurb 

A thief without a future.

A dragon born for kings.

A bond that could ignite an empire.

In the shadows of the Tang Empire, Jin survives by stealing from the rich and keeping her head down. Until a single reckless heist binds her to Rayshan—a rare jade dragon destined for royal blood alone.

The bond should have been impossible.

Instead, it marks her as a threat.

Faced with a brutal choice between a lifetime in the mines or competing in the Dragon Class trials, Jin is thrust into the deadly world of the empire’s elite dragon riders.

But dragons choose warriors. Nobles. Men.

Not thieves. Not girls.

As deadly rivalries ignite and dark secrets stir within the palace walls, Jin is drawn into a dangerous world of court intrigue, where a charismatic prince with a talent for manipulation seems determined to keep her close—and a fierce foreign dragon rider understands her in ways no one else can.

But while the Dragon Class trains for glory, unrest is spreading across the empire. A ruthless Minister of War will do anything to see Jin fail, and beyond the empire’s borders, a growing darkness threatens to drag the realm into chaos.

If Jin loses control of the power growing between herself and Rayshan, she could lose far more than her place in Dragon Class.

And if she survives, she may become the spark that sets an empire ablaze.

Perfect for fans of dragon rider academies, slow-burn romantic tension, fierce heroines, and epic fantasy steeped in imperial intrigue. Dragon Class is ideal for readers of “Fourth Wing”, “Eragon”, and “The Lunar Chronicles.”

“An exciting adventure that sinks its teeth into you and doesn’t let go.”

“The most well-written dragon rider book I have read!”

Writing Rooster Media

Publication date

October 25, 2023

Accessibility

Learn more

Language

‎English

Print length

408 pages

Book 1 of 3

Riders of Jade and Fir

Review:  The Dragon’s Thief (Rise of the Golden Dragons Book 1) by Shelby Hild

Rating: 3.75⭐️

The Dragon’s Thief (Rise of the Golden Dragons Book 1) is the first book in a dragon rider’s trilogy by Shelby Hild, another new to me author. This review is going to be used for all three books as it’s about the series as well as the book as I’ve finished reading all the novels.

It’s a fantasy series I quickly read through in one day, each novel a flows through into the next. There’s little romance, some action sequences, political intrigue and lots of drama.

There’s some similarities between The Deagon’s Thief and another well known series. Hild starts each chapter of every book with  ‘writings’ from a current dragonrider who’s using the history of her country as her thesis.  

The focal point of her thesis is the hidden history and heroism of Quincy Durand, the rider of the Golden Dragon, Ezsearo, transcribed from historical records. 

Which makes these chapter “notes” a bit of spoilers for the storylines that follow as we already know what happened. 

I enjoyed Quincy as a young female character. This has the same elements as many other fantasy/dragonrider/academy tales. There’s adversity from higher status students and their parents to a low born person such as Quincy, and her circumstances. But it’s handled pretty well by her character as she adjusts to her new role.

There’s some interesting elements and also some aspects that I found worked against the characters and the overall series. 

The fantasy storylines, the dragon friends, the shards, the otherworldly creatures, all nicely balanced together. I would have liked to have read more about the fairies, wyrms, and different creatures here but unfortunately an underdeveloped political plotline becomes the main series thread. 

While Quincy’s character development moves forward from oldest sibling role helping with her family in her father’s absence to a teenager alone in an academy with a small dragon, learning to cope with political pressures and societal problems, a war on the horizon. Then onto assassin and spy and rider of a golden dragon. Her struggles to find her way feel credible. Especially when dealing with the turmoil within her family and the damage done by her leaving.

The potential for this to have been a better executed or even better developed series is here, imo. Hild did quite a few things that kept that from happening. 

In a story about a dragonrider and her dragon, that dynamic and relationship is oddly absent from a majority of the series.  It’s mostly about Quincy, her off on a variety of missions, leaving her dragon behind. Or having him go somewhere else. Her communication with him is actually less than it is with other dragons. She flies with him, but it’s brief scenes and the descriptions are underwhelming. Which really negates the reason most people are reading this. The dragons , the draw , are maybe a tenth or less of the story.

There’s a weird plot twist about a magical transporter mirror (which took my mind off to warped Disney aspects) and a really weak Queen and King main characters who never believe anything they’re told and left many a SMH moment.

And then curious and repetitive word choices by Hild who can’t find another word for blue eyes other than cerulean. The Queen is constantly looking at you through her “cerulean” eyes, in her many moods. Ditto the King. Maybe their son too. Let’s just say its overuse was noted. Other strange things like Quincy saying “career path “ was just jolting.

And having the villain be sent off to become someone else’s problem rather than actually dealing with someone responsible for the deaths of bonded young people and their dragons to say nothing of the war and the deaths and destruction that caused? That taught nothing. But definitely on par with the weak rulers and the way the narrative is set.

Finally, Hild’s story has disappearing characters like Yohm, Mithy and others who play main roles, and fade away at the end, only to be mentioned in a sentence and be dismissed. 

All these things, positive and negative, are present in each book. The odd, repetitive words, the lack of dragon time in the plot sacrificed to a storyline about a weak Queen and her problems, and just overall narrative choices that kept this from being a better series.

It’s a good series but with notable flaws.   If you want a YA fantasy series with a side order of dragons, check it out. 

Cover design by Sabrina Watts of Enchanted Ink Studio

Rise of the Golden Dragons – 3 books:

  • The Dragon’s Thief’ #1
  • The Queen’s Assassin #2
  • The King’s Spy #3

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 3: Rise of the Golden Dragons 

Blurb 

After a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger in the woods, a simple farm girl is faced with a desperate dilemma. 

Quincy Durand had never planned to become a thief. With her parents both missing, when her younger brother is mortally wounded it falls on Quincy to find a way to save his life. She discovers a possible solution, but the price for help is high: she must steal a dragon’s egg from Dravonya’s acclaimed Silver Wings Academy.

When the egg unexpectedly hatches during the escape, it’s no longer just her brother’s life that hangs in the balance but hers as well as she must prove herself more than just a failed thief.

 

June 30, 2022

Language

‎English

Print length

332 pages

Book 1 of 3

Rise of the Golden Dragons