Book Review: Ascendant

It is the tale of Holt - a lowly pot scrubber who dreams of being a dragon rider.

In a world where a cook was a cook for life and shouldn't dare to dream beyond the path laid before him, Holt knows he was meant to run errands and wash up kitchen mess. That was the way things were supposed to be.

'It's the way things are Holt. Trying to fight it is like a mouse facing down a dragon.' That's what Holt is being told.
And yet, this little mouse chooses to face the dragon, instead of living as a mouse forever.

He breaks the order of things by saving a dragon that was never meant to hatch. A dragon that's not perfect. A dragon that is blind.
And so it is that the lowly pot boy ends up bonded to a blind dragon hatchling.

One a disgrace to the Dragon Riders Order,
the other an insult to the dragon race.

Together for better or worse, they'll have to prove themselves to survive. And they had to get stronger and faster than anyone had before them. Holt and Ash - two chaos bringers in a world defined by order.

"My eyes for your eyes.
Your skin for my skin.
My world for your world."

But maybe a little bit of chaos, may just be what the world needs.

In a Kingdom threatened by blight and facing a terrifying invasion while being usurped from the inside, our scorned duo has to get stronger and faster than anyone has before them. Because the Scourge is rising, undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake, while dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows. To assure his survival, as well as that of Ash, Holt must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon's magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come, and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.

Alongside a princess with a fire dragon, and a grumpy old mentor, our scorned duo sets on a mission to both save the kingdom and prove to themselves that they are worthy.
Worthy of being dragon and rider.
Worthy of being alive.

'All they had left was themselves, their weapons, and one old family cookbook.' Hardly the means to win a fight, let alone uncover a conspiracy and win the war against both blight and scourge.
But ware those who'd stop them from trying.

Being a rider is hard and comes with a huge responsibility.
'There are times when you must end life to save it, when you must follow your oath even if it means letting your loved ones die.'
A daunting challenge for one used to scrubbing pots and his bonded dragon. And yet, they'll try their damnedest to face it.

My heart went out to them both from the very beginning but the little blind baby dragon is THE BEST. 💗


'Ash is something new. Something special.'

He is the best of Temeraire, Ruth and Saphira together and I fell head over heels for him.
I laughed out loud at his antics and wanted to cuddle the daylights out of him at other times. His adorable charm rivals that of little Temeraire and I absolutely adored the fact that we get to see him slowly growing and maturing alongside his 'boy'. His fierce determination to keep the pace with the other dragons despite his blindness is heartbreakingly touching.


"A dragon should overcome challenges," Ash said more fiercely than usual. "To fail is shameful."

In a world defined by order a little bit of chaos might be just what is needed to tip the scales in the war against Undead and Scourge.

Fabulous wordbuilding and characters that leap off the page in a fast paced gripping, edge of the seat adventure that's practically unputdownable. It's one of those books you just can't stop reading!! Great magic and fantastic dragons, vivid battle scenes, danger, action, drama and a hell lot of feeling. This book has it all! But what I loved the most was the dynamic between rider and dragon.
The bond thundering in pure joy or shared despair. The roars of triumph or anger.
F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S
If you love dragons you're going to love this book!


'And with the dying light behind them, they took off. A pot boy and his dragon with the world before them; all it's dangers and all it's wonders. A great weight had been placed on their shoulders, but it was a burden they could lift together.'

Now I don't know about you, but I fully intend to be there for their next step of the journey.

If you love dragons, do yourself a favour and give this series a try. It's one of the best dragon books ever! And that is that.

Happy reading Bookdragons
and remember
'We don't know tomorrow, so it may always be brighter.'

Check out this book and more of Michael R. Miller over at https://www.michaelrmiller.co.uk/