Posted on  20/08/2024 17:10:07

My rating: 5 dragon stars!


I came across this series during the IFA Summer Reading Competition over at the IFA Facebook Group and I simply had to add it to my TBR! Because... DRAGONS!!! And I love Dragons!

After Pern, Temeraire and Eragon, I found it a little difficult to lay my hands on another great series that features awesome dragons bonded with riders. And this little prequel to Eileen Mueller's Riders of Fire Series, makes me think I might have just hit the jackpot! Because I really really loved it!!

It managed to grab me from the very first page, with a fabulous bronze dragon and his rider: Handel and Idelian. Their bond was so touching from the very beginning and just what I was looking for in a dragon tale!

But then disaster strikes and we get to meet Hans. Him I also liked from the very beginning! Can't tell you exactly why. Could be because of his playfulness with his little siblings, or the innate kindheartedness that seemed to characterise him. Or perhaps because of the way he has been written. For a character featuring such a short story, he has quite a good depth.

A routine hunting trip turns into a nightmare when Hans discovers a dead dragon rider, and strange beasts in the forest. Then his family goes missing.

Hans and his elder brother must track the dangerous beasts to find the lost mother and sister, but everything goes wrong and Hans ends up clinging to one single hope that is more like an impossible dream than reality.

Despite this being a very short novelette, it managed to somehow pull on all the right strings for me! It made me laugh and smile at sibling's play, it made me yearn for more because of that touching dragon-rider exchange and it also made me tear up at the way a boy of four summers ended up being more responsible than the two oldest men in the home.

Yes! It was way too short! But I believe I may have stumbled upon another favourite series here so I'm eagerly waiting to dive into the next adventure of the Riders of Fire!
Aren't these covers gorgeous!!!

If you love Pern and Eragon,this would be a perfect fit for you!
So go ahead and give it a try! It's free on Kindle and short enough to fit between a busy day's chores. Who knows, you might just love just as much as I did too!
Happy reading! :)

Check out this book and more of Eileen Mueller over at www.eileenmuellerauthor.com