Book Review: Dragonmark by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Dragonmark
by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Genre: Fantasy / Romance / Urban Fantasy / Paranormal

Ages: 16 and up

Note: So, I haven't written a review in a long time. I have meant to, but work and my own writing have taken precedence lately. This book, however, made me so mad that I had to write a review just so I could stop complaining about it to everyone in my immediate vicinity (plus, it practically wrote itself in about 10 minutes I was so mad). I hate to do it, because Ms. Kenyon has long been a favorite of mine (particularly her League novels), but it had to be done. There are mild spoilers in this review.

Description:

Centuries ago, Illarion was betrayed– a dragon made human against his will, then forced to serve humanity as a dragonmount in their army, and to fight for them in barbaric wars, even while he hated everything about them. Enslaved and separated from everyone he knew and from his own dragon brothers, he was forced into exile in a fey realm where he lost the only thing he ever really loved.
Now he has a chance to regain what’s been lost― to have the one thing he covets most. But only if he gives up his brothers and forsakes the oaths he holds most dear. Yet what terrifies him most isn’t the cost his happiness might incur, it’s the fact that there is just enough human in his dragon’s heart that he might actually be willing to pay it and betray everything and everyone– to see the entire world burn in Dragonmark, the next blockbuster Dark-Hunter novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon.

My Thoughts:

I cannot remember the last time I felt so disappointed and angry after reading a book. I love Sherrilyn Kenyon, have read all of her books including the out of print, difficult to find ones. Not all of them have been great, but Dragonmark was just...bad.

I was so excited when I started Dragonmark, wondering what twists and turns and new character angst she would spring on me this time. It started out okay. Edilyn and Illarion were sweet and fun, if not quite as deep or exciting as I was hoping for. If there was less intensity to their story than Kenyon's usual style, though, I was sure that would improve as they became more developed. I just did not realize that development was never going to come. Instead, the hero and heroine become separated and almost the entire remainder of the book is a nearly word for word repeat of scenes from the previous two books in the series, with only the most halfhearted attempt to show them from Illarion's perspective. I waited for some sort of great personal revelations on Illarion's part to justify this, as there were in Styxx, but there was nothing. At the very end - and by that I mean the last thirty pages or so - there was finally a return to new material, but it was far too late to save this book.

What bothered me nearly as much as this lazy recycling, was the knowledge that if anyone picked up this book as their first Dark-Hunter series, it would look like an insane mish-mash of partial stories. It assumes that you have read the previous two books, Son of No One and Dragonbane, and yet it repeats them anyway. My first experience with the series was Acheron and, while I definitely missed out on some references, it at least made sense as a cohesive story.

If Illarion and Edilyn's story had been a novella containing the first 150 and last 30 pages with only a tiny bit of what came between, or if it instead followed Edilyn's POV, which sounded pretty interesting in the tiny glimpse I got of it, this book would have been fine. Nowhere near the best in the series, but anything would have been better than this. I went from eagerly hoping for books about a dozen or so other characters in the DH world to hoping Kenyon hurries up and brings on the apocalypse she's been threatening for so long so she can focus on the Chronicles of Nick and League novels, since she clearly has little interest in actually writing new DH material.

I will still be reading Ms. Kenyon's books - I LOVED Born of Legend and Invision, which makes it all the more surprising that this book was so bad - but the anticipation I always felt upon opening one of her books will now be tempered by fear that it will turn out to be another Dragonmark.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence

1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:

Probably a 7-8. I was honestly too horrified to pay much attention to swearing. Lots of mid-level words, a couple of f-bombs at least.

Sexuality:

I'd rate it a 6. It was pretty mild for a Kenyon book; only a couple of semi-descriptive scenes.

Violence:

I rate it a 5 for some fighting and death, but, as with the sexuality, it was pretty mild by Kenyon standards.

                                      Lieder Madchen

Book Review #70: Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman

Eona: The Last Dragoneye

by Alison Goodman

Genre: YA Fantasy

Ages: 14 and up

Sequel to Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

Amazon Description:

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon.

Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power-and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans. . . .

My Review:

This book was awesome. I loved Eon, but this was even more wonderful. The fascinating world Alison Goodman created grows even more complex and it draws you inexorably into the story until you are standing right there, watching the story unfold.

The wonderful, flawed characters are taken to new depths. Kygo is arrogant and fierce, as ready to kill you as look at you, but his brief, rare moments of compassion and humanity won me over. Eona had some spectacular moments of bad judgement, and she has to fight herself more than anything else. Not only are others attempting to hijack her will and use her as a weapon, but her own ambition could destroy her.

This book is all sharp, brilliant edges. Even such things as love, trust and hope can cut and make you bleed. This is not a comfort book to simply curl up with. This is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat through all 600 some-odd pages. The ending was exhilarating and tragic and beautiful all at the same time. There was just enough room left for a third novel, but there doesn't need to be one. It was very nearly perfect.

I recommend this to lovers of semi-dark fantasy and wondrous new worlds. Neither Eon nor Eona are books to be missed.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence

1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:

I give this a 4.10 in profanity for some mid-level swearing and insults.

Sexuality:

I rate this a 3.10 for some references and a couple of scenes that came very close to actual sex.

Violence:

This book gets an 8.10 in violence for torture, murder and battles.

                                           Lieder Madchen

Book Review #69: Song of the Ovulum by Bryan Davis

Song of the Ovulum
by Bryan Davis

Genre: YA Christian Fantasy
Ages: 12 and up
Book 1 in the Children of the Bard Series.
I received and advance e-book copy of this from NetGalley to review.

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read any further if you have not read the Dragons in Our Midst Chronicles and the Oracles of Fire Chronicles.

Publisher's Description:
It has been fifteen years since Billy and Bonnie Bannister helped repel the demonic assault on Heaven. Now they and Ashley Foley sit in a maximum security prison where the authorities conduct experiments on them to learn the secrets of long life. Earlier, the world’s acceptance of dragonkind crumbled, and the Enforcers took the infant twins born to Billy and Bonnie and stole Excalibur, hoping to develop a weapon to battle the dragons that are sure to try to rescue their allies. All the while, a great secret from the past is being revealed to Bonnie through a dream. Joran and Selah, teenaged children of Methuselah, have been trapped in a strange world for centuries, yet still able to manipulate certain events in our world during that time.

Walter Foley finds the Bannisters’ son and hopes to use his dragon traits to help him rescue the prisoners. In the meantime, an ancient demon locates the Bannisters’ daughter and plans to use her to help him discover the hiding place of the most powerful ovulum in the world and squelch its protective song. With that ovulum in his possession, he will be able to conquer and control both Earth and Second Eden.

The fate of two worlds now rests on the Bannisters’ two teenagers who must use their dragon traits and their innate courage to battle demons, a sorceress, and soldiers in a military compound in order to rescue parents they don’t even know.

My Review:
My first reaction to the beginning of this book was, What! How did that happen? When? What??? And then I leaned in closer and kept reading to find out. I went through the nearly 500 page book in a just a few hours and then wanted to bang my head against the wall. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate cliffhanger endings when I have to wait for the next one? Well, I do. And Song of the Ovulum, lovely a book as it was, has a terrible cliffhanger ending. And I, silly person that I am, read an advance review e-book. Which means that I have to wait until July before the book is even out, and then who knows how long before the next one is released!

I liked Matt and Lauren, but they were a little too much like a miniature Bonnie and Billy. The rest of the cast of characters was mostly made up of old friends and enemies that, if you have read Bryan Davis's other novels, you have met before. I found Joran and Selah's storyline to be a little confusing at times, but still interesting and enjoyable.

It seems that all of the books I am reading lately turn out to have cliffhanger endings. Bother. Well, this book was quite lovely and entertaining with good plot and characters. I would recommend it to anyone else who has read and enjoyed the other works of Bryan Davis.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I give this a 1.10 for some insults.

Sexuality:
This book gets a 2.10 for references involving a prostitute.

Violence:
I rate this book a 6.10 for murder, battle and torture.

                           Lieder Madchen

Book Review #56: Raising Dragons by Bryan Davis

Raising Dragons
by Bryan Davis

Genre: YA Christian Fantasy
Ages: 10 and up
Book 1 in the Dragons in Our Midst Series.
Billy Bannister has lead a fairly normal life, except for the fact that his breath is impossibly hot, which sometimes gets him into trouble and led to the nickname of "Dragon Breath." But what if it isn't just a nickname? Billy is shocked when his father reveals that he is a dragon, making Billy a half-dragon.

Bonnie Silver has led a less than normal life. At school, she constantly wears a backpack. No matter how much the other students tease her, she never takes it off. If she did, they would see her wings.

The dragons changed into human form centuries ago in order to escape the slayers. Now, the slayers are back and targeting the Bannister family and Bonnie.

This book is a bit predictable, but still good. Billy and Bonnie are likeable, interesting characters. I like that they do not have the modern, exaggerated teen-age attitude of so many books. Billy is the doubtful one, always questioning, while Bonnie's faith is so strong you can almost taste it. The secondary characters were also good, particularly Professor hamilton and the Foley family.

This is the second time I have read this book, and I actually like it better now than I did then. The first time, I thought it was a little stiff, but on my second read-through I noticed no such thing.

I am a huge Arthurian fan, so I liked that this book had some of those legends mixed in. I cannot resist a book that has both Merlin and dragons.

I would recommend this book to kids who like fun, adventurous, wholesome reads. Raising Dragons is the first in a long series and you will have to read them all. You are warned.

Content Ratings: Profanity, Sexuality, and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).
Profanity:
There is no profanity in this book.

Sexuality:
There is the tiniest hint of sexuality, so I give this book a 1.10.

Violence:
There are several scenes of violence in this book, including murder, attempted murder, and serious injuries. I rate it a 6.10.

                                Lieder Madchen

Book Review #53 Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, aka The Two Pearls of Wisdom
by Alison Goodman

Genre: YA Fantasy

Ages: 14 and up

In appearance, Eon is a 12 year old cripple who hopes to be the new Dragoneye apprentice. In fact, Eon is Eona, a 16 year old girl with little choice or future. If she fails, she will have only the most miserable of existences to look forward to. If she is caught, it will be worse.

The other hopefuls are bigger, stronger, and whole in body. There is little hope for success. When the day of choosing arrives, a miracle occurs. Eon is not chosen by the ascending Rat Dragon, but rather by the Mirror Dragon, who has not been seen for centuries.

Eon is thrown into a world of intrigue and power as she becomes one of the most powerful people in the world. There are few who can help her and even fewer she can trust, and many who could destroy her.

This book is absolutely fascinating. It takes place in a world that is slightly reminiscent of China, but different in so many ways. It is harsh land, dark and full of secrets and mysteries. I soon became completely engrossed in the politics and people. This world drew me in in a way that made it impossible to escape.

Eon/Eona is a complex and wonderful character. She is so terrified that someone will discover her that she does her best to stamp out the parts of her that mark her as feminine to the point of barely knowing who she is anymore. Her desperation leads her to do reckless and dangerous things, and her very refusal to acknowledge her true self may be her undoing.

The secondary characters are very well developed. Each one has their own unique personality and problems. Lady Dela, the eunuch Ryko, and tormented Dillon are each as interesting as Eon in their own ways. Lady Dela is particularly complicated.

I was left wondering if there was going to be any romance for Eona in the future, I shall just have to see what happens in book two, Eona. Also, don't read Eon until you have Eona on hand. I had to wait for over a year and it was extremely frustrating.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy gender-benders, dragons, and dark fantasy. There are some highly disturbing elements in this book, so I would not recommend it to the squeamish.



Content Ratings:
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

The profanity is mostly mild in this book, but one worse insult earns it a 3.10.

There are multiple sexual references and innuendos in this book, as well as an attempted rape. I rate it a 3.10.

The violence in this book is not, for the most part, graphic, but there are multiple murders, including that of an infant, and a scene of torture. I give it a 7.10.

                                      Lieder Madchen