Adrienne WoodsCritiques

Dragons! I loooooooooooove dragons! Seriously, there aren't enough (good) books about dragons! :D

Ahem, on to the review...

Lately, I haven't been reading a lot of books where the main hero(ine) is so young, but I must say that I enjoyed it very much. It was a great read.

The book started with a bang, introducing us our lovely Elena and her father, dragons and setting the stage for our exploration of Paegeia.
As we moved into different settings, all environments and scenes were detailed enough without being too much, letting your mind just enjoy the story.

Character development was good. Elena needs to adjust big time when she sets foot in her new world, having to cope with magic, dragons and prophecy.
Luckily she finds great friends in Sammy, Becky and Lucian.
Blake, the resident bad boy and the dragon everyone is just waiting to turn dark, hovers at the edge, treating Elena with disdain.
The characters felt real, believable (yes yes, even the dragons :p) and were fun to read about.

Pacing and flow were good, there was a good balance between action and conversation. While the book started fast-paced, it does slow down enough for the beginning of the story to fully unfold without being too overwhelming.

The book itself was well written with no (noticeable) errors.

All in all a really nice surprise, I very much enjoyed this instalment and look forward to reading the second book (my poor TBR list).

I have just demonstrated that it IS possible to read the entire book in one day. I do NOT recommend it, however. It is definitely a COMPELLING contemporary family-friendly paranormal with some interesting plot twists.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This book was free on Amazon. In some ways it reminds me of the Harry Potter series or the Rangers Apprentice series--though the main character (Elena) is a bit older than Harry Potter when he first discovers his heritage. I think the Rangers Apprentice characters were closer to Elena's 16 years of age.

The cover seems a bit of a misnomer to me. The sword and the girl's face fit (if Elena is the girl and the sword is the one mentioned in the book). But Elena's not a dragon so having half the face of the girl on the cover be a dragon doesn't fit.

I think I've already figured out a major arc or two (things that I assume will be revealed in later books of the series). Whether I read on to find out if I'm correct or not, I'm not sure yet. I did like the friendships that developed in this book, but I can see some troubles ahead if my arcs prove true.½

This is based on the story LOVE IS A MERCILESS GOD by Carissa Andrews within the anthology. Evangeline is an angel sworn to protect Liam. The number one rule you're told not to break is to have feelings for your charge. Oops! Looks like she broke that rule! When he was a child, somehow Liam was able to sense and hear her. They'd have conversations all the time, and she'd guide him. She loved their time together. Hey as he aged somehow he stopped hearing her. That was until the fated day his jerk of a girlfriend broke his heart and left him. In that moment he prayed with all he was worth to every god, goddess, Angel or being for help. What he didn't know was with that one simple prayer he opened himself up to good and evil to respond. This is the story of the journey of Liam and Evangeline in that moment he could once more hear her thanks to that prayer. For then they had to escape evil that was coming too. Even though she went against the main rule, she couldn't leave Liam to all that was coming. What ramifications will occur? Take the journey with these kindred souls. It's a great read!

The following review is for all 5 main books in the series and contains spoilers.

Overall rating of the series 6 of 10

[bc:Firebolt|33379357|Firebolt (The Dragonian, #1)|Adrienne Woods|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481663075s/33379357.jpg|25798185]

Rating 6 of 10

First book in the series and pretty good as one. A bit slow at times. We get too much information in it though - 50 pages (okay, maybe a 100) and readers are already aware what Elena's destiny is. Her feeling for Lucian.... well, lets say I didn't quite believe in them. It lacked gradation, it looked almost like some insta-love but lacked chemistry. I can accept insta-love in between fated mates but Lucian is not her fated mate and at this point readers are already very well aware of it. I would personally have loved to see more about what Elena is learning, more interaction with other characters. Still a nice starting book and leaves you wanting more of the enchanting world there.

[bc:Thunderlight|33384139|Thunderlight (The Dragonian, #2)|Adrienne Woods|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481692292s/33384139.jpg|40067808]

Rating 6 of 10

Biggest problem I had with this book - it completely ignored what Elena have been told at the end of book one - that she has blood that can turn weapons in some sort of special weapons for killing evil. And it made no sense. How no one of the main characters didn't notice it? Mention it?
Lucian and Elena's romance is still with no chemistry for me. More like I'm being told it's there but never really seeing it. Lucian and Blake had more chemistry than that. And Lucian's death? Pointless. He had so many possibilities as a character for when finally Elena's destiny became known, but the author took the easy way out and killed him before that. Such a pity.

[bc:Frostbite|33384153|Frostbite (The Dragonian, #3)|Adrienne Woods|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481692593s/33384153.jpg|40067814]

Rating 5 of 10

At this point it's obvious the author is trying to trow readers of-course on Elena's destiny. Not really working. It only makes Elena look like she has the IQ of a squirrel. If the book was about Elena trying to figure out how she can be a rider and a dragon at the same time - it would have been so worth it, but instead it was about her still not figuring who she really is. Considering it have been almost spelled to her in the first book.... yeah, you get it, she looks like a complete idiot of a heroine.


[bc:Moonbreeze|33384164|Moonbreeze (The Dragonian, #4)|Adrienne Woods|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481692973s/33384164.jpg|45429389]

Rating 3 of 10

Will admit it to considering dropping the series when I found out what is in this book. Decided that the author must have something really good planned to trow in such a huge trigger in and even thought I skipped the whole part 2, I pressed on reading further. Did I expect something really good? Yes. Did I got it? NO. The whole gang rape thing was a complete failure. It had no point in the story except to cause more rift between Blake and Elena, which was completely not necessary as they had enough other things between them already to last them for another book. And even Elena's recovery is not well handled. One-two-three - I'm fine. The vampire shrink was nice, yes, but still Elena should have struggled more, fear more. What we saw was exactly the same as what we saw at the start if the previous book - Elena staying in bed and having nightmares. The death of a friend/boyfriend/lover is not the same as being gang raped. The reaction to the one and the other is not and should not be the same. The book would have benefited a lot from some editing or at least beta reading so someone tells the author that some things are just too much and not all characters should giggle as five-year-old.


[bc:Starlight|33384170|Starlight (The Dragonian #5)|Adrienne Woods|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481693105s/33384170.jpg|47371847]

Rating 8 of 10

Finally what we all have been waiting for since book one. Really nice book and obviously better edited. Biggest problems I had with it:
- the whole blood thing has become a cliche - the missing ingredient could have been Sir Robert for example
- lack of character in some secondary characters - for example Dean was so unnoticeable in the whole series that I couldn't care less he died. If we at least have seen Sammy's claiming things might have been different but... missed opportunity here.
- what happened with the axes from the first book? Why no one took them into the battle? Why they weren't even considered as the missing ingredient? Practically after book one they completely vanished. Big plot hole.
- the dead people coming to say goodbye at the wedding, especially the queen - sooo not a good idea. The king is getting married, he must have made his peace with her death already, not cry and tell her he loves her. If I were Constance I would have felt as some sort of a consolation prize, not a loved woman who just got married.
Still the best book for me in the series.

The series as whole are really good. The author had too many ideas and not all of them worked well, but the world she built was magical. That and I love dragons.

Thunderlight picks up exactly where Firebolt left off (thank God!). Elena continues to try to find her way through the world that is Dragons, Dragonians, jughead boys with mysterious intentions and her ever evolving issues. Elena meets a new classmate who is also a Wyvern. Wyverns are a species of dragon but have two hind legs only instead of four legs like your commonly known dragon…yes I googled it. Paul’s, the wyvern, intentions are not necessarily known throughout the book. You get mixed feelings from all of the book’s characters regarding the Academy’s new pupil, but who knows his true intentions. You see Elena and Lucian’s relationship continue to develop, Elena herself continues to mature and learn more about herself as an adult, and Blake just continues to be Blake.

Firebolt set the platform for many fan theories surrounding Elena’s parents, who they really are and who she truly is. Is she a dragon, a dragonian or both? Guess you’ll have to read it to find out 🙂

My Opinion:

I couldn’t put it down! I read this book in less than two days…

I just had to keep reading!! I honestly wanted to strangle Elena myself a few times and knock Blake around too. I honestly thought I had this book figured out. I just knew who Elena’s parents were, what the plan for her was and that she was going to claim Blake. I can honestly say I ended this book with the phrase; “Are you kidding me?!”.

This novel was written very well in my opinion. Adrienne’s writing style very much fits my reading style. I like stories with a lot of options for multiple theories, I like a good even split of romance and magical mystery, and I like having a strong female lead character that I can find similar attributes within myself.

Elena is very stubborn and doesn’t listen to anyone else’s, forcible may I add, suggestions on what her actions should be. She beats to the rhythm of her own drum and fully believes in the reason behind what she is doing. That is because what she is doing she does with the full capacity of her heart. She is a heroine that I would want my daughters to want to be. Plus, she kicks butt…literally.

This novel was very well written. There wasn’t any grammatical errors, typos or horrible noun/verb discombobulation. There wasn’t a ton of filler in the book that would stray you from the main point of the story. The storyline itself kept a good pace in my opinion. I didn’t get bored or sidetracked with sidebar activities that the characters partook in. They all seemed to tie together in the end and that is always impressive to me.

The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars was because I felt the story could have focused more time on Elena and less on the development of Paul’s character. Once the novel ended, I can see that Paul’s character development could have been intention to the further development of the story but I still wish I could have seen more character development of Blake or the relationship development between Blake and Elena.

Elena Watkins is a 16 year old girl who has been living a very nomadic life with her father since she was a toddler. Her mother left her and her father when she was just a very small child with really no explanation in the books as to why. The book begins with Elena and her father on the run from unknown forces, just has Elena has been accustomed to in her young 16 years. This time it is different…they get caught. Elena very drastically and quickly discovers her father is a dragon when he transforms into a full grown dragon to protect her from the other dragons who seem to want her dead. Elena does find a way to escape and she finds herself waking up in an infirmary room surrounded by unknowns adults…and no father. Her father died protecting her from the evils that she didn’t even know existed until that night.

Elena has been gut punched by reality and the world that is Paegeia. A world that is full of magic, dragons and darkness that has been simmering since the death of their beloved King Albert. Elena begins attending the school of Dragonia. A school that is built to teach and train the Dragonians, riders of Dragons, and their Dragon counterparts.

Firebolt takes you through the story of Elena Watkins, her best friends Becky (a dragonian) and Sammy (a dragon) and the search for Elena’s true destiny.

My Opinions:

AHHHHHH!!!!! I needed a good read! The story line and plot that Adrienne Woods developed is wonderful. It is definitely Harry Potter meets Vampire Academy. She did a great job of explaining the different types of dragons and abilities that the dragonians have in order to understand the trajectory the story takes throughout the book. Elena is also a really good heroine . Even though she is 16 years old, she does not carry the immaturity and whiny attitude that a lot of teenager characters possess.

There was just enough action/romance balance in order for one not to overpower the other. Sometimes in stories it is very easy to get so much of one and not enough of the other. It can become overwhelming and drown out either a really good opportunity for relationship development or just a bland and boring storyline. I was also grateful there wasn’t a lot of “fluff” put in throughout the book. I absolutely HATE to get a good taste of a theory or foreshadowing and then not hear another thing about it until the last 10 pages of the book. Who’s with me?!

Star Review:

I very happily give this book 4 stars. This was my first Adrienne Woods novel and I LOVED it. It kept be plugged in until the very end and I automatically purchased the second novel in the series.

This book was mostly enjoyable, but also kind of ridiculous. It was full of so many cliches, and I will eat my hat if she doesn't turn out to be a long lost daughter of a royal family.

I quickly forgot I was reading a book. Within moments I was plunged into a world where magic and dragons are real. I felt like I *was* Elena, her emotions flowing through my veins, what she saw projected in front of my eyes. A brilliant and fun read.

received as a gift

It started as a little confusing and boring until the dragon fight but it soon became really addictive. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves people who ride dragons and romance.

I gave up at about the 60% mark. I really tried, but there are just too many things about this book that were driving me crazy.

Time to move on.

Predictable, perhaps I was looking for something more grownup. The heroine seemed immature to me, too young LOL

Click the logo for the full review.

For those who have been following my reviews since 2015 when I first started up my book review website, you know that I'm a sucker for stories about dragons in any form. If it has a dragon, I'm buying it. 100 cool points for stories with dragon mcs. Anyway, back to the point. When I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately downloaded it, looking forward to my next dragon adventure.

When it comes to giving out details about the world, Paegeia, it's actually nicely done. It doesn't dump all that information on you at once. Instead, we learn as the character does through the dialogue between her newfound friends. I'm glad it wasn't overdone. Learning with the character is usually my favorite way of finding out.

"For the love of blueberries!"

Man, Elena is such a klutz. This poor girl is falling all the damn time! Speaking of Elena, let's talk about her... (click logo for full review)

Firebolt (The Dragonian #1) by Adrienne Woods is an awesome fantasy book I was able to get for a honest review from NetGalley and boy am I glad I did! What a great read! Dragons, magic, romance, magic, action, good vs evil, a clean book and a great book. Exciting and true dialogue full of emotion and excitement on every page. The plot is fast with lots of twists and turns. I was so impressed with this young adult novel, although I am NO young adult and I loved it, I had to go and buy the next book and the novelette that goes between the two! I rarely do that! I am one of those people that get the good free books or cheap books or find good books to review. I could not wait, I had to have the next books in this series!This book is that good and fresh. I read over 300 books a year and this is a new and exciting fantasy. Thank you Ms Woods, can't wait to read the next book!

When her father is unexpectedly killed by dragons, Elena is left alone in a world she had always thought was imaginary.

This book pulled me in right from the start and kept my attention. I enjoyed it thoroughly to the very end.

This book is a good start to this series. I like that it was different and refreshing form the typical "vampires, werewolves, zombies, and fairies" to name a few. Although I had a hard time getting a jump start on this book. I found myself slowly progressing through it in the beginning. For my it was not until about the third of the way into the book when the story really started and picked up in other words when Chastity was kidnapped. The world that the author built was cool. I liked learning about the different between a light and dark caster. There are some stumbling steps as Chastity learns and develops her talents. At times she really shows and acts her young age. Which was a good thing but also grew old too. The ending left a good lead up to book two.

Elena Watkins doesn't know what it means to have friends or an extended period in one place for more than three months. Elena's father's makes them move after three months. As child Elena was told stories of a place called Paegia where mythical creatures are real but as teenager she doesn't believe. That is until she's face to face with one because her father happens to be one. Elena is taken to Paegia where her birthmark is valued for it's rarity. Elena gets a crash course into what it means to be human and dragon too. With the help of Becky and Sammy, Elena learns not everything is as it appears at face value. Kings and Queens along with princes and princesses exist. One prince named Lucian McKenzie falls in love with Elena much to several classmates dismay. Will Elena accept her new life? Will Elena stop being afraid? Your answers await you in Firebolt.

Unusual for a fantasy story. The story and characters were rich and bold along with creative and intriguing too. I'm curious to see where this story goes in the future. This story also includes girl meets boy aspect as well as bad boy in need of redemption.

A well written story, I really enjoyed reading it.

I received this book from first reads for a honest review. I love how to train a dragon but I'd never gotten into a dragon book before. I felt that it was very interesting how the dragons can take on human form . I also liked how the dragonians claim a dragon and sometimes form a dent. I was frustrated at times when i felt Elena was being overly sensitive but in the end I loved her character . She ended up showing true courage and bravery. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing how Elena's relationship evolves.

Elena is suddenly thrust into a new world of magic and dragons upon the death of her father. How will she cope?

A beautifully imaginative and descriptive narrative leads characters and readers through normal teenage turmoils as well as turmoils special to this reality. Elements of action, adventure, with a hint of romance help to flavor the story.

Characters are genuine, caring, and interesting.

Overall, a fun read.

An absorbing tale along the same conceptual lines as Harry Potter (orphaned teenager finds out she has unusual powers and attends an academy to develop them), but it's still different enough to recommend. Some very good dragon world-building.

Good, but too much like Harry Potter

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an amazing story. The author does such a great job with the storyline and character development. You are drawn into this world and don't want to leave. Can't wait to read the next installment and other works by this author.

Engaging read. This novel keeps you enthralled from the first word to the last. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. Elena has enough on her plate - she is a teenager after all, but life just got complicated - her dad is a dragon. Not only that, but he is gone and she is in a new world of old magic.