Dragon Trials (Return of the Darkening Book 1)

Agathea Flamma is a snob. She’s also quite a brat. I tried very hard to give her the benefit of the doubt at the start of this book, since she’s high born and has probably never mixed much with hardworking commoners and all – but she kept on with her haughty thinking, believing Seb stupid and slow and dirty long past the point when she should have known better, and I wanted to push her off a dragon, quite frankly. Especially when she is exceptionally slow on the uptake herself at times.

Luckily for the sake of this book and my reading enjoyment, Seb is lovely. He’s a nice guy, he loves and appreciates his dragon, he works hard and he never gets too upset with all the awful, brattish kids around him who act more like they’re thirteen than eighteen. Which is a bit of a problem in this book. None of them act their age, so this is a book more suitable for Middle Grade readers than YA.

Beyond that this story is about what you’d expect with this description and this genre. There are dragons, there are people learning to ride them, there are some myths and legends, there is an ancient enemy, there are trials, social issues and of course a few enemies here and there. It’s all in here and it’s all fun and interesting, if a little irritating at times (Thea).

However, Seb and Thea are both lacking in back story and development. They don’t really change much throughout this book, except that they suddenly start working together at one point. It would have been lovely to have known a bit more about both their pasts in proper detail, rather than Thea pouting because her parents want to marry her off and Seb being a work horse to his alcoholic father. The plot is also pretty fast moving and there are some time jumps. I would have preferred a bit more detail on their actual training – away from the fighting and the first few flying lessons there isn’t any – and I’d have loved to have seen the reaction when they returned after helping another dragon during a trial.

So it’s not perfect or particularly unexpected. I would have loved a bit more from the dragons (but then I will always say this because I love dragons) and the world was a bit too generic for me (the north is simply called the north – but how far away is it? What’s the climate like here? What are the other countries like that don’t have dragons? And why don’t they have dragons too?). The characters have potential and the old enemy seems like one that will keep recurring long enough for a series. In all I enjoyed reading it, there was nothing about it I really didn’t like, but then there was nothing I loved either. I’d be happy enough to read more, if I happened upon the next book some day.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Fantastic read!! Had everything you could want in a fantasy book: Dragons, young people with hopes and dreams trying hard to fulfill those dreams, adventure and drama, and a little bit of romance.
I enjoyed the two main characters, Sebastian (Seb) a hard working young man, who is loyal and dedicated, especially to his rider partner and Dragon. Lady Althea (Thea) Flamma, weighted down with living up to the family name and history, is one feisty woman, who is brave enough to sit a protector on the back of Kalax, their beautiful red warrior dragon.
These three, dragon, woman and man, break the rules, to save a Kingdom and their fellow dragons and dragon riders.
I have voluntarily submitted this review after reading an advanced copy of this book.

Choosing day came every five years and it was the day young Dragonets chose their riders. Dragon riders patrolled against the return of the darkness. A rare breed of dragon was rare and it had picked Agathea as one of its two riders. Sebestian/ Seb was a drunken blacksmith’s son who loved dragons then to his astonishment he was chosen by a dragon. Agathes was one of the few females to picked as a rider and then to be picked by such a rare dragon . Then Agathea is not very happy when she sees Seb is the second rider her dragon picked. The picks were always from the nobility except this one time and it was Agathea’s partner she wonders how they will ever get through the Academy to be full fledged riders. There was a Dragon Academy where the prospective riders learn how to be dragon riders. Then Commander Hagerty introduced himself as the head instructor for the Academy.
I wasn’t overly impressed with this story. I didn’t hate it but didn’t love it. I didn’t like the way Seb was treated especially by Agathea who was to be the other rider. I didn’t like how Agathea was such a snob and looked down on Seb just because he wasn’t a noble and from a poor home. I couldn’t connect with her even after she did change I was still not happy how she was. It was the dragon’s choice not hers. Seb was a much nicer and likeable character . Agathea had wanted to be a dragon rider mainly so she wouldn’t have to marry whereas Seb just loved dragons. I also didn’t like how Seb was bullied even though that was suppose to be against the rules or so I understood. I just didn’t connect with characters very much. I definitely wasn’t wowed.
I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.

Put the word `dragon` in the title of a book and that’s it, I’m sold, normally without reading the synopsis. That’s definitely the case with Dragon Trials (Return of the Darkening). I actually had the first and second books before I had opened the first. I had my fingers crossed they were good!

I was optimistic with the opening pages. Two dragon riders are picked by a dragon to train to become either a protector or a navigator. It is the dragons that do the picking, and no one can argue with them. It was refreshing to see the relationship this way around rather than humans dominating.

It meant that our two main characters, however, come from very different backgrounds. Most dragon riders – Thea included – come from a noble background and have been trained for this very moment their entire lives. Then there is Seb – the blacksmith’s boy, with no friends and no money, but an affinity to connect with the dragons on a deeper level than anyone else.

Sebastian was an instant favourite character! He has a personable personality and the ability to make friends with anyone, from the academy’s bully to his shared dragon, Kalax. He is friendly, honest and in over his head – but is determined to succeed, even if it is for Thea’s sake.

Thea, however, took me a lot longer to warm up to. For the majority of the book, she is a complete snob. She won’t connect with Seb because of his status and scolds him for following his heart. She socialises with those who bully her supposed `partner` and does nothing to defend him. Sebastian refuses to quit because of Thea, and she brushes him off.

In fact, it is only when it is revealed that Seb is a little special himself despite his common background that Thea starts to trust him. By the end, she is a likeable enough character, but it took a very long time to start liking her. Hopefully, in the second book, I will like her from the offset.

The majority of the plot involves the dragon riders training to become the protectors of the realm. There are hints throughout of a darkness that is brewing. I have to admit, when that darkness was revealed, it felt like such an anti-climax. Especially since his name was Vincent. I’m not sure why, but a villain called Vincent in this sort of fantasy story made me laugh – not exactly the right reaction, I’m sure.

I found Dragon Trials easy to read. It definitely focuses on a YA audience, especially given the immature behaviour of the riders. I do, however, believe these characters will develop in the second book once they start taking their responsibilities seriously.

An enjoyable tale if you can get yourself past finding one of the main characters a whining snob. There is courage and adventure, magic and dragons in all the right doses and it made for an entertaining read. A good way to spend an afternoon.

Welcome the the Dragon Trials! READ IT. (or in my case, listen) You will not be disappointed at all. If Dragons are your thing, this is a must. If you want entitled bitches, this is your book. If you want struggling to fit in, this is your book. If you just want a great story, this is your book.

It is a story of history and preservation. The Darkening is starting to show its face again in a land that has been peaceful for centuries. 2 naive and novice Dragon Riders go to seek it out and see what is happening to their country.

Welcome the the Dragon Trials! READ IT. (or in my case, listen) You will not be disappointed at all. If Dragons are your thing, this is a must. If you want entitled bitches, this is your book. If you want struggling to fit in, this is your book. If you just want a great story, this is your book.

It is a story of history and preservation. The Darkening is starting to show its face again in a land that has been peaceful for centuries. 2 naive and novice Dragon Riders go to seek it out and see what is happening to their country.

Welcome the the Dragon Trials! READ IT. (or in my case, listen) You will not be disappointed at all. If Dragons are your thing, this is a must. If you want entitled bitches, this is your book. If you want struggling to fit in, this is your book. If you just want a great story, this is your book.

It is a story of history and preservation. The Darkening is starting to show its face again in a land that has been peaceful for centuries. 2 naive and novice Dragon Riders go to seek it out and see what is happening to their country.

The rest of the story, you will have to find out for yourself.

The narration was excellent and keep you involved all the way.

5 stars for this one. Very entertaining.

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

Just not very good. Characters are shallow and boring. Plot is forced, boring, sometimes painfully hurried, and totally predictable. There really is nothing at all redeeming about this work and I really have no idea how it has a 4+star rating. This is a solid 2, maybe 3 if you want to be generous at best. I try to finish all the books I read and while I did finish this I can't imagine any reason why I would slog through the sequels. If the works of someone like Brandon Anderson are like a MPV player on a winning major league team this work would rate as a borderline better than average high school level player.

This story concept for this one sounded creative, so I was eager to give it a try. This book had a very juvenile feel to it. I get that its YA, and I usually like YA but this one felt a bit too YA in my opinion. Also, there were some slow spells during the plot. It just seemed this book would have had its fair share of adventure, but that was missing here. It was a slow moving read without much excitement. My main complaint was the heroine. She was just a b*itch. I have a hard time reading a book when I find the main characters so repulsive. I get that she had a higher class of upbringing, but it was as the writer went a bit overboard making her character come across as spoiled, rude and selfish. By the ending, I would not have cared what her actions were, I found her character to unredeemable. Long review short, this was just a bit too immature for me personally and the slow plot and awful heroine made this one a disappointment for me.

In spite of a few typos, awkward sentences, and grammatical errors, the story is interesting enough to keep the persistent reader forging ahead. At times, the writing lacks depth and grace, and the characters seem forced—they must think and behave a certain way for the plot to unfold. Seb and Kalax are more endearing; Thea seems two-dimensional much of the time. The pacing is inconsistent, especially toward the climax, which resolves too quickly. However, younger readers may enjoy the story more as they may appreciate a faster moving plot.

Dragon Trials was enjoyable light reading. I liked the general concept of needing 2 dragon-riders for each dragon and saw glimpses of how technology and society was oriented towards those dragons. While the character of Seb made him very likeable, Thea remained snobbish and unappealing. Both acted far less mature than the nearly adult17 & 19 years the story stated - ditto for the other students. Everyone else is just background with zero character development so I had little reason to love or hate them, I could identify them as shallow caricatures.

The plot had the rather common holes of how to make apprentice dragon-riders be the ones who save the day when there are far more experienced riders around. I feel like the author skipped over what might have been the most interesting parts of the story. I would have liked to have seen what happened when they brought in the sick dragon rather than simply hear of their ranking later, or some responses from their fellow cadets/dragon-riders when they returned at the end. I would've liked to see greater explanation of the discipline system because throwing out a dragon-rider team because the members had an aggregate of 3 infractions observed by only 1 instructor with no opportunity to offer a defense is absurd when dragon-riders are your main defense, recruited only once every 5 years, AND are essentially a life-time commitment to a previous stranger. The instructors and leaders cannot possibly succeed against "The Darkening" if they're as ignorant as they're portrayed in this tale.

The writing itself had only a few minor mechanical errors and was generally pleasant to read. The story action itself moved swiftly. And it had dragons, for which I have a great fondness. So I enjoyed the book. I just was hoping for something far more epic.

I'll look forward to the next book, hoping the tale is fleshed out a bit more thoroughly and believably.

I am a sucker for dragon stories. This book had a well thought out world, although the nature of the threat from the Northern lands was never very clear. The main characters, Thea and Seb, have a built in source of conflict, class differences. However, Seb does not seem to resent Thea's class privilege as much as she resents his "unworthiness". In the middle of the book, Thea goes from being a stickler for following the rules to being willing to break the rules, with no explanation. I ws disappointed by the ending. There was a battle, and a graduation. Still, the book just seemed to come to a stop rather than having any real resolution.

I really enjoyed this book, once I took the time to read it! I downloaded it from KU back in January, but got busy on books that I review for a review blog and never got back to this one. I finally took the time, and I would recommend this book to anyone liking a fairly fast read, with fairly well rounded characters and world building. I was REALLY annoyed at the character Thea for a good portion of the book, since she soooo reminded me of some snooty rich girls I used to know. You know the type...better than anyone else. But as the story came together, she loosened up some. I really liked the character of Seb, the poor kid who makes good. Fairly typical teens as heroes trope, so I'd say the book would be appropriate for the YA market, but it was also a fun read for this older duff as well.

*** I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review, which was originally published on book blog Will Read for Feels.

I’m a fan of the whole partnership-with-a-magical-creature type of fictional friendship, as evidenced by my having read just about all of Mercedes Lackey‘s novels of Valdemar. So Ava Richardson’s book, Dragon Trials, first novel in the Return of the Darkening series, was something I couldn’t not pick up after I’d read the description.

While things immediately started happening as far as this story goes, I had a bit of disorientation when I first started reading, mostly because of the head hopping between the two main characters. However, since the author stuck to only one point of view per chapter, I soon caught the rhythm of her writing and, after the first few chapters, I didn’t have to think about it anymore. Which was a good thing, as there was a lot to think about it once Richardson started taking us through the ins and outs of the world she’d built, which was wonderfully layered—there’s a secret subculture among the dragon riders, not to mention cliques formed by the riders with different roles, a hierarchy to dragon colors, tragedy when the triad of dragon-navigator-protector is splintered, and so on.

Right at the heart of this world is the dragon rider academy. The two main characters enter into it by virtue of having been chosen as riders by the same dragon, but they are immediately thrust into opposite ends of the social spectrum. Thea is from a noble family that has been churning out of dragon riders for generations. She has two rider brothers, one of whom is even partnered with the crown prince. She is very conscious of her place in the world, but to balance this out, she is also under enormous pressure to succeed. This makes her uppity, at least to others’ perceptions, because she doesn’t enjoy the success she thinks she should, no matter how hard she works.

On the other hand, Seb was born poor and has spent most of his childhood covering for his alcoholic father. Still, he at least has a rudimentary education, and he is kind to others, even when he can scarcely afford to be. As a character, I think he could have done with a few more flaws, but it is nevertheless very easy to sympathize with him, especially when he immediately becomes the prime target for the noble bullies who think they are better than him when it is proved time and again this is not the case.

Readers may see shades of Harry Potter and Hogwarts in this book, notably in poor, just-happy-to-be-here Seb and the rare and special affinity he has with dragons, the know-it-all Thea whose vast amounts of in-theory-knowledge doesn’t always stand up in practice, and the awkward and nerdy Merik, whose circumstances have left him something of an object of mixed pity and ridicule.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, though I would have preferred a bit more editing and a bit more clarity as far as the POVs are involved.

The author had a lot to top, I read the Dragon Riders of Pern by Ann McCaffrey. So I had standard's , I am pleased to say the author did not disappoint me. Combining a well thought out selection and training requirement with three individuals draw's one into this world. Much like the LOR (Lord of the Rings) you have stones of great power and a villain out to control all. This story sets up the world and individuals in it. I am looking forward to more stories in this services.

Good dragon book with the points of view from the main male and female leads. Since it was written by a woman I don't feel any hesitation to state that the female character was pushy, bossy, and a real witch but with a different spelling most of the time. The male character was your kind, understanding, poor individual born on the wrong side of the tracks but always ready to forgive. "Knight in Shining Armor"
Having said all that it was still a good book, a very quick read and very enjoyable. By the end of the book the frost queen thaws and the noble blacksmith gets a backbone. I look forward to the sequal and hope to read more from this author.

Agathea Flamma wants nothing more than for a dragon to choose her to be a Dragon Rider. The noble House of Flamma is part of a long tradition of riders, her two older brothers are riders, and this may just be her last chance. She knows her father wouldn't mind seeing her get married and have a family, but that's just not enough for her. Sebastian, the son of a drunken blacksmith with no real prospects or aspirations beyond someday inheriting his father's business (hopefully before he runs it completely into the ground), has seen the dragons, but doesn't even entertain the life Thea hopes for--dragons choose children of noble families with education and training, don't they?

The first of many interesting twists comes when a young red dragon picks both Thea and Seb as her riders. For Thea, the dream come true might be more of a nightmare as her partner has no training, no understanding of what it means to be a rider, and doesn't seem to be able to learn how to fight. For Seb, the sudden prospect of a completely new life is overshadowed by the attitudes of those around him, Thea's lack of trust, and his own feelings of having to work that much harder than everyone else to be successful. After all, they're not guaranteed to become Dragon Riders just because a dragon chose them. They have many trials and weeks of training ahead.

But training may not be their biggest concern. Stories are making their way from the north about strange events that seem eerily similar to the time of the Darkening--something the Dragon Riders helped drive out of their land. Is their realm really under threat? Does the King know about it? And if the Darkening has returned, can the riders fight it again?

I always like when I pick up a book on a bit of a whim and I end up really enjoying it. This is a fun, intriguing, and adventurous young adult fantasy that is certainly engaging and interesting for fantasy lovers of all ages. There are several layers to the plot that make for a complex and dynamic story. Thea has to adjust to the fact that the reality of becoming a Dragon Rider is not exactly what she expected. Seb needs to find his way in a part of society where he feels like a complete outsider. They both have to learn the skills needed to be successful in their new roles. And the stories of the Darkening possibly returning add more concerns for everyone involved.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series...

[I received a copy of this book from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

I've read some depressingly dark, bleak stories lately - tales that weighed down my heart and made me wish I could forget them. By comparison, this book felt like sunshine breaking through the clouds. Not that it doesn't have any tense moments, but, overall, the tone of "Dragon Trials" is warm and bright compared to my recent reading. Though the main characters face pressure and challenges, there's nothing so awful or grim that I had a hard time continuing the story. Thea is a brat at times but becomes more likable as the story progresses, and Seb is a wonderful person. I hope I get to read more about their adventures together.

The book was pretty good, the characters were interesting to read about and it was fun just to see them grow inch by slow inch. I was hoping for more character development though. The female character, Agathea, comes off as spoiled, self- centered, and someone who cares little for others. I understand her need to succeed and I commend her for her dedication to the job she acquired, but it would have been better for her to realize that things aren't always black and white. It was different reading about Sebastion, he was a soft-hearted teen content and happy to have the chance to change his life. In this story he doesn't change his nature completely and turn into some soft warrior. He just tries at what he's good at and does his best despite what his peers, Agathea especially, thinks. I would have loved to see him grow more but I expect that in the sequel.

This was a great story. I liked the young girl Thea, her need to be better then the other boys and goal to succeed as the first protector. The characters are likable and the story holds not bad words of sexual over tones in this story. Can't wait for the next one. Received this story as a kindle first. Glad I did.

This is a great Dragon series. We meet a pair - one a noble, one a commoner - training to be Dragon Riders. We watch as they find their way and do some growing. They become true partners, a team of three, with their dragon.

An excellent coming-of-age book, as well as the strength of right. But it's more - a very engaging story for young and old!

Thank you for this book!

A noblde-born girl and a commoner boy are picked by a dragon to train as dragon rider cadets. The boy, son of a blacksmith, faces scorn and bullying by their classmates, and the girl has to learn to respect a d to cooperate with her lowly-born partner. A really well constructed story.

Lots of people were complaining about Thea and saying shes a snob and a brat to the point that they didn't enjoy the book but I don't see it. She's a girl from a noble family who has her moments of being spoiled but she doesn't go around acting like she's better than everyone and that everyone is beneath her. I thought the author did a great job creating a character who had to deal with those struggle of being part of high society and being paired with a boy from the lowest class of society all while still making her likable and relatable. Take the time to read the preview and you get a good sense of Thea's character and also Seb's character.

Only criticisms would be I wish they had gone more in depth on the training the students received and a map of the world would have been nice. Also the characters at the Academy act younger and more immature than their ages. I would have made then younger given their thoughts and actions. Overall a very good book that is a pretty quick read. I would recommend for middle school to young adult readers.

The setting is interesting but the main characters are rather bland. This is a pretty common flaw in writing, however, and normally I will finish a book just to see what happens. Not this book, though. The thing that makes this book so hard to read is that it completely lacks narrative voice. It's like a narrator is just describing a movie to you, monotonously and completely without emotion.

I originally was going to write that this might be a good book for elementary-schoolers, but then I thought back to elementary school and realized that I was reading much more engaging books than this.

I read this on Kindle Unlimited, so if you have that, and you like fantasy, I would suggest adding this to your list.

This was a fun, fast-paced start to what will hopefully be a fun series. No one has great powers never heard of or a prophecy to be fulfilled or any of those tropes, but the two main characters in this book develop quite a bit. Like others have noted, Thea has most of the growth as a person, while Seb grows the most in his abilities. Seb is the proverbial nice guy from a poor upbringing, and Thea is, at least initially, a spoiled Noble who thinks little of her commoner partner. This is considered a YA title, and there is little of anything really resembling romance here, so any parents concerned about the fact that the characters are 17 & 18 have nothing to worry about, as there is nothing here but a kiss.

I am looking forward to book two, and the further adventures of Seb, Thea, and their dragon, Kalax.

The plot was so good I had trouble putting it down. I absolutely love the characters. Even haughty Thea. The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars, was the author’s few mistakes like “hearing the horns ring”. I don’t think horns can ring. But those errors were few throughout the book. I’m sure most wont even notice. I’m just a stickler.

I did enjoy this book about dragons. Basically there are two characters, Seb and Thea. They are from totally different worlds. Thea is part of a noble family and Seb is a blacksmith's son. It was hard to get through all of Thea's snobbery. She had wanted to be a dragon rider her whole life but when she gets the opportunity she doesn't really want to bond with her dragon or Seb. This is mostly for a younger crowd but I still enjoyed it.

I will never read a series where I hate the main character.

Thea is a snooty bitchy snob.

She's acts this way throughout the entire book, looking down her nose at everyone.

Gets old really fast.

I'm surprised no one punched her right in the face. Even if she redeems herself in future books, readers have to get past the FIRST book to do that and most will ditch the series way before moving on.

Surprised this was for teens and young adults.

Teens would think this was seriously childish....

Maybe if the book was geared towards 8-12 year old kids....maybe.

Too young for today's teenagers.

I also detest self-editing. The mistakes contained within were too numerous to count. No one should think they can make money with sloppy work. Most self-published writers spend money on fancy covers, but skip working on what's important...The actual work inside.

I'm writing this after I already read the whole series but it does get a lot more interesting!! Like many reviewers before me, I also didn't like Thea too much. She was really dismissive of Seb and doesn't seem to realize that he had zero training to become a rider while she had training since birth. Seb on the other hand seemed like an amazing person even though he hasn't had the best life so far and I was glad as they ended up forming a friendship over time. Although, I'm sure Thea will learn more from Seb as the series goes on. However, this book is slightly predictable in that there's a bully and Seb makes friends with the other outcast Melik, but that's usually how these coming of age books go.

This is a really good story about young people that MUST be picked by a dragon to be able to go to the a Dragon Academy in the first place. Different I'd say. Also two riders have to ride on each dragon. Again, different.
There's still evil involved along the way but this story will continue to get more involved with that issue in the next book.
Take time to read this. It's quick reading.

These are well written books -- some of the best I have found on Kindle Unlimited. Some parts grabbed me and qualified as 'can't put down'. Other parts rather dragged -- but only a little -- perseverance paid! It would help the story a great deal if the author would include in the title of each chapter the name of the person narrating the chapter.

I loved this book! It is a new spin on the 'dragon bonding with human' dynamic. Two people, not one, are chosen by the dragon to be its riders. And when they are a pair as mis-matched in station and experience as Thea and Seb are, the fur is going to fly! I can't wait for the next books - just got book two and started reading it, hope it's as good as book one!

The characters don't start off perfect, so there is room for them to improve, and they do. Considering they are kids, and the main characters come from very different backgrounds, it is true to the ways of school. They all get better, and really come together when faced with the return of an old enemy. I've read the series and it only gets more amazing from here! I highly recommend this series!

I really wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book as it is written in the 1st person. It is different that iti$ written from the point of 2 people, Seb and Thea. It is quite unique and a very good read. If you like Dragon, good vs evil,and a good story line with good character build up , then I recommend this boom to you. As for me onto Book 2.

Some might find the alternating chapters with the different characters telling the story disconcerting but it really wasn't bad and the easy out at the end created a very American style ending, except they scratched the dragon's nose instead of kissing their horse, but the story draws you in and sweeps you along like a good "western" should.

This series feels like an alternate history type book of the first dragon rider series. Some of the names are the same, but the situations are different. I thought it was going to be a distant future continuation, but items more of an alternate reality.

Seb is a good guy. Hard working, considerate of others. Studious in learning the skills to pilot a dragon
His partner Thea is a Lady. She thinks she is so much better than Seb that I want to slap her.
But like Seb, the lady is learning that it take more to be a good dragon rider than a blue blooded pedigree.

What a great beginning to this series. This book presented a realistic view of dragon riding including air sickness and bad vision. Our dragon hero even had to eat and rest. The story covered some good relationship principles. The ending brought a conclusion to the story with enough hints to stoke anticipation for the next one. Could use some minor tweaking.

Interesting style of sharing the narrative. (Read it to see what I mean). Enjoyed everything about this book, except often information was offered by someone and then they disappeared from the story. To many loose ends, even as first in series.

Very entertaining! I am looking forward to reading more stories about these characters. The story was paced very well, held my attention and when I had to stop reading I would anticipate my next session. Can't ask for more from a story.

This was a pleasant easy to read story. A bit like many other stories of young kids becoming dragon riders. The story is young, yet ended so quick. The story could stand on its own, but also interested in where Seb and Theo go from here

This is definitely a book for young people. The ideas are simple. The plot is formulaic and predictable. The characters blandly 2 dimensional.

The writing is in some places just bad. There are some sentences that are clearly missing words and there are other sentences that simply don't make sense as if they were generically translated from a different language and then not proofread.

I probably shouldn't have spent my time finishing this book. It reads more like a writing exercise than an epic story. And, even though this book shifts from one character's point of view to the other's, both characters sound the same. They have the same vocabulary, same sentence structures, and same lack of nuance in the way they think.

Wow! Anyone who stopped reading this because Thea is a bit snobbish doesn't know what they're missing! I enjoyed tbis book (and the next 2) immensely. My only complaint is the editing was a bit slack, but I've run into that a lot lately. I would love to revisit Seb and Thea some years down the road, maybe as a part of someone else's adventures.

A good read. This book was very unique in that it is written from the first person point of view. At first I didn't think I would like that style but the more I read the better I liked it. It gave a very unique and personal perspective to the story. I would recommend it to those who like dragon rider books

The story line is amazing and kept me hooked for hours It was intriguing to see how both Agatha Flamma and Sebastian Smith both develope seeing both their points of veiw finding my self in a little of both of them. To make a book about riding dragons or to be fair learning to ride dragons fleshing out the bond between the riders and the dragon is awesome in it's self. I was kept on the edge of my seat reading of the rising action and climax. My only regret is finishing the book at exactly 2:50 am.

I have enjoyed dragons and their world all my life. However, the new direction Ava Richardson has taken is fantastic. I love the interaction between dragon and rider. But, I have always felt there was something else needed, another element to really bring the dragon rider bond full circle. Two riders and their dragon all working together to fulfil their oath was inspiring. I look forward to the continuing story that, Ava has begun to unfold. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dragons as I do. Ava Richardson has something truly special to give, to all who love dragons and the world they encompass.

This is one of the best book series I have read in a long time. The story moves fast and the characters are likeable and the best thing is the violence isn't the main thing that you read. Best books I have ever had thru kindle unlimited by far!

Not bad, but it sticks to the formula for most Young Adult adventures. Unlikely pairing, polar opposites, chosen and destined for greatness, stumbling into massive, epic plost and intrigues that the 'trained heroes' can't seem to succeed in.

Easy to read and enjoyable! Especially if you're a fan of dragons like me! Nothing bad to say about it, just a few minor things that really didn't effect my enjoyment of it so no sense in mentioning them.

This was a really good story, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one. The characters were well developed, and the story line was very interesting. I got a little annoyed with the heroine at first, but the character learned and grew, and then I liked her better. The hero was great through the whole thing. :)

Exciting and enjoyable read. This story line kept me intrigued, but still asking for more. Ava Richardson does great with creating the story. The only Part I was missing was the connection between Seb and Thea. Is there romance or will that be developed in book 2?

It build frustratingly slowly yet it built with all its inept inaccurate military concepts till wham bam what happens. It's over how ahh a one paragraph boring oh well. Then hero stabbed nigh to death only to be conveniently healed n up instantly????
Trite inept and inaccurate as they come. Oh I have an idea lets let four guys box it out winner take all. Dastardly dodo vs wily woman.
Who do you think won? Ha fooled ya nobody does!!! Huh??
Bobo the dastardly dude snuck off doot ta doot.