Dragon Prince: Dragon Prince Book 1

Magic, strong female characters, multi-faceted characters that are well developed, a character you can relate too no matter who you are, dragons, princely politics at it's best, love, family, heartache, struggles, war, fantasy, sunrunners...if you like any or all of that...you must read Ms. Rawn's book, and continue with the series. Ms Rawn isn't an author to turn out books like other famous authors (Lackey, Eddings) that are short with no substance. Her books have thought and content that will grip ahold of you and not let your heart and mind go. These thick books will hold your attention for a while, not for someone looking for simple, no plot reading. How you could NOT read these books, I don't know. No, she isn't perfect, I won't give her that, you wouldn't trust my review if I did. But trust me in this- give Ms. Rawn a chance, you won't regret it.
To address the past negative comments:
One sided characters? These characters are the best developed people I've seen- logical, realistic, thought provoking, multi-sided. I dont' see how you could think otherwise!
Another facet of this book...it states perfectly my definition of love. (And no, the book isn't a romance novel by any means.) I often find myself quoting the book to find the correct heartening words!
And the politics being the downfall of the book? Not even...they add to it's plot and thickness ten fold!
The characters being just good or bad? NO! Look at Pandasala, read more on Rohan, see Sioned's reactions in later books, take a second glimpse at Andry...and Pol, good and bad in one person has never been so interesting!
And to you Ms. Rawn...thank you for writing a series that I could get into and look forward to reading. Thank you also for your definition of Love...you have brought me my husband because of it and your books! (Seriously!) Keep up the great work, continue improving, and thank you for your personal treatment of your fans!

As an avid reader of historical romance, I am amazed that I have found another type of 'book' that I like.... A co-worker kept bringing these types of books to work...I accused him of reading 'fairy books'...UNTIL he gave me all 3 Sunrunner books at once! I told him that I would 'try' to read these. I am currently starting Stronghold and now I want to read everything that Melanie Rawn has ever written. Just goes to show me that I shouldn't knock something until I have tried it!! I can't recommend these highly enough.

Maybe this book is a situational book. It really depends on where you are in your life. If you are looking for something to believe in or for someone to tell you,"It's ok kiddo, everyone goes through this garbage" then this series is perfect for you.
I worked in a large bookstore for a couple of years. Whenever I had a parent who was trying to find something inspirational for their teenager,or a teenager who was looking for something, anything, I ALWAYS suggested this book. It is very good for someone who is has willing suspension of belief (to me this not a bad thing. why else read fantasy).I also feel this book is very good for someone who needs to see what a positive, healthy relationship between two fully developed adults should aspire to be.
Sioned is young, independant and a tinsey bit unsure of herself or her position in Rohans heart<although she would not let the world see this>. These are feelings that everyone will feel. It is important that it be reinforced that those feelings are normal and "ok". I also think it is important that it be demonstrated to most people that one can completely open onesself up to a person with out loosing oneself or their individuality. Love (in any interpersonal relationship) is something given freely and does not intentionally hurt the other person or yourself. All of the couples in this series are fully developed individuals who are not MADE complete by the other person because they already ARE complete,but still depend on them.
Also Rohan is a good guy. He has tough decisions because the decisions he would make as a man do not neccessarily coincide with those of the Prince. These are the same things we have to deal with. As well as how to get along with people we do not like, and family pressures.
Miss Rawn also did a wounderfully tasteful job of portraying the physical love. We get to peak into their lives and their hearts but not into their lovemaking.
We also have the torn personal alliances as well as the really rotten antagonist <who you really want to see just absolutly ripped to shreads--you will love to hate him> Princesses getting in the way and being awful <cant wait to see them publically humiliated--will start having dreams of strangeling them with your bare hands>. Also the full scope of emotion--elation to failure.
I would hope that all young people--or people looking for something would read this book. It is inspiring and demonstative of so many things that we would all hope for... ...Justice...Appreciation...Love...Acceptance.
Jeanne = )

I bought this book based on the plot synopsis and the reviews listed here on the store. In the end, I feel a little let down.

The book starts off with promise. A young prince is elevated to the throne when his father suddenly dies. A magic-user is being swept into schemes not of her own devising. Unfortunately, the book quickly becomes trite after this exposition. The prince and the magic-user meet and immediately fall in love, but are prevented from expressing their passion for the sake of fooling the other ruling princes. While they maintain this duplicitous behavior for a time, they yearn for each other without cessation. Frankly, I just didn't buy into this love-at-first-sight deal. It seemed far, far, too contrived.

The book also seems to lack strong characters, particularly female characters. The prince questions himself, as you expect a new ruler might, but it didn't seem authentic. The vast majority of the women in this book exist for the sake of providing the plot with buffoons, worriers, and male child producers. There are a few exceptions to this broad stroke, but they don't make up for all the characters who fall into this generalization.

Another thing that temporarily removed my suspension of disbelief was the fact that at a point in the middle of the book, the plot jumps ahead 6 years in the span of a few pages. While there were a few things of note that happened in those 6 years, the sudden, long jump forward in time seemed like another contrivance for the sake of the plot.

Melanie Rawn is fortunate that I am a ravenous fantasy fan, for I still found myself flying through this book and even grinning at a few passages. That is why I give the book three stars despite my seemingly negative review. I'm not sure whether I'll pick up the other books in the series, though. I might move on to one potentially better.

In short, if you are an avid fantasy reader who finds yourself exhausting possible new fantasy series, pick this up and give it a chance. But if you are at all choosy or selective in your fantasy fiction, you'll probably want to put this towards the bottom of your reading list.

I adore this book series. I first read Dragon Prince when I was in the hospital recovering from Appendicitis where I quickly fell under the spell of the Princes and Sunrunners. I was so enchanted that I would be lost to the world for hours at a time. It took my mind off of the pain. The book itself is very detailed and highly enjoyable. The charecters are 'real' in the fact that by the end of the book they feel like old friends. The book has everything a reader could want; humor, good dialog, plot, and action. I really don't understand what these other reviewers are talking about when they say that it is a 'shallow' story and that Ms. Rawn is a racist. The book is written on a level that isn't seen much anymore, with thought and feeling. I'm just sorry that my review won't do it justice.

P.S. Dragon Prince is my personal favorite of the 6 book series and I would recommend it to anyone.

I recommend this series to anyone who is looking for something meaty, rich, and engaging in the genre. While the dragon references in the titles may put many off, the novels are actually filled with political intrigue, romance, and full bodied characters. Settings are varied and interesting, and the storyline clips along surprisingly in novels of this size.
Read it! One of my favorite series. I go back to it often in between new releases.

Just ordering this book in Paperback form.
From the reviews that are out there, it sounds like it could be great or it could stink, can not tell.

The order page does not make it readily apparent what the name of the series is -- I think, from looking around, that it is the 'Sunrunner' series...wow, if that were clear, I might order all of the books (3?) in the series just on spec that I would like them.

There are a lot of features for the electronic/Kindle editions that are not enabled for this book, but the offer page proudly lists them: like x-ray and 'sharing'. So were I to buy the kindle version, I would not be able to loan it to anyone else? That's why I'm buying the paperback.... l really wish there were an electronic or physical edition that combined all (apparently 3) books into one edition. Maybe it's not a good enough book or series for that?

There's no advantage to owning the digital copy. I know this is kind of a ridiculous rant -- on the surface -- but I'm a big believer in quality delivery, not seen here in the marketing of the book/s. Has this project been abandoned by the author or is it normal not to add in any value added features for electronic books or series for the store sales?

I like reading the Dragon Prince series. It's not as bad as some commented earlier but it was not as "excellent" as others thought. The series doesn't deal with just one hero. I've noticed that many sci/fantasy books deals with one hero that saves the whole world or a group. Each having a specialty that save their race or the world. I like the way Rawn doesn't make just one hero.

My sister recommended this trilogy to me recently. I am enjoying it and look forward to the resolution. The characters are well rounded and becoming more fleshed out as the tale progresses. Lots of action and a little plot twisting to keep interest. I am halfway thru second book now

This book was wonderful, as were all of the books in the series and Melanie Rawn's other books(if you liked this one, read "The Ruins of Ambrai", "The Mageborn Traitor", and "The Golden Key"). I immediately liked the characters and related to them and by the end of the book I was obsessed with them. I really liked the way the characters weren't just "good" or "bad", but a realistic and somehow compelling mix of both. An excellent book that i can't believe only has a rating of 4. It's definatly a 5 star book!

I first read this book shortly after it was published (and the following ones as they came out - but that's another story...) and have re-read it may times over the years.

Firstly, let me say something - the title is a bit of a mis-nomer - this is not a book about dragons. Trust me this is not a criticism, and that's saying something coming from me who has read almost all of Anne McCaffrey as well as several other 'good' dragon based fantasy tales. In the later books, dragons do become more important to the plot line, but here they are not much more than a plot device - like a desert sandstorm. Again, this is not a criticism.

The characters jump out of the pages at you right from the start. They are far from perfect and all have flaws - argue, suffer, even die. Miss Rawn is not above taking a major charachter and putting them through hell, or worse. Another very definite plus point is that the characters age - not so apparent in this book, but taken as a whole, the full six books clearly show the difference between Rohan as a 21 year old heir to the Desert and Rohan as a 60 something High Prince - not many books of any genre demonstrate this.

It's quite difficult to review this book alone without mentioning the rest of the series - but then, once you've read the first one - it will be difficult to leave it at that. Will Rohan and Sioned live happily ever after? Hmmm...

This whole series is amazing, the people are real, you get emmotionally attached, you laugh you cry and you get mad, some of them you do not like, some you do not understand and you LOVE some of them...i think this is one of the best set of book around
Deanna

I first read the Dragon Prince series years ago and was completely enthralled. Now years later as I have grown and read it again, the story has only gotten better and more interesting. Progression of the story is well paced, I never felt like it got boring and slow. The characters are well formed and fleshed out, as well as being easy to track. Other books have an entire cast of extra characters that can be hard to track at times.

Overall, I'll be reading these books again. If you enjoy dragons, magic, and princes with a little intrigue thrown in, then this series delivers.

This book does break away from the standard "adventure" fantasy novel that shows a character change while faced with a journey or difficulty. In this novel, no character struggles to their position, for every pertinent individual has power at the beginning. From that point on, the book follows the political plotting of good versus evil. If you love the details of running a government and the nuances of delegating power, give it a try. I find it works really well to lull me off to sleep at night.

Melanie Rawn is GOOD! I was hooked on The Dragon Prince from page one. At first, I was extremely confused, not being a frequent fantasy reader. I was totally confused by the Sunrunners and I wasn't quite sure what was going on with Zehava and Roelstra. But I gave it a try, and it was definetly worth it.

I think Melanie Rawn's books are positivley spectacular. In this book
she ties in all the important points of writing, drama, suspense, surprise, politics, comedy, and realistic
potrails of characters and places. I would tell anyone that this book is a number one, top of the
line, best-seller!

I think Melanie Rawn's books are positivley spectacular. In this book
she ties in all the important points of writing, drama, suspense, surprise, politics, comedy, and realistic
potrails of characters and places. I would tell anyone that this book is a number one, top of the
line, best-seller!

Having an M.D. in English literature, I should know that this book is ranked in my top 10 out of my 1000 or so books I have read and top 5 out of my 100 or so fantasy books. I believe that more people should read the book. It has excellent character development, plot development, and is very interesting.

I started the series because I liked the cover. Little did I know that this was a large series and the smallest book was just a few pages shy of 500. By far this is my favorite book, I recommend it to everyone I meet. Everyone that has read it agrees with me at how remarkable it is. I like the fact that there is a character for everyone. What I mean is that there is a character that could easily be you if you existed in this book. I happened to relate to Rohan so that is probably why I love this book. Melanie Rawn also writes with so much detail I can easily close my eyes and see all of the characters and also all of the locations that they go to. I recommend this book to all.

I actually read this series many years ago but It remains one of my favorites. The stories have something for everyone, Action, Magic, Romance, Politics, Suspense. Rivals Game of Thrones in my opinion.

I picked this book out of thousands one day because it looked interesting. Boy, was I right. I couldn't put it down for two days. Sioned and Rohan had laughing the whole time. Sioned and Rohan are throw together and they fall in love overcoming many obsticles in the way. Some people working to get them together and some working to keep them apart. Their keeping their love secret first and then revealing it to everyone and then getting married. But thats only the first part the second tells the whole sad story of their getting their son, Pol. On how they destroy most of their most dangerous enemies. And so much more. I absoulutly loved this book and I highly recommend it.

This is how fiction in general SHOULD be written. Dragon Prince should not just be in the sci-fi/fantasy genre but also in the Romance genre. Dragon Prince totally engrossed me and included me in its world. Magic, politics, and romance are the main themes in this book and it leaves you wanting more. Melanie Rawn writes her stories like the magic mirror in the book; it will suck you in and want to live in it. You MUST read this book, no MATTER WHAT!

After reading the countless glowing reviews this book received and the numerous negative reviews, I felt I had to add my two cents. Rawn is a gifted writer but I found the book could only be described as boring. While new magical methods are introduced the good guy, bad guy, formula got tiring. The lapses in between action was almost unbearable. I did finish the book and move onto the other novels in the series but was unable to finish any of them. The reviewers that claim this is the best book ever written might want to read other Epic Fantasies (Jordan, Tolkein, Herbert) before awarding this book with that title.
The extreme difference of opinions contained in the 109 reviews this book received only go to show you the vast range of likes and dislikes the general public can have. Read this book if you have plenty of time on your hand but if you like mature well thought out charaterization try Kay, Jordan or Martin.

These books are among my favorites. They are so unbelievably good. What is good is that we, the readers, never know what exactly will happen. I never would have guessed who would die and whatnot. The only "complaint" I have, and I mean the only, is the ending to this wonderful saga. At least let Sionell and Pol get together! If there was any way that there could be another book written somehow to bend that ending, I would be so incredibly happy. Once again, Ms. Rawn, thank you SO much for such inspiring books. Goddess blessings! :)

i read this book in the Summer Holidays and spent the rest of it pretty much reading the rest of the series. Fantasy is called fantasy for exactly that reason: it's not real! Hence you can't expect the characters to act in ways that you would yourself, at best, it's a reflection. I loved the dream-like, lyrical language used in the novel and i also loved the lavish descriptions of characters and setting. I loved the idea of Sunrunners vs. Sorcerers and the romantic aspect of the novel was both poignant and uplifting at times. Being Ms. Rawn's first novel, it is not her best, but amazingly, it is still incredibly absorbing and well-written! FIVE STARS!

I picked up this series because it was given good reviews by Anne McCaffrey, an author I have a good deal of respect for. After reading this work I wouldn't take her suggustions anytime in the near future. The book was dry from begining to end and has a way of sluggng you in the face with information rather than sharing it. The storyline I thought was well thought out but if the book had convey it in a different way that made it less informative and more entertaining than I would have enjoyed it.

A new prince must deal with his political rivals, and also with his new wife, attempting to keep his domain stable and protected.

This proves problematic due to scheming of various powerful figures around him. His wife's magical powers are of some aid in helping him in this area.

Definitely on the romance end of fantasy.

I kept hearing about this series and how well Melanie Rawn writes yet, while reading this book I found myself constantly skimming the pages. I really struggled to finish this novel.

I found the romance between the leading characters to be unoriginal and simply boring. I found Rohan to be too perfect and excruciatingly dull. I also thought that Rawn's attempts at sexual chemistry between the characters was mere child's play. I should warn you that while the book advertises dragons as major players, they are in reality background props. This is not a book worth buying.

I kept hearing about this series and how well Melanie Rawn writes yet, while reading this book I found myself constantly skimming the pages. I really struggled to finish this novel.

I found the romance between the leading characters to be unoriginal and simply boring. I found Rohan to be too perfect and excruciatingly dull. I also thought that Rawn's attempts at sexual chemistry between the characters was mere child's play. I should warn you that while the book advertises dragons as major players, they are in reality background props. This is not a book worth buying.

Melanie Rawn is brilliant. The story is beautifully written and keeps you on the edge of your seat. She has a large cast of characters, yet you get to know each of them individually. LOVED ALL 6 BOOKS IN THIS SERIES!!!!!

I love this book. The world building, the characters, the pacing - everything! It's so great finding a series like this you can read all at once. Some parts deal with serious subject matter, though, so be aware.

I agree with the previous reviewer. The characters are one dimensional. The evil people are purely evil, no one is a shade of grey, everything is done in black and white.
One of the saddest, most pathetic things I ever saw was what the main female character had to do to become a woman. At the age of 16, she, like all Sunrunners, must have sex in the dark with a strange man she has never met, thereby losing her virginity. Doesn't this author know having sex does not make you a woman? What kind of message is she trying to convey to young girls? You are not a woman until you have sex and it may as well be with a stranger if you are not yet in love with someone you know. I thought it was sick.

This is an adolescent fairy tale where all the girls become princesses, and all the men become princes. Not sure I would call this story true fantasy. The dragons don't have a lot to do with the plot, and could have been replaced with Eagles and a gold mine. Finish by replacing the sun-runners with short-wave radio and you could write the same story as fiction (but then you might have a more discerning audience.)
There are times when this book shows 5 star potential, but in general it is a 1 star read. What this book really needed was a good editor willing to thrash the chaff. There are several chapters that could have been completely eliminated. The first two thirds of the book is spent describing dresses and jewelry. Every 5 chapters or so there is a paragraph that contains the plot.
A good portion of the characters that she spends time developing she kills off in the beginning of the last third of the book simply by stating a plague wiped them out, and here is a list of the characters that will no longer be in the story. It is the last third of the book where she realizes that she needs to tell her story, and the plot jumps around so much you'll think you're playing literary whack-a-mole.
The author devotes chapters of the book graphically building sexual tension between the characters, only to culminate it with something like `and then they had glorious sex.' I have heard this writing style referred to as "Mormon Porn" (after the Twilight series.) Fortunately, the sex usually has something to do with the story line so it has some purpose other than titillation for high-school girls.
Might not be a bad read if Readers Digest comes out with a condensed version.

I first picked up this book in an airport bookstore. I barely noticed the trans-atlantic flight, so easily did the pages turn. I have since read everything by Melanie Rawn I could get my hands on, and while all are excellent, none were quite of this calibre. The characters are so well written I found myself coaching them out loud, and have even, on occasion, embarassed myself by trying to touch sunlight. Sigh.... If only my life were a Melanie Rawn book!

Dragon prince is truly excellent book, rivaled only by the books that follow in the series. Melien Rawn Is truly my favorite author of all time. And yes I think her work is far better than Tolken. After reading her all books this truly her best work and I hope she finishes her new book THE CAPITALS TOWER soon, there is so little that you can even compare to her work!

My sister first recommended that I read the Dragon Prince and the Dragon Star novels. I honestly think that these books are some of the best I have read. There is romance, but it is along with war,fantasy, dragons, and the guardians of light; sunrunners. I recommend to those who thought the characters were one-sided or all good or all bad to read the second and maybe the third books. Your opinion will change.

Dragon Prince, by Melanie Rawn is honestly the best book I've ever read. I found the best aspect of the book was the development of the characters. As time progresses, Rohan and Soined, the main characters, adapt to each other and their surroundings like nothing I've ever seen before. This book is definetly a 'must have'.

As a lifelong reader, and published writer, of fantasy novels, this book (and the whole bloody series) ranks with the greatest in the genre. Melanie Rawn makes the magic seem real, the politics true to human nature, and the romance...well, guys aren't supposed to like romance in books, but hell - this time I loved it. So Massachusetts guy, you are too wrong for my humble words to express.

Great book...very complex charaters and world. I found it hard to put down. This is the type of book which ruins all other books from then on...it's so good that no other book can ever compare to it. I've read hundreds of fantasy books so I should know. I highly recommend it to you. The rest of the series is only a hairs width less interesting than this one.