Blood of Requiem (Requiem: Song of Dragons Book 1)

First I have to say....I am not a reader of fantasy. Yes, I have read fantasy books in the past, but, when given the choice between an interesting fantasy book and an interesting book in just about any other genre, I will always choose the other book. I was assigned this book by a member of an online book club I belong to, whose purpose was to choose a book out of my usual genres. Well, this person picked a great read for me. I throughly enjoyed getting to know and care about the well developed characters and was swept away by the story. I'm alreading reading the sequel, Tears of Requiem, and ejoying every minute. I'm always on the look-out for a new author whose books I enjoy, so I'm looking forward to trying Mr. Arenson's other works.

I found the book to be hypnotic. I couldn't put it down. More than ever, I want to get on with Tears of Requiem and see their future. Great job Daniel, I envy your talent.

Ron Williams
Bethlehem, PA

Once I picked this book up I did not want to put it down. I read a lot of books, most of them in the fantasy genre, so trust me when I say this one is worth the read. I can't wait to read more books by this author.

I am a dragon fan from way back so I have read MANY fantasy books about dragons! This book really kept my attention. I liked that it was from the dragons point of view. I look forward to the next book in the series!

The story-line is good if not great. The price is good. I hate the names of the cast. It made the book hard to read,hard to follow.I found the story hard to get through because I kept tripping over the names.I do enjoy a truly evil villain and this story brings one to the forefront.A hateful older brother who will make you despise his every breath.For me the story lacks a heroic hero.After reading the book I still wander just who is the hero.A lot of good guys and gals in the telling but no one stands out as my go to hero.This is not a book to bring new fantasy readers to the fold, find a read that flows better.For us readers who are die hard fantasy, give it a go,there's not much here NOT to like.

If you had the chance to kill a man who killed millions of people, man woman and children, committed genocide, would you? I know it wouldn't take me a second to kill say Hitler, well, if you like that kind of stupidity were the murderous scum live and the supposed hero let's him go not one but twice, then read this really stupid book.

I gave this rating because I only just barely got into reading the story. The reason for this is either the editor of this novel was the worst there was, or the novelist has a poor grasp of sentence and paragraph structure. It's not that it was terrible. It's that is was unremarkable and akin to a grade school level story to me.

The book had a very strong start, and I definitely felt like it had the potential to be a good book, and perhaps it ends well. I just couldn't get through this book. It didn't hold my interest, wasn't super well written, and had the same scene of conflict over and over again with slight variations. Give it a try, maybe you'll get into it, but I just couldn't finish it.

The books became so redundant, the same scenario kept repeating itself in the first and second group of books the only thing that changed were the names. He started with a good idea, but it became very predictable and boring. Sorry, but true! I kept reading hoping for something new and interesting but it didn't happen! The characters(bad guys were all very sick, I could see that with maybe one "bad guy" but all of them? Weird!

I was just searching for a book to read and bought this on a whim. I fell in love with it. I had it read in 24 hours and was purchesing the second book and reading it within minutes of completing this one.

I did not like this book. It took all I had to even finish it. It seemed like it was written by a high school student. I don't mind books written for younger readers but this one was mixed up and confusing. I don't normally like to write bad reviews but I hope I can save someone a few bucks on this.

I found this book to be a little lacking. The book had really good potential and fell a little short for me. If it wasn't such a all warm and fuzzy love story and more dragon ish it would have been 4-5 stars. If your a 12 year old girl you will love this book for the cheesy teen love angst and twiterpation. As I am not a 12 year old girl I felt it ruined the story. Lastly the inner monologs were over done and felt like page filler.

I am a fantasy/sci fi fan and my favorite fantasy creatures are dragons, so I am always happy when I find a good tale. The story line and characters are well developed in this first book. Hopefully, it will continue through out the series.

Excellent start to the trillogy. It is a bit heavy so I wouldn't recomend it for those looking for a quick read. I also would not recoment this book for young teens - it is quite graphic and has sexual content.

I am a fantasy/sci fi fan and my favorite fantasy creatures are dragons, so I am always happy when I find a good tale. The story line and characters are well developed in this first book. Hopefully, it will continue through out the series.

Excellent start to the trillogy. It is a bit heavy so I wouldn't recomend it for those looking for a quick read. I also would not recoment this book for young teens - it is quite graphic and has sexual content.

I really wanted to like this book, but I think I have read too many other good books to find it interesting. The characters, the plot and the dialogue are just so...shallow. This is probably good for a young teenage audience, but if you are an adult looking for a good read, you should probably go elsewhere.

This book started strangely with an unrealistic way in which a million dragons had died, being consistent, its ending was also very far fetched with 2 dragons taking on the might of many thousands. Apart from this the story was actually quite fun to read with good battles, humor between characters and never a dull moment. Alas I wont be purchasing the sequel unless I am really bored, I prefer a few more twists in my novels which this book tried to deliver but missed.

Cheers

If you love anything with a dragon in it and don't have much else to read, consider this to pass the time. I'm not going to give any of them away, but you may be pleasantly surprised by one or two new things.

But it's mediocre. Though the characters are never developed, they're consistent in their behaviors and attitudes. So while you never get very far into their heads, nor are they irksome with odd behaviors. That said, they're bland and totally stereotypical. I'm not going to give examples because I don't want to ruin the tiny bit of surprise that may accompany each new characters' introduction. (Because that would be all of the surprise, anywhere). The dialog is ...I want to keep saying 'not bad.' The dialog is true to the characters, but there's not much. Conversations are short, to the point and generally move the action forward (see also: characters aren't developed). The character names were irritatingly distracting, but eventually I stopped seeing them. There is a backstory, it makes sense and seems reasonable, but the geography and timeline are more awkwardly built. Distances that require more than a night of all-out flying are at some other point covered in an afternoon, or creatures whose training we see taking some time are then used, far away, that same day.

If you'll read anything with a dragon, you've probably seen worse. I read the e-version and spent the $2 for the second book, but don't anticipate reading the third.

I am a HUGE fan of the song of dragon's series. Please make a fourth book; they are the best dragon series I have ever read and they definitely break my top 5 favourite book series... I can't wait for the next one! I want to read the rest of your books. This is such a great book series and I recommend it for everybody ages 12+!

JS Rotorua, New Zealand

A young lady saves a boy from the war between the dragons and humans. The humans destroyed everything in requiem. But there are survivors hiding. The king fiinds the boy and trys to kill him but he flys off in search of others.

This book is mainly for 13 and up. The book is well written and the characters amazing. It really deserves the 5 stars.

The names of the characters are from Mozart's Requiem, so a wonderful change to invented or regular names. It is a breathtaking story, with strong characters and a logical structure. I am looking forward to discovering all other books.

This has to be one of my favorite Trilogies. I found this book when searching for a good dragon story on my Kindle app and this one jumped right out and grabbed me. I bought the second one immediately after I finished this one and I devoured them both in one night. The setting, the characters, the Vir Requis themselves are all things I'd dreamed of and never been able to write about myself.

It's rare for a book to grab me by the shirt and haul me in like this but this one just knocked my socks off. I've recommended it to all of my friends and even to my mother. She's the one that got me interested in this genre in the first place.

The names, the characters, are so deep and human and also epic that it is difficult for me to compare this book with other epic fantasy I have read. It has a very simple plot but Arenson works it like a great opera. I begin to read it and it was great, but then I think ... what if I read it while Mozart's requiem plays in the background? It was magnificent!! Great book, great author.

I started this book with a little apprehension not knowing if I would like dragon stories. I normally can get into a fantasy quickly and understand where the writer is going with the story. With this book there was no thought about who wrote it or where they were leading me. It is written to live it, to be in the moment with the dragons. Fantastic, going to read book 2.

I had very mixed feelings about this book; to me it was one of those good news/bad news situations. It certainly contained some very interesting ideas, people who turn into dragons (In a world which has "real" dragons no less), magically possessed griffins and an interfamily civil war for leadership of the realm.

But for every interesting idea the author has tons of missed opportunities. His characters turn into different colored dragons, which rather than suggesting different traits, abilities or even bloodlines among them he simply uses as a reflection of their "inner character". His people turn into European dragons along the lines of Anne McCaffrey (With wings and four feet) while his "real" dragons seem to come from more of a Chinese origin/Never Ending Story (which he leaves totally unexplored in this first book) His griffins are controlled by a magic amulet and they are self aware and want their freedom (Something which is hinted at, but never really explored) These are only some of the good ideas I found wasted in this book, there are many more as well.

What it really comes down to as far as I'm concerned is that the description of this book compares it to George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" and it is certainly not that. This book simply lacks the complexity of character that "Song of Ice and Fire" has and many of the characters seem to me to lack deep and defined motivation for what they are doing (i.e. they do this next because the author needs them to do this next) So if that is what you are looking for from this book I believe you will be disappointed. But if you're okay with a somewhat basic story as long as it contains people who turn into dragons you might like this one.

This has all the potential of being a great series. Great plot. Were dragons hunted to extinction. Last four or five left. Struggling for survival. Unfortunately the dialogue is very patchy and not well written. The characters have no depth I would give it only 2 stars but the price was cheap and it's a quick read. Yes I will read the sequel and hope it is better.

I did not like this book at all. Redundancy abounds within its pages. The first 3 chapters could easily have been cut in half just removing the repetitive phrases he obviously put in for 'dramatic effect'. It seems there was no editorial over sight whatsoever with the production of this book.

Not a big fan of sci-fi, or fantasy, but was looking to read something different. (and who doesn't like dragons!) The cool picture of the dragon on the front made this an obvious choice for someone who is absolutely clueless when it comes to the genre. (SPOILERS) The story begins so beautifully (ocean breeze spraying on a warrior woman's face as she rides her trusty steed/GOOD STUFF!) and I am so into the character the book starts off with, I can only say, I was truly shocked when the author offs them and then writes a book about people you don't care about. Really. The only character in the book that had any depth or feeling was killed before you realized what was going on, and then, you expect the author to make the main characters so much more, and he never delivers. The book is mostly fight scenes, very little character development, and what he does tell you about them and their interactions makes you not like them very much. The storyline about a dragon race of people that can change into dragons was interesting, however, the author doesn't spend much time on it and gets caught up in story lines about magical beings and super powers that the book really didn't need. It seems as if he was trying too hard to make it exciting, and he forgot about the one thing that I believe makes a truly wonderful book, which is...balance. Just the right amount of action mixed with character development. Its a difficult thing to do and this author had more story then he needed and all the time in the world to do it. Disappointing, because it had so much potential and the author showed he can write. I bought the entire series (desperately wanted to give it a chance) and all the books are more of the same. Save your money and your time.

This book is probably the most intriguing books I have read. Daniel Arenson does an amazing job of introducing the plot of the series in this book, and I couldn't put it down once I started reading. This is a must read for everyone!

In Blood of Requiem Daniel Arenson has created an immersive and real world that takes what we thought we knew about dragons, griffins and were-people and twists it into a truly original tale. One of the things that struck me immediately was his use of Latin-sounding names for people and places, a touch which lends a sense of familiarity to his world. The reader immediately identifies the importance of each main character and place as they are introduced, because their names have strong historic and religious roots within our own society.

The Vir Requis are Weredragons, humans born with the ability to shift to draconic shape. The story opens with the final battle between two brothers, in which the young King of Requiem, Benedictus is the last of his kind, the Vir Requis to left alive. He manages to bite off the arm of his brother, the completely mad Dies Irae, and in the chaos he is able to flee to safety. Dies Irae survives and usurps the crown.

Dies Irae was not born with the ability to shift to dragon-form. This is seen as a defect by his autocratic father and as such he could not inherit the crown of Requiem. His younger brother Benedictus is instead made heir to the throne. Dies Irae later kidnaps Benedictus' daughter Gloriae, claiming her for his own, and takes the throne of Requiem by murdering his father. Griffins are bound to serve the ruler of Requiem by virtue of a sacred object, the Griffin Heart. Dies Irae steals that object, thus launching a war between those who can shape shift to dragonform and those who cannot, with himself as their new King. With the nearly invincible griffins in thrall to him, he succeeds in his genocide, leaving only a remnant of survivors. There is a rich, multi-layered backstory that is revealed in tantalizing bits as the story progresses

Hidden in the world are a few survivors of the Vir Requis, one of whom is Kyrie Eleison, a young boy weredragon who was found on the battlefield and taken into the home of a survivor, Mirum who raises him as her own. One day Dies Irae appears, and Mirum knows that Kyrie is in danger. She gives her life to allow him to escape, and he flees only to end up wounded and near death. Grief stricken, he determines to find the mythical black dragon, King Benedictus, and with his assistance Kyrie hopes take back Requiem from Dies Irae and his cruel daughter Gloriae.

Kyrie finds a man that he believes is Benedictus, who is going by the name Rex Tremendae. He forces his company on the old recluse and through a series of events he is proven right, Rex is none other than Benedictus. Kyrie forces Benedictus to face things that the old man would rather forget.

Benedictus' wife Lacrimosa and their daughter Agnus Dei still live, hidden away. There are many secrets and layers to the love story of Benedictus and Lacrimosa. She is a white weredragon, and Agnus Dei is a red weredragon. Kyrie is a green weredragon, and each color has strengths that are particular to that color that they can bring to any battle.

The many dimensions and rich backstory kept me reading, and turning the pages as fast as I could. I am impressed with the tapestry that Arenson weaves..Just when you think you have seen it all, there is more to see. I heartily recommend this engrossing tale to all who love dragons and truly enjoy epic fantasy.

NO SPOILERS ************* NO SPOILERS

Originally bought this as an eBook for some late night reading but to my surprise "Song of Dragons" has become my favorite new series. I guarantee that you will love the heroes and completely hate the villains.

I really wanted to like this, weredragons...that sounded so cool. But, I just couldnt. The writing was really juvenile. It moved really fast, too fast, no character development. And the characters were bleh and ugh inducing. *Spoiler* ......... they have to find some fogotten mythic type race, and find it after flying around for like 2 days and ask them to come help and then they were like, yea sure, well help you out in your endevours...just pass this silly flying test and all the thousands of us will pick up and come kill people for you...didnt seem too hard...the dialogue....i literally closed the book after reading some things the characters say. Cheese Rank: Master Level. Anyway...even for free I wouldnt really recommend it...sorry :(

ALSO...I have written better stories on toilet paper... >.>

I read alot of books! I read daily and when I'm at work and can't read, I listen to audiobooks. I could not say better thngs about this series. I read all three back to back and am hoping there is a fourth. WELL DONE DANIEL ARENSON

This author is not very well known, but if they keep writing like this, they will be. The author has a similar style to R.R. Martin, just not as specific (I think that is the correct word). This book/series is hard to put down. Do yourself the favor and buy it! Enjoy.

The first installment of the series was unable to retain my interest. I don't feel any desire to continue with the story. I think this has to do with the character development. I felt no identification or attachment to any of the characters. The blatant stupidity portrayed by all of the characters is mind boggling. How many chances do you need to save yourselves by killing the evil sociopath bad guy. Besides the romantic element there was no character development. The main character did not learn anything or attain a greater measure of maturity throughout the book.

On the up side the idea of the dragon/human transforming societies while not new or original is not as heavily developed as other genres. The last series that I read that had this element was the Halfblood Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton. Which I might add is very good (sadly the series is incomplete). If the Author could create believable good and evil interactions and develop the characters so that the readers develop associations and attachments to them. Then this would be a much better story.

I do not plan on continuing this series.

This book is probably the most intriguing books I have read. Daniel Arenson does an amazing job of introducing the plot of the series in this book, and I couldn't put it down once I started reading. This is a must read for everyone!

In Blood of Requiem Daniel Arenson has created an immersive and real world that takes what we thought we knew about dragons, griffins and were-people and twists it into a truly original tale. One of the things that struck me immediately was his use of Latin-sounding names for people and places, a touch which lends a sense of familiarity to his world. The reader immediately identifies the importance of each main character and place as they are introduced, because their names have strong historic and religious roots within our own society.

The Vir Requis are Weredragons, humans born with the ability to shift to draconic shape. The story opens with the final battle between two brothers, in which the young King of Requiem, Benedictus is the last of his kind, the Vir Requis to left alive. He manages to bite off the arm of his brother, the completely mad Dies Irae, and in the chaos he is able to flee to safety. Dies Irae survives and usurps the crown.

Dies Irae was not born with the ability to shift to dragon-form. This is seen as a defect by his autocratic father and as such he could not inherit the crown of Requiem. His younger brother Benedictus is instead made heir to the throne. Dies Irae later kidnaps Benedictus' daughter Gloriae, claiming her for his own, and takes the throne of Requiem by murdering his father. Griffins are bound to serve the ruler of Requiem by virtue of a sacred object, the Griffin Heart. Dies Irae steals that object, thus launching a war between those who can shape shift to dragonform and those who cannot, with himself as their new King. With the nearly invincible griffins in thrall to him, he succeeds in his genocide, leaving only a remnant of survivors. There is a rich, multi-layered backstory that is revealed in tantalizing bits as the story progresses

Hidden in the world are a few survivors of the Vir Requis, one of whom is Kyrie Eleison, a young boy weredragon who was found on the battlefield and taken into the home of a survivor, Mirum who raises him as her own. One day Dies Irae appears, and Mirum knows that Kyrie is in danger. She gives her life to allow him to escape, and he flees only to end up wounded and near death. Grief stricken, he determines to find the mythical black dragon, King Benedictus, and with his assistance Kyrie hopes take back Requiem from Dies Irae and his cruel daughter Gloriae.

Kyrie finds a man that he believes is Benedictus, who is going by the name Rex Tremendae. He forces his company on the old recluse and through a series of events he is proven right, Rex is none other than Benedictus. Kyrie forces Benedictus to face things that the old man would rather forget.

Benedictus' wife Lacrimosa and their daughter Agnus Dei still live, hidden away. There are many secrets and layers to the love story of Benedictus and Lacrimosa. She is a white weredragon, and Agnus Dei is a red weredragon. Kyrie is a green weredragon, and each color has strengths that are particular to that color that they can bring to any battle.

The many dimensions and rich backstory kept me reading, and turning the pages as fast as I could. I am impressed with the tapestry that Arenson weaves..Just when you think you have seen it all, there is more to see. I heartily recommend this engrossing tale to all who love dragons and truly enjoy epic fantasy.

NO SPOILERS ************* NO SPOILERS

Originally bought this as an eBook for some late night reading but to my surprise "Song of Dragons" has become my favorite new series. I guarantee that you will love the heroes and completely hate the villains.

I really wanted to like this, weredragons...that sounded so cool. But, I just couldnt. The writing was really juvenile. It moved really fast, too fast, no character development. And the characters were bleh and ugh inducing. *Spoiler* ......... they have to find some fogotten mythic type race, and find it after flying around for like 2 days and ask them to come help and then they were like, yea sure, well help you out in your endevours...just pass this silly flying test and all the thousands of us will pick up and come kill people for you...didnt seem too hard...the dialogue....i literally closed the book after reading some things the characters say. Cheese Rank: Master Level. Anyway...even for free I wouldnt really recommend it...sorry :(

ALSO...I have written better stories on toilet paper... >.>

I read alot of books! I read daily and when I'm at work and can't read, I listen to audiobooks. I could not say better thngs about this series. I read all three back to back and am hoping there is a fourth. WELL DONE DANIEL ARENSON

This author is not very well known, but if they keep writing like this, they will be. The author has a similar style to R.R. Martin, just not as specific (I think that is the correct word). This book/series is hard to put down. Do yourself the favor and buy it! Enjoy.

The first installment of the series was unable to retain my interest. I don't feel any desire to continue with the story. I think this has to do with the character development. I felt no identification or attachment to any of the characters. The blatant stupidity portrayed by all of the characters is mind boggling. How many chances do you need to save yourselves by killing the evil sociopath bad guy. Besides the romantic element there was no character development. The main character did not learn anything or attain a greater measure of maturity throughout the book.

On the up side the idea of the dragon/human transforming societies while not new or original is not as heavily developed as other genres. The last series that I read that had this element was the Halfblood Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton. Which I might add is very good (sadly the series is incomplete). If the Author could create believable good and evil interactions and develop the characters so that the readers develop associations and attachments to them. Then this would be a much better story.

I do not plan on continuing this series.

Unidimensional characters, very poor development in time, in-your-face storyline, it's like something written for children by children... only badly.
It's a shame really as the concept of weredragons is quite promising.

I like the book, and the plot is a little different then what I had thought it would be.
I haven't finished reading it. But so far It's a good story.
I would suggest this book to anyone one who likes fantasy or reading about Dragons.
Looking forward to reading all of the series.

Good read. Threat of genocide, attempting to survive at the edge of extinction and what one would do when faced with such dilemmas. Characters that you could feel their pain and struggles. A rich world that I look forward to learning more about in Book 2. One of the things that stuck out for me was Arenson's style. The prose was delivered in a rich way that made you easily see the world and what drove each character.

For most of the book, I questioned the direction of the plot. From the first, it seemed senseless and it only went downhill from there. I could not wait for the book to end; hoping it would get better. It did not.

A very well written book about dragons, only not about slaying them. A story about them and their journey. For myself, I haven't read for quite some time and sat down and read this book in a couple days and then finished the trilogy.

I would definitely recommend it to any fantasy reader.

Everyone about the cover and title of this book filled me with a sense of great anticipation. I couldn't wait to get lost in a world of dragons. My anticipation was shattered as I read page after page, with my wonderment growing about how this book ever got published.

Sadly, I found every aspect of the book to lack depth. The characters are bland. The dialogue is flat. The action is boring. I could go on, but that would just be cruel. Overall the book was a great disappointment. I would never recommend this novel to anyone. I feel awful saying such things because I'm sure the author worked hard and had great hope his story.

This was a pretty good book but if you want to really enjoy this book, read it as a stand alone novel. DO NOT buy book 2 or 3. If you do, it will ruin everything you liked about book one. The subsequent books are terrible (the plot is forced and the story is just really bad.) I mean how many time are you going to let the bad guy go then regret it? Book 2 especially doesnt make sense. The main foe is so powerful the story line just does not make sense. And the enemy of book 3 is equally nonsensical. Any ways, Book 1 is pretty good but I would stop there. My 2 cents.

Didn't care for how King Benedictus kept making the same mistake of having mercy on his insane brother, even after the brother (Dies Irae) commits genocide. Also there are some glaring inconsistencies, like how one minute they can take multiple arrows coated with poison ilbane and the next one shot drops them. The arch villain has lost his left arm, but can shot and reload a crossbow while riding a griffin and can't seem to miss? Really???

The only good thing about this book is the cover. That's it. That is was what dragged me in. A great cover - a great book. Wrong. I wanted so badly to like this book. I tried so hard to read it but I simply couldn't. The first few chapters were descriptive and engaging and fast paced. Not even half way through the book, it just started to be so poorly written, I just couldn't do it to myself. I'm very disappointed with this book, after all the good reviews I read. This book isn't worth being uploaded on a kindle, even if it is free.

A very well written book about dragons, only not about slaying them. A story about them and their journey. For myself, I haven't read for quite some time and sat down and read this book in a couple days and then finished the trilogy.

I would definitely recommend it to any fantasy reader.

Everyone about the cover and title of this book filled me with a sense of great anticipation. I couldn't wait to get lost in a world of dragons. My anticipation was shattered as I read page after page, with my wonderment growing about how this book ever got published.

Sadly, I found every aspect of the book to lack depth. The characters are bland. The dialogue is flat. The action is boring. I could go on, but that would just be cruel. Overall the book was a great disappointment. I would never recommend this novel to anyone. I feel awful saying such things because I'm sure the author worked hard and had great hope his story.

This was a pretty good book but if you want to really enjoy this book, read it as a stand alone novel. DO NOT buy book 2 or 3. If you do, it will ruin everything you liked about book one. The subsequent books are terrible (the plot is forced and the story is just really bad.) I mean how many time are you going to let the bad guy go then regret it? Book 2 especially doesnt make sense. The main foe is so powerful the story line just does not make sense. And the enemy of book 3 is equally nonsensical. Any ways, Book 1 is pretty good but I would stop there. My 2 cents.

Didn't care for how King Benedictus kept making the same mistake of having mercy on his insane brother, even after the brother (Dies Irae) commits genocide. Also there are some glaring inconsistencies, like how one minute they can take multiple arrows coated with poison ilbane and the next one shot drops them. The arch villain has lost his left arm, but can shot and reload a crossbow while riding a griffin and can't seem to miss? Really???

The only good thing about this book is the cover. That's it. That is was what dragged me in. A great cover - a great book. Wrong. I wanted so badly to like this book. I tried so hard to read it but I simply couldn't. The first few chapters were descriptive and engaging and fast paced. Not even half way through the book, it just started to be so poorly written, I just couldn't do it to myself. I'm very disappointed with this book, after all the good reviews I read. This book isn't worth being uploaded on a kindle, even if it is free.

I'd give it 4.5 stars. For lovers of all things dragon, I'd say this is a hit. The fantasy world is a bit underexplained, and would benefit from some more detailed storytelling. Also, the dialog was a little too modern. It didn't seem to fit. Beyond all that though, it was exciting and fun. I enjoyed the read and will read the next one.

***Updated***
Ok, I read the other 2 books and the series and boy did this story get monotonous fast. Predictable and repetitious are the top two words that jump to mind about he series.

The villain, is your standard chaotic evil static/unchanging bad guy who rapes and kills for unexplained reasons other than: "I'm EVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL"
Boy did this series get bad. -However, I did finish it, so I can say that it kept me reading -for what it's worth.

If you liked the Eragon series, you will LOVE The Song Of Dragons. Daniel Arenson is an incredibly talented author, and I highly recommend buying Blood Of Requiem. I have re-read these books atleast x20, and they are still an amazing read.

Absolutely awful book. It is horribly sexist, doesn't flow, has no consistency, often makes no sense, and was hard to read. There is little character development and no depth to the plot. The concept of weredragons was so cool I kept pushing through hoping it would get better but it didn't.

This book is poorly written, very poorly written. In fact this book gives me hope of possibly having my own book someday published. In my case however, if I write this poorly, I certainly hope that someone takes my computer away from me and slaps me with it!

Uhg! Don't waste your time!

If you're a fan of fantasy writing, this book will knock your socks off. Lots of action, great story line, engaging characters, all in all, a great read. Can't believe it was only $2.99 on the Kindle!

With the number of good reviews about this product, I was excited to start this series. Now I'm glad I only paid a buck for it. The author's use of Latin in character and place names (If you look up the origional Latin Requiem prayer, you'll recognize almost all of them) , and having the characters talk like modern day Americans was distracting and smacked of laziness on the Author's part. It also severely damaged the "otherworldliness" that I think is a hallmark of good fantasy.

In short, if you're a fan of George RR Martin or Patrick Rothfuss you're better off waiting for them to publish again instead of reading this crap.

I was not a fan after first reading this book, but after a second read through I found it better than the first time. Interesting concept, rough read at times, but if you can muscle through a little challenging reading it definitely grows on you.

This book is one of the rare finds for an adhd reader. What I mean is that when I read this book it jumped around and moved so quick without a precise storyline, that if you are unable to focus on one thing at a time you will love this book. However, if you are like me and you prefer a book that paints the picture and gives you details to go with the storyline, then avoid this, I was sorely disappointed when I read this and felt like I was reading the summary of a much greater book. I will not be finishing the series. Sorry

The poster who mentioned fight/run away/fight/run away etc had the same view I did. It got a little sappy when the teenage weredragons meet, but if I was half my age or less I might have enjoyed it more. One more gripe- why use Latin Mass names for the characters?

I am so disappointed with this book. The characters have no depth whatsoever, and there is no background or real plot to the story. It is all action, violence, rape, and constant wild chases. The entire book was about these dragon/humans being chased by the bad guys. I thought this book was going to have a real story to it, but I was so wrong. I am so sad I spent money on this book thinking it would the start to a great series. I hope no one else wastes their time on this book like I did.

The first few chapters of this book were good. The storyline concept was intriguing and I usually enjoy any books involving dragons.
Sadly and all too soon the bloodletting and slaughter turned me off completely and I have been skimming past the more brutal passages to get to the end.
There is a second book of the series being offered so I know there will be no conclusion to this one.
Sorry, but this is a thumbs down.

Edited to add that I wish I had read the reviews about this book before purchasing it.
There are many, many 5 star reviews but because of my advanced years I feel I would have been more influenced by the 1 or 2 star ones.
If this book was in fact aimed towards the young adult/teen market I am saddened that the author needed to portray the villain of the piece to be a cruel, sadistic rapist, torturer and child murderer.
There are many successful, well written dragon series books but this is not one of them.
After reading the reviews I shall not be finishing this book.

The only reason i think this book doesn't deserve a one star rating is that the idea is really good one. But, as the plot develops there is just too many times where the main characters and plot just don't come off as being at all credible. To start with our King and War Leader leads all his people into a suicidal fight with his brother. He knows all of them will be killed and his race will become extent. But, he does hide his wife and daughters. Wait a minute. Any leader would first of all think about survival of his race and would disperse the women and children as far from the seat of power as possible hoping some of them would survive. Better to run away and live to fight another day. Through out the book our heroes are on the run. And, for no reason that is described in the book, the bad guys always seem to find them.
Near the end of the book our King, after badly losing a one on one battle with his brother, again challenges the brother and all his griffins to a fight. And seems to do pretty well.
The heroes can turn into dragons and breath fire. They burn the griffins but somehow the human riders atop them never seem to suffer. Except when the griffins fall.
I could go on, the book is filled with what I term the "Oh come on" factor. Just not credible.
Too bad. The idea for the book was excellent but, the writer failed badly in the development.

This book had a cool concept, but was very poorly executed.

The concept:
There is a land where dragons are thought to be extinct. They are a race of humans that can turn into dragons when they want, but normal humans become jealous. An evil man takes on the human-dragon kingdom to kill them all, but a few have survived. The story follows a boy who was very young at the time of the huge battle and was not killed because his parents hid him. The evil man has found him and murders his care-taker. He is now on the run and looking for others of his kind.

The execution:
The writing would sometimes get lost trying to make a detail when the writer couldn't do it properly, so I'd think "what, how'd that happen...?" start the paragraph over "Ok... still doesn't make complete sense." This was especially the case in any action sequence.
I could see a little kid really getting into this (ex: A 10 year old boy). Kids have enough imagination/ADD to not realize where there's a gap. They just fill in the gaps and create more going on where the author has failed to do so.

Wish this was written better, I like the idea of it.
I read 24% and was completely unmotivated to continue reading... even on a 3 hour plane ride where this was the only entertainment I had on me.

The first thing that struck me about Blood of Requiem was the majestic prose. It catches you right from the start and grabs your attention. There's some powerful wordcraft at work here. Unfortunately the characters and story don't fulfill the promise made by the strong prologue. The flow of Arenson's writing is wonderful, and his descriptions are solid, but most of the characters in Blood of Requiem cling to a single defining idea and don't show the range of emotion or nuance you'd expect from a real personality. There are a few exceptions; the young Vir Requis (weredragons) Kyrie Eleison and Agnus Dei have a bit more depth to them. For the rest, a word or two is sufficient to encapsulate the whole of the character. Dies Irae lives up to his name: angry. Benedictus is gruff and noble. Gloriae is arrogant and cruel. Lacrimosa is pretty and weak.

This brings me to another point: the distracting nature of the nomenclature in this novel. All the main characters are named after phrases from Christian rites or hymns - or maybe just cribbed from Mozart's Requiem mass, I'm not sure. Even the place names are derived from Latin or Greek. Requiem - mass for the dead - is the destroyed realm of the Vir Requis. Fort Sanctus - holy - is the destroyed seaside tower where Kyrie grew up. Confutatis - silence (of the damned) - is the capital city of the cruel leader Dies Irae - day of wrath. Dies Irae's griffin mount is Volucris - Latin for flying creature. The leader of the "real" dragons is Nehushtan - a term for a sacred Hebrew relic in the form of a snake. These are interesting choices, and they provide shades of meaning for readers in the know. The problem I have with it is that these are powerful words and phrases in themselves, drawn from the history of Christendom, and they impart more than just shades of meaning. I found it a huge distraction to be thinking about the parts of a Requiem mass, or the prayers of an ancient Christian liturgy while trying to read a fantasy work. I would have been a lot more comfortable with less impactful character and place names.

The world of Blood of Requiem is broad and imaginative. Arenson's biggest strength is the power of his descriptions, and he uses that to good effect describing the various lands and settings through which his characters move. The seaside tower of Fort Sanctus, early in the novel, is particularly vivid. The descriptions of combat are intense. The physical descriptions of characters are detailed. But... (you knew there was going to be a but here, didn't you) that's really all there is to the novel. The plot is weak, involving nothing much more gripping than a long, long, long long long chase around the world. The descriptions of dragons soaring over seas and mountains and meadows and forests are gorgeous, but eventually they get repetitive. There is very little tension or layered conflict built in to the story.

This lack of rising and falling in the plot leads to another weakness of the novel, and that is the repetitive internal monologue and reactions of characters to each other. Because there is nothing much really going on, there's a lot of space to fill, and when Arenson isn't filling it with his outstanding descriptions, he fills it with characters pondering about one thing or another. After a while, I grew very weary of the mooning of the Vir Requis and their yearning for the majesty of their splendorous past. I wanted to strangle Lacrimosa after the tenth or twelfth time she broke into tears over some minor setback. And I really got the fact that Dies Irae's childhood trauma turned him into a monster, after the first couple times I read it - the continuous reminders were unnecessary.

Overall, the novel is a good read, but the lack of variety in the characters and the aimless narrative prevent me from giving it a very hearty recommendation. The book's redemption is its outstanding description and strong action sequences. The book is very strong technically as well: it's one of the cleanest indie novels I've read, in terms of layout and editing. Anne Victory (credited as copy editor in the acknowledgements) is a huge reason for why the book is as good as it is. I salute Arenson for taking the time and effort to polish Blood of Requiem, and I am curious to see what he does with the rest of the series, because there's a lot of potential here.

First off, I love fantasy novels(especially trilogies because it allows for more character development and story progression). I've never actually stopped reading a book because of such a ridiculous plot twist as I did during this book. I read several other books in the meantime and finally went back to it a month later because I hate leaving things unfinished. Well, I DID finish it, but then also decided I won't be reading the next book in the series.

To be fair, it's a somewhat fun, simple fantasy book in that it has all the standard trappings; good vs. evil, dragons, magic(of a sort), and a quest you can get behind. The downfall of this book was based on two things in my perspective, 1) WAAAAY too obvious plot direction, and 2) Terrible character progression. This is one of those books that you know how it's going to end half way through the book, and only keep reading to find out if there's any twists, or how they actually accomplish it. Granted that's standard fare for a lot of fantasy books, but this took it to another level.

As for the characters, ugh. Besides them being way to simple(and to be honest pretty dumb), they couldn't have been more stereotypical if you tried. There was absolutely no depth to the characters at all. The evil is pure evil. The good only is angelically good. It's a pure dichotomy, and doesn't allow for any half-truths.

So to sum up, if you're looking for a simple, no thought needed, easy read, then maybe you'll like this. Alternatively, this is probably good for an adolescent just getting into fantasy. For adult readers looking for a good fantasy series with depth, stay away.

Whilst there is little original about the concepts, and the plot is fairly generic, the book is well written low fantasy which is strong on action. If you are looking for a long read with reams of philosophical rambling, don't buy this book. If you are looking for classic fantasy with action and magic - look no further.

Beautifully written, engaging, exciting. The characters are well-developed with good depth. The bad guy is vile, wicked, and ruthless. It's easy to hate him, yet you feel a bit sorry for him (but not much). Can't wait for book two!

Well, it started all good but the quicker the pace has become the less interesting the story went. And when I've stumbled on Har Zahav I've started skimming and skipping pages.
And the final part ...
If not the romance between characters and some gore, this would go for a fairy tale.

Here's how I review. No synopsis, no narrative. Just get to how I was introduced to the book, what I liked and didn't like and maybe some spoilers. Enjoy!

I found this book in my recommended books list here on the store.com soon after I first joined. For .99 cents I thought it was worth a read.

::: Things I liked :::
-I really liked the idea of people who could turn into dragons
-The opening sequence for this book was awesome and lead me to believe I was in for an epic story
-It was only .99 cents.

::: Things I didn't like ::: (unfortunately a long list when it comes to this book)
-First and foremost all of the melodrama. After a while you end up reading the same plot points over and over again all dripping with loads of melodrama. Characters switch from total despair to resolutely fighting to their last breath in under two paragraphs.
-The references to ancient dead civilizations lead me to believe this would be developed into an awesome back story. It ended up being as shallow as the kiddy pool.
-The characters were incredibly shallow and often switched motives and personality on a dime or completely without cause.
-[***spoiler*** The end sequence with Dies Irae and Benedictus was so disappointing! When at the beginning of the book you read that Benedictus lets his brother go and evil ensues you hope he kills him in the end. So just when Benedictus has him pinned while in dragon form without a second thought he listens to his brother Dies Irae and transforms into a human to finish him off!!! Which then leads to him surviving once again!!! Grrr! I hated that part (and it was the climax to the book) it felt so cheap and unmotivated ***spoiler***]
-The book ends with a very shameless cliffhanger that makes you have to read the next book for the rest of the story. But by that point I really didn't even consider buying the next one or even reading the sample.
-The dialogue in this book left a lot to be desired. It seemed to only be used to reiterate the already repeatable and forgettable melodramatic plot.

::: The Verdict :::
The main feeling I had with this book was that I was misled into thinking I was in for a great read. There were some great ideas in this book but they were grossly underdeveloped and overshadowed by melodrama. I honestly do not know how two more books plus another series every originated from this book. Not something I would recommend even with a price tag of .99 cents.

First off, if you're into novels by Tad Williams, Patrick Rothfuss, Raymond E. Feist, L.E. Modesitt, etc, and can appreciate the good writing, then this book is not for you. Overall, the writing was mediocre at best, it was repetitive and stilted throughout the story. I have never put down a book, and this was the first time I felt like not caring about finishing the book after I was halfway through it. As other reviewers have suggested, at best this feels like a young adult book.
That being said, I did like the concept of weredragons and their abilities. It would have been nice to have a map to see where locations were, as the way things were written in the story, it felt as if everything was next door. The characters in general were flat, only one character that did feel dynamic, Gloriae, only seems to be that way in comparison to the rest of the characters.

I read this book fairly quickly because the story is fairly simple. That is okay but to be honest I don't think enough time was spent developing the characters. With the names used for the characters I thought that there would be more depth but there simply wasn't. I think a junior high student would like the story more but for those serious readers I think there is a lot to be desired. If you want some character depth and like a dragon fantasy story try the Dragonprince Trilogy (just 2 books so far) by Aaron Pogue. With the Pogue books you get in deep with the main character. This book could have been presented in a graphic novel and would have then made a bigger impression on me. Its only $2.99 but it left much to be desired.

- - no spoilers - -

The vivid image on the cover drew me to this novel, and I am happy I have read it.

Blood of Requiem is a well-crafted novel, with strong, flowing prose, well-developed characters and a fast moving plot that keeps the reader engaged. The story follows the struggles of a few survivors of the Vis Requis to evade the evil King Dies Irae, who hunts these dragon people he calls weredragons mercilessly, aided by a host of griffins.

The plot is quite straightforward, with a few minor subplots. It allows for less intrigue than I usually like in my fantasy, but the storytelling and pace made up for it with ease. The worldbuilding is not earth-shattering, but well-developed and interesting enough, and there are some intriguing characters, most notably those of Benedictus, his daughter Agnus Dei and his estranged daughter and enemy Gloriae and young Kyrie.

My main gripe is with the character of Dies Irae, who is just your average, cruel, sadistic and bitter villain. I know that the black-and-white struggle of good against evil is still a strong theme, but I would have preferred to see a bit more grey. Despite this minor complaint, this was a fast and furious read, just like one of the many battles between Kyrie and the griffins.

Despite being a competently enjoyable read, something about this book left me feeling like it was a good idea gone bad. After reading I also found the blurb comparison to George Martin highly misleading and almost offensive - George Martin this ain't.

A Martin comparison evokes images of a highly plot and character driven novel in a painstakingly crafted world. One where magic is light, but well rationalized and explained, and every cause has an effect. Martins characters are real, with real motivation and meaning. We feel for them.

Daniel Arenson has written a chase. A very long chase. One that, in many places, makes little to no sense. I found his sense of scale prone to change constantly and his descriptions to be erratic and infrequent. The characters were essentially the same characters at the end of the story as they were at the start and their motivations could almost be one-sentence descriptions. I also found character names particularly offputting. Why does everyone have to have these grand names foretelling their future? I mean, who really would call their child "day of wrath?" (dies Irae).

And yet despite these significant shortcomings, and frantic pace, the book is a good read. Something about it will keep you moving forward. Just don't expect it to be Martin.

Arenson, takes the idea of humans that turn into dragons or "were-dragons" and created a world of lost empires, vengeful families, epic battles and throws them into a romantic, yet dangerous world. The chapters are written in a pov style similar but not identical to GRRM's a song of ice and fire series With some original races and a very dark almost gothic writing style, the song of dragons series is sure to be a great read for any fan of the genre. A sure fire page turner.

While waiting for another book, I saw that the store suggested this book. Usually, they don't steer me wrong, so I bought the whole series. Big mistake. the writing is choppy, the characters - while promising - lack in any form of substance, and whoever edited this entire series must have been in a rush. Without getting too wordy, I would suggest you pass on this, or anything else written by this author. I usually enjoy any sort of reading, but not this time.

The book's summary is as good as it gets. Great idea, terrible execution. The main character is discovered, pursued,and ffinds the long lost king in the first 50ish pages. The king he finds inspires little, and speaks like someone from generation Y. I've read thousands of fantasy novels. This falls near the very bottom. The ratings greatly exaggerate the worth of the writing of this book.

I can't believe anyone rated this five stars, the story can't even decide if it's for adults or teens. The characterizations are very shallow and one dimensional, the dialogue cheesy at times and mediocre at others. The strength of the protagonist's species is inconsistent; defeating multiple enemies at some times and barely one at another. The plot is weak, too. There is just so much wrong with this story that it would take too long to write. I will say I like the premise and there is a lot of action, it's just that the story overall was poorly written.

The book has a very well thought of race, and has the classical good vs evil way. The idea of the Requiem race was great! The author is very creative and thinked greatly about the creation of such race, however i thought that the protagonist started alredy too mature, giving no space to character development. The journeys they make are never described and the author seem to only go to action scenes not working very much in the actual character depth. The character I actually saw some development was Gloriae and I think that if the author had worked on more personality to it character, constructed personalities less loyal and more believeable, made the character actions less predictable, made space and scenes for the characters to develop their personalities better, explained the character journeys, and have putten more effort in working at their personalities this would be probaly a newyork times bestselling book just like inheritance, that includes greatly all the characteristics I talked about, and the hunger games, in young adults category.

Fantasy is my favorite genre and anything about dragons attracts my attention. I was very excited to read this book based on the reviews listed. Unfortuantely, I don't agree with many of them. Although this had a good story line, and actually a good ending, I felt it was poorly written and the dialogue between the characters was terrible. I paid only 99 cents for this book but wouldn't recommend it even if free. Are you asking why if I didn't care for the book, did I finish it? It's just my nature to finish what I start. It doesn't mean I've enjoyed it.

This book has a decent setup. A magical human nation which can shapeshift into dragons is betrayed by one of its princes, who is angry because he lacks the magic to turn into a dragon.

The writing itself is not bad. There were a few moments I felt genuine pleasure while reading due to a well crafted description or character moment. In the end, however, the bad moments piled on at a much faster rate.

At all times in this book you can hear the grinding wheels of The Plot. Main characters (usually the bad guys) SHOULD have died over and over again. They keep getting trounced in fights and are helpless at the feet of their enemy, who is usually a freaking dragon. Despite the fact that the bad guys literally went genocidal on the half-dragons' entire race, the dragon people keep hesitating before killing the, or sparing them outright, which lets the bad guy get away. Over, and over, and over. Maybe the dragonfolk deserve to be extinct if they keep choking at the final moment. What's worse is that these hesitations and such are completely unjustified, and the reader sees the big, shining PLOT ARMOR around the bad guy, and hears the author going "Can't kill them yet, because they are a main character. I need to contrive another way for them to survive when they really shouldn't so they can come back later and do it all again!"

A more minor annoyance is the use of Latin in the names, when the translation of the names makes little sense. We have characters called Day of Wrath and Lamb of God. Dies Irae is a famous phrase and musical piece, and this author is either trying to steal some of that with association or just thought the phrase was cool (which it is). Sadly, it just becomes annoying and distracting.

Very aggravating (and almost offensive) is the author's ham-handed treatment of the subject of rape. To this author, it is not a horrific act. It's a freaking character flaw. The bad guy rapes because he's the bad guy. Oh, and his daughter joins in sometimes. HOWEVER, because the daughter might not be his actual daughter (she might be the daughter of his brother, the good guy), she's really "good at heart." It doesn't matter that she was raised to be full of hatred, and has been murdering and torturing and raping people for her entire life. Deep down, she's "good at heart." Give me a freaking break. The author tries to backpedal on the nature he has showed us by making her flinch at a scene that is nothing compared to what she herself has committed. Inconsistent, much?

Like I said, the book had an interest premise. Maybe a good author could have made something of it. As it is I got through about half before leaving it in disgust.

Great ideas but poor execution - I didn't care for the juvenile writing style, pointless violence and shallow characters. Story concept could have been awesome with a good author developing it. Arenson lacks the skill to entertain an adult reader and the story is too violent for kids. Don't waste your time or money

144 people gave it 5 stars. How can the author have 144 mothers? The only person who could give this book 5 stars is the author's mother.

The dialog is inane. The author uses great terms for the period like " bar fly." Everyone gives lip to the evil tyrant. Oh then they are all killed. He's a tyrant who killed millions. Joe Peasant is mouthing off to him?

Aside from the one armed man shooting a cross bow while flying a Griffin.... believable?? So they slaughtered over a million people who were dragons? That would take about 5 million Griffins. That would take 500 million peasants raising food for these Griffin with 100 foot wing spans. Seriously how do they feed all these creatures?

I walked away from this book wanting the second one. I love dragons and this book was nothing short of excellent. I absolutely HATED the antagonist and fell in love with the main characters. I always appreciate a book that really gets you to feel passionate about the people in it and this one did it for me.

The writing is very simplistic, the action stilted, the characters nearly one-dimensional. It was a frustrating read. I did not buy the second book in the series and would not recommend this book to anyone who revels in good writing.

Really there is no more succint way to label this book than "juvenile". I've read just over a third of the entire book at this point, and find myself struggling with each page to continue. The dialog is atrocious and verbage used is excessively repetitious. Character motivation is glossed over ever minute, and none of the characters come across as even remotely believable. The apparent protaganists are painfully one dimensional, and the antagonists demonstrate no greater depth than that of a puddle on the sidewalk. The story itself is devoid of complexity, and each advancement remains as predictable as the turn of a road.

An odd mix of obvious attempts to copy George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series and peculiar homages to the young Paolini's Eragon books. So far it fails to hit on any truely interesting level. A simple world, simple motivations, and simple problems.

Strongly encourage against reading this if you are looking for mature, complex, emotionaly diverse, story-driven novel placed in a fantasy setting.

Blood of Requiem (Song of Dragons, Book 1) was a good idea, poorly executed. The idea of humans that take the shape of dragons is not necessarily new, but the basic setting of this story had promise. The opening prologue was fairly strong, but the subsequent chapters were simply an avalanche of awful angst. The plot and characters move so quickly from point to point that they never develop. The characters are simply ridiculous paper cut-outs with no depth. The "King" sounds more like Indiana Jones than any sort of royalty. So much of the world-setting is unexplained, leaving gaps of understanding. If there are so many of these griffins, why is all the society land-based? How do all these tens of thousands of creatures get fed? Apparently they can fly for days without eating or drinking... etc etc).

The description for this book states something to the effect of "If you like 'Game of Thrones' you'll like this book". Well, for all its own flaws, Game of Thrones is a thousand times better than this. This book might be okay for readers under the age of 12, except for the repeated rape references. I haven't checked, but I assume the author is about that age.

In summary, if you like flat characters in a flat world with a flat plot, you'll love this book.

One last note: I wanted to like this book. I really think it had potential. If Mr. Arenson had an editor worth a damn, this could have been a really good book.

At first I was intregied by this story but unfortunately it was shortlived. I would like to compare it to a painting. It showed promise at first but as it was progressing the artist had no idea where to go with it and to make up for this lack of direction he would go over the lines again and again and again. repeating it until it ruined the painting. This author does the same thing. He repeats things over and over and over and by the third time he lost me. I did finish the book, hoping it would improve and start showing direction but it never did. Time and time Benedictus would mention that he was going to kill his Dies Irae, but at the end he didn't. I did actually read the other two books in the series ("Tears of Requiem" and "Light of Requiem", hoping they might prove to be better but alas, if anything, they were worse. Mr. Arenson continued to exhibit his writing style of lack of direction and purpose. repeating things over and over and over. I almost put the second book down in the middle but chose to give it a chance. At the end of book three I was sorely disappointed and felt cheated and soiled. I would not and cannot recommend any books by this author.

I would like to compare Mr. Arenson with Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Terri Goodkind, Goerge R R Martin and even Christopher Paolini, however I would be insulting these other great authors by doing so. Daniel Arenson is a poor writer and if this is a continuing style for his writing "DO NOT PICK UP ANY OF HIS BOOKS."

I am Sorry Mr Arenson. You do write better than I do but that's not saying a lot. On the upside there are worse writers out there. I can't think of the name of the series or the author but the store does not carry his books, which should tell you something.

Previous reviews misled me into buying this book. Very disappointed in the result. The plot was very linear. The characters were cookie cutter simplistic. Except for the violence and sexual themes, I would have guessed this to be targeted toward 4th grade reading levels.

It was impressive just how bad this book was. The character development is awful with every single moment being jam packed full of crying and yelling and emotionally packed arguments. Its meant to be dramatic but just comes off as just cheesy and over the top bad. And then you move on to the dragons. Every single dragon is exactly 50 feet long, and every single gryphon is exactly 50 feet long, but for some reason the author feels the need to tell you this every single time any dragon or gryphon appears no matter how many times you have already seen it. There is no differentiation so it just feels fake. While the action can be good, the sequence of events can be just down right comical. I mean they get attacked by a bunch of gryphons, fly all day and all night without anyone following them, then land. A hour later somehow they get spotted by another hundred gryphons, run and do the same thing. Then it happens again. No one seems to want to stop and say, hmm, why are they able to find me in the middle of a giant forest so easily, over and over again. And whats worse, no one wants to ask how the heck they are able to fly all day and night for like a week straight without ever resting. This book just reeks of amateur work done without proper editing or ever taking a reality check.

"Blood of Requiem (Song of Dragons, Book 1)" is a fantasy adventure by Daniel Arenson
This paper book is 318 pages in length while the Kindle e-edition is a 393 Kb download. The Kindle e-version is priced at $2.99.

General theme SPOILERS (no specific details given)

This is a story of dragons...dragons that have been hunted to near extinction by an tyrannical lord by the name of Dies Irae. Only a handful of these creatures have escaped and the evil ruler intends to rid to world of these remaining few.

END SPOILERS

The Pros:
1.) the first part of this tale had me thinking I'd found the next holy grail in the fantasy genre...a tense and intriguing beginning with a plot that seemed to offer unlimited potential. I was almost salivating in anticipation...I couldn't wait to turn the pages. But then the high initial quality stopped...from this point on the book faltered and faded badly.

2.) really impressive cover art...as it turned out, probably the best part of the book.

The Cons:
1.) the language...immature dialogue and behavior suggestive of a Young Adult (YA) tale.

2.) prose that was short and choppy (many sentences made up using only 4 or 5 words),

3.) repetitive phrases, unchanging flat characters, battles with the same participants and ending in the same results.

4.) no map...a tale diverse enough geographically to warrant one.

5.) not even a table of contents. (Kindle version)

Conclusion:
A fabulous beginning, but then the quality simply evaporated in thin air.
Although not listed as YA, I can't imagine where else to categorize this book.
I lasted to about the half way point before giving up...quite frankly, I just lost interest in this poorly told story and its uninteresting shallow characters.
Awful, simply awful.

1 1/2 Stars

Ray Nicholson

I hated this book until I hit the 70% mark. Up 'til then, it was a fight scene, a little overly emotional drama, then fight/run from fighting, fly and flee, then fight some more. At the 70% mark, it started getting interesting when Kyrie and Agnus Dei meet Nehustan.

The premise is very imaginative, the idea of the were-dragons and Salvanae (true dragons) is brilliant, but the plot, the action, the character development are immature, reminding me of badly done Saturday morning cartoons for children. But this is NOT a children's book -- there is too much violence, rape, and plain over-the-top evil depicted. The evil is way too stereotypically evil and comes across as just not believable.

I really had to force myself to keep reading. I could stomach about a chapter, sometimes less, per day until I hit the 85% mark. After that, I read until I finished, but then was disgusted by the ending. It took me a month to finish it when I usually read a book in 3 days or less.

There are a few redeeming qualities, but there aren't enough to make it worth slogging through the first 70% of the book. This will teach me not to buy a book based upon the cool picture on the cover and the 3.5 star rating.

This book was absolutely terrible. I must say that it was a struggle to finish it, though finish it I did. The characters had no depth whatsoever, and appeared to have only one quality that differentiated them from inanimate objects. The main character Kyrie however doesn't appear to have any personality traits whatsoever.

His most notable additions to the novel were hero worshiping Benedictus, and getting shot by the dragon bane that was in never-ending abundance throughout the poor excuse for a novel. The names of all of the characters and the cities were not even vague in their disgusting rip off from Latin, especially Requiem Mass.

It was a huge detractor trying to get over the whiny nature of Lacrimosa and the poor-attempt-at-fiery nature of Agnus Dei. I don't recommend anyone read this book. I will not be buying the sequels, and I pity anyone who accidentally bought it like I did.

This is an example of a good idea executed as poorly as possible.

-Jahat

Warning to prospective buyers of this novel: This is solid Young Adult fantasy. The writing style is also that of a teenager. This is one of the VERY few books I have ever gave up on finishing due to the terrible quality of story, writing, and character development. I returned this for a refund, it was that bad....

I loved the overall concept and the general idea. Un fortunately it ended there. I can live with a lit of flaws, poor editing etc. For me it's all about the story. Unfortunately this was filmed with the worst plot devices. Artificial suspense that seemed destined for first time readers of fantasy fiction. Without giving away the plot there was no development. Characters were amazingly simplistic. The story unfolded with no twists or turns, in fact it was sickly obvious. Good king allows mass murder as he can't slay bad guy. Multiple time with horrific results. Characters are one dimensional trying to be 2 dimensional at best. Clearly there was no proof reader over the age of 12. Cry sad as should come with a very young adult label.

The names are unoriginal. The plot is horrible. The dialogue was cliche. Save the 3$ and the insult to your intelligence and go buy a shampoo bottle to read the ingredients. In both cases you'll be wasting your time but at least in one of them you will have shampoo.

I'm confused by all the positive 5 star reviews for this book. And the two that follow. Terrible dialogue, ridiculous fights and characters that I could not care less about. Yes, I read all three. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me three times, I have to stop reading these reviews for recommendations.

Even at this price it was a waste.

I found the names in this book rather irritating. Usually I enjoy when there is some meaning behind name. A subtle hint of character, light on characters history or even something slightly misleading. But here it was either too obvious for me or it might be based on my slightly above average knowledge of Latin and Greek but it was distracting enough to force me to put the book aside after cca five chapters. The story wasn't fascinating enough to overcome irritation over names like Days of Anger, Lord Have Mercy, Very Big King, Full of Tears... Actually English translations sound sometimes better to me.

Blood Of Requiem is a dazzling tale of shape-shifting dragons, evil kings, and vicious griffins. This novel is an action-packed, thrill a minute ride full of danger, despair, hope, and love.

Dies Irae is a truly vile villain and yet he's no cardboard caricature, but a real person with qualities which, while not necessarily redeemable, make him a truly three dimensional character. The reasons for why he is the person he is do not justify his evil deeds but they do explain them. He is not evil simply for the sake of being evil.

The heroes of the story, the shape-shifting dragons, are each unique individuals you can't help but root for as they struggle simply to survive. Most of their kind were wiped out in a devastating war and they spend each day like fugitives on the run, their lives threatened for the crime of having been born.

Aside from the epic battles and intense personal struggles, there are truly wondrous moments which will dazzle your mind. If you love dragons, you must read this book.

Feuding brothers, humans that can shift into dragons, armys of men riding griffins, love, hate, jealousy and forgiveness. Blood of Requiem pulls all these elements together and makes this original fantasy world come to life.

Benedictus is king of Requiem. He is also Vir Requis, which means he can shift into dragon form. Many of the people of Requiem are able to do this. Dies Irae, older brother of Benedictus, can't shift. This is why his younger brother is king instead of him. The story starts off with the slaughter of all the Vir Requis and Benedictus being cast out by his younger brother.

The conflict in this book is really between the two brothers. There is bad blood, jealousy and envy that has had years to grow and fester. It takes place on such a large scale because Benedictus and his army can shift into a dragon and Dies Irae can command the griffins and uses them for his own army. It escalates into a war that wipes out almost all of the Vir Requis.

I kept finding myself really wanting to feel sympathy for Dies Irae. His father put him down and embarrassed him simply because he couldn't change into a dragon (bad parenting 101). He always felt like a failure, and that quickly turned into unquenchable anger. Who wouldn't be mad about that? But in the end I had to give up on feeling sorry for him because he placed the blame on everyone but himself. We can't change the cards we're dealt, but we can play them however we want. A lot of people grow up in abusive or negative homes, and they can choose to wallow in self-pity and rage OR they can make the choice to be stronger for it, to live well in spite of their upbringing.

I really liked the idea of humans being able to shift into dragons. While in their dragon forms they are still able to think and talk like humans. How cool would that be? Soaring across the skies, moving through the clouds. Very cool!

Fans of fantasy will want to check this one out!

I loved this book.It was packed with action suspense and just a little bit of romance.I love mystical creatures especially dragons so this book was perfect for me.I strongly reccomend it for any young adult who likes action filled fantasy.This is not a book for younger children.It contains mild language and violence along with some adult content.It wasnt detailed when it came to this sort of thing but it wouldnt take much for a young reader to figure out what was going on.I will warn you that this books ending is a huge cliff hanger so dont read it if you dont want to buy the others in this series. I cant wait to read the next book and I have a feeling the reader will feel the same way theyve finished it.Like I said this is an awesome book.

It was amazing!! I love how they can shape shift and how benadictus (I dont know how to spell his name) is a black dragon! It reminds me of my pet dragons (fake pet dragons) one of them is actually named benadictus, I named him that before I ever even heard of this book. Agnus dei reminds me of me, and kyrie reminds me of my best friend, actually, him and kyrie act almost exactly the same, gloriae reminds me of my mum, and they are all amazing characters! I would recommend this book to whoever likes dragons or shape shifters, or Griffins, but there is one problem...I dont like how there is so much raping. I hate that one thing, but other than that, this is the second best book I have ever read!!! And I love the Griffins, they are my second favorite part of this book!!!

I bought this book 3-4 yrs ago, and in the time time that I havve had it I have only read about half of the book. The overall concept for this book is actually pretty good. The book starts off well but quickly devolves into something I would not reccomend too young readers. *SPOILERS* (I guess...) In the very first of the book it is established that the villian, Dies Irae, has raped MANY women, and continues to do so. I did enjoy what I read of the book, but it consintently felt like anytime the story was gòng anywhere we are brought back to the dicussion of Dies Irae raping women (one of the women being one of the main characters). Nothing horribly explicit was ever written, but the amount to which the author mentions it again, again, again, and again, is disgusting and I will not read the rest of the book because of. I will also reccomend against reading, especially to YOUNG readers.

My thoughts:

I do not read e-books that often since I only have my borrowed reader from the library. But when I got an email from Arenson I knew I had to read this book. Because I got a taste of his writing in the anthology Kiss Me, Kill Me and it was good.

This is the first book in a planned trilogy and I like the world building. The Reqiem were humans who could transform into dragons, but then they were killed and hunted to extinction. It was bloody and it was horrible. The man who did it was a prince who was meant to rule the land but he could not shift so he grew angry. This book then takes place 10 years later and there are survivors, but the future is bleak.

First I must say that this book has a bad guy that I just wanted to strangle. She was so evil! I have not read about such an evil character in quite some time. Her name is Gloriae and she is the daughter of Dies Irae (who in his turn is an evil bastard too), but I was mostly angry with Gloriae. Because she was actually good and was kidnapped by him. She was the daughter of the Requiem King Benedictus and his wife (bit does not know it). Sure if a person is raised evil she can turn evil but I wished she had seen the error of her way. Her father rapes a women, kills a peasant and she laughs? She should think for herself and see it's wrong. There you have it, the evil duo. Remarkable done since it was those two that had me wanting to read more and more, wishing they would die.

I spent enough time talking about the bad guys, but they just brought forward a lot of emotions. The good guys are Benedictus, poor man and Kyrie who is a young reqiuem and..., oh I will save some secrets. I liked Kyrie, he really wanted to fight back even though they had no force at all. But he was angry and who could blame him.

One more thing. People are blind and stupid. The dragons never did any harm, but Dies came with his lies and people believed and now the dragons are thought of as monsters. That is what one wicked cruel man can do with words. And those that spoke down were hunted down. I still hope they will see right from wrong.

The book isn't that dark, but at the same time it is very bleak, because how can I have hope when there is no way they can survive or fight back? I really need to know what happens next.

Conclusion:

This book had me turning page after page to see what happens. It's exciting and good with fleshed out characters that will make you scream. I want to read more of this series and I would recommend this fantasy author to others.

Rating:

Page-turner

So bad, so very very bad. The characters are all terrible and unsympathetic. The author forces the plot into a mold that is contrary to his own world building or even reasonableness. (death to common sense since it almost always stands in the way of what the author wants to have happen)

I have read a lot of terrible novels in my day, but this is for sure in my most horrible top 3 of all time.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

When I like an author, I read books by that author. Sound like a simple statement? Well, it's not as easy as it sounds, especially when you have a review blog to run. There are many books out there, by many different talented (and some not-so talented) writers, and you want to believe that, as a reader, they each deserve equal time under your eyes.

Well, the truth is, I have my favorite authors, but sometimes I feel the need to push aside the books these fine scribes send me in order to give everyone a fair shake. Yet there are also instances when doing so is a detriment to the book I choose to read, because from the moment of that decision onward, that book will be compared - perhaps unfairly - to the one I postponed.

This is why when Daniel Arenson, one of those aforementioned "favorite authors", asked me to beta read his new book, Blood of Requiem, I gladly set everything else down and picked it up. He needed it finished by a certain date, you see, which took the decision of what to read next completely out of my hands.

I'm SO glad I did.

Blood of Requiem is the sad tale of the Vir Requis, a race of humans with the magical ability to become dragons. Sounds interesting already, right? And it is. At the very start of the book, we're introduced to the fact that the Vir Requis are on their last legs. They've been hunted to virtual extinction, and they make one final stand against an army that far outnumbers them. The Requis are killed off, one-by-one, leaving seemingly only one survivor - Benedictus, the king of his people. Their home, the land of Requiem, is left in ashes.

From there, the story jumps into the future, where Dies Irae, the leader of the army of griffin-riders who destroyed the dragons, continues his reign of terror. It seems that there is another survivor of the Vir Requis genocide - a boy named Kyrie, now a teenager, who was rescued from the battlefield, injured and dying, by Mirum, a kind woman whose family was slaughtered by Irae and their land taken. Kyrie has grown up living in fear while locked away in a tower, hidden from sight. On only rare occasions does he brave the world and spread his wings, but it is because of one of these voyages outside that his reality - and safety - is shattered.

Dies Irae discovers him and seeks him out, and Kyrie is forced to flee. He traipses across the land in search of Benedictus, who most have written off as dead.

Kyrie eventually finds Benedictus, finds out that the old king's wife and daughter are still alive, and together the four of them flee the searching Griffin hoard. There is great tension here, including a kidnapping and a search for the "true dragons" embarked upon by Kyrie and Benedictus's daughter, Agnus Dei. The imagery is fantastic, the world the author built is wonderful and full of strange, dark forces, and the Salvanae, the "true dragons", are a wondrous sight to behold. It all adds up to become a magnificently subtle world, with shades of Martin's bleakness and Pratchett's ingenuity.

But once more, with Arenson's work (and the work of the other authors I admire), it is the premise that quivers just beneath the surface of the tale that brings it to life, battle scenes and melodrama be damned, and it all centers around the principal villain of the story, one Dies Irae.

You see, it turns out that Irae was born into Vir Requis royalty. He was Benedictus's older brother, the rightful heir of their father the king's throne. Yet the unfortunate Irae was born at a disadvantage - the magics that allowed the Vir Requis to take wing and fly were absent in him. He was abandoned by his father, left to live his life as a joke passed down upon their family. Stripped of his birthright and constantly told how worthless he was, of course Irae grew up to be a damaged person. Even the only one who loved him - Benedictus, his younger brother - treats him with a certain amount of pity rather than true love, as if he's a charity case, not blood. He sees everything his brother has been handed, from the throne to his future wife, and despises the "Poor guy" attitude his admittedly supercilious brother displays.

Taking this into account, is it any wonder that Irae turned out to be such a hate-filled tyrant?

In other words, even though this novel does have a hero, in a twist that I appreciated greatly, there are really no true heroes to be found. All are tainted, either by pain or anger or despair. The great enemy that Kyrie, Benedictus, Lacrimosa (Ben's wife), and Agnus Dei are fleeing from is a monster of their own creation, or at least the creation of their people. This is a pertinent aspect of storytelling for today's world, especially those in the States, what with virtually every enemy the U.S. now faces being individuals who we nurtured and helped bring to power. Now, I'm not saying the author is making any judgments on this particular facet, just saying that he recognizes it exists. And that makes what the story brings to the table that much more important.

But even greater than this is the theme of hate spread through lies and fear. It's everywhere in the book - the people of the land hate the Vir Requis because of the lies they've been told, just as Gloriae (the daughter of Benedictus, kidnapped by Dies Irae as a young child and raised as his own) is. This is such a heartbreaking development, and one that Arenson milks for all it's worth from all angles, from the parents to the kidnapper to the child, herself, who has grown up with this hate imprinted on her soul and wears it like a badge of honor. And then there is Dies Irae, who honestly believes that his quest is justified and good because he's convinced himself, through his own lies and deceit, that it is so. I'd go on about how much this line of thinking means in modern society, but I don't think you have to look too far to see examples sprout up all around us. They're everywhere, from the Middle East to fundamentalist churches to backwater towns and so many other places. It's frightening, it's disheartening, and it's real, which gives the book that much more potency.

Blood of Requiem is an outstanding first book in a series, and by the end, when both the heroes and villains have been put through the absolute ringer, we see how much farther this story has to go to reach its conclusion. Sure, there is a major victory won, but that victory does not come without a dire price.

In all, this is a fantastic book that I couldn't put down, and I can't wait for the second volume to be released, because with all the loose threads, both emotional and dealing with the plot, that Arenson has left hanging, I know the intensity of the tale will only heighten. This is a special book with an original premise and a dark and gritty storyline, a book that will excite you and make you feel something.

And that, folks, is what it's all about.

(Note to say that as a beta reader, I find it unfair to post my usual rating breakdown, so I'm simply going to give Blood of Requiem 4.5 stars. And it deserves it.)

I'm only half way through so take this with a grain of salt. The foremost thought that comes to mind is that I have not read a more vile bad guy in a book in a long time. That this bad guy is not some mythical deity makes this read all that much better. I find myself waiting and fearing in anticipation of what he will do next at each turn.

Finished the book and it was excellent. One part of minor annoyance was "and then Lacrimosa cried....." that seemed to be a recurring theme so often that one page alone it occurs no less than three times. Other that it was well written & contained a great story line. The authors methods & style of of writing were fantastic. Thank you!

Amazing book loved this treasure of a story amazing characters a all round exquisite & enjoyable story. I truly thankful to the author for this wonderful gift this book was given to me as a gift and my thanks to this wonderful author Daniel Arenson for the privilege & pleasure of reading this wonderful book I do so hope to read more in the future. This story I would be truly delighted to recommend this book to my friends so to all happy reading from wee me. xx♥

I liked this book a lot, and I really wanted to love it - it's got FRIKKEN WERE-DRAGONS for chrissakes - but the dialogue is just plain awful. I'm talking cringe-worthy awful, like, how could an author over the age of 13 actually think people talk like that awful. It was a really good story otherwise. Did I mention it has FRIKKEN WERE-DRAGONS?!? Oh, and griffons and wyverns. How many epic fantasy novels have griffons and wyverns? I ended up buying the next two books in the series, because I was genuinely entertained by this book, but damn, I really hope the author got a bit better at writing dialogue between this book and the next two.

It started out well, but I couldn't make it through to the end. There was too much blood and gore, and I found it hard to believe that the evil brother couldn't be defeated by dragons, no less. There was lots of repetition. I'm not sure I want to read the second book.

I should've known by the title, but I wanted to love this. I mean weredragons. Frickin weredragons! How much more awesome can you get? I was thinking, "The author can't mess this up." Then... Horrible characters. Simply awful plotting.

I guess that's how.

I don't care about a map. They often look like crud in Kindle editions anyway. There were a couple of times when it was obvious that travel continuity was off anyway. The villains needed to be there so, bang they are. Pay no attention to linear time. Even though it's not a time travel adventure...

Evil tyrants who slaughter indiscriminately have rebellions. Even if they're hopeless rebellions. See human history for reference. When said tyrant decides to follow protagonists in mad genocidal quests, said rebellions get really easy to throw.

The prose didn't do anything for me, and I'm flabbergasted at how anyone can honestly review it well. Opinions vary, so mine is worth what you paid for it. Thought I'd offer a dissenting one to the top review, however.

I think the worst thing about the novel is how stupid the "heroes" are. We are talking epically dumb. So in that sense it is an epic tale. Example: When following a bad guy in pursuit flight on a dark night do you...
A) Follow directly behind bellowing incoherently and shooting flame to present the best possible target for the poisoned, self loading crossbow.
B) Fly high to descend on over-burdened enemy.
C) Fly low to swing up and rescue helpless dragon female dangling from monstrous griffin claws.

In this book you would naturally choose A), because the plot needs the helpless dragon chick to get captured, by the mustache-twirling villain.

The message of the book is that you can be remotely intelligent, but if you are you can't have even a smidgen of morality. Alternatively, you can be too stupid to live, but have a heart of gold. There are no other options.

Awesome cover, but an epic fail book.

I read Blood of Requiem by Daniel Arenson for this week's review. It is about a race, the Vir Requis, of humans who have the magic to transform into dragons at will. Their prince, who did not possess the magic, destroyed almost the entire race of Vir Requis. His jealousy and shame drove him to unspeakable acts of cruelty as he usurped the power of the Kings and the land and turned his hometown to ruin.

Honestly, I'm not really sure how I feel about this novel. I want to really like it because the writing is absolutely beautiful. The style and usage of wording is something that should be studied by aspiring writers. I also want to like this novel because the plot, the settings, the suspense at times and the overall theme of the story were also very well done and highly thought out. I can appreciate the amount of work that went into writing a book like this.

However, I do not, by any means, recommend this book for anyone of young age nor do I recommend this book for feminists or men with strong views about violence against women. The acts of cruelty can be very graphic and, to be frank, unnecessary at times when it came to timing within the book. The women, if they weren't weak were portrayed reckless or naïve. If they were weak, which all of them were except for two characters in which one was reckless and the other was naïve, they were all sexually assaulted at some point or another. Some women even died in the process.

The ending was a little disappointing to me. Not because the problems were not resolved leaving room for a new book. But because it was painfully obvious that the author wrote the characters to do very stupid things, which were completely out of their normal characteristics, in order to make way for a second book. After experiencing such beautiful and thought out writing in the whole book to end with a flurry of clichés and thoughtless plot twists just left me feeling extremely annoyed when I put the book down for the last time. I may read the next two books just to see how the story ends, but it's not high on my personal list.

I give this book a 3.75/5 for the beautiful writing and overall plot.

This book started with a bang and drew me right in with a terrible battle between weredragons and humans. The action sequences were magnificent and the prose truly epic. The last march of the weredragons was heart-wrenching and their last stand tragic.

The story is told from a number of points of view as it follows the adventures of the king and queen of the weredragons, as well as their twin daughters, the king's brother and another weredragon who survives the massacre. Arenson weaves their stories beautifully while keeping a fast pace which I really liked. What I also particularly liked was that I never had to wonder whose point of view I was reading. The set up was always clear and there were no slips and no head hopping.

I enjoyed the world Arenson built for this series - the weredragons pitted against other humans, the prejudices and superstitions, and other creatures which I am sure will have a role to play in the sequels as we barely saw them in this first book. The language is often quite poetic and epic. The characters are well crafted for the most part, with the young weredragon Kyrie and the two princesses, Agnus Dei and Gloriae, standing out as vivid and layered.

I had a few issues with the other characters, mainly that they weren't as three-dimensional as I would have hoped. Furthermore, there was some repetition of phrases and themes that could have been avoided, but not so much as to be truly distracting.

Another issue I had was with the names, which were so blatantly symbolic that they put me off the story just a little. Obviously they are names chosen from the ecclesiastic tradition, both Latin (like Agnus Dei, Lamb of God) and Greek (Kyrie Eleison) and the references to seraphs (Dies Irae is described as one at least twice) somehow weakened the feeling we are in a different, fantastic world. I think that the references to the Sun god (Mithra perhaps?) should have been exploited more and the particular religion of this world explored - although let us not forget that this is a first book in a series, therefore I hope that we will see more of that in the sequel.

Finally, although the world building was sufficient for me to "see" this world, it was slightly sketchy, which I felt was a pity, since it would have fleshed out this story and made it more realistic for the reader.

To sum up, I enjoyed reading this fast-paced book, which is also well edited and formatted. Although I would have loved to see some more character development and some more detailed world building, this is a book I recommend and am looking forward to its sequel.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
(For Good Book Alert)

From the first pulse-pounding page to the last, this book seized my attention and refused to let it go. While gritty and bold, it still manages to bestow a vulnerability that makes it's characters corporeal and sympathetic. This novels brings dragons back into the spotlight in a brilliant way. Mr. Arenson has made a fan out of me, which is no easy feat. I can hardly wait to read the next novel.

I also recommend: The Crimson Sword (Legend of Asahiel, Book 1)

I have mixed feelings abuot this book. On the one hand, I love everything dragon. I seek out dragon books, and have read Anne McCaffrey to Melanie Rawn to traditional fantasy like Tolkein and Weis. I have to say, I did like the dragons as depicted in this book. I liked the shapeshifting abilities.

What struck me right off, was the author's way with words. Some of the images are still with me. His descriptions can be especially well done, I had chills a time or two, no joke. But, there were times when the author's poetic word use was very flowery and over done, and so conversly there was a time or two when I cringed. But, overall, there were some great words put together here and definately greater potential for greater offerings with some more experience would be my guess.

The biggest problem I had with the book, was the characterization. That is to say, some of the actions and reactions. The lengths the "bad" guys went through and the depth of, I would have to say, cliche "badness" at times seemed implossible. In addition, the reactions of the good guys, their decisions, often rang really false for me. Sometimes I felt like certain actions were chosen by the author simply to drive the plot rather than be driven by the characters themselves. I was often left thinking "why in the world would so-and-so do that?". This sort of thing often made the main characters seem stupid because they had to do stupid things sometimes to advance the plot in certain ways, ways I'm guessing the author wanted it to go.

The writing itself could be rather repetitious. I think it was to emphasise something or for effect of some sort, but it got to be a little tiresome to read. Especially when there was some good action happening, and I'm reading, reading, okay, reading the same thing restated a little differently, and meanwhile I've lost the urgency of the scene.

Not a bad offering. I'm not sure if this is the author's first book, but it felt like a first book. The begining was the best part, including writing style and plot development. It sort of seemed to me like it got the most attention paid to it, maybe more drafts or something before things got going. I don't know, but it felt different, cleaner, clearer. I think with some more experience, and development of the seeds of quality writing I saw and sampled in the begining, I think subsequent books could be quite good. However, I won't be purchasing any further books without reading a sample first . . .

Blood of Requiem by Daniel Arenson tells the story of the Vir Requis or weredragons. When the first son, Dies Irae, of the royal family lacked the shape changing gift that would have made him the next King his inheritance was given to his younger brother Benedictus. This made Dies Irae upset in a way there really aren't words for. He killed his father and stole a magical amulet that allowed him to control all the griffins of the world. With that Dies Irae began his quest to annihilate the Vir Requis. Early in the book we are shown the the battle that amounts to the final stand of the Vir Requis, with them being led by Benedictus and the humans and Griffins following Dies Irae. The battle is long and bloody with the weredragons being on the losing side. When Benedictus gets a chance to kill his brother, he cannot do it and flies away to hide. As the story progresses you are shown that a very small number of the Vir Requis did survive by living in hiding.

This book has one of the strongest starts of any book I have read this year. Daniel is a master of description and he can truly bring the images from the book to life. The deeper into the book I got however, the less into the book I became. The characters that showed such promise in the beginning began to be a bit flat. The descriptions of the environments and the battles remained top notch, but I found myself wanting to understand the characters a bit better. They seemed to be stuck in a repetitive cycle of fight, lose, flee. There was a little bit of a twist thrown in dealing with the girl Dies Irae claims as a daughter, but she has shown herself to be a terrible person so I was not as interested in her character.

This book has many positive aspects to appeal to a variety of readers. As I mentioned earlier Daniel is truly gifted in sharing his vision of the world he has created. The Vir Requis is an outstanding race with some wonderful abilities and can draw in many fantasy fans. Dies Irae is a truly evil villain and his daughter looks to be following in his footsteps. The cover art is also absolutely amazing. I just wish the characters had been a bit more dynamic and the fight sequences had a bit more variety.

I will probably pick up the second book in the series to see where the story goes.

Review copy provided by author.

I very much enjoyed this book. I found that Blood of Requiem was an incredibly fast-paced journey that saw the heroes constantly hunted and tormented. There was truly no rest for the weary heroes, and every scrap of a victory they achieved (often just surviving) was well earned. They characters went through hell and back, and the story left you practically tired after reading it. I found the villain, Dies Irae to be a bit hard to read at times, as he was pure evil, and vile in the worst ways a human could be, but then that means the author did his job, because you hate him. It is that fact that leads me to caution readers. The book is not graphic in depiction, but there is rape and violence, so if these things greatly bother you, you may have to pass on it. Nothing is over done, and again, nothing graphic, but it is there, nonetheless.

All in all, I found myself very concerned for the safety of a nearly extinct people who possessed the gift of transformation into dragons. You wanted them to win. You routed for them as you trudged beside them in the mud, flew beside them in the clouds and struggled through the pain with them when their enemies hunted and attacked them. Every character (even the villain) had pain and angst that helped to shape who they came to be, and though I found myself disagreeing with how one of the heroes didn't do what I thought he should, (twice) it also showed the humanity of the individual, and how it is not always as easy to take a life as most people think when they read a book or watch a movie.

I enjoyed the book from beginning to end, and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great adventure.

I was a little vague towards the end of this review to avoid spoilers. I hope this review will help people to decide to give it a try. I found it very entertaining.

At the centre of the book is Kyrie Eleison, a young Vir Requis, one of the few who have remained after the Great Battle. He wants to find Benedictus, the former king of the Requis, in order to revenge his dead parents and friends on Dies Irae, now king and brother of Benedictus. Kyrie is a great as a character because he is sometimes unstopable in his youthful enthousiasm. Benedictus is a great opposite to this and together they make the perfect master-student couple.

Arenson made the decision to write each chapter from a different character's perspective. Especially in a story like this, where there are two sides fighting each other, it allows the reader to be able to judge by themselves and not blindly follow what the main character thinks. I also really enjoyed the chapters from Gloriae's point of view. Gloriae is Dies Irae's daughter, however Benedictus beliefs she is his daughter. Gloriae knows none of this and has been raised to hate Vir Requis and her story is one of the most interesting ones in the book.
As you may have notices, all the characters have Latin, often religious names. Arenson did the same in 'Flaming Dove'. It shows extra consideration for his characters on the author's side. All the names tell us something about the characters. Benedictus' wife is called Lacrimosa, which means tears in Latin. She does have a lot to cry about, since her life has not exactly been easy. By doing this the characters gain extra depth and it shows the author's commitment.

I have enjoyed all of Arenson's books and I can't wait for the sequel to this one. Although this book can be read alone, I think it is almost impossible not to be wanting to read the sequels.

Weredragons is a new idea, at least for me! I thought at last a dragon book I can get my teeth into, but the style is so stunted and repetitive. Halfway through the book and I still have to come across a sentence longer than 1 line and I started skipping paragraphs long ago because it's just a description that's repeated for the umteenth time. You feel like a spectator most of the time, and do not feel anything that happens to any of the characters. The story is just plain unbelievable, i.e. how do 2 kids convince an ancient peaceful race to join their war, by telling them the smoke they blow look different every time, but still is of the same substance, this is just ridiculous! I’ll finish this book to see if it gets any better, but so far I am disappointed, fortunately the trilogy was on promotion so I did not pay too much. the author is getting 2 stars for the idea, not for anything else.

Great book. More of a kids book. Author does a pretty good job, but the book needs more depth. Meaning it is pretty predicable, events happen like a your typical tale. I usually don't post reviews, but I always read reviews before I purchase.

Blood of Requiem is the first novel in the Song of Dragons, a epic fantasy series. The basis for the book, as with most fantasy of this style, is the struggle between good and evil. Very clear lines were drawn between good and evil, and the heroes and villains were also very clearly delineated. As a rule, I generally like more grayness in my fantasy, rather than such clear lines as in the typical fantasy formula, or framework. However, the flow and pace of the story and the details that filled in that formula more than made up for any lack of ambiguity.

Many times, fantasy written as an epic tale, much like Lord of the Rings, can become bogged down with detail and such. This was not the case with this book. Arenson's use of language made the details a rich part of the story rather than dry descriptions. If you like a classic epic fantasy read, then this one is a good one to pick up and read. The next book will be Tears of Requiem, to be published in October of 2011.

Fantasy novels are epic...heart-wrenching, and ultimately designed to test the wills of all involved. This is what makes them so engaging, and also one of the more difficult genre's to write. To be honest, there is rarely (if any) "actual" history involved when piecing these stories together, and 99% of the time the worlds created are exclusively unique, eliminating the need for extensive research, BUT maintaining a certain level of drama while at the same time "building" a world can be daunting, and if an author lacks experience, (or a significant amount of coffee,) their writing can sometimes appear stunted.

Why does this matter...?

Well... we are well aware by now that Daniel is a very talented fantasy author, (at least according to me) and has plenty of experience, but that doesn't mean that every once in a blue moon his writing doesn't lack the "golden shimmer of greatness." What it does mean however, (deep breath) is that Daniel knows how to recover.

For example, below I have offered you two passages; from two very different times in the book. In the first, Daniel seems a little off balance, like he really wants to make the passage shine, but he isn't quite sure how, instead it reads as an average descriptive paragraph for an average everyday book. In the second passage however (which comes at about the 60% mark) you can see that he finally found his footing, and created an awe worthy, visually captivating paragraph that makes his story come to life. This (naturally) is the point in the book where I finally connected. *ding - light bulb*

-Towards to Beginning: "Forget Gloriae for now, he told himself. Benedictus needs me. Kyrie shot between clouds, zooming, tumbling, somersaulting. He flew with eyes narrowed, flew like never before, dazzling the griffins, spinning so fast, they barely knew where to follow. As he flew, he roared in pain and pride, for his king had returned."

-Slightly past the mid-way point: "The blaze hit the griffin, pushing it back. It tumbled a few feet, then again flew at Benedictus. It looked like some roasted animal now, smoking and furless, its skin red and black and blistering. The beak was open and screeching, the rider writhing and screaming, a ball of fire and blood. Benedictus howled and lashed his tail, driving its spikes into the griffin, and finally it tumbled toward the ground. It fell like a comet, still screeching, until it hit the ground and was silent."

And since we are on the topic of disjointedness.. the dialogue also felt a tad flat in the forefront of the book (very un-Daniel like I might add) but again, he made a startling comeback once his characters were fully feted out and took on a life of their own.

Anyways, on to what I loved about "Blood of Requiem" (partially because I want you to understand that this was a solid start to a promising series, and partially because I think Daniel may have a gun to his head right now.) The dragons. *roars into the air like a moron*

I LOVE dragons, and this is one area where Daniel did NOT let me down. Their descriptions were breathtaking, their actions intoxicating, and though they huffed and puffed (literally) at each-other when irritated, this only endeared me to them more. Most dragons are written from the "callous" angle, or at the very least... one that makes them appear gruff and unmoved, but Benedictus and his family of shimmery beast were not. Instead Daniel brought their weakness to light, highlighting their prideful stubbornness but also their damaged souls. In short... he kept them human, making their flaws beautiful instead of shameful.

As for the rest of the characters, (Dies Irae and Glorea specifically) I hated them. Not from a writing aspect mind you, but full fledged hatred that one might have against...say...their neighbor who throws grass seed in their flower beds. Which... only goes to show how far a few well written tirades can go.

So, what is my overall verdict? Well.. to be honest, this was not my favorite book of Daniel's, BUT it has outstanding promise, AND... luckily for you (since I'm soooo freaking behind on reviews right now) the next 2 books are already out, so there is no waiting to see what happens next.

If you like fantasy, take a chance. If you are more the "we're going to the chapel..." type, this may not be the best book for you.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Anger is like fuel... one little spark and **** will hit the fan.

To say the least, I was disappointed in this book. My 17 year old friend's fantasy book is better than this, and it took her a lot longer to get it published.
Anyways..
1)I've read other series when I was younger, such as Artemis Fowl, the Farsala Trilogy, Eragon, etc. In comparison to those books (Because they're the closet thing to compare it to), the characters were FLAT. No vivid descriptions and none of the characters introductions were more than a sentence.
2)The plot was ridiculously predictable. The author also felt like he needed to repeat himself 100 times over just to make his page count longer, and after a while it was the same situation over and over again, just with different characters.
3)The "love" story between Kyrie & Angus Dei is so unrealistic, I just skipped right through it. One page they're mocking each other, then the next chapter they have sex and they're like "OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH" BLAH BLAH BLAH. How does the dragon who didn't have feelings for this guy suddenly want to seduce him in a matter of days?

Overall, I'm not sure why I grabbed this book.. oh wait, it was free. Just a warning to those who are looking into this series, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. If you like Dragon fantasies, look at some of the more higher rating ones. Yes, the book cover is great, but this is why they always say "Do not judge a book by its cover..."

Let me assure you that as an avid fantasy reader, someone who scours the world for the same magic that brought me to reading you will find none of it here. Simply put, and I do not wish to offend the author, this work is as bland as a forty year old tax editor telling the same story for the fortieth time to his equally bland co-workers. Now don't get me wrong, it has a lot of action and graphic violence that is nice to find in a fantasy novel, but the real issue lies in the fact that character progression does not exist in the slightest. This was what really made me actually write a review, the first I ever written in fact, and to any fan of the fantasy genre the protagonist's progression as a character is crucial. A great book will have a character progress with the world around him; often making him/her shape themselves to match the challenges of their surroundings whilst also being flawed enough to make themselves doubt if they can even overcome their obstacles. At the end of the book if the character has grown so much that you are hard pressed to find similarities to how they started then you know the progression in the story was amazing. This series, and I say series because I read all of them hoping it would get better, offers little to no progression at all. The world changes so rapidly while the characters do not you almost feel as if you are watching some cringe-y, stereotypical anime. In my opinion, there is no reason why this book is viewed as a better dragon series over the Inheritance Cycle as New York Times had claimed. In short, I wouldn't bother mate.

Blood of Requiem is the first book of the Daniel Arenson's Song of Dragons trilogy. It's an amazing, powerful, and truly original fantasy tale, and yes, it is truly about dragons.

Definitely a great read! And now, I get to move on to the 2nd book in the trilogy, Tears of Requiem.

I did like the book as far as the general story. But whoever heard of dragons with no magic except to change into one. I could say a little more but I don't want people not to read this book because the story is pretty good.

This book has a great concept of weredragons, but just seems poorly executed. The plot advancement was inconsistent at best. One chapter characters can only fly a few leagues in a day before resting and the next they can fly for a thousand. A character needs to search and find another in a huge forest he does without any explanation as to how or what hardships he endured to do it. It seemed each chapter was an outline or concept without any of the details to really feel part of the world.

The character development was non existent. The only thing I felt for the characters was anger and disgust for the heroes as they make one stupid mistake after another just to advance the plot.

I would only recommend this to a younger reader just starting into fantasy.

Lots of action and plot to move the story along quickly. Writing style is not overly complex, lending itself well to beach or airplane reading. Does have some adult subject matter, so parents should be mindful of making available to young readers. Would recommend it to others if they are looking for a great summertime fantasy-genre read.

I was looking for inexpensive Kindle books for my e-reader and found this series under the search for Dragons. After reading the synopsis of the story I thought I would give the Series a try. Blood of Requiem was the longest of the three books but it set up the characters and made me desire to read the rest. I really enjoyed the character development and I thought that this was a well written series. If you like Dragons, this is worth the read.

I would rate this book a 8 out of 10. Extremely well written and keeps you wanting to read more. I would highly recommend this book to any reader that enjoys Fantasy Books. Looking forward to the next one in this Trilogy.

Fantastic, gripping, epic story. Loved every second of it and couldn't put it down. The plot kept my heart in my mouth throughout and the main characters were fantastic. I've just ordered Tears of Requiem to read next, and will continue with the other works by Daniel Arenson. Very talented author.

Reads like teen fiction, flat, simplistic, and shallow. At times the dialogue is so bad I not only wince but put the book down entirely and dread picking it back up again. The text is rife with repetitive scenes and overused words-- if a character "howls" one more damned time I'll start doing it myself. Plot steps are thin at best, utterly random at worst, with characters following impulses based on basically thin air, or pulling out new stuff totally out of the blue. If this were ever put on a screen, it would be a bad anime. That's how the characters dress, talk, and behave. The background setting is near to nonexistent, full of cardboard cutout people that have no faces and almost never speak. It's like the skeleton of a story, with none of the meat and none of the artful presentation that could have made it wonderful.

Love Stanek's Kingdoms of the Elves and Service of Dragon books. Love, love this! It's fantastic! How in the world could anyone be disappointed with this? And hello, this book is only the first of the series.

****Spoilers********Spoilers********Spoilers********Spoilers****

I was already hooked when I saw the front cover, as I do so love a fierce looking dragon.

And then I started to read the story and found I couldn't put it down. The chronicles of these fire-breathing dangerous yet graceful and noble creatures have been told by great storytellers through the years, and Mr. Arenson sits among them. I have read several of his books and can easily say that this has been my favorite. But wait, Book 2 has yet to come out in the Fall, so I may be somewhat premature in that statement.

The opening battle is bloody. The Vir Requis race has been obliterated, men women and children. The only ones who are left are a boy who had been rescued on the battlefield and Benedictus their King. He has saved the royal family by hiding them away during Vir Resquis last stand with Benedictus's traitorous brother who now has the power to command the griffins and humans. Ten years later, it is a race to find others that may have survived the war. And of course what kind of Dragon book would it be without some sort of quest? It will be a quest set out by two young lovers in hopes to find a race of pure dragons, only heard about in fairy tales. And a quest of a battle worn King who will do anything to find his stolen beloved Queen.

There are so many things I love about this book . I loved the names of the Dragons. The names of the nobility of the Vir Resquis... Benedictus, Lacrimosa, Goriae, Dies Irae, Agnus Die just to name a few. They are a noble family with Latin and Greek names, strong and beautiful names, for a strong and beautiful creature. Mr. Arenson certainly seems to have a love of Mozart. In fact I did do just that and read excerpts of the story with Mozart's Requiem playing in the background. Very apropos.

I also appreciated the complexity of Gloriae's character and I am hoping that she will have an even bigger part in the next book. She was by far my most favorite character. The poor thing is so utterly confused regarding her family lineage; you can't help but feel sorry for her. She is a strong warrior as she hacks and kills and maims, but pitiful nonetheless.

Lastly, I am really appreciating the price! 2.99? Surely Mr. Arenson you jest, I would have paid way more. But so glad that I didn't have to since money DOES NOT seem to love me right now. But thanks for the great read at such a wonderful price.

So, now I shall have to find another book to occupy my time before Requiem 2 comes out.
So many books so little time.

Happy Reading!

The story isn't horrible...but the details of the story telling are difficult to believe at times. The one thing that made me wonder about the author was why call a group of weredragons a "herd"? It doesn't make any sense considering the type of animals the word is used to call a group of...like cattle, deer, zebra, horses...ect. A made up term for a group of these people would have been so much better than herd or even stealing a term used by other authors that had dragons in their story.