Monday, July 11, 2016

For lovers of dragons



Dragon’s Future
by Kandi J. Wyatt
Series: Dragon Courage
Paperback: 258 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 7, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 153321235X
ISBN-13: 978-1533212351

Publisher’s Blurb:
Every child of Woolpren dreams of becoming one, but only a few are chosen. Now, ten-year-old twin brother and sister, Ruskya and Duskya, have been selected to join an elite group of riders: dragon riders. Full of awe and excitement, the twins leave their mother, and their home, to train for their new lives. Fifteen years later, dragons are becoming extinct and riders are rare. One day, Ruskya is at the general store in town when a man announces that he is recruiting new dragon riders. Ruskya goes undercover, and discovers that there is another colony of riders with their own agenda--a quest to find a mysterious plant that could restore the dragon population, or destroy it. When a battle erupts between the two colonies, it's up to Ruskya and his friends to fight for their dragons' future, and their lives. Follow Ruskya's quest as he finds courage and friendship in this exciting middle grade fantasy series by Kandi J Wyatt.

Sara’s Thoughts:
3/5
All in all I enjoyed this book. The story was engaging and the characters likable. There were some issues, though.

First, the names are all too similar, particularly for the main dragons. Considering that Wyn and Wryn are some of the names, you can see where confusion is easy. The humans often have extra y's in their names too.

While the characters are likable, they have limited growth. For the most part, they start out as reasonable brave, good, polite, hard working people and in the end they might be a bit braver and use their hard work to figure out a solution. Every once in a while, there is a very small temptation to do something wrong or unethical, which is quickly overcome. The main heroes also never seem to argue with each other.

**Potential Spoilers**

Other questions come from how the relationship between the dragons and the town came about. Where did the antagonist get his powers, and how did he get a dragon and first hear about the special herb he was searching for? How did Cerulean get mixed up with this other group? Why did the two dragon groups never meet before? Why does Carryl have these extra abilities with the dragons and why is Kyn so good at healing humans with only a few days of training and some instinct?



Dragon’s Heir
by Kandi J. Wyatt
Series: The Dragon Courage Series
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 2 edition (June 7, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1533222509
ISBN-13: 978-1533222503

Publisher’s Blurb:
In the ten winters since Kyanos was defeated, Rider Braidyn and his dragon, Turqueso, have made a place for themselves in the sleepy Boeskay colony. But when two nestlings are stolen from the hatchling cave, Braidyn’s sense of justice leads him on a quest to find the person responsible. After recovering one nestling, Braidyn recruits his old friends Ruskya and Carryl to help. The friends travel to a faraway desert colony where they find a group of riders with different customs, and meet a beautiful young woman who could be the key to finding the missing nestling. Can Braidyn learn to temper justice with mercy, or will he risk losing everything? Journey along in this exciting fantasy world in the spellbinding second installment of the Dragon Courage series, Dragon’s Heir, by Kandi J Wyatt.


Sara’s Thoughts:
4/5
This book was as likable as the first but without many of the confusing aspects, like too similar of names. It even answers some of the questions I had after the first finished. Character growth is more evident, but still a little too easy. These books revolve more around story than character.

I think it would be possible to read this one without having read the first, but there are points where you might be a bit confused.


(Apologies for the funky formatting...it's readable and it's time to cook dinner!)

May I introduce...

...my daughter, Sara. She's pretty awesome. She has a Bachelor's degree in Recreation Management, with a minor in Ballroom Dance, and a Master's in Youth and Family Recreation. She also has a lot more time than I do for reading. She likes reviewing books, too, so she will be making frequent appearances as a guest reviewer.