Ashley
Written on Jul 26, 2022
Read more like middle grade than YA. Wanted to love it, but it needed to be a bit older feeling for me. :(
Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean.
But then he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within.
But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows.
Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon's magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come, and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.
The start to a new dragon rider epic fantasy, combining the best of Eragon with the magic system of Will Wight's Cradle series.
- ISBN10 1913695328
- ISBN13 9781913695323
- Publish Date 1 September 2020
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Portal Books
- Edition Hardback ed.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 536
- Language English
Reviews
annieb123
Written on May 7, 2022
Ascendant is the first book in the Songs of Chaos by Michael R. Miller. Released in 2020, it's 536 pages and is available in most formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
I grew up on a steady diet of Pern, Eragon, Hobbs' Farseer, and the like. Later on I devoured Novik's Temeraire series (it was published a lot later). This book is more on the Pern/Eragon YA(ish) side of the balance instead of gritty adult military dragon fantasy. It's well written and eminently engaging. The characterizations are believable and the protagonist is sympathetically rendered. It's very trope-y, but it's also quite good.
Interestingly enough, though the author and publisher are both in the British Isles, the spelling throughout is Americanized.
Enjoyable and immersive. Yes, trope-y but that's why we devour fantasy. There's a second book and a prequel out at this point, so it could be a good candidate for a weekend binge.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.