DragonFire (DragonKeeper Chronicles #4)

by Donita K. Paul

Warning: If you haven't read the first three books in this series, this post (including the description from the back cover) contains spoilers.

from the back cover
Three years of strife have passed since Kale and Bardon freed Paladin's knights. Now, fiery dragons scorch their beautiful countryside as an evil husband-and-wife wizard duo fight for supremacy. The people of Amara just want to be left alone, hoping the conflict will disappear. But Paladin is dying, and Bardon and Kale--now married--must accept fateful, separate assignments if their land is to survive. Can their efforts turn the tide against their adversaries?

Kale's responsibility is to find, hatch, and train an army of dragons by working side-by-side with the dragon keeper father she has never known. As the Amaran countrymen seek escape, she must gain a greater understanding of her gifts to overcome her doubts.

my rating

my review
This one just didn't do it for me. The cover art isn't the greatest (which is highly uncharacteristic), and I didn't enjoy the story nearly as much as her other novels.

We started off on the wrong foot when, on the first page, I discover that Bardon and Kale are married. THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ENTIRE BOOK BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR. Gosh, sorry, I don't usually use my caps lock key. But I was quite angry. And then she rubs it in my face by using the words "wife" and "husband" about fifty times in the first chapter alone.

Since Bardon and Kale receive separate assignments, the chapters alternate between them, which is a style that, while necessary, drives me nuts. (side note: I like commas)

Beyond that, I don't even remember already what all bothered me. It's just that awkward, terrible but necessary in-between book that most series have. Oh, the villains. The villains were so very cheesy and melodramatic. Lightning shooting from fingertips just for show? The sky darkening as she comes into view? Thinking out loud to his captive? The other books have a bit of this too, but this time there were three villains, and it was just too much.

Conclusion: Read the book, because it is good (but not great) and necessary for understanding the final book in the series, which you do want to read. It has its moments, I promise!

DragonKnight (DragonKeeper Chronicles #3)

by Donita K. Paul

from the back cover
Before vowing his allegiance to Wulder as a knight, Bardon heads to the mountains for solitude. His life is suddenly complicated by a woman and her granddaughter, N'Rae, on a mission to rescue the woman's son trapped in a chamber of sleep. Bardon learns that more of Paladin's knights are imprisoned--and suspects one of them is Dragon Keeper Kale's missing father.


my rating

my review
I love that Donita K. Paul takes a supporting character from book two and makes him the protagonist of book three, giving a new perspective to the continuing story. However, I did find Bardon a bit dry, especially after being inside Kale's colorful mind for two novels. Greer, bless his little dragon heart, does his sarcastic best to nurture the half-ounce of humor buried in his rider, but unfortunately it's still not enough.

My conclusion: While I appreciate the promotion of a secondary character to hero, Bardon makes a much better secondary character (and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that).

I enjoyed the subtle relationship-budding that occurs in this book (it's not gag-worthy or overwhelming, I promise), and the introduction of new characters with just enough of the old to tie everything together.

DragonQuest (DragonKeeper Chronicles #2)

by Donita K. Paul

from the back cover
A dragonkeeper of Paladin, Kale is summoned from the Hall to The Bogs by the Wizard Fenworth to serve as his apprentice and tend his newly hatched meech dragon, Regidor. But Kale isn’t going alone. The Hall is sending a student to monitor her performance and report back to the scholars. Worst of all, it’s Bardon–an older boy Kale finds irritating, but who at least can hold his own in a sword fight.

Meanwhile, the Wizard Risto has seized another meech dragon, bringing him dangerously close to gaining the power he seeks. So with only a motley band of companions, Kale sets out on a desperate quest to rescue the second meech, to free those dragons already enslaved, and to thwart Risto’s devious plans. It’s up to Kale to lead the search and to embrace the role that’s rightfully hers. But will her efforts be enough to save the land of Amara from the dark future that awaits at Risto’s hands?

my rating

my review
If DragonSpell was Donita K. Paul testing the waters of fantasy writing, DragonQuest is her diving right in. The juvenile moments are gone, and the character development deepens. I remember liking book one more, but this is definitely my favorite of the two the second time around.

New characters are introduced, new friendships created, and more answers (and questions) written on the blank page of Kale's past.

I always find it difficult to review sequels (spoilers, anyone?), so I'll just leave it there--if you've read DragonSpell, then you know it was good and you should continue on with book two (you can't not like Donita K. Paul's fantasy books, in my humble-ish opinion). If you haven't, why are you reading the review for DragonQuest? You need to be over on this page to discover your new favorite series. :)

DragonSpell (DragonKeeper Chronicles #1)

by Donita K. Paul


from the back cover
Once a slave, Kale is given the unexpected opportunity to become a servant to Paladin. Yet this young girl has much to learn about the difference between slavery and service. 

A Desperate Search Begins…

A small band of Paladin’s servants rescue Kale from danger but turn her from her destination: The Hall, where she was to be trained. Feeling afraid and unprepared, Kale embarks on a perilous quest to find the meech dragon egg stolen by the foul Wizard Risto. First, she and her comrades must find Wizard Fenworth. But their journey is threatened when a key member of the party is captured, leaving the remaining companions to find Fenworth, attempt an impossible rescue, and recover the egg whose true value they have not begun to suspect...



my rating

my review
This is the third time I've read this book... in about two years. The first two times I would have given it a 7/5 if such a thing was possible, but on this last reading I picked up on some details that actually brought it down to a plain ol' 5/5.

I absolutely love how Donita K. Paul writes her characters. As usual, the antagonist, Kale, is my favorite character--she's not "spunky," naively brave, or flawed-but-still-perfect (and unbearably obnoxious). She is timid with an underlying strength, yearning for purpose and belonging. And she reacts realistically to all of the situations Donita K. Paul throws her into, which is, unfortunately, not always the case with some book characters.

Kale's companions are, well, eccentric, but in the absolute best possible way. Especially Wizard Fenworth, who is Eccentric with a capital E. He's also one of my favorites (ok, they're all my favorites).

So why did I like it less the third time around? It seemed a bit juvenile in places. Towards the beginning of the book, a few of Kale's thoughts seemed like lazy substitutes for good detail. Overall, though, I still really enjoyed it. I won't remove DragonSpell from my favorites list quite yet! (or, you know, ever...)

One Realm Beyond (Realm Walkers #1)

by Donita K. Paul

From the back cover
Cantor D'Ahma waited his whole life for this day. Born with a gift to jump between worlds, the young realm walker is finally ready to leave his elderly mentor and accept his role as protector and defender of the realms.

But mere hours after he steps through his first portal, Cantor discovers that his job will be more dangerous and difficult than he ever imagined. The realms are plagued with crime and cruelty, and even members of the once-noble Realm Walkers Guild can no longer be trusted. To make matters worse, his first assignment finding a dragon to assist him on his quest has led him to Bridger, who is clearly inept and won't leave him alone.

My rating

My review
Donita K. Paul has not let me down yet! One Realm Beyond is classic Paul, full of colorful characters of various races--including dragons, of course--thrown into a captivating plot.

While Cantor is the center of attention, Bixby might be my favorite character. She seems flawless at first, almost elf-like, but her vulnerability soon begins to peek through as she becomes refreshingly real. And Bridger. Dear, dear Bridger also wiggled his way up there on my list, despite being the most annoying dragon I've ever read about.

Alas, the slightly less-than-perfect rating. Why? I'm not sure. I just didn't connect with the characters as well as in Paul's other books. It doesn't mean I look forward to book two any less, though!

oh happy day

This week is rather exciting for me, book-wise. First off, today is the release date for Dragon's Curse, the fantasy/romance I recently beta read and then raved over. Author H.L. Burke is hosting a virtual launch party on Facebook, so if you're interested, hop on over!

Secondly, the book I've been waiting for since, well, sometime last year is finally hitting the shelves tomorrow! One Realm Beyond is the first book in the newest series by Donita K. Paul (who you're probably tired of hearing about from me), and though a fantasy, it apparently has some sci-fi and steampunk thrown in.

looking forward

There are two three books coming out in the next few months that I am very very excited about... 

The first, One-Woman Farm: My Life Shared with Sheep, Pigs, Chickens, Goats, and a Fine Fiddle by Jenna Woginrich, will be on the shelves November 5. I just found out about it a few weeks ago and was happy to learn I didn't have long to wait. After hearing Woginrich speak at the Mother Earth News Fair last fall, I fairly quickly devoured two of her books, Barnheart and Made from Scratch. And they both earned a place on my favorites list.

I happily just discovered (as I'm looking up links and images for this post, no joke) that she has yet another book due out next June! This one is a collection essays, which I'm not usually a fan of, but Woginrich is such an engaging writer that I think I would enjoy it. The title is Cold Antler Farm: A Memoir of Growing Food and Celebrating Life on a Scrappy Six-Acre Homestead.

And now for the book I am most excited about: One Realm Beyond, the first in a new series (Realm Walkers) by Donita K. Paul. I have read all of her fantasy novels so far--all eight of them--and upon finishing the last one this past spring, was very sad to see them end. But, being the stalker that I am, I noticed a Pinterest board of Paul's called Bixby Styling that appeared to be dedicated to a new character. Which could only mean one thing. Sure enough, her new book hits the shelves on January 28! (synopsis available on the author's website)

Dragons of the Watch (Valley of the Dragons #3)

Donita K. Paul

Description from Goodreads: Trapped in a forgotten city, bound by secrets, Ellie and Bealomondore must enlist the dragons of the watch to find freedom.

Ellie knows exactly where she is going. She just wants to experience the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding, then settle into a simple life with a country husband.

With too many choices, Bealomondore’s future is a tangle of possibilities. He is respected, well-known, and admired among the elite of Chiril, but Wulder demands he narrow his focus and follow his Creator, one step at a time.

Dragons of the Valley (Valley of the Dragons #2)

Donita K. Paul

Description from Goodreads: With an invasion of her country imminent, Tipper Schope is drawn into a mission to keep three important statues from falling into the enemy’s clutches. Her friend, the artist Bealomondore, helps her execute the plan, and along the way he learns to brandish a sword rather than a paintbrush. 

As odd disappearances and a rash of volatile behavior sweep Chiril, no one is safe. A terrible danger has made his vicious presence known: The Grawl, a hunter unlike any creature encountered before.

The Dragons of Chiril (Valley of the Dragons #1)

Donita K. Paul

Description from Goodreads: Tipper has been caring for her family’s estate for years now, ever since her father disappeared, making a living by selling off his famous artwork. Then she learns that three statues she sold were carved from an ancient foundation stone, and the fabric of her reality is crumbling. 

She must free her father and save the world. But she can’t do it alone.