Fall of the Dragon Prince by Dan Allen

[MerryLove]

This is Allen's debut novel, and it is an excellent one. The world is easy to get into and the characters are well developed. There are multiple story arcs going on at the same time and they are well done and don't compete with each other. I loved it.

Brief Summary from Goodreads:

“Toran joined the five realms and tied their destinies to the survival of his secret heirs. But the king is now dead and his enemies gather.

Reann, a serving girl and self-appointed librarian of Toran’s estate, has a chance to unravel the greatest mystery in the realm.

On the other side of the kingdom, Terith and the other dragon riders fight to stop the invasion that would mean the fall of the empire. In this cross-country dragon race, Terith faces a black-hearted traitor with even darker purposes, to win the kingdom and the heart of the woman he loves. One rider will fall; one fate will rise.”

The novel alternates between the stories of Reann and Terith, but both stories have other important characters woven in. The diversity in characters is one of the things that drew me in the most and left me wanting to continue the trilogy.

Reann, a servant in the castle, is desperate to find one of the 5 secret heirs of Toran. She creative, sneaky, and cunning as she searches for clues to help her in her predicament. While she is young and makes mistakes, she is a character that's easy to like from the beginning.

Terith's story is completely different. A champion in a swamp-like realm where the warriors train and ride dragons, Terith hopes to earn his place as the future chief through marriage to one of the eligible daughters. Terith is a brave, honorable character from the start who puts the safety of his people ahead of all other things. He's a dream guy who sees plenty of action in the deadly swamp where he lives.

Together, the two stories are a perfect paring. Reann uses clues and secrecy to slowly uncover a mystery, while Terith faces tough challenges and saves his people. It's the best of both worlds rolled cohesively into one.

Rating

I loved this story and rate it a 4 out of 4. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a slow burn fantasy that's sure to turn into an epic series.