I had been looking for a good fantasy series for awhile now and then I stumbled onto this series by Yarros. I put them on hold at the library since they were labelled YA and sometimes something labeled Young Adult can be a bit too childish for me to invest in. But I kept on reading reviews proclaiming how wonderful these books were and I would check my hold at the library and I was still 546th in line! Then my daughter asked if there was any book I would like for Christmas and I broke down and asked for the first book in the series. What a gift!  These books are amazing! Before I was even done with the first one, I ordered the second and now I am biting my fingernails in anticipation of the third in the series which has yet to be released! So, don’t be a Brenda! If you like fantasy, thrills, suspense and a steamy love story then get these books-immediate!

When your mother is the commanding general of the army and in charge of the Dragon Riders- the most elite fighting force in Navarre, you have limited choices. Violet Sorengall wanted to be come a scrbe, like her father, and live among the books and scrolls in the library especially since she had been fragile and sickly most of her life. But her father’s sudden death and the mounting concerns of invasion at the borders have changed things for Violet, and her mother has ordered her to take the test to become a Dragon Rider. The test is brutally strenuous even for someone who is strong, so Violet is not even sure she will survive the test, but even if she does, she is certain she will not survive the choosing. For it is dragons that choose their riders and it is well known that dragons only choose the most worthy and strong, and those who are not chosen or are weak are incinerated.

It is not only dragons who will be her enemies, however. Her mother has made many enemies, one of who is Xaden Riorson, the son of a traitor who was executed by her mother. In a questionable act of mercy her mother allowed the traitors’ children to go through the testing to become dragon riders and Xaden and some others passed and are now a part of the elite force, but their understandable enmity towards her mother is well known. But somehow like a moth to a flame, Violet is drawn to Xaden.

Clearly Yarros has taken the “warrior quest” story line and created something intriguing and new. The protagonist is a woman and she is not super human or strong, but rather weak, suffers from a debilitating physical condition and yet she perseveres. She has an enemy but their relationship is complicated by feelings of mutual attraction. Her mother who is supposed to be nurturing is instead, tough and remote, putting her service to country above all else. All of this is mixed in with the relationships with the dragons who at some points are the most reliable narrators in this complicated story. But that is enough from me. Read the books-you will not be disappointed!

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Lauren, Marian and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

Read in ebook format.