Thank you to NetGalley, Atthis Arts, LLC, and E.D.E. Bell for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This world is split, kind of like a mirror universe (is my understanding) of humans and dragons. Both find the other to be a thing of myth. In this world, women are forbidden from reading, living alone, or pursuing knowledge, making them unable to pursue their own interests in this controlled society. In the world of dragons, Atesh researches a hallucinogenic flower, only do discover further secrets about his kind.

Both learn the other exist, and when worlds collide, it certainly sets up for an interesting team-up in a magical world.

I tried reading this book twice. The first time I made it almost halfway with my brain thinking "I know I will like this book, but I have no clue what is going on." So after many hours already invested, I started over and finished with round two. I did ultimately like the book, but still had a hard time investing in the side characters, though Cor and Atesh were definitely the most intriguing aspects of the novel.

This is a great setup to a fantasy trilogy any fantasy reader and dragon lover will enjoy.

"The Banished Craft" eBook was published in 2015 and was written by E. D. E. Bell (https://www.edebell.com). Ms. Bell has published four novels, with this being the first in her "Shkode" trilogy. 

I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story is set in a land of fantasy where humans and intelligent dragons exist. They each are having their separate adventures, but a common thread to them is the use of the drug 'ha'. 

There are several characters that the story follows, both human and dragon. 

A world has been spit - now there are separate human and dragon worlds. The woman Cor lives in a world where women are not allowed to read or study or have a career. Yet she wants more and discovers when she tries 'ha' that she has powers. She is a witch. 

Atesh is one of the most brilliant scientists in the dragon kingdom. His avocation is studying the plant that 'ha' comes from, but he is tasked by the emperor to create a deadly poison. His world is facing destruction and he is struggling to save it against all odds. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the 9.5+ hours I spent reading this 346-page fantasy. I liked the human characters but I struggled with the dragon characters for some reason. The plot was a bit unique, but with it too I had a bit of a hard time. I also felt that the story ended rather abruptly. The cover art is well chosen. I give this novel a 3 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

A fourth dimensional being accidentally splits a world into two copies. Dragons go to one copy and humans the other. Over time parts of both worlds start disappearing. The book starts slow and lets the characters develop. Cor, an orphaned woman fights through all the bias against women on her world until she discovers what she is. Atesh, a dragon scientist seeks to discover the mysteries of a secret plant.