This book has something for everybody it’s a really cracking read highly recommended. If you like dragons you’re like this.

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While this was a shorter novella it still built this world that I wish I could see more of. The lore for the dragons was just amazing and something that I have not seen before. IT was part travel book as well as part romance and yet nothing felt stagnant. Everything flowed together making me enjoy the journey along with the characters. I would highly recommend this book to those that want something about dragons that is quite new and fresh.

I really enjoyed this title. Havesskadi's journey was realistic to the point of frustration. The dead ends and wrong turns had me internally screaming at many points. The villains were a bit evil-for-the-sake-of-evil but it works in a fairy tale type setting like this book has in a way it wouldn't in other settings. The ending was especially refreshing.

A fun story with a slow build relationship and a satisfying ending. I mainly wanted more detail on the world building. It did make me happy to have an own voice Ace character as the MC. I still struggle with books personally where the plot is primarily a failure to communicate as this one was. Still, that is a personal issues and I would read this author again.

I was drawn in right away, especially because I am a sucker for shifters. I thought the pacing of the romance between Orsie and Ark was well done. They each had pretty different backgrounds and grew together in such a lovely way throughout their journey.

The senses run wild with this one. A beautiful story written with classic dragon tales in mind. I could feel the hurt, longing, happiness, eagerness, cold, heat, every emotion and sensation described in this book was so well delivered. Only in the last chapter did I wish for a little more from the story. I feel it ended too quickly and that might just be because I was enjoying it so much that I didn't want it to end. Just wonderful.

2.5 Stars rounded up

This reading experience was a bit unusual for me in that it started out really strong. I really liked the setup with Orsie and Nevmis and I was on the lookout for an awesome dragon fight as the resolution. Perhaps because I had built up some expectation of what I wanted to happen, the actual ending of the book seemed a little tepid in comparison. I also really struggled to connect with Orsie and Ark; both seemed like very flat, one-dimensional characters. I didn't know what made them tick or who they really were. Towards the middle, I honestly just started skimming. It was too repetitive and nothing really happened for so many pages. In the end, I kind of felt this disappointment because there were so many loose ends. Even if this book is a part of a series, the details I am talking about didn't seem like they were purposefully not explained; they came off more as something the author forgot to fully resolve.

Even with all of these flaws, I think the author did a few things really well. I loved the world-building. The author seemed to put a lot of thought into the lore of the series, but I just wish it was contextualized a little better. It was like I knew all the names of places but not the stories behind them, so it was hard to connect with the world of the book. It felt like it was constantly just out of reach. Also, I liked the touches about dragon intimacy. I fully support the idea that dragons would not be the same as humans in many ways, and the author did a pretty decent job getting that message across. Overall, I feel like the book had a lot of potential, but I couldn't quite connect with the world or the characters.

Orsie Havesskadi has been living a very solitary life hidden in the mountains. This is natural for a dragon...especially when there is a red dragon hunting all dragons. His peaceful existence is shattered one night when the Red Dragon finds him. As fearlessly as he fights, he still loses and as a result... loses his dragon magic.

In this world, when. dragon's magic is taken, they have 24 crescents to recover it. If they're unable to find it, they will become human permanently and will pass away.

Orsie is sick immediately. Having his magic stolen seems to almost tear him apart. He is feverish and confused... and only barely manages to survive by relying on the kindness of humans.

In another part of this world, garrison archer Ark is struggling with an unscrupulous commander. He's sent out on a mission... only to be attacked by a Red Dragon. Ark raises his bow and lets an arrow fly on instinct and then things begin to get bizarre! Things around Ark being to change as he struggles to focus and understand what's happened. He's being called a dragonslayer, but he doesn't recall slaying a dragon. He's shifting through space... unsure of where he should be or what he's doing. Finally, he stumbles upon a castle and is enticed inside.

Once Ark is inside the castle he beings to hear voices...whispers... some of which are dark and cruel, some of which are sweet and caring. Those caring whispers are coming from Orsie but neither man is able to communicate their names, or where they are.

Orsie sets off in search of his anaskett... and the whispering voice in his head.

For the course of this novel, neither Ark nor Orsie knows that they are seeking each other. There are yearning and emptiness in both their lives that is well-written by Kelly throughout. Each of these characters was quite different and I enjoyed the contrast between them.

The story is ultimately about finding an anchor in your life, someone or something to keep you centered and well. That journey is complicated in this story by the fact that one soul is a human and the other a dragon.