I love dragons. The fact the book title and the book cover had dragons in it, meant I was immediately sold on this one. Add to that, that this was an indie author I'd never heard of before and I was wholeheartedly in.

The opening chapters felt a little stilted, a lot of awkward moments for our protagonist Austin. I wasn't immediately drawn to him or really even liked him, but I didn't hate him, so that was a plus. When things started to get moving in the following chapters I was drawn into the story and quite enjoyed the pace in which the story moved along.

This was until the book changed to a complete history lesson on Rhyll. I understand there was a need to share some of the information but it really smacked of poor storytelling because that information could be given to the reading in a number of other ways. This history lesson lasted a few chapters and really bogged down the pacing.

Once we broke free of the history 101 class, things picked up again and the twisting and turning plots and mystery were quite engrossing. I appreciated the ways things didn't always go right for our characters, the ways in which various roadblocks occurred and helped/hindered the progress. Even if some of the characters seemed to not be as impacted by these roadblocks.

The last 20% of the book was a quick nail-biting read that helped the book shine. Where things fell a little short for me was the emotional ending. It felt a little rushed and glossed over and overly packed with too much going on to really allow the emotional punch to the guts to hit home. That was a shame because I feel it could have been very emotional if given the right amount of time to breathe.

Overall, this was a fun book. It has some challenges and things I think could be improved, but I enjoyed it. I'll most likely pick up another book by this author down the track.

**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley**

While I enjoyed the characters and the overall idea behind the novel, it fell a bit flat for me. I'm tired of reading about men whose significant others die and that ends up being their main motivation. It was a nice fantasy romp and I liked the relationships between characters, especially Austin and Corinna. I also appreciated the fact that they had Austin be a grown adult, rather than the young adult that fantasy often portrays. I'd recommend this for someone who wants your typical fantasy romp but is tired of all of the protagonists being really young.

This was a bust for me, i had hoped it would be interesting but i just did not like Austin that much. Rhiannon`s chapter was sort of okay, but meh.

As soon as I see the word "Dragon" in any book title - I'm in.
But I must say, as much as I wanted to love it - it was just fine.
I found that I sadly never cared much about the characters. But I see so much potential in this story.
I hope there will be more to read!

Loved the characters and storyline, liked the way this book was written.

Thank you for the arc ❤️

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ahead of time!

When I first saw the description for the book, I had to request. When I saw the idea that "our fairy tale monsters are another world's criminal castoffs" I was hooked. The monsters and myths of our world are interesting and strange and deeply connected to one another, which is something I always thought was strange. The idea that they might come from another world pulled me in tight to the book.

In addition to how the world was built, I was fascinated by the main characters Austin and Corinna. They're tough and independent and determined. I loved the dynamic between the two of them, and Corinna's sarcasm kept me laughing.

I couldn't set the book down while I was reading it and whether this is a first in a series or a standalone, I can't wait to see what more Mr. Munz has to create.

Interesting storyline and characters. I would have enjoyed a little more character depth and plot. But overall good story

This is an interesting take on parallel worlds and the crossover of people between them. Munz created a tale that brings a not-quite regular Joe into contact with the magical. This is a melancholy story that has surprises, which is nice. “Memory of Dragons” is not a predictable book.

The main characters have an interesting dynamic. I really like how Munz put them together to set up his plot twists. While he did leave some character development on the table, it wasn’t much and it provides fodder for future stories. The ending could be stand alone or used as a beginning for another book. The reader is left satisfied at the conclusion of the story and given the option to want more without the promise of getting it. That is a nice change from the “never ending” story format that many sci-fi/fantasy authors seem to favor these days. I’m over the books written intentionally as “Part One” of a series.

Overall the writing is not gripping. It is solid and has no flaws that I can see, but it didn’t really suck me in as some stories have done. I felt it was just a little flat - I’m not sure why - and I was never dying to read just one more chapter. There were points within that caused me to pause and think, which I found redeeming.

Overall a good story told well. I give it a solid four stars.

The opinions shared in this review are my own and I have received no compensation in exchange for offering them. My thanks to NetGalley and Red Muse Press for this copy to review.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the world that was built. I liked the fairy tale elements and hope there is more in the series.

Memory of Dragons is a recently published fantasy by Micheal G. Munz who describes himself as a ‘geek-bard’ – a jack of all geek trades. Micheal’s bardship is certainly on display in this high stakes adventure which has it’s fingers in the geeky pies of dragons, magical worlds, and monsters, but this book’s strength is in the constant dilemma of who to trust, especially when memory magic is involved.

Set mainly in the south of England and Wales, with occasional tantalising glimpses of the magical word of Rhyll, it is clear that Munz has great affection for the UK, and he dedicates this book to “the Isle of Britain, its people and its lore”. It’s fun to have a book dedicated to me (however wide the dedication!) and with Wales a favourite holiday destination I settled in to enjoy the book.

Munz described the wild beauty of Wales well, and I could picture the places he was describing. I particularly enjoyed that most of the peril took place in the Welsh countryside, which felt like a most fitting location. As a native of England, my main gripe with this book was with the amount of British slang used in the book. As an non-native reader, you may well find the usage of “I say!”, “chuffed” and “bint” charming, but whilst these are all British words, they were sometimes used incorrectly, or too frequently to be believable.

As I was drawn into the narrative, I was impressed by the magic system, and by the slow revelation of Rhyll. The focus on memory magic was particularly intriguing and well explored; what makes a person who they are? Could you become another person by taking their memories into yourself? Munz’s logic is brilliant throughout the novel – his characters solve problems realistically and with intelligence, which was refreshing.

The various exiled denziens of Rhyll I met throughout the novel were also fascinating with some unapologetically terrifying, and some of the more slow burn fear, where I would get to the end of a scene to find myself tensing my muscles, ready to react.

Most threatening was the accomplished mind magician Maeron, whose pursuit of Austin provides the cat and mouse plot for most of the book. Evil in his single minded and reckless ambiton, Maeron’s lack of remorse for any despicable act makes him a substantial foe for Austin. However, looking back on the plot from the ending of the novel, I’m left a little deflated by Maeron’s villian arc, as despite the very real threat Munz communicates throughout, Austin and Maeron’s final confrontation did not live up to the build up.

I do, however, love Austin. Empirical almost to a fault, and seeking always to do the right thing, I was immediately on his side from the start of the novel. I felt his love for Rhi, his heartbreak that she was gone, and his desperate hope that he might get her back, in whatever form, very viscerally. Rhi’s characterisation, even though we never technically meet her, is superb, and Munz created a connection with her despite her distance.

I also very much enjoyed Boden, a dragon trapped in a crystal, whose only communication is through speaking to Austin. I admire Munz’s crafting of Boden’s words – there were many points where I trusted the dragon, despite being told not to, and I frequently changed my mind about whether Austin should consider following Boden’s advice.

Corinna’s character however, I found a little shallow and unlikely. Apart from the fact that she’s Irish (marked principally by her red hair and propensity to say “Aye”) her other character trait is that she’s a bit of a thrill seeker – pick pocketing Austin mostly for the fun of it, and later finding being drawn in Austin’s adventure exciting. Over the course of the book she does display compassion and like Austin, the desire to do the right thing, but she still felt underdeveloped for me.

Despite these nitpicks, Memory of Dragons is an incredibly enjoyable, fast paced book, in which I found myself fully invested due to the unpredicatbility of the plot and my builiding need to see everything turn out well for Austin and Corinna.

In summary, I would recommend Memory of Dragons, and gave it 4.5 stars. It is suitable for 13+ with content warnings for monsters, killing, and mind control. I’m very grateful to the author for gifting me a free copy in exchange for an honest review, and would love to see a sequel!

Michael G Munz’s ’Memory of Dragons’ is an incredibly well-written fantasy novel set predominantly in the true land of dragons; Wales.

What initially drew me to the book was the idea that ’our fairy tale monsters are another world’s criminal castoffs’. I have always wondered where the basis for our monsters came from and the idea created by the author is both fantastic and believable. I am so very glad tha my curiosity and love of dragons in fantasy stories had me read Memory of Dragons as the world-building is so well-done and I could easily visualise the many places our male protagonist, the grieving Austin, travels to.

We are introduced to Austin and his need to find peace at the loss of his partner in such a gentle manner and I felt his pain as if it were my own. The idea of seeing somewhere that matters to someone he loved for himself is a beautiful concept and it introduces you to the main plot of the book in an new and therefore unique manner. I cannot recall reading a tale done with the same concept which is refreshing.

Austin and Corinna are both brilliantly written and are also very real. Both characters have their faults, their strengths and their weaknesses and whilst there is the well-loved idea of ’underdog being the hero’ it is far from predictable. I really enjoyed how the two are brought together by the most unconventional of ways and that Corinna is far from our weak and feeble heroine, (finally, that stereotype in fantasy novels is dying off.) She is strong-willed and independent and the nudges to a life spent being reliant on herself to survive from a young age is told to both Austin and the reader in a sensitive and subtle manner.

Austin is fiercely loyal and whilst normally it is that trait that is a strength, for Austin at times, it is a weakness. He's vastly ill-prepared for the battle he find himself in and perhaps I'm awful, but I liked that he struggles, that when things go wrong for them? Austin doesn't immediately have the answer.
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I loved this book so much, and couldn't put it down as I wanted to know what happens next for the two protagonists against the threat of an escaping dragon and a bad guy whose way of survival on Earth is to kill. I really hope that this is the first in a series as Memory of Dragons had me with lots of questions and the desire for ’What’s next ?’ to be answered. I do hope the author does as I highly doubt when readers come to the end, they too will be left shocked and wanting to know what else happens to the characters we have left behind.

Thank you NetGalley for my arc in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. At one part it reminded of a character from Lord of the Rings. I even went to look and see if there was a second book. I liked the complexity of Rhi/Corinna and how Austin’s mind worked. I will be looking at others books by this author.

My rating –3.5/5 stars.

I enjoyed Memory of Dragons quite a bit. It was a very interesting and modern take on some classical fantasy concepts (e.g. boy finds a magical artifact and learns magic is real, then goes on a quest to fight the evil guy). For one thing, it’s set in our modern-day world, and our “boy”, Austin, is a grown-up man. After he loses his girlfriend, Rhianon, in a car crash, he travels to a place is Wales she used to frequently visit, to honour her memory. There, he learns that magic is real and comes from a different world and gets possession of a crystal in which a dragon is imprisoned. Shortly after that, he is confronted by a pickpocket named Corinna, who claims that she’s in possession of Rhianon’s memories. Together they go into quite an adventure in order to protect the crystal and both worlds. While that premise sounds very much worn-out, it did feel quite the opposite when I was reading it. It had some very nice concepts about the origins of "monsters" and some interesting plot-twists.

The book was well-written, the dialogue between the characters felt natural and interesting. The one thing I didn’t quite like was the overall plot of the book – it felt quite predictable at times, which lead up to the ending, which was a bit of a let down that didn’t do the story justice.

A solid 4, if not 4.5, stars!

Memory of Dragons is a fast-paced, NA fantasy novel. I loved watching the character development of Austin, as he moved through the story. I did find myself wanting to learn more about Rhi's life before this point in the story, and would love to see the author write that book.

I love a good fantasy novel, and Memory of Dragons does not disappoint. There is nothing better for me than a story that takes place in this world, with just a touch of magic from another world mixed in.

This is a book that is basically good: interesting story with magic and dragons, fairly good pacing with a lot of action from the start, and plenty of twists and turns. Yet I never quite got into it, and it took me forever to finish. I'm blaming Austin, the main character, who I never really warmed to. He was too dithering and I like my heroes with a bit more decisiveness. Other than that, there was nothing obviously wrong with the book, so if you like fantasy with a hero who isn't like everyone else, this is for you.

ARC from NetGalley

This is a well-written fantasy with an interesting magic system interesting characters. Corinna is such a saucy minx, and Austin is such a good boy. I wish that there was a bit more interaction with fantastic beings, but what we did get was good. The writing was very evocative. I wish I had kept notes, but there were several scenes that felt quite visceral. The author was able to describe them in a way that resonated and recalled past experiences.

Nothing in here made me cringe. There was nothing that was written badly. The characters were well-rounded. The setting was evocative, and the way that Austin describes the pain of his loss was very real. I think I would have felt more satisfaction if I had a better grasp on who exactly Boden is, if he is good or bad or what. That way I could root for him or dislike him or something, but I spent most of the time just suspicious, which isn't a terribly fulfilling feeling.

I was a bit underwhelmed with the ending. I liked the very, very ending, but I didn't love what came just before it. It was a bit anticlimactic, though I'm not entirely sure what I was hoping for. It did end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I can't tell whether it was done to leave the reader guessing or if it is prelude to another book. I hope it is the latter.

This is a really good book! Fantasy, magic, intrigue, danger, maybe a love story; all the elements I love in a story.

Two worlds collide in this fast-paced fantasy. Austin only wanted to travel to a place where his late girlfriend, Rhi, loved to go. He needed to be able to be someplace where she had been, to see something new through her eyes, to hold on to his memory of her. He wasn't expecting what he really found there. If anyone would have told him the things that he was about to learn, he would have told them that they're crazy. In a series of events, he meets Coirinna, and the world as he knew it unravels. Now it is up to Austin and Corinna to save not only one world, the world Austin knew, but also a world that Corinna tells him that Rhi is actually from. Getting past his grief of losing Rhi and his mistrust of Corinna might prove fatal to all involved.

This story throws you into a chase from page one and doesn't stop until the last page is turned. It is quite the ride!

Some of the dialog and indecision gets irritating after a while. But I think that is because, as the reader, you can see the bigger story unfolding and you just want to get where you're going. If you think you have this one figured out, think again. I was totally wrong in what I thought was going to happen. TOTALLY!

This reads like the first book in a series and I would definitely read the other books if it were. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy and magical reads.

I accidentally put the review of another book here, I will edit it with the right review as soon as I've finished this book! The three star rating is my version of average until I have an actual rating!

Memory of Dragons is a NA cross-worlds fantasy novel by Michael Munz. Due out 15th June 2020, it's 315 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a well written and deftly plotted fantasy. The parallel worlds/portal trope is popular, but the world building and magic here is unusually good. Fantasy creatures have been sent to earth through a magical rift as punishment or containment for thousands of earth years (turns out politicians from other worlds aren't a lot different than our own) and it's up to protagonist Austin to thwart the bad guy's plans, save the world, and keep the evil dragons from getting loose and running amok.

The pacing and story arc are nicely controlled and plotted and the whole of the narrative works well. The characterization could have been more finely drawn, but overall the author does a good job of using action and settings to move the story along. The denouement was foreshadowed pretty heavily, there weren't any AHA surprises or huge reveals. Overall a satisfying fantasy with dragons and tragic character backstories. It works very well as a standalone and it isn't clear that there will be more books to come (presumably there will be, but this one ends on a fairly satisfying note).

I would recommend this one to fans of darker crossworlds fantasy such as Lev Grossman, Stephen Lawhead, or even Stephen R. Donaldson.

Four stars, I'll keep an eye out for more work by the author.

A well written mixture of adult and young adults fantasy, where two worlds meets each other. Austin lost his girlfriend, Rhi therefore he travels to Wales to find out more about her. The American student soon needs to realize that his life changed, when his fate entangled with Rhi’s. She came from an alternative world where magic exists, which means a bunch of creatures, dragons and exciting actions. A fast paced book filled with dragons, magic, romance and much more.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy.