Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I received this from NetGalley a loooongg time ago and finally got around to reading it. Man do I wish I hadn't waited! I grew up reading Eragon and this definitely had a similar feel to it, but managed to stay unique. The worldbuilding was wonderful and the characters well defined. I cant wait to read more!

“Do you think it’s fair? How we’re born and raised and die in a role we do not get to choose?”

This one went straight to this year’s Top Reads list, way before I was done with it! What a ride, OH MY GOD!

Holt Cook dreams of becoming a dragon rider like all those heroes he worships. But when he rescues an egg and bonds with a blind dragon, he finds out that some wishes are better off left unsaid. Now he’s thrust into a world of danger he’s not prepared for, and in the middle of not only a war, but politics threatening to forge him into something he’s not – or, worse, kill him. Armed with his father’s cookbook and a blind hatchling, Holt will have to grow up faster than he thought and become a hero – not the one the world wants, but the one it needs.

I’m in love with this book. Have been from the first page! The world and its intricacies are fleshed out beautifully, and not in lore dumps that tire the reader out. The information being laid out for both Holt and us is mixed in perfect doses among battles and humorous banter with his other allies. It’s a tale of growing up and learning camaraderie, finding your own worth and potential and standing up to those looking down on you.

The magic of this story is intriguing and the practicality of each significant detail astounding. I loved how Holt used his experience as a cook to discover the world around him, and solve his problems, adding a fresh point to the perspective that so many riders had before him. And while he wasn’t the hero everyone expected him to be at first, he slowly grew into something else, something better, and I loved it. This is what makes this book so different from others of its genre, the slow maturity and the changes coming with it, but also refusing to just accomodate all those that wished you dead before they needed you. It was humane and realistic, and while Holt is not cruel in his decision, I think he made – at least in the end – the right choices, given the circumstances.

I didn’t mind that the book was a bit on the big side – I had missed books like this, to be fair. And I can’t wait to read more of the adventures that await our two riders and their new responsibilities.

P.S.: Rake is interesting as hell, but also seems dangerous, I love him! And if I love him, he’s either evil, or will die later, it’s my curse I fear…
P.P.S.: Case in point, Brode! I LOVED THE MAN AND WAS HOPING TILL THE LAST MINUTE, WHYYYYY?????
P.P.P.S.: Prepare for plot twists, because this book is FULL of them! (also, is there some kind of companion on the book’s world and the known dragons’ magic and stuff? I’m craving a DnD adventure in this universe for my students, and I need details!)

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

Genre: High Fantasy/Coming-of-Age/Young Adult
Rating: 4/5
Thank you to NetGalley, Portal Books, Book Fluent, Michael R. Miller, and Peter Kenny (narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to Ascendant: Songs of Chaos Book One in exchange for an honest review.

When I was younger, I sought any and all books I could find about dragons. I came across the Dragon Riders of Pern series, older, but a classic, and not long after, Eragon was a new release. Eragon was my favorite book when I was ten years old, and the following books in the series were not yet out. I didn't know what to do with myself. Always I seek the "next Eragon." Ascendant is an excellent blend with the political and system aspects of Pern, but the feel of Eragon as a rider and epic adventure.

I would like to highlight the narrator of the audiobook, Peter Kenny, who I am familiar with as he did the audio narrations of the English translations of The Witcher novels. His voice and voice acting are perfect for a high fantasy book with dragons and undead, among other interesting creatures. He really brought the story to life and even narrates the female chapters near the end with high quality fantasy elegance.

Holt Cook is just that: a local kitchen boy. Only those chosen by the Order can become dragon riders, and that certainly isn't Holt. When he learns a nasty secret, that the dragons weed out the weak of their kind while still in their eggs, Holt makes his way to a white egg, learning the hatchling within is blind. Just because the dragon is blind does not mean he will be weak.

Holt takes the egg, expectedly bonding with the dragon and becoming his rider. Named Ash for his pale white-gray coloring, Holt finds his bond with the dragon goes beyond normal. As he learns from princess Talia and her dragon, Pyra, they discover Ash and Holt grow together at an exceeding rate.

Holt's training brings him to an adventure he didn't expect in a world controlled by the Order and ravaged by the Scourge, hordes of undead roaming the land.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book. It has the hero's journey feel with Holt's call to adventure with his new dragon friend. The reader gets to know Holt, Ash, Talia, and Pyra, how the world is constructed, and how the bond between rider and dragon develops. I enjoyed the rest of the story as well, though the adventure and the dastardly villains were just not quite as interesting as the set up (which is usually my reception to most books). 

Songs of Chaos seems like a very promising fantasy series, if book one is any indication. This series is full of epic fantasy tropes woven in a great way, and I look forward to what Miller will bring us with the next installment.

Very, very good book! The characters snapped you up into their story from the first chapter and never let you go! A must read for every Dragon lover out there!!!

Was a decent read with obvious parallels to Eragon. Straight forward read of a rags to riches (power) story with dragons, which imo is always readable. Stick to the tropes, but makes it easy to read. Well written and fast paced. The world building is rich, but book 1 just scratches the surface with hints in book 2 dropped.

I didn't feel anything that stood out to critical acclaim, but a fun read nevertheless.

Ascendant is the first book in the Songs of Chaos by Michael R. Miller. Released in 2020, it's 536 pages and is available in most 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.

I grew up on a steady diet of Pern, Eragon, Hobbs' Farseer, and the like. Later on I devoured Novik's Temeraire series (it was published a lot later). This book is more on the Pern/Eragon YA(ish) side of the balance instead of gritty adult military dragon fantasy. It's well written and eminently engaging. The characterizations are believable and the protagonist is sympathetically rendered. It's very trope-y, but it's also quite good.

Interestingly enough, though the author and publisher are both in the British Isles, the spelling throughout is Americanized.

Enjoyable and immersive. Yes, trope-y but that's why we devour fantasy. There's a second book and a prequel out at this point, so it could be a good candidate for a weekend binge.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. It definitely gave me Eragon and some Dragon Riders of Pern vibes. I enjoyed reading this. I read some and then also listened to the audiobook. Definitely a good read if you enjoy Dragons.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book!

I really love dragons and so I was stoked to be able to read this. It does remind me a tad bit of Eragon but too much to where it’s crazy noticeable or similar.

This is a super fun read for anyone who loves fantasy books or books about dragons. I love the plot and I also love a good book about weak ones prevailing.

I don’t want to say too much and give it away for anyone who hasn’t read this yet, but I 100% recommend it. It’s a super fast read and I couldn’t put it down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Ascendant
By: @michael_r_miller_author

I am a sucker for anything with dragons. And boy this book did not disappoint. It had everything a fantasy nerd loves. Dragons, sword fighting, magic systems, beautiful and unique worlds. The world building in this book was such a joy to read and I loved that he did not skimp on the details. This was a long book and I loved every minute of it. I had a very nostalgic feeling like when I read Eragon for the first time.

Blurb:
It follows the story of Holt, a boy who dreams of becoming a dragon rider but was born as a cook’s son. Destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, Holt’s place in the world makes his dream unreachable. But through a series of unforeseen circumstances, he finds himself in possession of a damaged dragon egg. Kept in secret, the egg finally hatches, and inside is a blind dragon, named Ash. In the world of the dragons, weaknesses are never tolerated which puts Ash and Holt’s life in jeopardy. When their home is attacked by an invading race, Holt and Ash’s worlds are thrown into chaos. Forced to grow and mature before their time, the two must face unimaginable challenges. When faced with death and uncertainty, will their bond hold true or shatter completely?

I truly enjoyed this book and I have already ordered book 2. The character development was a joy to read. However, I just found out that book three is only in the first revision stage which means I will have to wait years for it come out😭 But it will totally be worth it!

"Ascendant" by Michael R. Miller is one of the few authors who could make me read YA fantasy, this was a great story. Somewhat like Eragon meets Will Wight's Unsouled series, this takes the dragonrider trope and refreshes it with new ideas woven in.

I loved it! 10/10 dragons 🐉

3.5 stars
The book read as more middle-grade than YA, which is fine, but it is marketed as YA. There was also so much info-dumping for the first half of the book. There was hardly any plot, just info-dumping. It would have been more effective to introduce Talia's POV earlier in the book to serve as the world-building aspect. Additionally, the plot didn't really pick up until the last fifteen chapters (out of a 62 chapter book), which is unfortunate because it has a really interesting premise. Overall, I did enjoy the book, but it was slow for the first half.

I was prepared to be unamazed by yet another dragonrider book. After all, I cut my sci-fi\fantasy teeth on Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. It seems like in later years, everyone and their mother thinks they can write a comparable series and it just ain't so! Well, let me tell you; author Michael Miller has proven me wrong!
This book had it all; a political system, a nefarious enemy that only dragons can help combat, magic, mayhem, and murder! And, of course, dragons!! I was worried that it would be too similar to other series for me to enjoy, but this is a completely original story. I highly recommend this book and I plan on looking up more from this author!

Thanks to the author and publisher for this advanced edition in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are reflective only of my opinion. This is the dragon book I have been waiting for since forever. I absolutely loved everything about this book and I can not rave about it enough another win for judging a book based on its awesome cover. Admit it we all do it just a bit but seriously just read it this book is amazing! 5/5

A fan of dragons and adventure? You’re going to like this tale. This book had a similar feel to Eragon (which I really like), but still a unique storyline.

As a commoner, Holt will never qualify to join the order and fly a dragon. So he steals an egg that would have been destroyed because of a suspected weakness in the developing baby. Then Ash is born blind. Together Holt and Ash learn to overcome the assumptions others make about them.

I enjoyed the epic adventure feel of it all. The journey of not just them learning to grow together, but also that of Holt’s companions. You are able to explore this new world in a visceral way.

The only thing I struggled with was understanding why Holt and Ash called each other boy. To me, “boy” is a term used when talking down to someone instead of an affectionate title. I know it’s a small thing, but every time it happened I was taken out of the story a little bit.

Give me a coming-of-age story set in a fantasy world, and I'm instantly interested. Add a baby dragon to it, and I'm totally in! "Ascendant" was all that and more for me. It was completely un-putdownable, and I absolutely loved it.

"Ascendant" is set in a world where Order is revered, and Chaos is reviled. Since Chaos can only be defeated by Order, the world has a rigid and very "orderly" social structure where it's against the law for commoners to break out of their expected role. There are even limits on the types of clothes they can wear & the last names they use. They can only use last names appropriate for their profession or trade like Knight, Archer, Miller, Farmer, and Cook. Using any other name is illegal.

Set in that rigid society, "Ascendant" is the coming-of-age story of Holt Cook, a pot scrubber who dreams of becoming a dragon rider even though he's destined to become a cook like his father. Holt's father is the head cook for the Order, a group of dragon riders whose only duty is to fight the Scourge, swarms of giant insect-like creatures bent on destroying all living things. By law, only nobles are allowed to join the ranks of the Order, any commoner who attempts to join risks a death sentence or banishment.

One day, Holt discovers a terrible secret: the dragon's matriarch has rejected many eggs from her latest clutch. Holt was horrified to learn that dragons don't tolerate weakness and the Order will destroy any eggs deemed unfit by the dragon matriarch. Determined to save one of the doomed eggs, Holt sneaks it out of the hatchery and hides it. When the little dragon hatches, Holt discovers that it's blind but, despite this imperfection, Holt bonds with him instantly.

To join the fight against the Scourge, Holt and Ash have to learn how to use their magic and they've got to learn it fast. The war isn't going very well for the humans, and the Order will need all the help it can get, even if it comes from two Chaos-bringers like a blind dragon and the former servant who saved him. Sometimes, a little Chaos can be a good thing.

I absolutely loved this book. It's got great action, great characters, and great dragons, each with a very distinct voice and personality of its own. I also love the magic system where hard work and training are needed to advance in power and skill. Holt & Ash aren't handed power on a silver platter: they had to work for it. I love that about this book.

I give this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars.

I have received an ARC of this beauty and I have finally found THE book to recommend when someone asks of a dragon book. This is the go-to book for me in the future. It has everything! Well, no romance, but the action is so good, you wont miss it. It has journey, character growth, ughh, non words can convey the beauty of it. As plus, it has disability reprezentation, as Ash is blind.
Everyone, add to TBR The Ascendant by Michael Miller.

5 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

Excellent YA style fantasy that took me back to the days when I used to devour the Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman Dragonlance stories. Very much enjoyed it and it fel like those comfort reads of the past. Bigger review to come over on the blog once my thoughts are a little more organized.