What is it about dragons that fascinates me so? Or tales of them, of their relationships to us mere humans? Whatever it is, author Miller has captured it in “Ascendant.”

Though this qualifies as YA Fantasy, it sometimes reads on a middle school level. This detracts from the story a little, but not much because it is consistent. While there are plot elements that are easily foreseen and formulaic, they do serve to advance the tale. Our protagonists are likable and grow over time in a nice, linear fashion. Narrator Peter Kenny has done an exceptional job with the characterizations. His part of this review warrants a solid five stars.

If you want a comfortable take on the boy-and-his-dragon tale, this book may be for you. It is fun at times and inoffensive, though not particularly novel. This audio version came in at 17 hours and 21 minutes. My thanks to Monolith Books via NetGalley.

#Ascendant #NetGalley #KindlesAllTheWayDown #KatzAllTheWayDown #ifcatscouldread #booksandcats #catsandbooks #booksandcatstagram #catsandbookstagram
#bookstagram #Catstagram #audiobooks

I very much liked this story. I shouldn't be surprised as dragons are certainly a buzzword for me to pick up a book. And this one didn't disappoint.

An incredibly charming coming of age story. I may not read many young adult novels these days, but this was so soul satisfying, like the perfectly balanced cup of tea.

The main character Holt Cook is the son of a kitchen cook (also known as the “pot boy”.) He’s always been awed by The Order’s dragon riders, and with a surprising turn of events finds himself raising a blind baby dragon. Already this story features some of my favorite classic trope’s: Pot Boy (farm boy) with a dragon bond, and then there’s the forbidden love interest, a broody older mentor, and Holt is a rather reluctant hero. Even though these are pretty common fantasy tropes, Michael Miller somehow has figured out a fresh way to portray them, and they’re very well done. One of my favorite elements is the bond between Holt and Ash. The growth & emotional development between them is so heartfelt. I also love the world building and unique dragon lore in this series! Especially from Holt’s background in the kitchen and preparing meals for the different kinds of dragons… all of food descriptions had me drooling!

This was my first audio ARC and I enjoyed how expressive the narrator was with all of the characters. I’ll admit his young dragon voices sounded a bit like Gollum/Yoda, but were still very endearing, and only added to the story. I can’t recommend this series enough! I look forward to reading or listening to the next book.

Thank you to Michael R. Miller and the publisher Books Fluent for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. The characters were layered but not overly complicated and the story moved swiftly but it kept you hanging on for the next revelation. The writing is clear and easy to follow, ideal for younger readers. I started listening to it and couldn't wait to listen to the next chapter. If you like dragons, you will like this book.

The narration was excellent!

If you're looking for something to fill the void that Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern left behind, this series might be what you've been waiting for. It is nothing like McCaffrey's stories, yet the skill and artistry of a story well told sunk me into Ascendant before the first chapter ended. It's unique and stands apart as a new era of dragonriders. The world-building is amazing, and these characters! Holt and Ash make the story, and it isn't the kind where the hero walks in and magically fells the foe. There are struggles and heartache, victories and crushing defeat. You'll be transported on a journey as a single decision stemming from pity risks changing the world.
And the narrator! I don't know how this man manages it, but he brings individuality to each character through voice and tone in such a way that I never felt like I lost track of who was part of the action. Each character had a distinct voice and the emotion came through page after page.
I never wanted the book to end, yet I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.
I was ordering the sequel before I reached the 3/4 mark of finishing Ascendant.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I was given a free Audiobook of this title on NetGalley. This book is very much what I have been looking for in a fantasy novel lately. It told a grand journey of a story with key characters and expanded as needed. Other fantasy novels that I've read recently are so epic it takes away from the joy of reading the story. I do enjoy a book like that as well, but not struggling to remember a long list of names and kingdoms was welcome here. This story gives us mostly things from Holt's point of view and didn't suffer for it. The supporting characters are used well to drive the plot and show the contrast of Holt's own journey.

I loved the generation of relationships that occur throughout the book. Holt and his dragon are great to experience this world through. There's plenty of room to grow into this story as it evolves. I've already bought the next book of the series and am anxious to find out how things develop with larger issues along other kingdoms and the Order itself left unresolved at the end of Ascendant.

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 also love the narrator, Peter Kenney. He absolutely nails the drama & action scenes. He gives each character a distinctive voice & accent. My only issue with his performance is the way he voices Ash just after he hatched. Since this only affects a couple of lines of Ash's dialogue, it's a very minor annoyance and didn't impact my overall rating of this book.

I give this audiobook a very enthusiastic 5 stars.