I love series. This is book 3 so you need to read the first and second book before this one.

I couldn’t put this book down. It’s soo good.

I do highly recommend

This is a third book in a trilogy so please ensure you read the first two. Coming back to these characters has been a joy, full of happiness and tears,. Kagen has a lot of support with his friends despite being damned. The twins are being held by the Witch King and getting them out is a journey. Maralina was one of mu favorite characters with her wit, and she really held the story on her shoulders. Getting to the war at the end took a bit but it covered a good 25% of the ending. I loved the narrator Ray Porter, he was absolutely amazing and I felt intrigued even during some lulls because of his narration.

Lots of adventure and action. Saving the last dragon and taking down the witch king was a mission. It’s was sad that they failed to save the dragons life and that all the magic left the world. But she was grateful for what they did do for her and she did what she could in her final hours to protect the men that helped her. Kagen finally found his brother that he thought betrayed him and his family. Only to find out the witch king stole his identity and took over everything. Kagen also was grateful to the dragon for bring is brother back to life after he has died trying to save her.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This final book in the Kagen the Damned series wraps things up with an epic, dark fantasy vibe—think Game of Thrones meets Empire of the Vampire. The world-building is top-notch, with goblins, vampires, and dark magic setting the stage for an intense showdown. Kagen gathers allies while the Witch-King builds his own forces, living and dead. While I loved the dark creatures and the high-stakes plot, the multiple character perspectives slowed things down a bit, and I missed seeing more of Kagen in the spotlight.

That said, the narration was incredible, and the series definitely shines for D&D and RPG fans. Despite some slow sections and a few characters I didn’t feel were necessary, the story is still a satisfying conclusion. The mix of magic, action, and a looming darkness kept me hooked, even if it could’ve used a little more showing and less telling. If you’re into dark fantasy with rich world-building, this series is definitely worth checking out!

The narrator was good, and nice and clear, but made listen to the book kind of like listening to a history book. I was a little irritated to find that this is book 3 and NO WHERE does it state on the summary that it is book 3

In this last book of the Kagen the Damned trilogy, we follow Kagen and the many supporting story threads as they come together for a well written ending to an enjoyable epic fantasy trilogy.
A dragon is being discovered in the winter wilds. The seedling twins are discovering more secrets. The Witch-king is preparing for his ascension. The battle field is being staged for one final move against the would be emperor. All this and more while Kagen pieces the greater picture of the Silver Empire together to save humanity as he knows it.

First, this was a well done audiobook with superb narration. The pacing was good and I was easily able to listen at 1.5x speed. I did struggle getting back into the series as I read the first two books and therefore struggled to immediately recognize some of the characters (my brain remembered words and not actual spoken names) but after some backing up to re-listen for context, I was set. Again, the narration was superb and after I had characters placed aurally it was easy to jump from one thread to the next.

I found this last book in the trilogy enjoyable and a little bit less dark than the previous two (although it still does have it’s moments). It is really more about tying up loose ends, revealing strengths and weakness in characters, and setting up for the final altercation between good and evil. Some parts seemed rushed or very staged but the novel, and the trilogy, mostly came to an organic conclusion. 4 stars.

Review based on an Advanced Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Thank you!

I have not read the first two in the trilogy, but if this is anything like the first two in the series, I am hooked! Jonathan Maberry is an excellent writer. The story flows smoothly and the conclusion fitting.

Thank you #NetGalley #TheDraonginWinter

I have truly been in the thrall of this trilogy. What a fantastic story! This author has such a talent for world building and storytelling. I was completely immersed in this world and felt as if I personally knew the characters - - which could be a bit scary at times because some of them weren't so nice....and weren't even human.

But truly, over the course of these three books, I've seen them all grow and change. They've learned many secrets and been further deceived by others. Some things weren't as they appeared while others were completely what they looked like. At the end, it all led up to a war and that is exactly what they had. There were twisty machinations from both sides of the battlefield. It just kept going with the drama and suspense. And the Witch King had his own personal battle going on trying to become a God.

The entire series, but in particular this story impart many lessons of treating others with kindness - - including other animals we share our planet with. It's good to always remember that even though we sometimes see monsters, we don't know "what" or "who" made them into that creature. There were some deep messages tucked into the very action-packed story. It's not necessarily what you would have expected. I simply loved it all. I kept thinking to myself in the second half of the book that it was just so brilliantly creative.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I was fortunate to also receive an early copy of the audiobook. It was stellar. The narrator was absolutely perfect, and I loved listening to this book. It was nice to be able to listen most of the day and then switch to the ebook at night so I could stay in the story. I felt that the audiobook made it feel like a production. 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the audiobook and ebook.

A brutal, fascinating series with a MC that I completely adore! I am so happy to have been given the chance to read listen to this ALC from NetGalley.

Kagen is definitely a hero turned anti-hero and a great one. I've absolutely loved watching him take on the world in this series. It's a rare thing to find morally grey characters done so well.

This series takes some wild turns. I found all of them enjoyable, even if some were predictable.

Also, I have listened to these books on audio and quite enjoyed the narrators. If you are an audio listener, I'd highly recommend consuming the books that way, or in a tandem read. There is a "language" in this series that sounds really creepy via audio and it lends to the magic in the books.

2.5 stars. The feeling I have most now that I have finished this book and series is disappointed. The first two books were a lot of build up, this finale fell flat. There was so much set up that was just ignored. From the first book it was strongly suggested that Kagen's oldest brother was still alive. It was mentioned again in the second book. But we never got an appearance from him. I liked "The Twins" but their ending was way to Mary Sue to my liking. I'm all for a happily ever after, but that was ridiculous.

Another major issue I had was the world building, more specifically women's places within it. Rape is a tool of war. It's about taking away power and humiliation. So the fact that is was used as a common tactic on women and men of all ages throughout the book was jarring but fit in with the horrors of the Hakkian movement. However, the fact that no woman felt safe before the Night of the Ravens was wild to me. Not even Royalty. This is a world where 1,000 years ago women "conquered" magic. Where for the entirety of that time an Empire was ruled by an unending lineage of women, and the most revered fighter The Poison Rose also comes from a long also unending lineage of women. Not to mention the pantheon of Gods the Empire worship and lead by a mother and father. Yet every female character from the highest of Royalty to the lowest of servants was told to prepare as best as possible to be brutally raped. What? I can understand poor or powerless women assuming the worst will happen, but a Queen? It wasn't because of the war either, in this world ruled by women for centuries. Where women hold high positions of power and are feared warriors. Where men constantly pray to a woman. All of that aside, no matter their station in life, before the war, all women assumed there was a high possibility of a brutal rape would be in her future. That's quite a societal and cultural juxtaposition, yet it's never addressed.

Speaking of women.... Where were Kagen's sisters? Three books, but not one appearance from either of them. Constant talk of the Sons of the Poison Rose, but the line is of women. I get that Kagen was too drunk, depressed, and then busy to look for them. But why not The Twins? Why wasn't that on Mother Fray's agenda? There was no reason to think they were dead. Everyone constantly saying if only Herapath was here, as if those to women would not have been a great asset, especially since one was also inceredibly studious and most likely a witch. If Kagen and his brother's were skilled, his sisters should have been another level of badass. Also those daggers should've gone to one or both of them. If there is another book in this series it should start with them hunting Kagen down, kicking his ass, and taking back their inheritance.

I was also disappointed by The Widow. She got all these super powers, but why and how? She never really believed in Cthulhu, and there was never any scene where she was blessed by any God. She was depressed, got on a boat, and suddenly could control the weather and sea creatures. Ok, unearned, but considering her dead loves religion and therefore her connection to the sea I went with it. But then she's on land and she could commune with animals? What? It's like there was that mention of the little girl who could talk to animals and that should've been her, but like the ghost girl she was forgotten by the author so they just combined her powers with the Widow and we were just supposed to go with it.

The surprise reveal made no sense. If there had just been book 1 and then book 3, sure. But book 2 contained several private conversations and thoughts of the that character. So the twist came across to me as an afterthought. Because if that had been true and in the plans the actions of that character make no sense in so many aspects of the entire story. People go mad, people have secret rage, people do horrible things with poor justifications. It's ok to have a bad guy remain evil throughout the entire series.

Finally Kagen. He kept saying throughout the books he's just a dude. And in the end he was. He was an outstanding fighter, but so are all his siblings. He had prophetic dreams, but there was a witch he met in book 1 that was better at that and her magic grew. He was Fae touched, but that was not as rare as it seemed in the end. I think he was spared by Marilena because she had given up on life, not that she really fell for him. Because if she had wouldn't she have turned him or found some way to make him immortal or at least long lived? All those Dragon dreams, but that didn't really play out for him anyway. Aside from his vision of his Gods turning their backs on him, what interactions did he have with any God? Shouldn't another have made him their champion? The final battle was blah to me. A whole lot of running around and a lot of other people doing the heavy lifting, but somehow Kagen gets the mantle of great hero.

Don't get me wrong. I love the idea of a regular dude being in the wrong place at the right time, but don't have the world he comes from hype him up when he is not the most powerful or interesting character. I may read another book from this author but I won't be eagerly anticipating another book from him.

Fabulous Dark Fantasy is not much focused on humor or parody it's a great trilogy with an extra in between. Short chapters make it flow easier as it is an epic, high, and slow build. Amazing world-building. A game of thrones with dark creatures such as goblins, vampires, and dark witch kings. Kagen (as companions) is my favorite character but there were so many scenes from other characters such as the Queen, the ship attack, finding a sword the answer to all, and facing the goblins created with terrible torture and magic). Darkness is coming and only a few can stop it, even if one is damned.
To better appreciate this volume, start with volume 1.
The series is perfect for D&D and RPG Gamer fantasy fans.
Thank you, Publisher and Netgalley for the audio copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am absolutely in love with this series. I can't believe that I'm already done reading it after just starting it this year. I'm honestly a little sad about the fact that I'm done in this world.

I found this book tied up all the loose ends perfectly and still kept to the epic awesomeness of the previous novels. I could totally see myself buying the physical copies of the entire series to reread and annotate! There's so much to decipher.
I did find that there were a couple instances where the author would use a unique word multiple times in a short span of time, which I found weird, but overall not an issue.
The narrator was incredible as always. I am in awe of his voice skills. I will be looking up more books narrated specifically by him!

So, first, all the props to Ray Porter, the narrator, who does a great job with all the different characters, completely changing gears between them. This is another story filled with action and suspense ( and magic), but I thing it could have been shorter. Maberry is great at getting you to care about the characters but there could have been more focus.
My personal promotion, if you like this, try the author's Pine Deep trilogy, which is why I started reading him. Lots of action and monsters.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

All the stars! This was a riveting conclusion to the trilogy. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and Maberry NEVER disappoints. The story comes full circle, with a conclusion that will satisfy readers and there's DRAGONS!!!!

A word about the amazing audio for this - Ray Porter outdoes himself yet again. Stellar performance throughout.

The Dragon in Winter
by Jonathan Maberry
Kagen the Damned #3
Epic Fantasy Dark
NetGalley eARC/Audio ARC
Pub Date: August 20, 2024
St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio
Ages: 18+

Kagen and his rebels are gathering. The war against the Witch-king is on the horizon. And while Kagen gathers those still loyal to the Silver Kingdom, the Witch-king is gathering his own followers, living and dead. And once he ascends, the world will be remade in his image.


Book three and the final installment of the Kagen the Damned series, (there is a short story set between books one and two, which I did not read because of the price/page count, and because I didn't care much for the other books, so I didn't feel it was worth my time) and as with the first two books there is a lot of telling of this instead of showing. The chapters jump from character to character, and there are a lot of characters, so, for me, this caused the story to drag as I tried to insert myself into each character's perspective, and it does not easily happen since I have to remember who they are, why they are important, who's side they are on, etc...

This book is close to six hundred pages, and a lot of those pages, I feel, were wasted on all the extra minor characters' perspectives. Sure, some of it was interesting, but there were two characters on the Witch-king's side who I don't feel were really needed, other than extra info that the Witch-king could have offered. All of these extra perspectives took away from who the story was supposed to be about, Kagen; he was almost sidelined.

One thing that did earn a major grimace and an eye roll was the 'revelation' in the north. I did start having the suspicion it was going to happen and when it did, it changed my respect for the story. I did not like it.

I will admit that I did enjoy this book more than the first two. I also flipped between the E and audio versions and can say the narrator, Ray Porter, did a good job bringing life to the characters who were flat in the written copy. Maybe that had something to do with it, but this book did seem to be more concrete and a lot more interesting than the first two put together. If only it had more showing and less telling, it could've reached the next star.


2 Stars

I struggled with this audiobook. I have not read the prior books so I found myself confused and struggled to follow the story. I was not a fan of the narrator so that contributed to my not liking this book very much.

Here, I will confess that I was hoping this would turn into a longer series. It won’t be. I wrapped this up with tears in my eyes and a contented sigh. 🥹

In the previous two books the stage has been set, the Witch-King must fall. He has survived all of the attempts of our heroes thus far and the only choice left is all out war. How does a warrior as damned as Kagen build up enough support and people to form an army? Let Jonathan Maberry tell you exactly how.

This being the third book of a trilogy, you really do need to read the previous two books to get the most from this one. Only then, will you know and recognize the importance of these events and how they affect our characters.

All of my favorite characters are here, (and forgive me if I spell a name incorrectly, as I have listened to this series, and not read it.) Mother Fray is ageing even more quickly, and she was old to start with. Obviously Kagen is here, and by the squishy balls of the tentacle god, so is Tuq. (I'm going to miss his endless ball jokes). Maralina and Rissa, (though now called the widow), also appear. For a damned man, Kagen has a lot of support. The poor twins are still being held by the Witch King and they're more miserable than ever. Maralina has some tricks up her sleeve though, and I was really hoping that she and Kagen would meet again. Do they? You'll have to read or listen to this to find out!

I received an ARC of this book, but when the audio became available, I listened to that instead. That is because Ray Porter narrates this trilogy and he's just...OUTSTANDING. His performances are always good, but here there are so many characters in play, I thought it might be difficult for him. I shouldn't have worried because he is a professional and a joy to listen to. A JOY, I say! I especially love the voice of Tuq-which is somehow sexy and funny at the same time. Whenever I read a book by Johnathan Maberry and Ray Porter narrates it? It's a special sort of magic that to me, feels like coming home. I know I am in the hands of masters and I'm able to just let myself fall into the story effortlessly. No matter how long the book is, I'm always saddened when it's over. Luckily for me, these two work together a lot and I hope they continue to do so because they ROCK.

This was one wild finale where it felt like every character ever introduced to us ends up being present for the denouement. I think the final war took place over the last third of the book as the war parties clashed, magic spells whipped about, and ancient gods showed up to have their say.

I had such a good time listening to this book while at the same time I was sad. As I said I was hoping we'd see more of Kagen in the future and nothing happened here that would make that impossible, but his battle against the Witch King is now definitely over. It looks like I'll be taking a short break from this winning author/narrator combination...at least until the next Joe Ledger book comes out!

Highly recommended!

*ARC from publisher. Thank you. *