Fall of the Dragon Prince

Epic fantasy. Multiple storylines. Slow start, but caught fire fast. The leap from character to character was finely tuned. "Medieval" sea battles, dragon riders, magic, betrayal. The mystery of the heirs was foremost in the book. Great worldbuilding, protagonists wonderfully written. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Being a fan of the fantasy genre the minute I saw the cover and read the title of this book I was intrigued, and reading the blurb only made me even more curious and let's just say I'm really glad I found out about Fall of the Dragon Prince.

There was a king who once united the kingdoms of this world, but with him gone, enemies and danger are lurking, but he had hoped that his secret heirs survived, because then it'd be up to them to face the upcoming challenges.

This story focuses on two characters Terith and Reann, and they couldn't have more different escenarios. While Terith is a dragon warrior, hoping to become chief and gained the heart of the woman he loves; Reann is an orphan servant girl. Both of their stories are incredibly interesting, there is more action on Terith's side, Reann's is more political but still they're both captivating.
I think the book starts a bit slow, I had a bit of trouble advancing at first but once it picks up and you get hooked in the story it flows really well. The writing is very detailed but without being overwhelming or boring, you have great characters and a world that you can tell the author put a lot of work into creating it. I know I can't wait for the sequel and I'd absolutely re commend this book not just to fantasy fans but to everyone!

3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

King Toran is greatly admired for uniting the 5 realms and bringing peace to the land. When the King dies, his throne stands empty. It is rumored that he left 5 heirs throughout the land, however their identities remain a mystery.

The story is told from several character's point of view. Reann is a 17 year old ward of the castle that is working as a servant until her guardianship ends. She is the self-appointed librarian and has been secretly searching for clues to the lost heirs. She hopes that if she finds one she will gain a permanent position at the castle and not be cast out when she turns 18. A mysterious man arrives at the castle who is also secretly searching for the heirs, but can he be trusted?

Terith is a young dragon rider in a different part of the realm. He fights to protect his land from a horde of invaders called the Outlanders. Much of his story centers around the champion challenge. The winner is deemed the new ruler of the land and is also allowed first pick of the eligible maidens for marriage. The competition is fierce and he wants to win not only to rule, but to have first choice of the woman he loves.

The story starts off pretty slow and although there is some fighting and battles, they are more confusing than exciting. The worldbuilding is very slight and at times I didn't really understand everything that was going on. There is a horde of "Outlanders"that the realm must fight every year, but there is no information given as to who they are, where they come from, and why they keep invading year in and year out.

There are apparently 5 realms, but we only really read about 2 of them. The others are causally referred to when discussing the rumors of the location of the heirs. It is presumed that Toran is dead, but there is no real answer as to whether he is or not. There seem to be significant time jumps between some of the stories, but the reader is left to guess as to what these are. There is no information given as to why the castle is still running, who is in charge while there is no heir and how the realms continue to work together with no apparent government.

With regard to Terith, apparently the people that he lives with have some kind of magical power called the "awakening", but there is little description of what this is, what different kinds there are or where it comes from. There are several kinds of dragons but the descriptions of them raise more questions than provide answers.

Normally I devour fantasy books quickly, but it took me quite awhile to read this book. That's not a good thing. I do think the series has a lot of promise if the author can provide more worldbuilding in the next book. I will probably check out the next book in the series.

This book is fantasy at its’ best! Fans of “Eragon”, “Game of Thrones”, and classic dragon fantasy will enjoy this. The characters are wonderfully written and likable. Readers will find themselves reading through the night, unable to put this down. I can’t wait for the next book in the series...I need to know what happens to Reann and Terith!