Ezaara

Riders of Fire, Book One - A Dragons' Realm Novel

By: Eileen Mueller

Narrated by: Caitlin Davies

In Lush Valley, it’s a crime to even talk about dragons...

When Ezaara meets Zaarusha the Dragon Queen, she’s swept up in a blaze of color and they imprint, forming a deep bond.

She must give up her home and family to become the new Queen’s Rider. Ignorant and unprepared, how can she possibly succeed? Luckily, she has a dragon master - although rumors say she might be better off with the enemy.

Plunged into a world of cutthroat politics and traitors in every shadow, who can Ezaara trust as Commander Zens and his army of bestial tharuks march closer, razing villages and enslaving the people of Dragons’ Realm?

What personal price must Ezaara and her Dragon Master pay to save their people?

Fans of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern and Christopher Paolini’s The Inheritance Cycle will love Riders of Fire.

©2018 Eileen Mueller (P)2019 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.

DRAGONS!!!

OMG what a book, what a story, so many lies and deceit, politic at dragon realm is really something. Run, run and go read/listen to this epic book. Caitlin, I cannot get enough of your narration you are absolutely amazing, I hope you do more fighting books because you, my girl have the magic voice for them.

A Good YA Dragon Fantasy

Ezaara is a good YA fantasy tale of a teen girl swept up into a world of dragons, war, intrigue, and romance. It seems we get only glimpses of the world and how it works in this volume. Unstead, the focus is more on character and relationship building. There are several story lines left unfinished, hinting at the author's ambitions as the series progresses. I certainly wouldn't have objected to a deeper and more complex main plot, though this is probably just right for YA readers.

Well done narration. Caitlin Davies does a nice job of creating an immersive experience. Her voice range allows for a good set of characters. She does well with pacing and emotion too.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Dragons! Caitlin Davies!

Dragons?
Enough said.
You really shouldn't need to know any more.
Get this book now.
Wait, you're still reading?
Okay, fine. Let me come up with some words to say.
A council of Dragon Riders and Elders, struggling to keep the peace of the land, despite how some of the kingdom thinks of them.
A girl, whom is in a city whom thinks dragons evil, is swiped up by a dragon, only to find out the truth.
A boy, whom holds a terrifying past, is trying to overcome what his family has done to destroy his honor and his legacy.
Together, they can save the realm, or let it fall to pieces.
This novel is full of intrigue, action, dragons, excellent characters, dragons, political intrigue, and dragons. So, don't wait any longer and pick up this series. I'm looking forward to the next one.
Also, this series is narrated by the brilliant Caitlin Davies, who also narrates the excellent Dragon Blood series by Lindsay Buroker.

An Enthralling Listen

I'm glad I didn't attempt to listen to this one during the semester... it is addictive, exciting, and has several twists along the way. The love, passion, and hardships throughout the story are very well done.

I don't want to give anything away, so I am going to leave it at that.

An excellent YA dragon-rider coming-of-age tale

Here you'll find great pacing, clever world building, real characters, and a healthy dose of mystery. Opposing these excellent qualities, however, is a level of convenience and coincidence that borders on excessive.

Although I've been hearing amazing things about Caitlin Davies for a long time, this is my first time actually listening to a book she's narrated.

I have to admit to being suitably impressed. It's rare to find a narrator (or any gender) who can believably produce both male and female voices, but Caitlin manages it with flying colors. Each voice in the book is unique and well crafted. Her vocal inflections are top notch, and her tempo shifts throughout are very nearly perfect.

So why only 4 stars for her performance, you ask?
Well, it comes down to choices made that I disagree with personally. In short, the Dragon voices just sound too human.

Yes, there is a school of thought in which dragons sound like people if you disregard the growls and snarls and roars. I do not subscribe to that particular school of thought. It is my opinion that draconic voices should be powerful and either guttural, hissing, or otherwise monstrous.

For me, a dragon whose voice sounds perfectly human is tantamount to if Gollum had spoken in Andy Serkis's natural speaking voice in the LotR films. It would have ruined the experience.

Now, as is my wont, I will largely forego a discussion of the book's plot. I'm sure there are plenty of reviews that will go into that.

The story opens with a fun little snapshot of the titular character that shows how she interacts with those around her. It gives us a strong sense of who she is as a person, as well as the displaying the main strength that she develops and leans on throughout the story (her mind).

After this lovely glimpse into Ezaara and her home village, however, we jump right into an overly convenient encounter with a dragon that, if I'm being honest, almost pulled the rails out from under the story for me.

Clearly, Ezaara "imprinting" on the Dragon queen was the impetus for the whole story. I totally get that and even think it makes sense, given what we learn later. However, the matter of just what the Dragon queen was doing there and how she happened upon Ezaara is never addressed and I think the story suffers for it.

After that minor hiccup, though, we get into some super interesting world building concerning the Dragon nation and its enemies and just what Ezaara's place in all that is going to be.

Now, I'll admit that there are a few 2-dimensional characters that feel like cardboard cutouts. And there are times that I just want to slap Ezaara because she's being a complete idiot, especially as it pertains to her training.

But by and large, the characters are very well drawn and compelling. And while Ezaara's love interest is very clearly "the love interest" from his introduction, he manages to develop into a well-rounded character in his own right.

My one complaint about the romance subplot is that it's unbelievably quick. Ezaara seems to go from hating him to deeply in love virtually at the flip of a switch.

In fairness, something happens that kind of explains that, but I still don't feel that there was enough development for it to make sense.

With the length of these books, I would have been much happier with a slow burn romance that takes several books to really manifest.

Elsewise, however, I have no real critiques. The writing is smooth and skillful. Although certain world elements do feel just the tiniest bit short-sighted, it's all very well crafted. And while there isn't much about it in this book, what there is of the magic system seems fascinating.

Which brings is to the climax of the book.

The author clearly put a great deal of effort into crafting this ending, and it really pays off. Everything comes together brilliantly, and while it feels like there is a lot going on behind the scenes (so much, in fact, that it feels almost as though there are POVs missing from the climax), everything that happens feels like a consequence to something that has come before. You'll find no Deus Ex Machina here.

In the end, although this book is guilty of a few of the things that I tend to dislike about YA, it was minimal enough that I could still get invested in these characters and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

performance was good. The story became tedious.

the story started out well. the characters weren't quite as developed as well as they could be. About halfway through the story became tedious. I almost quit to look for another book. but finished. I won't buy another.

Great dragon story

Among all the dragon fantasies out there, this one truly stood out as something special! The main character, Ezaara, is so strong and passionate! I love a wonderfully brave woman lead, and Ms. Mueller totally gave us a heroine to stand behind! The story moved quickly, but also had enough detail to allow the listener to feel they were a part of the story. I loved all the battle scenes, the training, the different relationships and all the twists and turns. A definite must read and I will absolutely be looking forward to book two!

I'll admit....

I'll admit I impatiently waited this audible, having first read it in paperback. I couldn't put it down! In paper, the first scenes immersed me in the world. In audio, it took me a bit longer but I LOVED hearing this adventure and picked up on different points this way. I'll be onto the next one SOON!

Best Dragon Story Since Eragon!

The only thing wrong with this book was that I lost sleep over it because I couldn't stop listening. The story was perfect; the narration was perfect; the characters were perfect. Not since Eragon, have I loved a dragon or a dragon rider so much.

Ezaara was bored with her small-town life and fascinated with dragons, so when she met one, it was no surprise that they so quickly bonded. Zaarusha is not just any dragon, she just so happens to be the dragon queen, as well as a dragon who has waited long for a rider. Together, the two return to Dragon's Realm where Ezaara meets dozens of dragons and their riders and other humans who work alongside dragons. Ezaara's master trainer, Roberto, is challenging and she struggles to become a rider worthy of the queen, although Zaarusha never doubts her fitness.

But there are traitors in Dragon's Realm and Ezaara has to discern who to trust. Her adventure leads her beyond Dragon's Realm into more dangerous lands both with and without Zaarusha. There she discovers enemies more deadly than she had imagined, as well as unexpected friendships. This beautiful story can be read alone but leaves plenty of room for an entire series, which I am thrilled to discover that Eileen Mueller has already begun to write. I can't want to see what's next for Ezaara and Zaarusha and the rest of their friends.

I was given a free copy of the audiobook by the author and am leaving this review voluntarily.

YA at it's absolute best!

If Hunger Games had dragons, it would be almost as good as Ezaara. Being marketed alongside Eragon is certainly appropriate. The tone and style felt similar to the Divergent series, but again, way cooler because . . . dragons. All in all, if you enjoy YA fantasy, this story will take you on a wonderful adventure, and you’ll be certain to continue on with this and the other connected series to follow. Mueller has built quite the empire within this dragon world so you’ll have plenty of quality content within which to escape. That said, if you do not enjoy YA fantasy, this might not be a good fit for you.

The story moves at a good clip, yet enough time is taken to ensure the reader knows what the protagonist, Ezaara, is thinking and why. We also get glimpses into the thoughts and minds of a few other characters, but it’s all central to Ezaara. There are a lot of emotions at war with each other in this story. You have the classic forbidden love blossoming amidst a pretty big shock to the system of sudden expectations thrust upon our protagonist. The culture of the dragon riders was intoxicating to learn about and executed well. Mueller weaves lore into the story with grace, making it feel more like an experience than a lecture. Readers are able to see Ezaara grow from your archetypical country bumpkin into a trained warrior ready to lead. A Lot of this growth centers on her confidence in herself, something most people can identify with, which is why I think it’s easy to connect with her struggles of self-doubt.

The excellent narration should also not go unmentioned. Caitlin Davies captures the essence of Ezaara in her voice and tone and really feels like she IS Ezaara.

So if you’re into YA fantasy, this is top tier so do yourself a favor and listen to Ezaara!!!