@dragonspleen, #YoungAdult, #Fantasy, #DragonSpeaker #NetGalley, 4 out of 5 (very good)

Dragon Speaker is the first book in The Shadow War Saga, and we have DRAGONS, people!!! You know how I love me a dragon, and Thorion is just perfect. I want him for myself, which sucks because he's already bonded with Keriya, and he's fictional! Still, you know what I mean!

This is classed as young adult, but to be honest, I think 'some' young adults might be a bit confused as this world is complex, to say the least. Personally, I loved it, but then I'm as far from a young adult as you can get!

Keriya is fourteen, and hasn't had an easy time of it. Her village is superstitious, to say the least, and she has no magic, which makes her lower than low to them. When she goes on her vision quest, she is helped by Shivnath, their Dragon God. Shivnath tells Keriya what she must do, but gives no clues as to how to do it. This leads to an amazing story as Keriya tries to figure just who she can trust, and what she should do. She is helped by Fletcher, her best friend, and Roxanne, someone who got dragged into it by accident. It was great to see these relationships change and alter as the story went on.

There are romantic elements to this story, but it definitely takes second place behind the main part of the story. Plus, she's FOURTEEN!!! This was an amazing story that I devoured, and I can't wait to read more. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

Title : Dragon Speaker

Series: The Shadow War Saga Book One

Author: Elana A.Mugdun

Genre: fantasy 

pages: 366

book synopsis

Everyone knows this story: an unlikely young hero is chosen by divine providence to save the world from a terrible evil. 

Except Keriya Nameless is crippled, without the ability to wield magic—in fact, she's the only person who doesn't have powers of her own. The god who chose her is a mysterious dragon with a knack for exploiting loopholes in rules. Oh, and that terrible evil the world needs to be saved from? Maybe it’s not quite as evil as everyone says.

As Keriya ventures into the magical realm of Allentria, she learns things aren't black-and-white, and not everything is what it appears to be. Her quest would test the courage of even the bravest hero, and as the chosen Dragon Speaker, she quickly learns she's at the center of an age-old war . . .

A war that will decide the fate of everything.

My thoughts

Would I recommend this book: yes 

 Will I be going on with this series : yes

First off I want to say  thanks to the author for sending it to me to read and review and that it was unsolicited . If you like Eragon ( The Inheritance Cycle ) by Christopher Paolini, then you might like this one as well because it has dragons, magic , action and adventure , heroes that face the evil lord , secrets , and its also has  drama, and so much more to offer . And the more you read the more you see the characters come into their own , and you see the world come to life as well . Some times it does feel like its slow going and then it speeds up but that doesn't take anything away from the story in fact it helps make the story come to life . With that said once again I would like to think Elana for letting read and review her book exchange for my honest opinion , and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Forsaken was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award by the Horror Writers Association for the Best Debut Novel in 2014. So, I had high hopes, but I ended up with mixed feelings about this one.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the fact that it contains a clever nod to Stephen King. The main character, Thad, is a horror writer. The book begins with his wife, Rachael calling directory assistance to find the number for a store called Needful Things in Castle Rock. Yes, THE Needful Things, from the novel by Stephen King. I really enjoyed that little part and how it fits in with the story.

From the beginning of the book, there are obvious supernatural elements. Rachael is pregnant and seems to have promised the baby to a witch. Thad has just written a novel which connects him and his family to an ancient, and very powerful witch. 

The story has a lot of creepy elements including little demons (about the size of rats, but more vicious), magic spells, cursed objects, and a witch trying to be reborn. Chapters alternate between the present time and 1692. The chapters from the past are in the form of a journal written by a witness to the witch's trial.

One of the things that really bothered me about this novel is that it claims to be Book One of the Shadow Cove Saga. The ending is an obvious set up for the next book, but I searched the internet and can find nothing that indicates another book even exists, let alone an entire series. 

I was never really scared when I was reading this story, and I had an idea of what would happen. But, it's possible that I have been desensitized by my frequent reading of scary stories. I also love horror movies but have a hard time finding one that actually scares me.

The story itself was a little disjointed and there were details the author just left hanging that didn't end up meaning anything. I would read the next book, in the hopes that things became clearer, but.... oh well. 

I read this book for the Witches square, because of the crazy, evil, powerful witch. :)

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For Mature Readers: 18+

Read this author's bio. Did you get chills? That's just the tip of the iceberg with this author and his debut book.

Forsaken was the creepiest, freakiest story I’ve read in a LONG time. Seriously, the book gave me chills. That sensation didn’t leave when I clicked off my e-reader. The image on the last page gave me one of those shocking scares that lingers for a while.

Barker’s story was actually the second book I’ve read this year by a male author with similar qualities: 1) the main character is a man who is also an author, 2) the character had a wife with two children of the same sex (in this book, the second child had yet to be born), and 3) the setting is a small town. This book, however, was off the scale creepy.

Forsaken was a page turner focused on a witch trial in 1692. The author wrote her story and now strange, inexplicable things are happening to him and his family. Sorry, I can’t give you more than that without spoiling the story. And, this book deserves to be read without spoilage.

Personally, this is one of those stories that would make a good scary movie. There are witches, rituals, minions (not the nice ones), and a lot of freaky crap happening. Barker writes with such vivid details making the characters and scenery leap off the page.

The story, itself, was very unique and well-crafted. I’ve read my share of witch stories and I’ve even read about a few witch trials (I was actually fascinated by them in junior high). Never had I read anything where nightmares of the main characters came true. It was a story within a story.

And, the characters were so well-developed. Barker’s writing delivered thoroughly fleshed out personas. I felt I understood their motivations, their fears, and even their hopes.

I’m a big fan of Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone”, and this story was a modern version on steroids! I highly suggest not reading this book before bedtime. I did and always had to pick up something else to clear my mind before turning off the lights.

I loved the creep out factor in Barker’s book and can’t wait to read more by him.

Forsaken is a great book for horror fans. I’ve loved reading horror since I was a child. Although I don’t read horror as much these days, I do enjoy a good horror from time to time, and I definitely enjoyed this one.

Book One of the Shadow Cove Saga tells the story of an author and his newest horror novel. One that is different to any of his previous novels, much darker, yet it came to him so easily, almost as if the story had written itself. Remember that saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? Well, don’t be so sure, that’s all I’m saying. To find out more, you’ll have to read Forsaken.

This story is very well written, has a well thought out plot, atmospheric, dark, eerie, and I found the focus on witchcraft really intriguing. I wouldn’t say it scared me, but it takes a lot to scare me.

There was a traditional horror feel to this novel, with little snippets of Stephen King in there, but it still felt original. J. D. Barker is definitely an author to keep an eye on.

The story had a good pace, which really picked up later on in the book, leaving me eager to find out what was going to happen to the characters. I loved the ending too. Not an annoying cliffhanger, but it definitely left you wanting to know more, and setting the scene for the next book in this series.

I would like to thank the author and their publicist for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.