Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Fueled by Dragon's Fire (Return of the Dragonborn #2), by N.M. Howell

Dungeon Media Corp., May 2017

In keeping with my usual happy disregard for order in series, this is #2, and I haven't read #1. Despite that, I was able to pick up enough of what happened previously to follow this  story.

Andie (Andryne) is a young woman who is of both sorcerer and dragonborn blood, and has a unique set of abilities. Unfortunately, the dragonborn were nearly wiped out a thousand years ago, and Andie, with her mother dead and her father able to teach her only so much, went off to the University to get as much education as possible.

This lead, due to events in the previous installment, to her being on the scene to help pull the dragonborn and their dragons through the time rift they escaped into those thousand years ago, into the present. After a big battle with the sorcerers, the dragonborn and dragons fled to the mountains, and Andie and her friends and allies fled into the caverns beneath the University. Now they're coming out, and the battle will begin again.

What follows is intrigue, derring-do, adventure, and Andie's painful education in how to be a leader. The University Chancellor has his own evil, nefarious plans, and his own spies and agents inside Andie's friends and supporters. While Andie struggles to bring the dragonborn and the students and fighters who helped rescue them back together, the Chancellor is manipulating even the people who think they're his allies as he works to eliminate not just the dragonborn, but anyone who can challenge his power.

It's an interesting world, with sorcery, technology, and dragons all existing together, and Andie is a likable and suitably heroic young woman. In places it's a bit more tell than show, and in places it may be a bit too unsubtle for the intended young adult audience, but overall I found it very enjoyable.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic copy of this book and am reviewing it voluntarily.

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