📖 The Dragon’s Blade: The Reborn King by Michael R. Miller (2015) ⭐⭐

In the bitterly cold and dreary weather of February, I found myself needing to escape to another world, so I picked up The Dragon’s Blade: The Reborn King by Michael R. Miller; which had sadly lay in my Kindle’s to-be-read folder for too long! And It was only as I neared the end and no conclusion seemed forthcoming that I realised it is the first book in a planned fantasy trilogy.

Immediately, we are thrown into the action of the dark, fantastical realm of Tenalp; as the last of the proud race of dragons is forced to flee their ancestral home of Aurisha, by a never-ending hoard of mindless demons sent by the dark lord, Rectar and the traitorous wizard, Castallan. During the bloody fighting, King Draconess is killed and Prince Danuir is mortally wounded. Fearing they will be lost without an heir to the powerful Dragon’s Blade, the last good wizard, Brackendon is forced to perform a dangerous rebirthing spell upon Danuir, which leaves him a helpless babe.

I know what your thinking… a dark lord and a traitorous wizard, isn’t that The Lord of the Rings? Initially, I have to admit I thought the same thing, but reading on I discovered some interesting differences to enjoy about Miller’s new creation too. The biggest being the dragons themselves. These are not the traditional scaly, winged, fire breathing beasts you might have imagined. Instead many generations ago, with the help of magic, the dragons of this world shed their beastly form for a human-like one, whilst retaining their impressive strength and longer life spans.

Meanwhile twenty years pass and with no knowledge of his true heritage, Danuir grows up hidden away in a human village in the Boreac Mountains. However his life is turned upside down when he comes of age and the Dragon’s Blade magically presents itself to him. With it comes a bewildering array of new strength, powers and memories. Now as the demonic forces are poised to finally destroy the beleaguered alliance of humans, fairies and dragons for good, all hopes rest upon his young shoulders, as the long-awaited king who can wield the legendary Dragon’s Blade.

All the while I just had to feel for poor Danuir, who is just trying to figure out exactly who he is! Once an arrogant prince full of scorn and pride, the kinder and humble rebirthed Danuir has a lot to come to terms with. Especially when unnerving memories start to resurface and old prejudices frustratingly erupt in moments of anger, which leads to uneasy relations with his human friends. Towards the end of the book though, Danuir does seem to be getting a better handle on things – balancing the strength and authority of his former self, with the fairness and humility he has now.

During this dangerous adventure out of the Boreac Mountains, through the Cairlav Marshes and to the fairy homeland of Val’Tarra, Danuir is helped and joined by an eclectic collection of characters. Including old friends, the wizard, Brackendon and human hunters Cosmo, Ballack and Garon and new acquaintances Blaine, the Guardian of Tenalp; Kymethra, a shape-shifting witch and a mysterious young woman, Cassandra. While I thought all of these characters were good, I didn’t always find Cassandra that believable. However she does have many secrets and twists to come that explain some of her behaviour and actions.

Overall, I thought The Dragon’s Blade: The Reborn King was a fun, fantasy adventure which certainly helped me to escape from miserable February! My only problem was at the end I wanted to know what happens next! Good read.

Thank you to the author for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have you read this? Can you recommend any similar fantasy?

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