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Darkest Drae #1
Blood Oath
Dark Fantasy. Dragons. Intrigue. Romance.
More than anything, I crave adventure. But in the disease ridden land of Verald, life is mapped out much like the well-established rings of our kingdom.
At the very heart reigns our vicious king and Lord Irrik, an invincible dragon shifter, at his side. Their power poisons the land and the people, leading to a steadily mounting number of enemies.
But change is coming.
When the rebellion surges, the king strikes back. Captured by Lord Irrik, I'm suddenly embroiled in a deadly game. One where I'm desperate to understand the rules.
Because I'm not only fighting for my life... but also a love that could be the very key to my freedom.
More than anything, I crave adventure. But in the disease ridden land of Verald, life is mapped out much like the well-established rings of our kingdom.
At the very heart reigns our vicious king and Lord Irrik, an invincible dragon shifter, at his side. Their power poisons the land and the people, leading to a steadily mounting number of enemies.
But change is coming.
When the rebellion surges, the king strikes back. Captured by Lord Irrik, I'm suddenly embroiled in a deadly game. One where I'm desperate to understand the rules.
Because I'm not only fighting for my life... but also a love that could be the very key to my freedom.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 9, 2017
About the author
Raye Wagner
34 books1,214 followersRAYE WAGNER is the USA Today Bestselling author of young adult fantasy books, but she hates writing bios. She’d much rather tell you a story. She’s partial to fantasy, with dragons or magic or something so she can lie and not feel guilty. She also has an obsession with sweets (all the bakery goodies), nerf wars, wigs, and occasionally tutus.
When she isn’t writing, shenanigating (I’m sure that’s a word), or lying, Raye is with her family . . . preferably at the beach.
Come chat with me! I love to hear from readers. You can connect with me via Facebook (Raye Wagner), Twitter (@rayewagner), Instagram (rayewagnerauthor), or her website: rayewagner.com
When she isn’t writing, shenanigating (I’m sure that’s a word), or lying, Raye is with her family . . . preferably at the beach.
Come chat with me! I love to hear from readers. You can connect with me via Facebook (Raye Wagner), Twitter (@rayewagner), Instagram (rayewagnerauthor), or her website: rayewagner.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,224 reviews
April 26, 2018
2.5 - 3 Stars
It took me a while to get into this book, which is crazy as it has dragons in it.
And ya'll know how I feel about dragons...
I will pretty much read any book that has them in it.
Period.
So you can imagine my excitement when I saw that, not only were they in this book, but that they were a central character focus.
And yet...
The beginning of this book trudged along at what was for me the pace of molasses in winter.
There was a lot of torture.
Lots of ambiguous "who is actually the main love interest here."
Basically ZERO romance.
And some twists in the end that I called early on and weren't really all that...twisty.
So yeah, not really what I was expecting.
That said, there was a least some halfway decent action in the end which made the book almost worth it.
Although, I must admit that if I didn't get this via KU, my rating would probably be lower and my irritation higher.
Just sayin'.
I will probably still read the next one just to see if it gets better - but only because it too is available via KU - and also because I feel like it has the potential to get better for me.
And that's all I got.
It took me a while to get into this book, which is crazy as it has dragons in it.
And ya'll know how I feel about dragons...
I will pretty much read any book that has them in it.
Period.
So you can imagine my excitement when I saw that, not only were they in this book, but that they were a central character focus.
And yet...
The beginning of this book trudged along at what was for me the pace of molasses in winter.
There was a lot of torture.
Lots of ambiguous "who is actually the main love interest here."
Basically ZERO romance.
And some twists in the end that I called early on and weren't really all that...twisty.
So yeah, not really what I was expecting.
That said, there was a least some halfway decent action in the end which made the book almost worth it.
Although, I must admit that if I didn't get this via KU, my rating would probably be lower and my irritation higher.
Just sayin'.
I will probably still read the next one just to see if it gets better - but only because it too is available via KU - and also because I feel like it has the potential to get better for me.
And that's all I got.
February 17, 2020
i am amazed it took me this long to discover this story and shocked that only 25 of you guys have this added to your books. so do me a favour and click the 'want to read' button right now. dont let the cover fool you - you wont regret it.
i actually feel if this had the right promotion/publishing, it would be wildly popular and successful. and maybe it has and ive just been living under a rock. lol. regardless, im here to spread the word.
i had no idea what to expect when i picked this up, and didnt have any expectations, but i really quite enjoyed this. its fast paced, has excellent world-building with a unique fantasy aspect i havent read before, and really easy-to-devour writing.
although there was one major component i was able to predict very early on, it didnt stop me from having fun with this story. its a wonderful fantasy blend of magic, court politics, romance, and dragons!
↠ 4.5 stars
i actually feel if this had the right promotion/publishing, it would be wildly popular and successful. and maybe it has and ive just been living under a rock. lol. regardless, im here to spread the word.
i had no idea what to expect when i picked this up, and didnt have any expectations, but i really quite enjoyed this. its fast paced, has excellent world-building with a unique fantasy aspect i havent read before, and really easy-to-devour writing.
although there was one major component i was able to predict very early on, it didnt stop me from having fun with this story. its a wonderful fantasy blend of magic, court politics, romance, and dragons!
↠ 4.5 stars
June 25, 2024
When we first meet our heroine, Ryn, she the accumulation of everything I hate. She’s naive. She’s immature. She knows nothing about the powers and in complete denial about having them. She was a YA heroine thrown into an adult universe
Looking back now, I see that Ryn was just starting out naive. But by the end of book, she has become a fully realized character, capable and cunning, ready to fight.... Just why did we have to wait fucking 300 pages for that **tears*. This was just a shitty start to a great series.
Pause. But can we just stop and appreciate --->That fucking cover!!! *chef's kiss*
HOWEVER!! What really pulls this book together (and reason I kept going in the series...)
The world is just fucking brilliant. Shape shifting, dragon empire, heroine learning powers, plots of overthrowing tyrannical kings, and did I mention dragons?
“My mouth opened and closed several times before I could string together my words. Finally, I said, “You just threw that pebble in your hand and killed a man.”
“Yes,” Irrik said. “The king instructed me to protect you.”
“Pretty sure he didn’t mean at the expense of killing his guards” I replied
See what I mean?? It has great elements but failed to actually engage the readers in it DURING the book itself. Looking back, it honestly feels like a Prequel with meeting the heroine and world because it isn’t till the second book that we gloriously get thrown into the middle of an amazing book adventure.
As a first book, the author failed to engage this awesome world with her readers. Instead we were trapped in a bubble— knowing ✨ dragon ✨ rebel ✨ war ✨ shit is happening but we are stuck reading about Ryn being tortured... sigh ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ
It is ONLY because I continued with the series, that I know the author eventually finds their bearings and fully redeems themselves in the second book *to me*
Where the first is literal word vomit. The second book focuses more on character dynamic. Where the first book has several problems, info dumping, but no actual plot *dafq*. The second book builds ups the great antagonist, explains the world better, and Ryn works to find her place in it.
Also… just a little heads up
The amount of torture in this book was …. stupidly excessive. I’m not gonna lie, there were parts I was like *why da fuck is the author being so SPECIFIC* about this haha
It was almost as if they had done all this research about torture and wanted to show it off or some shit
Either way, I much preferred the betrayal + intrigue that was entwined throughout the book where you never *quite* knew who to trust… and that made everything all the more delicious
“Certainly, he wouldn’t have deceived me, betrayed me, like that.
His face was a smooth canvas, blank of all emotion. Void of everything.
“You,” I choked”
Like come on, that’s a pretty damn good line and build up… just a bummer these great lines only came in at the end of the book
Overall, I enjoyed this book BECAUSE I know what's happening next and that the sequel redeems our characters and is written significantly better than the first. I know I know, I can't believe I said that either but its TRUE and I'm sticking to my guns. The first book itself was pretty decent read, *skimming the excessive torture* and I did enjoy a lot of the world building, which is why I continued with the series and was SO EXCITED that the author built upon the greatness of her characters AND finally gave them a world/plot fitting to them in the second and third book!
Here’s a quote that honestly show those *glimpses* of greatness that the author learned from the critiques and FULLY develops to be stronger in the second book *thank christ* Honestly she does a whole redemption arc and I happy that I continued with the series!
“Irrik ran his fingertips over the deep gash. Black blood dripped down his arm. “Did you . . . just attack me with a garden hoe?”
“I rushed to him, crying out, “It had my blood on it!” My hands fluttered over the grotesque wound. “Tell me what to do. I don’t want it to kill you.”
He moved to look at me, a curious expression falling over his face. “You regret hurting me?”
“What? No. Well, killing you, yes.” My stomach rolled at the thought of murdering something, someone, anyone. “How long will it take to set in?” I asked him, trying to remain calm. “Should we try cutting off your arm?”
Lord Irrik’s brows rose. “Cutting off . . . ?” He broke off and threw his head back in laughter. The gruff waves of it rolled across the potato field.”
January 31, 2023
3.5 Stars
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
May 24, 2020Heavy amount of swearing ahead, because I just can't with the rage this book put me in.
DNF at 22%, because life's too short and there are endless awesome books I must discover still
I can't! I'm sorry, I just can't. She's too fucking dumb.
What the fuck is this? There's just no way I can read one more page of this bullshit. What the fuck?!
Ok so, I need to calm down!
I absolutely loved Kelly St. Clare's Tainted Accords series. It was an awesome fantasy with a capable heroine, wonderful world-building, and a fun plot. But this soup she made with Raye Wagner was tasteless at best!
Granted, I only read the first 20% of the book, but let me tell you what compelled me to give up so soon.
Dumb heroine: People, she is dumb as fuck! I only spent a small amount of time in her head and it was enough for me to want to carve my eyes out. Allow me to elaborate .
Basically, she lives in dangerous times in an oppressed kingdom where rebels are being hunted left and right. After being warned about soldiers hunting for rebels and to be careful, she proceeds to:
▪ Talk to strangers in dark alleys
▪ Not being smart enough to talk her way out of a fairly preventable situation where anyone with half a wit could've avoided
▪ Not immediately running away with her mom upon finally, by some miracle, detecting the danger
▪ Not being able to process what is being said right in front of her and continue to make more problems
▪ Running back to the house her mother just sacrificed herself to help her escape from and absolutely wasting the poor woman's sacrifice (I love you, book mom. I'm sorry you raised a dipshit ).
▪ Continue to act like a dumb fuck and prevent the dude who is so clearly trying to help her and her mother from rescuing her
▪ Getting herself in deep trouble by being caught and having nowhere to run and fucking up her mother's last wish (People, this is important! That brave, poor woman.)
▪ Hitting her possible ally dude and declaring her hatred for him, because in her own words he has to know how much she hates him. Like trust me dummy, nobody cares, least of all him.
▪ Continuing to act like a moron and forcing her only possible ally's hand, so that now she has to go before the king her mother tried to save her from
To make matters worse, there was a make out scene at the end all of this. Which I know was so that the Ally Dude could compel the Dipshit to start cooperating and not get herself killed and blah blah. But I mean, what the fuck? Was all that description really necessary? Was the whole kiss actually necessary? Why couldn't he do this sooner before all that unnecessary drama happened? Why does it even have to be a kiss with a clearly unwilling participant. So unnecessary, y'all!
At which point I was so angry I stopped reading all together. I mean no one can expect me to spend another page inside this nincompoop's head!
She's all like, I'm so bored of this mundane life. I wish something exciting would happen, ahhhhh! And when something finally happens she's like, Nooooo, this is too scary! I can't! Why is this happening?
Like you dumb fuck, make up your fucking mind!
Honestly, all she's capable of is being a soap queen. (That's what she wants to be people, I am not making this up). I don't know why the author is forcing this story on her.
Juvenile writing: The writing was not good at all. I felt like I was reading a teen's badly written diary. There were some attempts at humor which fell short for me. There were repeated phrases that annoyed me. I was rolling my eyes way too many times at the writing, which is never a good sign.
Predictability factor: I mean come on, I guessed the whole thing in the second chapter. How original! Perhaps that's why the MC has to be so damn stupid, because otherwise there won't be any book.
On the other hand, I've read many entertaining books with smart heroines and not so mysterious plots and enjoyed the hell out of them. Tainted Accords series being one of them. So...
Needless to say, I won't be reading anything else from Raye Wagner. I do have to try Kelly St. Clare's other books though. I feel like Tainted Accords series was too good for this garbage to have happened. I'm not yet ready to give up on her stories.
DNF at 22%, because life's too short and there are endless awesome books I must discover still
I can't! I'm sorry, I just can't. She's too fucking dumb.
What the fuck is this? There's just no way I can read one more page of this bullshit. What the fuck?!
Ok so, I need to calm down!
I absolutely loved Kelly St. Clare's Tainted Accords series. It was an awesome fantasy with a capable heroine, wonderful world-building, and a fun plot. But this soup she made with Raye Wagner was tasteless at best!
Granted, I only read the first 20% of the book, but let me tell you what compelled me to give up so soon.
Dumb heroine: People, she is dumb as fuck! I only spent a small amount of time in her head and it was enough for me to want to carve my eyes out. Allow me to elaborate .
Basically, she lives in dangerous times in an oppressed kingdom where rebels are being hunted left and right. After being warned about soldiers hunting for rebels and to be careful, she proceeds to:
▪ Talk to strangers in dark alleys
▪ Not being smart enough to talk her way out of a fairly preventable situation where anyone with half a wit could've avoided
▪ Not immediately running away with her mom upon finally, by some miracle, detecting the danger
▪ Not being able to process what is being said right in front of her and continue to make more problems
▪ Running back to the house her mother just sacrificed herself to help her escape from and absolutely wasting the poor woman's sacrifice (I love you, book mom. I'm sorry you raised a dipshit ).
▪ Continue to act like a dumb fuck and prevent the dude who is so clearly trying to help her and her mother from rescuing her
▪ Getting herself in deep trouble by being caught and having nowhere to run and fucking up her mother's last wish (People, this is important! That brave, poor woman.)
▪ Hitting her possible ally dude and declaring her hatred for him, because in her own words he has to know how much she hates him. Like trust me dummy, nobody cares, least of all him.
▪ Continuing to act like a moron and forcing her only possible ally's hand, so that now she has to go before the king her mother tried to save her from
To make matters worse, there was a make out scene at the end all of this. Which I know was so that the Ally Dude could compel the Dipshit to start cooperating and not get herself killed and blah blah. But I mean, what the fuck? Was all that description really necessary? Was the whole kiss actually necessary? Why couldn't he do this sooner before all that unnecessary drama happened? Why does it even have to be a kiss with a clearly unwilling participant. So unnecessary, y'all!
At which point I was so angry I stopped reading all together. I mean no one can expect me to spend another page inside this nincompoop's head!
She's all like, I'm so bored of this mundane life. I wish something exciting would happen, ahhhhh! And when something finally happens she's like, Nooooo, this is too scary! I can't! Why is this happening?
Like you dumb fuck, make up your fucking mind!
Honestly, all she's capable of is being a soap queen. (That's what she wants to be people, I am not making this up). I don't know why the author is forcing this story on her.
Juvenile writing: The writing was not good at all. I felt like I was reading a teen's badly written diary. There were some attempts at humor which fell short for me. There were repeated phrases that annoyed me. I was rolling my eyes way too many times at the writing, which is never a good sign.
Predictability factor: I mean come on, I guessed the whole thing in the second chapter. How original! Perhaps that's why the MC has to be so damn stupid, because otherwise there won't be any book.
On the other hand, I've read many entertaining books with smart heroines and not so mysterious plots and enjoyed the hell out of them. Tainted Accords series being one of them. So...
Needless to say, I won't be reading anything else from Raye Wagner. I do have to try Kelly St. Clare's other books though. I feel like Tainted Accords series was too good for this garbage to have happened. I'm not yet ready to give up on her stories.
December 28, 2017
Hmmmm.
So I definitely will continue with the series, but this book is a hard 3 and an extra star for the cover.
So many things were wrong with this story, the characters development and growth. The plot and world building and the actual emotional roller coaster it could have been. But the premise and intent was great, just missed on execution.
The MC is ridiculous and impulsive. The naive and immature just got old fast.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it. The world building was enough to keep me interested and the characters had just enough personality to hold my interest but it was like a generic version, a bit bland. But again but the worst thing I’ve read.
Good luck.
So I definitely will continue with the series, but this book is a hard 3 and an extra star for the cover.
So many things were wrong with this story, the characters development and growth. The plot and world building and the actual emotional roller coaster it could have been. But the premise and intent was great, just missed on execution.
The MC is ridiculous and impulsive. The naive and immature just got old fast.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it. The world building was enough to keep me interested and the characters had just enough personality to hold my interest but it was like a generic version, a bit bland. But again but the worst thing I’ve read.
Good luck.
March 30, 2018
The Darkest Drae is absolutely ridiculous, and not in a good way. Sadly, it reads like a 12 year old writing fanfiction rather then anything worth being published; which sorry to say is probably the reason it's listed on Amazon unlimited rather then by its own merits (Sorry amazon unlimited, there are actually some good authors on there if you can manage to wade through this mess).
Believe it or not by summary alone it has everything I could possibly want in a book. Shape shifting hot dragon men, the promise of a heroine with blossoming powers, plots of overthrowing tyrannical kings, I love this type of stuff. Now If only people would actually take this material seriously and not just try and make a buck with thoughtless dribble.
Where to begin? The heroine, whose name is almost escaping me even though I barely finished reading this an hour ago. Let me think... no really, you probably think I'm joking but I'm actually stalling for time trying to figure it out. Oh got it, Ryn, Rynnie if you're her friend, probably stands for something else but I forget. Ryn is a young women, 17 years of age, on the cusp of blossoming young womanhood; she's not good at anything and thus her only hope at being semi useful is as a bartender at the local tavern/overly obvious gathering place for town rebellion. She serves potato stew, the only food left after the tyrannical king has driven the kingdom to utter starvation and desolation, and makes boring banter with the locals. Here's the problem with Ryn: she's just plain stupid and the reason for this lies solely on the shoulders of Wagner and St. Claire. She is written with a heavy inexperienced hand; she speaks like a 10 year old and her inner emotions don't fit the mood of the story which is utterly jarring. My personal favorite line; after spending months in prison being tortured daily, cursed at and beaten her inner dialogue in response to a tormentor reads: "Grow the entire kingdom food, Ryn. Be quick about it, Ryn. I'll torture you if you don't, Ryn" (pg. 185). Even as a thought how is this in any way an appropriate reaction post extreme torture?! She constantly oversteps her boundaries, jokes with her captors and fails to appropriately respond to her surroundings. Her prison cell is just an excuse for girl talk and her beatings, which take up about half of the book, fail to make a mark physically or mentally (well they make a physical mark but since she's a special kind of magic it doesn't last long enough to make a mark on her psyche). It's sad to say that the leading man describes her best of all: "You know nothing of betrayal, pain, or real suffering. You can't fathom what's going on. You say you hate me, but you don't know me. Every single thing I do has a reason. Everything. You? You're a cyclone recklessly acting on emotion and impulse. You're only alive now because of the generousity of others..." (pg. 176). Now most books have a section where the main character needs some tough love but that's not what this is. One, because she doesn't take it seriously and thus fails to change and Two, because it's literally a description of her entire persona and thus just sad.
After all that, if you're still reading, you're probably wondering why I even finished, truthfully it was so I could add this to my reading goal this year seeing as there was nothing gripping about the plot either. Okay where did I leave off? Ah yes, the tyrannical king. Sadly, it's just sketchy from there: so he's ruined the land, enslaved a hot dragon man known as a Drae (because that's original and not obvious at all...), and killed all the land healers known as Phaeyten (because when playing at creating new language just change all 'i's' to 'y's', or better yet just add letters). He's trying to track down the rebellion but apparently the local tavern is too hard to find and thus employs his Drae to find them. Long story short, our potato stew bartender is captured, enslaved-kissed into submission, and brought to the king to serve out her sentence in prison. Oh wait, I gave the story too much plot. No idea why they even decide to imprison her seeing as at this point she's not worth anything. So there she spends her days sharing an exorbitant amount of food with her prison-mate and telling bedtime stories. Lead guard Jotun likes to beat her for no reason and lo and behold we find out she's the last Phaetyn (cause who didn't see that coming). He continues to beat her even though it's basically in opposition to the king's orders and yet he never really suffers for it. So she's obviously put to work using her convenient land healing powers to heal the land and all of a sudden the rebellion appears right from behind the corn stalks with no rhyme nor reason. Are there guards? How were they not found out since they all basically stay in that tavern? How can no one capture them? Nothing is fleshed out. Apparently the king has been doing some kind of cross species experimentation. No specifics on that though. And my favorite, apparently this world has an emperor who conveniently is mentioned close enough to the end of the book to semi explain the need to continue with this asinine series. How does this tiny world made of concentric circles have a king and an emperor? What does the Emperor emperor over if there's this all powerful king?
I know this review comes off harsh but the point I'm trying to illustrate is the fact that it is essentially word vomit. It reads as if two women sat down one day to write a story of their favorite things. They have interest in dragons. They like brave heroines and kingdoms. They like fantasy languages and romance. So they write them all but they don't flesh any of it out. They don't build a world or explain the problem. They don't create believability for the romance or build the political spectrum. The Darkest Drae is a book that barely skims the surface in terms of anything. It's shallow and worst of all it's poorly written (which can be seen as soon as Mr. Drae uses the word "Ditto", don't believe me? Check page 217). I couldn't be happier to finish this book and it's a shame because it's full of my favorite subject matter as well, but you have to do more then simply include it, you need to expound on it as well.
Believe it or not by summary alone it has everything I could possibly want in a book. Shape shifting hot dragon men, the promise of a heroine with blossoming powers, plots of overthrowing tyrannical kings, I love this type of stuff. Now If only people would actually take this material seriously and not just try and make a buck with thoughtless dribble.
Where to begin? The heroine, whose name is almost escaping me even though I barely finished reading this an hour ago. Let me think... no really, you probably think I'm joking but I'm actually stalling for time trying to figure it out. Oh got it, Ryn, Rynnie if you're her friend, probably stands for something else but I forget. Ryn is a young women, 17 years of age, on the cusp of blossoming young womanhood; she's not good at anything and thus her only hope at being semi useful is as a bartender at the local tavern/overly obvious gathering place for town rebellion. She serves potato stew, the only food left after the tyrannical king has driven the kingdom to utter starvation and desolation, and makes boring banter with the locals. Here's the problem with Ryn: she's just plain stupid and the reason for this lies solely on the shoulders of Wagner and St. Claire. She is written with a heavy inexperienced hand; she speaks like a 10 year old and her inner emotions don't fit the mood of the story which is utterly jarring. My personal favorite line; after spending months in prison being tortured daily, cursed at and beaten her inner dialogue in response to a tormentor reads: "Grow the entire kingdom food, Ryn. Be quick about it, Ryn. I'll torture you if you don't, Ryn" (pg. 185). Even as a thought how is this in any way an appropriate reaction post extreme torture?! She constantly oversteps her boundaries, jokes with her captors and fails to appropriately respond to her surroundings. Her prison cell is just an excuse for girl talk and her beatings, which take up about half of the book, fail to make a mark physically or mentally (well they make a physical mark but since she's a special kind of magic it doesn't last long enough to make a mark on her psyche). It's sad to say that the leading man describes her best of all: "You know nothing of betrayal, pain, or real suffering. You can't fathom what's going on. You say you hate me, but you don't know me. Every single thing I do has a reason. Everything. You? You're a cyclone recklessly acting on emotion and impulse. You're only alive now because of the generousity of others..." (pg. 176). Now most books have a section where the main character needs some tough love but that's not what this is. One, because she doesn't take it seriously and thus fails to change and Two, because it's literally a description of her entire persona and thus just sad.
After all that, if you're still reading, you're probably wondering why I even finished, truthfully it was so I could add this to my reading goal this year seeing as there was nothing gripping about the plot either. Okay where did I leave off? Ah yes, the tyrannical king. Sadly, it's just sketchy from there: so he's ruined the land, enslaved a hot dragon man known as a Drae (because that's original and not obvious at all...), and killed all the land healers known as Phaeyten (because when playing at creating new language just change all 'i's' to 'y's', or better yet just add letters). He's trying to track down the rebellion but apparently the local tavern is too hard to find and thus employs his Drae to find them. Long story short, our potato stew bartender is captured, enslaved-kissed into submission, and brought to the king to serve out her sentence in prison. Oh wait, I gave the story too much plot. No idea why they even decide to imprison her seeing as at this point she's not worth anything. So there she spends her days sharing an exorbitant amount of food with her prison-mate and telling bedtime stories. Lead guard Jotun likes to beat her for no reason and lo and behold we find out she's the last Phaetyn (cause who didn't see that coming). He continues to beat her even though it's basically in opposition to the king's orders and yet he never really suffers for it. So she's obviously put to work using her convenient land healing powers to heal the land and all of a sudden the rebellion appears right from behind the corn stalks with no rhyme nor reason. Are there guards? How were they not found out since they all basically stay in that tavern? How can no one capture them? Nothing is fleshed out. Apparently the king has been doing some kind of cross species experimentation. No specifics on that though. And my favorite, apparently this world has an emperor who conveniently is mentioned close enough to the end of the book to semi explain the need to continue with this asinine series. How does this tiny world made of concentric circles have a king and an emperor? What does the Emperor emperor over if there's this all powerful king?
I know this review comes off harsh but the point I'm trying to illustrate is the fact that it is essentially word vomit. It reads as if two women sat down one day to write a story of their favorite things. They have interest in dragons. They like brave heroines and kingdoms. They like fantasy languages and romance. So they write them all but they don't flesh any of it out. They don't build a world or explain the problem. They don't create believability for the romance or build the political spectrum. The Darkest Drae is a book that barely skims the surface in terms of anything. It's shallow and worst of all it's poorly written (which can be seen as soon as Mr. Drae uses the word "Ditto", don't believe me? Check page 217). I couldn't be happier to finish this book and it's a shame because it's full of my favorite subject matter as well, but you have to do more then simply include it, you need to expound on it as well.
September 12, 2018
Normally when a fantasy-romance book has a 17 year old girl as a main character, I expect it to be kind of light on the torture/deaths front, but man, this book did not hold back. Holy crap. This book was very light (and clean, and a little insta) on the romance front, but dark pretty much with everything else. Some things annoyed me, like the fake news headlines or whatever those were supposed to be that she kept thinking up at random moments. But overall I kept turning the pages, long past when I should have gone to bed, to see what kind of horrors Ryn would be forced to endure next. I was there for it! And while this book tried to remind me of Rhysand (of A Court of Thorns and Roses if you are living under a rock), it sadly doesn't quite reach that level of love/angst enjoyment, at least not yet. But it tries, and I appreciated it. I'm going to just go ahead and read the next book now, which normally I don't do, but I want to see how this Rhysand-lite situation plays out. But I swear, if that nectar drink ends up being some kind of dragon/bodily fluid I am going to throw things.
November 24, 2017
In the interest of full disclosure, for the past month I have been oscillating between fever, cold, sinus infection, and right back to being feverish again so I may have actually hallucinated how amazing this book is. However, I can claim that to my addled mind, this book was done really really well despite my skepticism, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Theme Song for Blood Oath: Change by RM and Wale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rAyp...
Blood Oath is about a young woman who has been starving, poor, and oppressed for her entire life. Ryn has never known anything except hunger, despite people saying that full stomachs had been a reality at some point. The land is no longer fertile. There is little hope, except for a small group of rebels that are attempting to overthrow the evil king.
The king has been stealing the power of healers in this world, making himself effectively immortal. He rules with an iron fist and does not tolerate dissenters. There is a strict curfew and people are stalked in the night by the Drae, huge dragon shifters that help the king hold absolute power.
The Drae that is responsible for Ryn's little sector of Hell is Lord Irrik. He is the stuff of nightmares. They say that he sneaks under your bed at night and will devour you if you let your feet dangle over the sides. His massive wings can block out the moons at night and he can control you with a single breath across your skin.
Talk about the stuff of nightmares.
Ryn is caught out after curfew which has disastrous consequences, forcing her into the evil clutches of the king and his minions.
This is when the true horror begins. Ryn must hold herself together to resist the pressures that are put upon her by the king, Lord Irrik, and the evil minions in order to protect her friends and family. After all, there is no use in a rebellion if the king you are trying to get rid of knows everything about it.
Okay, onto the actual review now.
For a short book, the world building was actually pretty decent. This is one of those books where it would be easy to get lost in the world building, like you do when you are reading anything by Brandon Sanderson. It felt like this book just scratched the surface of the world. It was intriguing. Honestly though, the reason that this book does not get five stars is because I felt like I wanted more than what was given.
The characters were incredibly well written, in my opinion. I respected Ryn a lot. She had fire but she wasn't obnoxious like some strong willed female protagonists are. She felt despair. She gave up a few times. She felt deeply and fucked up royally a few times but you know what? Despite her massive flaws, I still ended up liking her ferocity. She looks out for people and that makes her incredibly admirable. I respect that about her.
And Irrik. Oh Irrik, you poor tortured soul.
I felt for these characters. This author makes you fucking hate some of these guys but still feel pity in the end, which is worse sometimes than hating them. Pity is a more demeaning emotion. Hatred shows respect. Pity is something else altogether.
I respected a lot of the decisions that were made by all of the characters. I understood their intentions, though I may not agree with them in the long run. I think that is a challenge for a lot of authors but this author pulled it off flawlessly.
The writing absolutely drew me in too. I was so skeptical about this book initially. The cover is rather uninspiring so I wasn't expecting much. But this book really brought me into the plot and I was worried for the characters and their causes. I wanted to help them. I mean, this book was pretty damn short and I wish it had been much longer. I want to know more. I want to invest more time in this and really delve into the world. What caused the king to gain power? How did the lands die so quickly? What do other kingdoms do?
And this book was genuinely funny sometimes. It wasn't just pages of death and hatred and torture. It had lighthearted moments. These moments sort of catch you by surprise but they add some lightness that is really needed sometimes. They break up the awful times in the book but they are well done and they don't take away from the plot. They show the fire of Ryn in a way that isn't overpowering but shows that you can find dark humor in the worst of times.
So yeah, four solid gold stars. I'm into it. Fucking dragons man. Done right.
Theme Song for Blood Oath: Change by RM and Wale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rAyp...
Blood Oath is about a young woman who has been starving, poor, and oppressed for her entire life. Ryn has never known anything except hunger, despite people saying that full stomachs had been a reality at some point. The land is no longer fertile. There is little hope, except for a small group of rebels that are attempting to overthrow the evil king.
The king has been stealing the power of healers in this world, making himself effectively immortal. He rules with an iron fist and does not tolerate dissenters. There is a strict curfew and people are stalked in the night by the Drae, huge dragon shifters that help the king hold absolute power.
The Drae that is responsible for Ryn's little sector of Hell is Lord Irrik. He is the stuff of nightmares. They say that he sneaks under your bed at night and will devour you if you let your feet dangle over the sides. His massive wings can block out the moons at night and he can control you with a single breath across your skin.
Talk about the stuff of nightmares.
Ryn is caught out after curfew which has disastrous consequences, forcing her into the evil clutches of the king and his minions.
This is when the true horror begins. Ryn must hold herself together to resist the pressures that are put upon her by the king, Lord Irrik, and the evil minions in order to protect her friends and family. After all, there is no use in a rebellion if the king you are trying to get rid of knows everything about it.
Okay, onto the actual review now.
For a short book, the world building was actually pretty decent. This is one of those books where it would be easy to get lost in the world building, like you do when you are reading anything by Brandon Sanderson. It felt like this book just scratched the surface of the world. It was intriguing. Honestly though, the reason that this book does not get five stars is because I felt like I wanted more than what was given.
The characters were incredibly well written, in my opinion. I respected Ryn a lot. She had fire but she wasn't obnoxious like some strong willed female protagonists are. She felt despair. She gave up a few times. She felt deeply and fucked up royally a few times but you know what? Despite her massive flaws, I still ended up liking her ferocity. She looks out for people and that makes her incredibly admirable. I respect that about her.
And Irrik. Oh Irrik, you poor tortured soul.
I felt for these characters. This author makes you fucking hate some of these guys but still feel pity in the end, which is worse sometimes than hating them. Pity is a more demeaning emotion. Hatred shows respect. Pity is something else altogether.
I respected a lot of the decisions that were made by all of the characters. I understood their intentions, though I may not agree with them in the long run. I think that is a challenge for a lot of authors but this author pulled it off flawlessly.
The writing absolutely drew me in too. I was so skeptical about this book initially. The cover is rather uninspiring so I wasn't expecting much. But this book really brought me into the plot and I was worried for the characters and their causes. I wanted to help them. I mean, this book was pretty damn short and I wish it had been much longer. I want to know more. I want to invest more time in this and really delve into the world. What caused the king to gain power? How did the lands die so quickly? What do other kingdoms do?
And this book was genuinely funny sometimes. It wasn't just pages of death and hatred and torture. It had lighthearted moments. These moments sort of catch you by surprise but they add some lightness that is really needed sometimes. They break up the awful times in the book but they are well done and they don't take away from the plot. They show the fire of Ryn in a way that isn't overpowering but shows that you can find dark humor in the worst of times.
So yeah, four solid gold stars. I'm into it. Fucking dragons man. Done right.
March 24, 2021
The beginning of this book started when our smart, quick-to-get-w-the-program heroine Ryn is saved by her mother's sacrifice so Ryn can get out of the city unharmed. And what does Ryn, queen of deduction and smart choices do?? Runs back so she can hurl her body over her mothers corpse, makes a huge scene in front of the guards that were hunting her, and gets herself captured and imprisoned. The exact thing her mom sacrificed herself to avoid happening. This is about the time I started realizing what I was in for and began my prayers for patience
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be: torture. And I don't mean it was torture to read, I mean the entirety of this book was the protagonist being tortured. And not the fun kind. Legit this was this book: torture, torture, grow some plants, torture, torture, torture, power-struggle w the king, torture, torture, kissy-face w Lord Irrik, torture, torture, more fucking torture, torture, and torture. I kept waiting for the setting or plot to change bc the ambiance of dungeon rly only takes you so far but these authors said: no <3 Torture til the end babe <3 You know what the best part is though? I don't believe, for one minute, that this flighty ass girl could stand that much torture and not give up the information they wanted. No fucking wayyyyy!!!! Humans are not meant to withstand that amount/type of prolonged pain, even if she did have the disposition or training for it, which she does not. Arnik breaks in a few seconds but Ryn withstands it for weeks and weeks? Gtfo of here. And the king was the most one-dimensional villain ever. His palace was completely empty besides prisoners, he had 0 supporters and allies, and his only personality trait was his insatiable hunger for torture bc... reasons? Bc... funsies?
Moving onto the 💘love💘 section of this rant. So through this whole book there's basically 3 possible love interests (not including Arnik).
1. Ty is the prisoner in the cell next to Ryn's and he becomes her friend and strength in surviving the dungeons. He makes jokes in his scratchy voice and gives her companionship.
2. Tyr is a mysterious guard who cleans and heals Ryn after every torture session (somehow unbeknownst to the king?) and he hides his face, deadass doesn't speak, and we don't know one thing about him but this doesn't stop our girl Ryn from falling head over heels 💕in love💕 w him and believing he's her one and only.
3. Lord Irrik the drae, who is also a slave to the king but on a higher tier than Ryn. He's kind of her overseer and they hate each other at first but eventually strike up a real bond. It's clear theres more than meets the eye w him, he says sweet stuff to her in his Drae language, and he's always going out of his way to protect her in roundabout ways that make clear he's in love w her.
So in the end it comes out that all these people are actually *dun dun dun* the same person
and Lord Irrik's name is really Lord Tyrrik
and he's been using a funny voice to talk to her as friendly Ty, and covering his face to take care of her and make her fall in love w him as the gentle Tyr. And at this point I'm just like
Really can't make this shit up huh. In a way it was kind of a relief bc I didn't understand why they had this girl falling in love w random ass Tyr who we deadass know nothing about, when it's clear the love interest/most compelling character/ person who has the most connection w Ryn is Lord Irrik. But now I'm just picturing Irrik donning all these disguises and using funny voices am just like skjsqio;efgw lmaooooo the comedy!!! the absurdity!! I just can't anymore w this and then when Ryn finds out they're all the same person she cries and cries bc her beloved Tyr is dead but it's like umm the real Tyr is standing right in front of you are you stupid???
God this book rly put me through it but you wanna know who the real clown is in the end?? Me!! bc I actually had a pretty good time!!! Don't worry, I'll do the honors myself
Even though I just complained for days, this book must have some mystical powers bc I was hooked in a bad way and will be personally leading the Lord Irrik Deserves Better campaign straight into the next book! Love a grumpy ass man who says things like "I hate sunlight" with a completely straight face. Gimme some more of that pls and thanks!
If I had to describe this book in one word it would be: torture. And I don't mean it was torture to read, I mean the entirety of this book was the protagonist being tortured. And not the fun kind. Legit this was this book: torture, torture, grow some plants, torture, torture, torture, power-struggle w the king, torture, torture, kissy-face w Lord Irrik, torture, torture, more fucking torture, torture, and torture. I kept waiting for the setting or plot to change bc the ambiance of dungeon rly only takes you so far but these authors said: no <3 Torture til the end babe <3 You know what the best part is though? I don't believe, for one minute, that this flighty ass girl could stand that much torture and not give up the information they wanted. No fucking wayyyyy!!!! Humans are not meant to withstand that amount/type of prolonged pain, even if she did have the disposition or training for it, which she does not. Arnik breaks in a few seconds but Ryn withstands it for weeks and weeks? Gtfo of here. And the king was the most one-dimensional villain ever. His palace was completely empty besides prisoners, he had 0 supporters and allies, and his only personality trait was his insatiable hunger for torture bc... reasons? Bc... funsies?
Moving onto the 💘love💘 section of this rant. So through this whole book there's basically 3 possible love interests (not including Arnik).
1. Ty is the prisoner in the cell next to Ryn's and he becomes her friend and strength in surviving the dungeons. He makes jokes in his scratchy voice and gives her companionship.
2. Tyr is a mysterious guard who cleans and heals Ryn after every torture session (somehow unbeknownst to the king?) and he hides his face, deadass doesn't speak, and we don't know one thing about him but this doesn't stop our girl Ryn from falling head over heels 💕in love💕 w him and believing he's her one and only.
3. Lord Irrik the drae, who is also a slave to the king but on a higher tier than Ryn. He's kind of her overseer and they hate each other at first but eventually strike up a real bond. It's clear theres more than meets the eye w him, he says sweet stuff to her in his Drae language, and he's always going out of his way to protect her in roundabout ways that make clear he's in love w her.
So in the end it comes out that all these people are actually *dun dun dun* the same person
and Lord Irrik's name is really Lord Tyrrik
and he's been using a funny voice to talk to her as friendly Ty, and covering his face to take care of her and make her fall in love w him as the gentle Tyr. And at this point I'm just like
Really can't make this shit up huh. In a way it was kind of a relief bc I didn't understand why they had this girl falling in love w random ass Tyr who we deadass know nothing about, when it's clear the love interest/most compelling character/ person who has the most connection w Ryn is Lord Irrik. But now I'm just picturing Irrik donning all these disguises and using funny voices am just like skjsqio;efgw lmaooooo the comedy!!! the absurdity!! I just can't anymore w this and then when Ryn finds out they're all the same person she cries and cries bc her beloved Tyr is dead but it's like umm the real Tyr is standing right in front of you are you stupid???
God this book rly put me through it but you wanna know who the real clown is in the end?? Me!! bc I actually had a pretty good time!!! Don't worry, I'll do the honors myself
Even though I just complained for days, this book must have some mystical powers bc I was hooked in a bad way and will be personally leading the Lord Irrik Deserves Better campaign straight into the next book! Love a grumpy ass man who says things like "I hate sunlight" with a completely straight face. Gimme some more of that pls and thanks!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2020
“Please show her mercy. I’m just the soap queen. I don’t know anything important.”
I came for the blurb, stayed for the drama.
Blood Oath is definitely not the book I expected it to be and I'm not sure if this is a bad or a good thing.
It's dark, twisted, full of gore and tears and moments that'll have you gasping (good thing), but it's also filled with a little too much forced humor (bad thing) and the kind of crowded romance I've only encountered before in the House of Night series (very bad thing).
I felt for Ryn, I really did felt sorry for her, but there were times I wanted for her to be real so I could punch her in the face. I really did not like her as a main character and most of the time her actions reflected just how confuse her characterization is. There's only a limited number of dumb decisions and thoughts a main character is allowed to make before I give up on them. On Ryn, I gave up around chapter 5.
I then realized I had two choices: I could hate on this book and stop reading it, or I could take it all lightly and as it came.
I went on board the rationality-deprived attaction train everyone seem to have for Miss MC, made myself comfortable into the absurdly gripping romance, forgot my expectations of a genuinely reasonable plot, and started devouring pages just to know what was going to happen next and who was going to kiss/kill/torture/outking/betray who.
Also, let me tell you. Abundance of love interests and stupid heroine aside, I highly enjoyed the world building (though I think there's room for improvement, especially when it comes to info dumping), the writing was rather easy to follow and even funny when the author wasn't trying too hard, and I loved Ryn's mom and how much of a sad, tormented soul Lord Irrik was.
Overall, it could have been worse.
It could have been The House of Night, for example.
Many thanks to my bookish soulmate aka the best reviewer ever because it was her impossibly good review who got me to
ACTUAL RATINGS 3,5/5
December 3, 2017
★4 Stars! Blood Oath ...
An Intense, enthralling, consuming, refreshing and thrilling read that will leave you emotionally invested and wanting more!
“Fire licked where our skin touched, the warmth spreading from where his hand tangled in my hair, sending tendrils of pulsing energy all over until I felt like I was crawling out of my skin.”
An Intense, enthralling, consuming, refreshing and thrilling read that will leave you emotionally invested and wanting more!
“Fire licked where our skin touched, the warmth spreading from where his hand tangled in my hair, sending tendrils of pulsing energy all over until I felt like I was crawling out of my skin.”
December 7, 2018
To see this review and more, considering taking a peek at my first in series YA book blog here
Blood Oath is a devastating new release written in tandem by Raye Wagner and Kelly St. Claire. It is a must read for fantasy lovers who are looking for intricate characters, a bit of romance, and plot twists of the most delicious kind.
I was blessed with an ARC of this precious, and not gonna lie, I went in expecting one thing and got something completely different. Not BAD different, just different. I went in expecting your stereotypical hot dragon shifter and peasant girl chosen one romance story. That, my friends, is barely the tip of the iceberg.
Blood Oath follows Ryn a peasant from the outer provinces under a rule of a ruthless king who has led his people to intolerable starvation. The King's Drae (read: dragon), Irrik is known for following the king's orders with ruthlessness and precision, under an oath that bound him to the king's will many years ago. When Ryn gets mixed up with Drae and mistaken as a rebel, her life is over- or it would be if Irrik hadn't noticed something about Ryn that made him pause and defy the cruel system he has helped enforce.
No-no wait, like I said, this isn't a shifter alpha-male romance novel. It IS fantasy! The Magical powers/broken lands/rise up type!! You've got your torture, despicable deception, unpredictable deaths, heart-wrenchig betrayals, and yes- some romance for those readers (like me) who just can't do without just a bit. For those of you who are wary of love triangles, don't worry this one works- seriously. It's not really even a love triangle but I can't explain without giving anything away.
If you're looking for the aforementioned plots, you must read Blood Oath! Ryn is a strong character but can, albeit, be a bit lackluster and naïve for someone going through her specific scenario. She sets her emotions first and brain last which was a bit frustrating. The only other comment I'd like to make is that this series desperately needs at least one other POV, I can totally see why the authors weren't able to in this first book, but going forward I'd love to get Irrik's POV.
Blood Oath is a devastating new release written in tandem by Raye Wagner and Kelly St. Claire. It is a must read for fantasy lovers who are looking for intricate characters, a bit of romance, and plot twists of the most delicious kind.
I was blessed with an ARC of this precious, and not gonna lie, I went in expecting one thing and got something completely different. Not BAD different, just different. I went in expecting your stereotypical hot dragon shifter and peasant girl chosen one romance story. That, my friends, is barely the tip of the iceberg.
Blood Oath follows Ryn a peasant from the outer provinces under a rule of a ruthless king who has led his people to intolerable starvation. The King's Drae (read: dragon), Irrik is known for following the king's orders with ruthlessness and precision, under an oath that bound him to the king's will many years ago. When Ryn gets mixed up with Drae and mistaken as a rebel, her life is over- or it would be if Irrik hadn't noticed something about Ryn that made him pause and defy the cruel system he has helped enforce.
No-no wait, like I said, this isn't a shifter alpha-male romance novel. It IS fantasy! The Magical powers/broken lands/rise up type!! You've got your torture, despicable deception, unpredictable deaths, heart-wrenchig betrayals, and yes- some romance for those readers (like me) who just can't do without just a bit. For those of you who are wary of love triangles, don't worry this one works- seriously. It's not really even a love triangle but I can't explain without giving anything away.
If you're looking for the aforementioned plots, you must read Blood Oath! Ryn is a strong character but can, albeit, be a bit lackluster and naïve for someone going through her specific scenario. She sets her emotions first and brain last which was a bit frustrating. The only other comment I'd like to make is that this series desperately needs at least one other POV, I can totally see why the authors weren't able to in this first book, but going forward I'd love to get Irrik's POV.
August 22, 2020
FULL HOUSE!
Look I am gonna be honest with you I have never read anything like this.
Who knew dark fantasy was a thing? Why didn’t I know this 😭?? I SHOULD have known this! Okay, okay, back on track, Josie 🤦🏻♀️
I was tremendously captivated by this story. The characters were dark, intriguing and so complex.
Ryn was so nice to follow. So strong and kind and her sassy comments were to die for.
The whole idea behind the Drae and Phaetyns are insanely good. I NEED more of these kind of things ! Because AMAZING!😍
And don’t get me started on Lord Irrik! I want to punch that Drae right in the face, but at the same time I want to add him to my book boyfriends 😂😂 Meeeeessed up, I know.
(Okay, I am gonna be honest, he is on my B.B.-list - come on DRAGON SHIFTER, guys! 🤷🏻♀️)
Oh and let’s not forget one specific scene! The bathtub one ! Honestly, I have imagined that scene BEFORE I read this book and told myself if I ever wrote a book THAT was a scene I would add. And then IT’S RIGHT THERE. It was perfect! #mentallyonthesamepagewiththeauthor
Ryn lives with her mother. She lives in a starved world where a cruel king controls the world with an iron fist by the help of a Drae. A Drae is a dragonshifter, a dragonshifter bound to the King by a blood oath to do his bidding.
Ryn finds herself captive by the King and she tries desperately to find a way out. Can she do it?
Read: 13/11/2018
Genre/tropes: Dark Fantasy/Romance
Cover: 5 stars! That’s a covergasm worthy cover right there people!
1st. Rating: 5 stars. This book was EXACTLY what I needed. Wanted to read fantasy for a while, but I wanted a twist to it. Turns out I bloody LOVE dark fantasy! Who knew😂!
Will I recommend: Fuck yeah!!
Look I am gonna be honest with you I have never read anything like this.
Who knew dark fantasy was a thing? Why didn’t I know this 😭?? I SHOULD have known this! Okay, okay, back on track, Josie 🤦🏻♀️
I was tremendously captivated by this story. The characters were dark, intriguing and so complex.
Ryn was so nice to follow. So strong and kind and her sassy comments were to die for.
The whole idea behind the Drae and Phaetyns are insanely good. I NEED more of these kind of things ! Because AMAZING!😍
And don’t get me started on Lord Irrik! I want to punch that Drae right in the face, but at the same time I want to add him to my book boyfriends 😂😂 Meeeeessed up, I know.
(Okay, I am gonna be honest, he is on my B.B.-list - come on DRAGON SHIFTER, guys! 🤷🏻♀️)
Oh and let’s not forget one specific scene! The bathtub one ! Honestly, I have imagined that scene BEFORE I read this book and told myself if I ever wrote a book THAT was a scene I would add. And then IT’S RIGHT THERE. It was perfect! #mentallyonthesamepagewiththeauthor
Ryn lives with her mother. She lives in a starved world where a cruel king controls the world with an iron fist by the help of a Drae. A Drae is a dragonshifter, a dragonshifter bound to the King by a blood oath to do his bidding.
Ryn finds herself captive by the King and she tries desperately to find a way out. Can she do it?
Read: 13/11/2018
Genre/tropes: Dark Fantasy/Romance
Cover: 5 stars! That’s a covergasm worthy cover right there people!
1st. Rating: 5 stars. This book was EXACTLY what I needed. Wanted to read fantasy for a while, but I wanted a twist to it. Turns out I bloody LOVE dark fantasy! Who knew😂!
Will I recommend: Fuck yeah!!
May 29, 2018
I really liked this. Like way more than I thought I would, for some reason. There's just the right amount of fantasy and humor, blood and romance thrown in. A super quick read if you're in the mood for some dragon-shifter fantasy goodness! Book 2 is out and book 3 will be out soon--for those who worry about that sort of thing (me)--so there's no long wait for a conclusion.
May 10, 2022
This was a dark fantasy YA with some phenomenal world-building and dragon shifters. It’s set in the fictional kingdom of Verald that exists under the yoke of a tyrannical king there’s a rebellion movement in which Ryn exists on the outskirts of. Coming to the attention of the king and his own personal Drae Lord Irrik was never going to be a good thing and here it lands Ryn with her mother's dead killed as a supposed rebel and Ryn thrown in the king's dungeons subject to never-ending torture and abuse.
I felt this book was mostly about setting the scene it wasn’t always an easy read considering just how much our heroine is subjected to and when we start this Ryn is very much a character being forged and moulded through darkness and pain. She’s initially naïve and still very young only seventeen with an idealistic view still tainting all of her expectations. Finding herself subject to the whims of a cruel and sadistic king and facing daily torture that would break a lesser character only makes Ryn stronger until eventually, she morphs into her true skin.
This is all told from Ryn's POV as she traverses the minefields of her current situation. The daily tortures lack of food and psychological cruelties all add to Ryn’s burden. Her only respite a fellow prisoner and a mysterious healer. Lord Irrik is also a conundrum cold and cruel but then sometimes he appears to be something else. Bound to obey the king by his oath Ryn knows he cannot be trusted in fact trust for anyone is something she can’t afford as nobody here is what they first seem. But there are also secrets just waiting to be revealed some that concern Ryn and her true origins.
This is very well written but the amount of torture was excessive and this book at times felt quite heavy and dark. The romance here was quite minimal and this is very slow burn in nature but I’m actually optimistic for the second book if only to see where Ryn and her Drae can go from this. I also predict great things are on the horizon for Ryn.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
July 6, 2021
This was a really good first book and I have to say after the half way point I had a lot of trouble putting it down. I liked the plot twists, most I could see coming but their were plenty of surprises to keep things interesting so I'm invested in the story and excited about the next book.
October 17, 2020
★ ★ 3 Stars ★ ★
✰ Initial Thoughts ✰
I wasn't really planning on reviewing this book (or writing a long ass review), but after finishing it I couldn't not say something! First things first, Blood Oath is really not as bad as people keep saying. Now the complaints are valid and I share a few of them myself, but that said this book was highly entertaining. However, this stance I'm taking may or may not be highly influenced by the fact that I was assured by Cece (and her review) that book two is way better. I think knowing that allowed me to just bask in some of the more head scratching moments. I'm currently reading Shadow Wings now and yes I can attest that book 2 is indeed better.
Overall, the sentiment I had on the brain was this -
✰ The Highlights! ✰
✦ The World Building ✦ The world building is strong with this one. I think ultimately that's what originally captured my attention in the first place AND what kept me going in the more boring parts. The world that Raye Wagner crafted is very creative and the book was steeped in potential. I loved her take on dragon shifters, the set up for the way the different magically inclined people interact, the mystery regarding Ryn's background, and the main villain overall. So yeah the world building gets a A++ from me.
✦ Lord Irrik - The Dragon ✦
What can I say other than I'm a true hoe for dragon-shifters (or any magical hero for that matter). Now Lord Irrik didn't reinvent the wheel by any means but he served his purpose. That purpose being the mysterious "is he evil" incredibly sexy man dressed all in black love interest. However, I was honestly a bit bummed that Wagner didn't really explore how horrifying Irrik's circumstances truly were. This man was a slave to this tyrannical king for 150 years (give or take). He was forced to do some truly horrific things and it really wasn't touched on that much. The book walked a fine line between dark and not to dark and due to that I thought Irrick's circumstances may have been lost in the shuffle. But let's not focus on that, let's focus on the fact that ✨🐉 HE CAN TURN INTO A DRAGON ✨🐉
✰ What Didn't Work For Me? ✰
✦ Ryn - Princess of Stupid ✦ WOW. Damn. THIS GIRL.
UMMMMMM -
Like truly I am just. . .this girl had ZERO self-preservation instincts. Truly none. She threw herself head first into danger and didn't realize until WAYYYYYY after the fact that she was in deep shit. For example her first meeting with Lord Irrick. So, where Ryn lives the whole town is being watched by the King's dragon looking for rebels. Ryn WALKS HOME FROM A REBEL MEETING AFTER CURFEW. Her excuse? SHE DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS PAST CURFEW. Ryn, sweetie, work with me here. The worst part is she sees this "strange man" standing in all black and walks up to him and starts talking to him. HMMMMmMmMmmmMMM who do we think that might be Ryn??? LORD IRRICK.
However my personal favorite stupid Ryn moment happens when *SPOILER* her mom sacrifices herself for her dumbass daughter. So it turns out Ryn is SPECIAL and Lord Irrick seemingly also doesn't want Ryn to get caught. Ryn's mom tells Ryn to GTFO and go into hiding. The guards come to the house and the mom acts like she was the person they were looking for and gets stabbed. Now if this scenario happened to you would you -
✧ A. ✧ Stare dumbly at the scene unfolding and not move a muscle thus getting caught?
✧ B. ✧ Start shouting real loud, burst into the room and crawl over you mom, thus creating a huge scene which allows you to get captured, which in turn makes your mothers sacrifice for nothing?
✧ C. ✧ Get the hell out of there and make sure your mom's sacrifice wasn't in vain.
Well our amazing protagonist choose B. *deep sigh* I just. . .UGH. sigh. I can't. . .
Yep that's the caliber of heroine we were working with. I wholeheartedly believe that Ryn's face is next to the definitions of naive and stupid. This girl did not use her head at all and was akin to a bull in a China shop. HOWEVER , I think it's partially her fault but partially because she is 17. Which is another thing, WHY IS SHE 17 ?? Something just did not compute. I think if Ryn had been older it would've allowed her to be less naive and a bit more street smart. I'm really confused as to why she wasn't aged up to at least 19 or 20. She really desperately needed those extra 2/3 years of maturity.
✦ The Plot? ✦ What was the point of this book? Honestly what was the point? Nothing really happened. It starts with Ryn's introduction, she immediately gets kidnapped, then she's captured, tortured, tortured some more , eats, pees out some moss, gets tortured again , bleeds out some pumpkins, ✨ GETS TORTURED ONE MORE TIME FOR GOOD MEASURE ✨ meets the king, grows some shit, big showdown, "secrets" revealed, the end.
How. . .riveting?? Yeah no shame, I full on skipped a bunch of chapters. I think the book was at its weakest when Ryn was just by herself being tortured which incidentally is most of the book. The book was at its strongest when she was with one on one with Lord Irrick which didn't happen until the last 30% of the book.
✰ AND YET. . . ✰
✦ I Had a Good Time ✦ I know, I know, I always do this, but I want to be honest in these reviews. As many problems I had with Blood Oath I still had a lot of fun with this book. I laughed at Ryn's stupid moments, swooned over Lord Irrick, wanted to personally dismember the King and his lackey, and was very invested in the world as a whole. While I did skip a couple of chapters here and there overall this book was pretty engaging - I just had to take it upon myself to find those engaging parts. And I have to admit there were times when Ryn was actually pretty funny. Her banter with Irrick was really great and I saw glimmers of potential in her character.
✦ I See The Intent ✦ I've read enough books like Blood Oath that I know exactly what author Raye Wagner was going for. Writing is hard and sometimes things get lost in translation. I think this book would've been a lot better if Ryn was older, and the plot was a bit tighter. She grabbed me in the beginning, lost me in the middle, but won me back with the ending. It also didn't hurt that books 2 and 3 are out and I could take a peak at those reviews ;)
✰ In Closing ✰
While there were some parts of Blood Oath that tested my patience overall I had a fun time. This was a solid enough opener to a series with a lot of potential. If you can get past Ryn being. . .Ryn, then I think you might enjoy this book as well. Plus, I mean come on, Lord Irrick is a sexy dragon shifter. I can't think of a better reason to read this book than that ;)
✰ Initial Thoughts ✰
I wasn't really planning on reviewing this book (or writing a long ass review), but after finishing it I couldn't not say something! First things first, Blood Oath is really not as bad as people keep saying. Now the complaints are valid and I share a few of them myself, but that said this book was highly entertaining. However, this stance I'm taking may or may not be highly influenced by the fact that I was assured by Cece (and her review) that book two is way better. I think knowing that allowed me to just bask in some of the more head scratching moments. I'm currently reading Shadow Wings now and yes I can attest that book 2 is indeed better.
Overall, the sentiment I had on the brain was this -
✰ The Highlights! ✰
✦ The World Building ✦ The world building is strong with this one. I think ultimately that's what originally captured my attention in the first place AND what kept me going in the more boring parts. The world that Raye Wagner crafted is very creative and the book was steeped in potential. I loved her take on dragon shifters, the set up for the way the different magically inclined people interact, the mystery regarding Ryn's background, and the main villain overall. So yeah the world building gets a A++ from me.
✦ Lord Irrik - The Dragon ✦
What can I say other than I'm a true hoe for dragon-shifters (or any magical hero for that matter). Now Lord Irrik didn't reinvent the wheel by any means but he served his purpose. That purpose being the mysterious "is he evil" incredibly sexy man dressed all in black love interest. However, I was honestly a bit bummed that Wagner didn't really explore how horrifying Irrik's circumstances truly were. This man was a slave to this tyrannical king for 150 years (give or take). He was forced to do some truly horrific things and it really wasn't touched on that much. The book walked a fine line between dark and not to dark and due to that I thought Irrick's circumstances may have been lost in the shuffle. But let's not focus on that, let's focus on the fact that ✨🐉 HE CAN TURN INTO A DRAGON ✨🐉
✰ What Didn't Work For Me? ✰
✦ Ryn - Princess of Stupid ✦ WOW. Damn. THIS GIRL.
UMMMMMM -
Like truly I am just. . .this girl had ZERO self-preservation instincts. Truly none. She threw herself head first into danger and didn't realize until WAYYYYYY after the fact that she was in deep shit. For example her first meeting with Lord Irrick. So, where Ryn lives the whole town is being watched by the King's dragon looking for rebels. Ryn WALKS HOME FROM A REBEL MEETING AFTER CURFEW. Her excuse? SHE DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS PAST CURFEW. Ryn, sweetie, work with me here. The worst part is she sees this "strange man" standing in all black and walks up to him and starts talking to him. HMMMMmMmMmmmMMM who do we think that might be Ryn??? LORD IRRICK.
However my personal favorite stupid Ryn moment happens when *SPOILER* her mom sacrifices herself for her dumbass daughter. So it turns out Ryn is SPECIAL and Lord Irrick seemingly also doesn't want Ryn to get caught. Ryn's mom tells Ryn to GTFO and go into hiding. The guards come to the house and the mom acts like she was the person they were looking for and gets stabbed. Now if this scenario happened to you would you -
✧ A. ✧ Stare dumbly at the scene unfolding and not move a muscle thus getting caught?
✧ B. ✧ Start shouting real loud, burst into the room and crawl over you mom, thus creating a huge scene which allows you to get captured, which in turn makes your mothers sacrifice for nothing?
✧ C. ✧ Get the hell out of there and make sure your mom's sacrifice wasn't in vain.
Well our amazing protagonist choose B. *deep sigh* I just. . .UGH. sigh. I can't. . .
Yep that's the caliber of heroine we were working with. I wholeheartedly believe that Ryn's face is next to the definitions of naive and stupid. This girl did not use her head at all and was akin to a bull in a China shop. HOWEVER , I think it's partially her fault but partially because she is 17. Which is another thing, WHY IS SHE 17 ?? Something just did not compute. I think if Ryn had been older it would've allowed her to be less naive and a bit more street smart. I'm really confused as to why she wasn't aged up to at least 19 or 20. She really desperately needed those extra 2/3 years of maturity.
✦ The Plot? ✦ What was the point of this book? Honestly what was the point? Nothing really happened. It starts with Ryn's introduction, she immediately gets kidnapped, then she's captured, tortured, tortured some more , eats, pees out some moss, gets tortured again , bleeds out some pumpkins, ✨ GETS TORTURED ONE MORE TIME FOR GOOD MEASURE ✨ meets the king, grows some shit, big showdown, "secrets" revealed, the end.
How. . .riveting?? Yeah no shame, I full on skipped a bunch of chapters. I think the book was at its weakest when Ryn was just by herself being tortured which incidentally is most of the book. The book was at its strongest when she was with one on one with Lord Irrick which didn't happen until the last 30% of the book.
✰ AND YET. . . ✰
✦ I Had a Good Time ✦ I know, I know, I always do this, but I want to be honest in these reviews. As many problems I had with Blood Oath I still had a lot of fun with this book. I laughed at Ryn's stupid moments, swooned over Lord Irrick, wanted to personally dismember the King and his lackey, and was very invested in the world as a whole. While I did skip a couple of chapters here and there overall this book was pretty engaging - I just had to take it upon myself to find those engaging parts. And I have to admit there were times when Ryn was actually pretty funny. Her banter with Irrick was really great and I saw glimmers of potential in her character.
✦ I See The Intent ✦ I've read enough books like Blood Oath that I know exactly what author Raye Wagner was going for. Writing is hard and sometimes things get lost in translation. I think this book would've been a lot better if Ryn was older, and the plot was a bit tighter. She grabbed me in the beginning, lost me in the middle, but won me back with the ending. It also didn't hurt that books 2 and 3 are out and I could take a peak at those reviews ;)
✰ In Closing ✰
While there were some parts of Blood Oath that tested my patience overall I had a fun time. This was a solid enough opener to a series with a lot of potential. If you can get past Ryn being. . .Ryn, then I think you might enjoy this book as well. Plus, I mean come on, Lord Irrick is a sexy dragon shifter. I can't think of a better reason to read this book than that ;)
December 18, 2017
I wasn't sure going into this book but I must say it was so good. If you are a fan of dark paranormal than I highly recommend that you give this book a try.
When reading this book you can actually feel the soul aching pain of the H and h.
The only disappointment is the waiting for the next book..
When reading this book you can actually feel the soul aching pain of the H and h.
The only disappointment is the waiting for the next book..
August 18, 2018
I caved under the pressure! *wails*
I saw this book reviewed by my friend Renatta and she loved it and what with Dragons and the cover and all of that put together it's a no brainer.
Now the thing about series and me is, when I think I'm really gonna get deep in the book and it's part of a series, I always check if it's complete or if it's a stand-alone in a series. I don't do incomplete series even if I have to wait only like a month for the last book.
My suffering is excruciating.
The latter is what Umaiya's itty bitty brain computed this book to be. (Stand-alone in a series)
Now regardless of all other phases of Umaiya's life when she's reading, she tends to focus, also at this point she has enough experience with books.
So very early on she starts to think, (I know. What An AMAZING Feat!) this doesn't read like a stand alone . . .
But she is twenty three and even though she should know better by now she ignores that little voice till she is about. . . Oh, Sixty-Nine percent in!
Oh and it's get better. Stay a while.
So when through careful research and deduction she reaches the conclusion, you know, about the book, she thinks she can stop.
At Sixty-Nine percent.
A Dragonshifter book.
Umaiya can.
If you're thinking, "I don't see this ending well." Then you're right and it didn't. Refer to my earlier statement regarding caving.
Now about the book and less about fabulous little me.
Why yes. Yes, I am. I would have preferred shit, I mean let's be a little mature here, come on.
Also, how do I not remember this from the movie? I needs to watch this again, young Umaiya always missed out on the goodshit poo-poo.
I really enjoyed this. It's not like the best book or terribly new but there's something about it that just hooks you in. Dragonshifters aren't new but some of the other elements in here are.
At some points I was even surprised, albeit glad, where I thought some thing cliche would happen but the author turned it around and it kinda made my day. I would have been very upset with the cliche. *nods*
I actually wanna talk more about our MCs but at this point because I'm only on the first book and it takes time to flesh out characters and their backstory so I'm kinda finding that hard to do.
I mean I'm reading about an almost 18 year old and my thought process consists of, "God! I hate teenagers!" Doesn't matter that I'm sure I was pretty much the same level of tstl but still because of the story line and the twists and turns and all these developments I'm not sure I'm ready to conclude anything about the MCs, yet, obviously I'm invested and having the time of my life.
BUT
I am so weak!! *sobbing*
Now I have to wait till J.U.N.E!
IF I can stop myself from contacting the author and begging for an ARC.
And that's a HUGE if.
Somebody help me! Get me off this train!!
I saw this book reviewed by my friend Renatta and she loved it and what with Dragons and the cover and all of that put together it's a no brainer.
Now the thing about series and me is, when I think I'm really gonna get deep in the book and it's part of a series, I always check if it's complete or if it's a stand-alone in a series. I don't do incomplete series even if I have to wait only like a month for the last book.
My suffering is excruciating.
The latter is what Umaiya's itty bitty brain computed this book to be. (Stand-alone in a series)
Now regardless of all other phases of Umaiya's life when she's reading, she tends to focus, also at this point she has enough experience with books.
So very early on she starts to think, (I know. What An AMAZING Feat!) this doesn't read like a stand alone . . .
But she is twenty three and even though she should know better by now she ignores that little voice till she is about. . . Oh, Sixty-Nine percent in!
Oh and it's get better. Stay a while.
So when through careful research and deduction she reaches the conclusion, you know, about the book, she thinks she can stop.
At Sixty-Nine percent.
A Dragonshifter book.
Umaiya can.
If you're thinking, "I don't see this ending well." Then you're right and it didn't. Refer to my earlier statement regarding caving.
Now about the book and less about fabulous little me.
Why yes. Yes, I am. I would have preferred shit, I mean let's be a little mature here, come on.
Also, how do I not remember this from the movie? I needs to watch this again, young Umaiya always missed out on the good
I really enjoyed this. It's not like the best book or terribly new but there's something about it that just hooks you in. Dragonshifters aren't new but some of the other elements in here are.
At some points I was even surprised, albeit glad, where I thought some thing cliche would happen but the author turned it around and it kinda made my day. I would have been very upset with the cliche. *nods*
I actually wanna talk more about our MCs but at this point because I'm only on the first book and it takes time to flesh out characters and their backstory so I'm kinda finding that hard to do.
I mean I'm reading about an almost 18 year old and my thought process consists of, "God! I hate teenagers!" Doesn't matter that I'm sure I was pretty much the same level of tstl but still because of the story line and the twists and turns and all these developments I'm not sure I'm ready to conclude anything about the MCs, yet, obviously I'm invested and having the time of my life.
BUT
I am so weak!! *sobbing*
Now I have to wait till J.U.N.E!
IF I can stop myself from contacting the author and begging for an ARC.
And that's a HUGE if.
Somebody help me! Get me off this train!!
August 29, 2018
Exciting and dark storytelling, great characters
I devoured this series pretty quickly. The characters and threads continue through each book, with the goal to end the reign of a terrible dragon emperor. However, each book focuses on a different set of adventures, adds new characters, and delivers skirmishes and battles (mental and otherwise) with usually one or two main villains. The pace is quick, the storytelling is violent and gory, and the romance delivers steam while still in a YA realm. This book is suitable for OLDER teens - and beyond - for the sexual innuendo, violence and torture.
The world building was well developed, but the pace left some details scanty at times. It was also weird to read such modern colloquialisms in the context of a low-tech dragon and fairy fantasy. I also figured out the big twist way before the end. Those are the only complaints.
I thought this book was emotional and engaging. It was compelling to read the machinations and the plotting, as well as the personal one-on-one interactions of the many characters. I was hooked on these people and had to know how their stories ended. The reason it was so compelling to keep going is that the authors did not shy away from killing off main characters. That always adds to the suspense.
This series is completed with three books, all currently available on Kindle Unlimited.
I devoured this series pretty quickly. The characters and threads continue through each book, with the goal to end the reign of a terrible dragon emperor. However, each book focuses on a different set of adventures, adds new characters, and delivers skirmishes and battles (mental and otherwise) with usually one or two main villains. The pace is quick, the storytelling is violent and gory, and the romance delivers steam while still in a YA realm. This book is suitable for OLDER teens - and beyond - for the sexual innuendo, violence and torture.
The world building was well developed, but the pace left some details scanty at times. It was also weird to read such modern colloquialisms in the context of a low-tech dragon and fairy fantasy. I also figured out the big twist way before the end. Those are the only complaints.
I thought this book was emotional and engaging. It was compelling to read the machinations and the plotting, as well as the personal one-on-one interactions of the many characters. I was hooked on these people and had to know how their stories ended. The reason it was so compelling to keep going is that the authors did not shy away from killing off main characters. That always adds to the suspense.
This series is completed with three books, all currently available on Kindle Unlimited.
November 30, 2018
so many things creeped me out in this book.. but then I fell in loved with some characters. Shipped them to my hearts content. THEN I WAS STABBED IN THE HEART AND NOW I FEEL BETRAYED!
Blood Oath was a pretty good book. In it, you will meet Lord Irrik (basically lord delicious) and Ryn. I loved them together and secretly started shipping them. Okay, if you were reading this book with me.. it wasn't so secretly. What can I say, I loved them and I'm still peeved about this ending!
Ryn is captured by Lord Irrik and sent to see the evil king. Before all that happened though, she watched her mother die. Right in front of her eyes. Well, that's not the worst part of her life (even if that's what she thinks at the moment). NOPE, her life gets much worst once see meets the evil bastard who tortures her. Starts with J.. and that's all you will get from me.
A lot happened in this book. A lot of death and some hints of a romance.. but mostly a shit ton of betrayal happened. The ending, I know I mentioned it.. but damn, didn't expect any of that to come out into the open. It broke my heart. I have no idea when I will dive into the next book.. but I really need to!
Blood Oath was a pretty good book. In it, you will meet Lord Irrik (basically lord delicious) and Ryn. I loved them together and secretly started shipping them. Okay, if you were reading this book with me.. it wasn't so secretly. What can I say, I loved them and I'm still peeved about this ending!
Ryn is captured by Lord Irrik and sent to see the evil king. Before all that happened though, she watched her mother die. Right in front of her eyes. Well, that's not the worst part of her life (even if that's what she thinks at the moment). NOPE, her life gets much worst once see meets the evil bastard who tortures her. Starts with J.. and that's all you will get from me.
A lot happened in this book. A lot of death and some hints of a romance.. but mostly a shit ton of betrayal happened. The ending, I know I mentioned it.. but damn, didn't expect any of that to come out into the open. It broke my heart. I have no idea when I will dive into the next book.. but I really need to!
June 27, 2018
4.5 Stars.
This is what good fantasies are all about! I enjoyed this book immensely. Intrigue, earth magic, dragons. The growth of a heroine. Aaaand some romance.
Ryn was so innocent when this journey began. We watch her go through so much. I’m looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds, and how much she we grow. Of course, I’m looking forward to seeing more of our Darkest Drae as well!
This is what good fantasies are all about! I enjoyed this book immensely. Intrigue, earth magic, dragons. The growth of a heroine. Aaaand some romance.
Ryn was so innocent when this journey began. We watch her go through so much. I’m looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds, and how much she we grow. Of course, I’m looking forward to seeing more of our Darkest Drae as well!
May 3, 2018
3.5
What a dark book for this genre type. Pretty much the entire book is spent in a dungeon or through forced labor. With a book this dark, there isn't any way it could be fully light at the end, but it was suiting. There a few twists I didn't see coming. The writing style is well done, it's hard to put down and stays interesting. Sometimes it was frustrating since so many meanie-pants were running around. Full review to come.
What a dark book for this genre type. Pretty much the entire book is spent in a dungeon or through forced labor. With a book this dark, there isn't any way it could be fully light at the end, but it was suiting. There a few twists I didn't see coming. The writing style is well done, it's hard to put down and stays interesting. Sometimes it was frustrating since so many meanie-pants were running around. Full review to come.
December 12, 2018
This review MAY contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Okay ya'll, dark fantasy is kind of my thing now. This book is so deliciously dark. I truly wasn't expecting the extent of the darkness that this book is comprised of. Even if I could pluck the stars from the sky and place them into a glass jar, the light from these countless suns could not even penetrate the darkness in this book. The depthless dark of the universe can't even compare. It is staggering.
I just loved all the little components to this story. Mysterious and perplexing characters, political intrigue, magic, a torture crazy king, a rebellion, and questionable loyalties all get thrown into the potluck of this food day extravaganza. I liked that I was immediately drawn into the story at the beginning of the book. I was transfixed by the plot because it was hard to pinpoint what was going to happen. I was honestly kept on the edge of my seat picking apart the story as I read and trying to put the puzzle pieces together. The plot twists are insane and just extremely well done. The world-building is also well constructed. The maps at the beginning of the book helped as well. I was able to feel like I was in this world. It was a very real reading experience.
The romance definitely had me guessing as well. It had me totally baffled in the beginning. There were so many men in her life throughout the beginning that I had no clue which way was up. I didn't know what to expect in terms of Ryn's romantic match(es). I did have my assumptions throughout the book and I was able to dissect one of the plot twists ahead of time. The romance in this book is part beautiful and part devastating. I can't really explain more because spoilers, but trust me...it's worth reading.
I liked the character growth for the main character, Ryn. She was this mostly innocent girl that gets caught up in the politics and manipulations of her kingdom. She discovers that her life isn't what she thought it was. She was lied to and betrayed by almost everyone. She endures mind games and torture at the hands of a twisted king, but she doesn't let it destroy her. She rises up from her pain and grows from her experiences. Her character arc was actually quite moving overall. Lord Irrick's character growth is surprising. Again, I can't really get into that without spoilers, but his character arc is creative and interesting. We didn't get to know the side characters all that well, but I will say that they all had a purpose in the story. They weren't just thrown in willy-nilly.
Overall, I am so impressed by this book! I was taken hostage by this story from the moment I started reading. The characters captured my heart and the plot kept my brain buzzing with anticipation. I immediately started the second book in this series after finishing this book because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next! I highly recommend this series! You will love the darkness, you will admire the strength of the characters, and you will praise the incredible plot twists in the story!
More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction
Okay ya'll, dark fantasy is kind of my thing now. This book is so deliciously dark. I truly wasn't expecting the extent of the darkness that this book is comprised of. Even if I could pluck the stars from the sky and place them into a glass jar, the light from these countless suns could not even penetrate the darkness in this book. The depthless dark of the universe can't even compare. It is staggering.
I just loved all the little components to this story. Mysterious and perplexing characters, political intrigue, magic, a torture crazy king, a rebellion, and questionable loyalties all get thrown into the potluck of this food day extravaganza. I liked that I was immediately drawn into the story at the beginning of the book. I was transfixed by the plot because it was hard to pinpoint what was going to happen. I was honestly kept on the edge of my seat picking apart the story as I read and trying to put the puzzle pieces together. The plot twists are insane and just extremely well done. The world-building is also well constructed. The maps at the beginning of the book helped as well. I was able to feel like I was in this world. It was a very real reading experience.
The romance definitely had me guessing as well. It had me totally baffled in the beginning. There were so many men in her life throughout the beginning that I had no clue which way was up. I didn't know what to expect in terms of Ryn's romantic match(es). I did have my assumptions throughout the book and I was able to dissect one of the plot twists ahead of time. The romance in this book is part beautiful and part devastating. I can't really explain more because spoilers, but trust me...it's worth reading.
I liked the character growth for the main character, Ryn. She was this mostly innocent girl that gets caught up in the politics and manipulations of her kingdom. She discovers that her life isn't what she thought it was. She was lied to and betrayed by almost everyone. She endures mind games and torture at the hands of a twisted king, but she doesn't let it destroy her. She rises up from her pain and grows from her experiences. Her character arc was actually quite moving overall. Lord Irrick's character growth is surprising. Again, I can't really get into that without spoilers, but his character arc is creative and interesting. We didn't get to know the side characters all that well, but I will say that they all had a purpose in the story. They weren't just thrown in willy-nilly.
Overall, I am so impressed by this book! I was taken hostage by this story from the moment I started reading. The characters captured my heart and the plot kept my brain buzzing with anticipation. I immediately started the second book in this series after finishing this book because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next! I highly recommend this series! You will love the darkness, you will admire the strength of the characters, and you will praise the incredible plot twists in the story!
More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction
April 27, 2018
4.5-75 Twisted Drae Stars! [One POV -First Person] (may be spoilers)
Yes! Yes! Yes! These authors know what they are doing. This was a total enraptured and eagerly page turner for me. After so many failed attempts at picking up books that I thought would be high rating... Thinking all is lost. I have found a gem in Blood Oath. Just to be clear here people. The blurb does not do it justice and DOESN'T state how dark this read is. I was really taken by surprise and was not expecting that. So, thank you ladies! I have been on the hunt for a good dark read and this was it. Now the question is where to even begin with gushing over this book?
Let's Start~*
I found it very interesting and was baffled by the names in this book. I found myself several times sounding them out loud, trying to figure out the right pronunciation. Lol! This story grabbed my by the :cough: balls and didn't let go. The story starts out very simple and innocent. But! Not for very long. It's pow! Right in the kisser! All hell breaks loose. I was so tense reading all the shit she went through and to me was well played out. Damn that ending though.
Rynnie~*
Her character is pretty naive and yet very strong willed. Which, I found as an odd combination. Yet, I found myself like and not really being bothered by the non common sense. I also liked the fact that she didn't really play much of the "woe is me" card very much. Hell the girl went through some shit! Ryn grows into her own self and is starting really bloom.
Irrik-Tyrrik~*
There is soooo much to say about this character. He is confusing, mysterious and a brooding man. He is complicated that you are constantly guessing his motives. His games he plays to out smart, just lead to more question. He's handsome and a ....... Delicious Man. I think I have found a new book bf! His character draws me in and I have no idea why. I have my theories on his actions and that ending.
Ending
I can or wait for the next book! This left me with nothing but questions. Not very much was answered in this book, it leaves you hanging for mor to find those out. I definitely recommend this read.
(I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE MY ORIGINAL REVIEW HAS WENT TO. THERE WAS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH MORE THAN THIS!!!!!)
Yes! Yes! Yes! These authors know what they are doing. This was a total enraptured and eagerly page turner for me. After so many failed attempts at picking up books that I thought would be high rating... Thinking all is lost. I have found a gem in Blood Oath. Just to be clear here people. The blurb does not do it justice and DOESN'T state how dark this read is. I was really taken by surprise and was not expecting that. So, thank you ladies! I have been on the hunt for a good dark read and this was it. Now the question is where to even begin with gushing over this book?
Let's Start~*
I found it very interesting and was baffled by the names in this book. I found myself several times sounding them out loud, trying to figure out the right pronunciation. Lol! This story grabbed my by the :cough: balls and didn't let go. The story starts out very simple and innocent. But! Not for very long. It's pow! Right in the kisser! All hell breaks loose. I was so tense reading all the shit she went through and to me was well played out. Damn that ending though.
Rynnie~*
Her character is pretty naive and yet very strong willed. Which, I found as an odd combination. Yet, I found myself like and not really being bothered by the non common sense. I also liked the fact that she didn't really play much of the "woe is me" card very much. Hell the girl went through some shit! Ryn grows into her own self and is starting really bloom.
Irrik-Tyrrik~*
There is soooo much to say about this character. He is confusing, mysterious and a brooding man. He is complicated that you are constantly guessing his motives. His games he plays to out smart, just lead to more question. He's handsome and a ....... Delicious Man. I think I have found a new book bf! His character draws me in and I have no idea why. I have my theories on his actions and that ending.
Ending
I can or wait for the next book! This left me with nothing but questions. Not very much was answered in this book, it leaves you hanging for mor to find those out. I definitely recommend this read.
(I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE MY ORIGINAL REVIEW HAS WENT TO. THERE WAS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH MORE THAN THIS!!!!!)
July 22, 2018
Dark Fantasy Romance
Already familiar with the work of both Raye Wagner and Kelly St. Clare, Blood Oath went beyond my high expectations!
Considering the humble and innocent beginnings for the main protagonist, I wasn't expecting the dark and gritty atmosphere, nor torture as subject material. The horror elements mixed with the potential for romantic entanglements, and the surprising twist at the end, makes Blood Oath an edge-of-your-seat read.
What I enjoyed most was the portrayal of Lord Irrik, the dragon shifter. He's seen as the ultimate villain, the right hand of the tyrant king, yet there is a slow shift in his character as the story progresses. What exactly is his relationship to Ryn? Ally, protector, lover, or enemy and betrayer? He plays his part well, but it's obvious there is more to him than meets the eye!
Although there is no cliff-hanger ending, there is clearly more story to tell for this realm, and both Ryn and Irrik. Can't wait for the next installment of The Darkest Drae!
Already familiar with the work of both Raye Wagner and Kelly St. Clare, Blood Oath went beyond my high expectations!
Considering the humble and innocent beginnings for the main protagonist, I wasn't expecting the dark and gritty atmosphere, nor torture as subject material. The horror elements mixed with the potential for romantic entanglements, and the surprising twist at the end, makes Blood Oath an edge-of-your-seat read.
What I enjoyed most was the portrayal of Lord Irrik, the dragon shifter. He's seen as the ultimate villain, the right hand of the tyrant king, yet there is a slow shift in his character as the story progresses. What exactly is his relationship to Ryn? Ally, protector, lover, or enemy and betrayer? He plays his part well, but it's obvious there is more to him than meets the eye!
Although there is no cliff-hanger ending, there is clearly more story to tell for this realm, and both Ryn and Irrik. Can't wait for the next installment of The Darkest Drae!
Shelved as 'on-hold'
October 25, 2018because.
there's dragons.
there's dragons.
July 26, 2018
Eeeeeeeeek. I must start the next book. RIGHT MEOW.
😱😱😱
😱😱😱
December 3, 2017
AHHHHH!!!! This is soo good!
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