Amethyst Dragon

Series: Riders of Fire Dragon Riders, Prequel

Author: Eileen Mueller

Genre: Fantasy

Book Description:

When Lars is chosen to be the harpist for Master Mage Giddi’s wedding at Dragon’s Hold, he’s honored to play for the mages, dragon riders and the mighty dragons who rule the realm.

He vows one day he’ll also be a dragon rider and sore through the skies to protect Dragons’ Realm – and Lydia, the girl he loves.

Then strange new monsters attack Spanglewood Settlement, and Lars must fight the village council to ensure their people are defended. Frustrated when the leaders won’t listen, Lars takes matters into his own hands.

But when he imprints with an amethyst dragon deep in Great Spanglewood Forest, Lars never suspects his actions could cost him the woman he loves. And as he’s drawn deeper into danger, he’s faced with choices that will shred his heart.

Review:

If you’d like romantasy with dragon riders, I expect this will probably be a fun read for you. For me, I very much enjoyed Lars and also his dragon, Singlar. I felt like Singlar had a real personality that I could visualize while I read about him, and the way he communicates has character. I would probably say one of the book’s biggest draw-backs was that there wasn’t enough about Singlar. I’d have liked to see a lot more of Singlar and Lar’s relationship and learning to work together with Singlar.

Not that that was lacking in the book, but I’d have liked a lot more of it. Singlar felt like just as much of a real character as Lars, but it seemed like sometimes that got forgotten and pushed to the side. (Though I also found perhaps Singlar did not need to make jokes about mates quite as much as he did – but also Lars could have listened better.)

Speaking of dragons, another thing I thought was neat was the way they like to share one syllable of their name with their riders!

The other main thing I didn’t enjoy is probably something romantasy-readers might not mind as much. I have little patience for what I consider to be stupid conflict in romance plots. It was not horrible, but there were several things that felt forced to me for the purpose of dragging out the romance plot. One is that Lars spends a long time wondering if he likes a different girl better than the one he obviously likes – Lydia – and has liked for a long time – and who also really likes him. But I thought what was worse is the way he listens to Lydia’s father. She tells him not to, tells him she wants to be with him, but her father insists on telling him he won’t be able to take care of her and questioning whether he’ll really have a home or be able to provide for her in Dragons’ Hold.

This also ties into how I thought Singlar was sometimes ignored. The obvious thing for Lars to have done would have been to ask his dragon for confirmation, and the obvious thing for Singlar to have done would have been to assure Lars – even without being asked – that Lydia’s fathers’ worries are unfounded, and if Lars does die fighting for Dragons’ Realm, the rest of the dragon riders will take care of Lydia and any children they have, and they’ll actually be safer in Dragons’ Hold than anywhere else they could be.

However, I really liked both Lars and Lydia, the rest of the time. Lydia has character and strength that feels natural, not forced and over-done. I really enjoyed her throughout the book. She can be funny, she points things out to snobs in a most appealing way, and she’s brave.

Lars is likewise an enjoyable, kind, rounded character. He hunts well, though some scorn him for getting his hands bloody, even though they benefit from his kills as much as anyone else. He’s kind and patient, showing his harp to children. He’s a brilliant musician. So I really enjoyed both main characters.

All in all, this is a rather light, enjoyable fantasy. There’s some fighting and some death. But both of the main characters are both good-at-heart and relateable people, with a lot I liked about them. I did wish there was more about the dragons. Their role in the world is cool, but I felt like it was under-played a little at times. And if you’re more tolerant of romance tropes than I am, the ones in this one might not bother you either. I just found myself so mad at Lars for being that stupid but also I didn’t think he was that stupid! But, Lars and Lydia do sort things out between them, and I liked the ending very much. (Spoilers: Not Everyone Needs A Dragon.)

Eileen’s Website