The Color of Dragons Published by HarperCollins on October 19, 2021 Source: Review copy
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / General
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
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Powerhouse adult fantasy author R. A. Salvatore and Erika Lewis deliver a sweeping, action-packed, romantic pre-Arthurian tale of the origins of magic (and Merlin), perfect for fans of Falling Kingdoms and Seraphina.
Magic needs a spark.
And Maggie’s powers are especially fickle. With no one to help her learn to control her magic, the life debt that she owes stretches eternally over her head, with no way to repay it.
Until she meets Griffin, the king’s champion, infamous for hunting down the draignochs that plague their kingdom.
Neither has any idea of the destiny that they both carry, or that their meeting will set off a chain of events that will alter every aspect of the life they know—and all of history thereafter.
This epic, romantic tale will enchant readers and draw them into a thrilling world of star-crossed lovers, magic, destiny, and the paths we choose.
Review
Dragons, a Pre-Merlin tale, and an underdog with special powers tick all the boxes for me to make for a fantastic story. The book is told in alternating perspectives between maggie, our underdog, and griffin, who wants to be noticed and fight for honor against the evil dragionochs. This story takes place in a time before Merlin, and the whole thing keeps you guessing right up to the last paragraph exactly how that all plays out. Dragonoichs are forced to fight in the arena against humans and die in an attempt to live. Griffin plucked from the bottoms where poor people live and are now the chosen fighter for the prince. The king wants magic is desperate to have due to a prophecy the king was shown. When he discovers Maggie and her dad may have true magic, he makes them prisoners in his castle. What unfolds for Maggie about her past and future sets up this world for an eye-opening adventure. Expertly done between these two authors, and I thoroughly enjoyed this stand-alone.
About Erika Lewis
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, ERIKA LEWIS’ list of credits straddles the comics and novel space, including Game of Shadows from Tor Books, Firebrand and Acursian from Legendary Comics, #Guardian from Awesome Media & Entertainment, and The 49th Key from HM Publishing. The Color of Dragons is her debut YA, coming from Harper Teen in the fall of 2021, and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts is her middle grade debut coming from Starscape in the spring of 2022.
About R. A. Salvatore
Leominster, Massachusetts is known for four things: Johnny Appleseed, a thriving plastics industry, Robert Cormier, and New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore. With over 20 million books sold worldwide, more than four dozen book and numerous game credits Salvatore has become one of the most important figures in modern epic fantasy.
A lifelong resident of Massachusetts, R.A. Salvatore, began writing shortly after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications/Media from Fitchburg State College. He penned his first manuscript in 1982, in a spiral notebook, writing by candlelight while listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk album.
Bob’s first published novel, “The Crystal Shard”, was released in February of 1988. By 1990 his third book, “The Halfling’s Gem”, had made the New York Times bestseller list.
Salvatore spends a good deal of time speaking to schools and library groups, encouraging people, particularly young people, to read. With the zeal of a religious convert, he talks about the virtues of reading and the ultimate appeal, “it is fun.” He remembers his return to reading when he was in college, “The blizzard of 1978 shut down my college for a week. My sister had given me a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which I read while house-bound. When I got back to school, I changed my major from math to communications.”
Salvatore makes his home in Massachusetts, with his wife, Diane and their two dogs, Ivan and Dexter. He spends his “free time” coaching and playing softball on a team made up of family and close friends. His gaming group still meets on Sunday nights to play games. Of late, they have been playing the new game R.A.designed with Bryan Salvatore and Geno Salvatore, “DemonWars: Reformation”, a role-playing game set in the World of Corona.
He is currently working on more novels set in Corona for his DemonWars series.
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| Overall: | 5 |
