Rise of the Dragons (Kings and Sorcerers, Book 1)

Rise of the Dragons is a good start to a promising series. The story introduces Kyra, a young adolescent girl, who has a thirst for adventure. Although she’s tough and adept with a staff, her father, brothers and the other men in her town discourage her.

Kyra has a younger brother, Aidan. When her older brothers, Brandon and Braxton, drag Aidan into the Wood of Thorns to slay a beast, Kyra insists on going along to protect them. When they’re accosted by a wild boar, Kyra slays the boar while the boys cower in fear. Afterward, Kyra trains with some of the soldiers. She bests many of them in hand-to-hand combat, yet Kyra still fails to earn respect in her male-dominated society. The Lord Governor and his men often harass and subjugate the people of Kyra’s village, Volis. Not only do the Lord’s Men take boys from the village to patrol the border for trolls and beasts, but the Lord Governor constructs an edict commanding the village hand over its women, as well for the Lord Governor and his men to marry.

Despite besting several soldiers in the village and slaying a wild boar, Kyra’s father believes she should get married. Kyra is devastated. She leaves the village in the middle of a blizzard. Shortly thereafter, she spots a wounded dragon being attacked by one of the Lord’s Men. Kyra intervenes, and the dragon bonds with her. The dragon disappears before Kyra can find out more about it, and she collapses in the snow. Kyra ends up back in her village before the Lord Governor attacks Volis in retaliation of Kyra’s defiance.

A few other plot arcs weave their way through Kyra’s story. There’s a bit about an assassin, Merk, who rediscovers the joy of killing, and the troll king, Vesuvius, makes an appearance, as well with plans to enslave the population of Escalon.

Like much of Morgan Rice’s other works, I would have liked for it to be longer. I felt I could have learned more about Kyra and her people, but the plot just glossed over many events that could have included much more detail. Although it had some minor hiccups, Rise of the Dragons is for the fantasy junkie who can’t get enough make-believe realms and epic battles. It’s a plot-driven novel that’s easy to read in a weekend or an afternoon.