Dragon Stones by Kristian Alva
Defiant Press – July 14,2011
www.kristianalva.com
Facebook: not sure

Emperor Vosper has this plan to kill all of the dragons. They are driven to the edge of existence, almost forgotten about and only talked about in whispers as a wistful memory.
When Elias Dorgumir finds a dragon stone, he gets more than he bargained for and his nice quiet life is completely shattered. Now he must escape the emperor and find safety with the dwarves.

What can I say? I am so excited about this series! I can’t wait to get the second book to review. It has been my experience that fantasy books; regardless of the target age groups are always either really good or really bad. I don’t think that I have ever read one that was just “okay”. If I have, I don’t remember it. This truly was an unexpected delight. Honestly, the only thing that really bothered me was the fact that the action was set in motion with the cliché kid who doesn’t listen to his grandmother because he wants to help out. It is a little cliché but man, nicely done.
What I loved loved loved about this book was that it didn’t bog you down with the history of the land or the details of world building. You start in a time when great battles have already been fought, the evil emperor is already in charge and the people of the land are simply trying to survive. The history is given in snippets at just the right time and you’re never given more than you need. Elias, what a character with potential! There wasn’t a lot of depth given to him, as far as the role that he will ultimately play in the story but I like him. There is clearly more to learn about him and the secrets of his family.
The ending! Oh. My. Goodness. I was at work when I got to the last page, to the last sentence. Talk about a cliffhanger, a sentence that just totally baseball bat slammed to the face hit you. So not fair and I DEFINITELY want more- RIGHT NOW!
There wasn’t a lot heart-pounding action, but there was definite flow. There was definite edge-of-your-seat-can’t-stop-turning-pages attraction with this book. And I definitely can’t wait to get my hands on the next one.

Recommendation: Middle grade/Young adult
Rating: Absolutely fantastic, a book that will definitely be kept and passed around to the youngsters in my life! (And probably even some adults)

This book was given to me, free, in exchange for my honest review.

Really? What are you waiting for, go get this book!! ( )

Dragon Stones had me hooked from the first chapter. I love reading books about wizards, magical creatures, and anything else magical so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this book. I liked Elias from the moment I met him and how he was so brave and didn't complain about having to runaway with the rare and dangerous Dragon Stone. I also really liked the dwarf who's helping him, Thorin. He always knows what to do and his personality is just so likable. This book kind of reminded me of Eragon, with the whole dying Dragon Race and the fight of evil vs. good. I felt like Dragon Stones was just the opening book, like there wasn't really a whole lot of things going on but it was necessary to build up to the next book. It was never boring, but it was just too short and I wished that it went on a little bit longer. The ending was a great twist and cliffhanger, so I really can't wait for the next book! ( )