Source: Publisher
Original: Dragons, Heroes and Wizards

This tale builds and grows. Dragons prowl the skies. An unexpected romance develops. A heart is destroyed. Meanwhile the shattered moon keeps bombarding this world with fiery fragments and the only people who can save them all, are now under siege.

♦ My Thoughts. It took me far too long to review this and I apologize. Between the holidays and reviews with deadlines that I chose to honor, it fell through the cracks. I want to state, for the record, that the delay had nothing to do with the quality of this book.

The story picks up right where Shatterwing left off and follows the same winding path. Individual storylines merge, split, then merge again. The tension ramps up as the evil Inspector destroys everything in his path. Usually in the most horrible way possible.

Hungry for power, the Inspector is searching for Salinda in the belief that he can take her power as his own. A power that she is barely able to control. Nils, the last of his race, continues his search for dragons while the skywatchers pool their strength to destroy the largest fragment yet. One that will do unbelievable damage if it strikes the surface.

♦ What I Liked. This story puts me into a role of not only a reader but an explorer. A situation that I found priceless. This is an intriguing world with an almost extinct technological race who once lived hidden underground. A race that even the oldest folklore does not mention. There are Dragons. Only no one knows where they came from. And there is a symbiotic relationship between the dragons and the humans that nobody understands. Or even realizes.

When I wasn't exploring the underground city and the mystery of what happened to the people there; I was exploring towns, mountains, valleys and... a Skywatch tower. This is a world of secrets and exploring all the possible answers was a lot of fun.

I also liked the ramp up in tension as the danger switches from general to more specific. As the danger coalesced, I enjoyed watching the characters adapt to the ever changing situations. On this planet you either adapt or you die. And sometimes you die anyway.

♦ What I didn't like. The conclusion ties up this chapter of the story. It ends not so much in a cliffhanger as in a surprising revelation.

The problem lies in the nature of that revelation and the desire it engineers to learn more. Much more.

Now this is in no way the author's fault. If anything, it is an indication of her ability to draw her audience into the story. Now here comes the real conundrum. There "might" be a third book. I assume getting a book deal for book three depends on the popularity of this duology.

Hence the following plea:

Please read these books.... I REALLY want to read the next installment. There are so many things I have yet to learn about this planet and I don't want the journey to end!

♦ Conclusion. As I mentioned in my review of Shatterwing, this is a plot driven story. The characters are varied, intriguing and fun to watch, but I did feel like an observer throughout. I hated the villain with a passion, but I never bonded to the other players of this drama.

And I didn't need to. I was heavily invested in the story. It had mystery, adventure, love, loyalty, tragedy and loss. The dangers felt real. The violence was brutal. The tragedies were heartbreaking. The dogged perseverance of the survivors was inspiring. The dragons were truly frightening. And I can't say enough bad things about the Inspector. Then we have the conclusion. Boy I never saw that coming...

Well worth a read! ( )

I did not like this, the second book in the Dragon Wine series, as much as the first, mostly because the science went out the window. I can't explain without spoilers but I don't think Ms Hanson took the correct turn with the dragons. Otherwise the book is strong. Ms Hanson's women characters are better written than her males.

I received a review copy of "Skywatcher: Dragon Wine 2" by Donna Marree Hanson (Momentum Books) through NetGalley.com. ( )