I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Dragon by Rustin Petrae Series: Histories of Purga #1
on 11/1/2012
Pages: 194
Format: eBook
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He was an enemy.
She saved his life.
The rest is history.
Rooks have embraced science and technology, even inventing helpful, microscopic, robots called nanos to create nearly any machine they want to meet their needs.
The Terraquois are their opposite. They have embraced the spiritual and have a deep bond with nature. It is this bond that allows them to transform into the animal that resembles their own, inner selves.
These two races have fought each, often with brutal savagery, for centuries. But things change when the Rook prince, Rone Varlamagne, is shot out of the sky and left for dead in the desert by an unknown force. Keiara, the daughter of the Terraquois chieftan, is the one to find him but instead of killing him, she decides to save his life. It is one act. One conscious choice, but it changes everything for them and the entire face of Purga.
Together, they face foes from every direction...and they will stop at nothing to protect each other.
With Dragon, I was hooked from the beginning. The story covers two distinct societies: a technologically advanced one, and one with advanced natural powers. The two main characters (Rone and Keiara) were very likable and well developed. The action was well-paced and the world was very well detailed. I could easily imagine the peoples in my mind and how their world worked. The uses of the nano-technology were varied and interesting, while on the other hand, all the natural powers possessed by the Terraquois were just as varied. While the main antagonist is quite evil, there was enough back-story and nuance to make him very interesting. Both main characters are essential to the story, but I felt that Rone was pretty transparent whereas Keiara was full of mystery. They are a nice combination together and Keiara will obviously be central to the second book.
I do my best to write balanced reviews, but I just can’t think of anything negative to say about this one. It is one of the few books I have read recently that I couldn’t put down and it is very skillfully written. It reminds me a lot of another one of my favorites…Graceling. You have the romance, the self-discovery of the heroine’s powers, the rich fantasy world, and ultimately the fight against the evil tyrant. This is one of my favorites now and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
