Review @month9books - Fledgling by Nicole Conway @ANConway (The Dragonrider Chronicles #1)

Fledgling

The Dragonriders Chronicles #1

by Nicole Conway

Goodreads blurb:  Can one boy stand between two kingdoms at war?

Jaevid Broadfeather has grown up as a wartime refugee, hiding from the world because of his mixed racial heritage. He feels his future is hopeless, until a chance encounter with a wild dragon lands him in Blybrig Academy—a place usually forbidden to anyone but the rich and royal. But Jaevid’s case is special; no dragon has voluntarily chosen a rider in decades, so the proud riders of Blybrig must begrudgingly let him join their brotherhood despite his bloodline. Lieutenant Sile Derrick, a sternly tempered man with a mysterious past, becomes his instructor and immediately takes a peculiar interest in Jaevid’s future.

While struggling through the rigorous physical demands of training, things begin to go awry. Jaevid witnesses the king’s private guards kidnapping Sile in the dead of night. When none of the elder riders are willing to help him, Jaevid begins a dangerous adventure to save his instructor.

Everything Jaevid learned at the academy will now be put to the ultimate test.

About the Author:  Nicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider. She has completed the first two books in the series, and is now working on the third and final book.

Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Classics from Auburn University, and will soon attend graduate school.

She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation.

Nicole enjoys hiking, camping, shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also loves watching children’s movies and collecting books. She lives at home with her husband, two cats, and dog.

Connect with Nicole:

~ Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!!

***Received the book as part of a tour for Avian (book 2) for an honest review

The cover is awesome.  I love the dragon on the cover, and I think kids will be drawn to it because it reminds me of how dragons are depicted in video games like WoW. 

Okay, I wasn’t sure what to expect in this book because Nicole Conway is an author I have never read before, but I know from the first time I saw the cover and read the blurb that I wanted to read it.  It definitely exceeded my expectations, and I loved reading it.  The book is like the movie Eragon meets Lord of the Rings kind of vibe…well at least to me. :)

I love Jae’s character because even though he is treated badly and abused by just about everyone he is so brave and loyal to the few people who are very worthwhile friends.  He is so tenacious and never gives up.  This is so hard to demonstrate to high school students.  I know in high school, there is always so much strife and mistreatment from student to student going on, and when one of my students is upset, I always ask them if the person is their friend.  When they tell me no way, I tell them then why care what they think?  Don’t let someone else ruin your day or your image of how you think and feel about yourself!  This was not something anyone ever told me in school, and I had to learn it much later in life.

Felix is another awesome character.  He will not stand for someone picking on or hurting one of his friends.  He comes from money but does not let that define who he is.  He lets his actions speak for him. 

Of course, you can’t leave out the fierce dragons who are awesome all by themselves.  Mavrik sees something in Jae that no one else did, and they have an amazing partnership.  I try not to give specific details in my reviews because I would never want to spoil your adventure into reading this book :)

Nicole Conway does a fantastic job creating her world and describing it in a way that the images fill my head while reading.  I can’t wait to read Avian next. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading dragon books!  I especially think this will be a phenomenal addition to my classroom library when I can afford to buy this series.  I’m sad to say it, but my classroom library is severely lacking in content to attract high school boys into reading, and I think this book would help in this area.  My high school students get such a kick out of me sharing my books with them, and they are even more amazed when they see that an author has signed the book and that I still share it with them.  I will be reading this book again with my son in the future :)

Interested in reading???

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