This was such a fun, rich fantasy read! I adored the magic system, the dragons, and Keriya, our main character. I will always root for the underdog, and Keriya was nothing if not that. She's the only one in her village able to do wield magic, yet she taken notice by the dragon goddess. She finds that she is a Dragon Speaker, although she's in need of a dragon.

I also really loved the secondary characters and appreciated the time the author took to introduce each of them. I fall hard for anything that has to do with dragons, and this eye-catching cover and synopsis was hard to say no to. I'm so glad this book lived up to my expectations, and I can't wait to read more!

Thank you to Netgalley for my ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Dragon Speaker begins a new adventure in a land where magic is common...for everyone except Keriya Nameless. Orphaned at a young age, she is seen as a bother to her village and land; however she refused to accept being a lesser. Until she heads a call...

Ten ages ago an entity named Necrovar, evil embodied, was banished into another deminsion, the Etherworld. In order to restore balance in the world all the dragons were banished with Necrovar as they were a pure source of magic. But a dragon has escaped the Etherworld, and to tip the scales of magic back to balance, Necrovar slipped through.

Keriya is called upon by the dragon goddess, Shivnath, to find and protect the dragon who slipped through and prevent mankind from utalizing it as a weapon. Shivnath promoses.to bestow great magic to Keriya, but warns her once it is used up she will be hlow of magic once again. Keriya wakes from her vision with glowing red/violet eyes and is chased out of her village along with her best friend Fletcher and a powerful weilder named Roxanne. They set off on a quest to find the dragon and to try to stop Necrovar. But how much can you trust someone who promises you a power you've hungered for your whole life?

This story had a great style of world building and the characters were easy to root for. My biggest issue with this book was the pacing of some of the traveling and the interactions. One minute you would be wrapped in an important conversation between characters, and the next they were randomly walking away from each other. It wasn't enough to dissuade me from wanting to pick up the next book, coming in May 2019!

Dragon Speaker by Elana A. Mugdan is a very imaginative debut novel. The characters are captivating as well as thought out. The world that Elana created feels as if it could be real. The story's pace isn't too fast or too slow. Dragon Speaker has plenty of action and character development. It's a perfect opening to The Shadow War Saga.
This could easily become a success in novel form and in movie form if Elana so chooses to allow Dragon Speaker to be translated into film.

Believe me when I said Dragon Speaker is different from other YA books that are currently trending right now. To sum it up, this is what you'll get: DRAGON, full-packed adventure and action, awesome world-building, great characters development, fantastic quotes, friendship and a very little brush of romance. Sounds intriguing? Then I recommend you to read it. Yes, you don't need to read my review until the end because basically, it will contain most of the things from this book and I'm afraid I'll spoil something accidentally. But if you still want to read my thoughts on this one then go ahead and brace yourself because it's going to be a long wild ride.


First, let's talk about the plot, the writing, and the world-building. Okay, when I read the first few chapters I was surprised by how fast the pace was. I feel like there were some plot holes in the beginning and the feeling didn't sit well with me. I don't mind with the fast-paced story but this one was like a super speed car; one time you were standing on the start line, ready to explore the road ahead but then suddenly you're already moving fast and missed the view. But because of the pace, I could pass unnecessary scenes and jump forward to where the real story began. After a while, I adjusted with the how fast this book was going and I was enjoying it! The plot was well-structured, it gave a little in the beginning but then it grew bigger and better. I loved it.


I liked how Mugdan wrote it in third person POV, it was fun for me seeing the story from different eyes. She did an amazing job of distinguishing each character's perspective so I instantly knew when the POV changed and easily followed the story. There is the kind of books who has a lot of POVs but it didn't truly add anything to the story and only make the book feel longer. But this book was nothing like that. The different POV was only made me understand the characters better and saw important scenes where the MC wasn't present. The writing was great, enjoyable, and there were so many good quotes.


The world-building was jaw-dropping. You may not see it in the beginning but when you finished, you'll see that this book contained more than you think. There was magic and Allentria was divided into three kingdoms based on the magic its people wield; Erastate (air), Fironem (fire), and Galantasa (water). When I say magic, yes, you could expect many magic battle scenes but when I say kingdom, I'm sorry but no, you can't expect complicated and stressful political intrigue. Yes, there were rulers who were likely hiding and plotting something but in this book there was no further explanation about it. The kingdoms sounded very interesting and I wished I could know and see more of their cultures.


CHARACTERIZATION 
Keriya, a girl with no magic and no parents. From that you can guess that she was abused mentally and physically by society. She was trying hard to prove herself to the point where she became annoying and it frustrated me. I appreciated her spirit but because of that she often forgot that others also have their own purpose and feelings. She hurt her friends and became arrogant, she only thought about herself.
But, as her quest went, she changed from a stubborn and selfish girl into a strong and great friend. I really loved how her character developed.

Thorion, a young dragon that escaped Etherworld and now being hunted down by Necrovar. From the moment he appeared, I knew that he's my favorite. The first time, he was emotionless, as any dragon supposed to be. So it was funny to read his interactions with Keriya while he also learning new things from her.
Because of the time Thorion spent with Keriya and her friends, he changed from emotionless and stoic to brave and would fight anyone who hurt his friends even though he was small compared to normal size dragon due to his young age.

Roxanne, a daughter from one of the elders who wanted to be free from her abusing father. She used to be surrounded by high-level people who treated her well because of her father's status so at the beginning I found her whining and complaining most of the time.
But underneath that, Roxanne was brave and independent though she might be hard to approach. Along the road, she warmed up with people around her. She became stronger and learning to care about others. She is another one of my favorite characters.

Fletcher, a boy from a low caste family. Because of the circumstances, he befriended Keriya. They were great friends because Fletcher willingly followed her journey even though he has very little magic. He found himself was no help because every time danger came, he couldn't do anything even though he wanted to. At first, I saw him as a scared little boy but he was actually a good person.
Through all the hardships he felt along the journey, Fletcher became strong and brave without losing his good morals. I was surprised by his development but I liked it.

Maxton, heir to the Sky Throne. Like the usual royals, he has charms and the good look. I found his character pretty bland. There was nothing about him that interest me.

Effrax, a bastard son of King of Fironem. He was a spy and joined Keriya's quest only because he doesn't want his people to suffer so he wanted to help to destroyed Necrovar. My first impression of him as he seemed like a fun person to be around, no kidding, even I didn't know of his true intentions were.
He was funny, stealthy, and a great fighter. He changed from an outcast to a part of the group. He proved himself by fighting alongside them.

Sebaris, heir to the Coral Throne of Kingdom Galantasa. As a princess, Seba has a duty to fulfill but she wanted to choose her own path.
She was strong-willed, smart, with a hint of a princess's attitude. Well, yeah it made her a little bit annoying but I think there's actually more about her that has yet revealed in this book.


The story might be about a teenager (around 14-year-old) who was on the journey to defeat evil and save the world. But this book is more than that.
It is about how you embraced every flaw in yourself and found a way to wear it proudly.
It is about how you should follow your dreams and fight for it.
It is about arguing and fighting with friends but still stand by each other no matter what.
It is about turning your weaknesses into something that gives you power.
It is about a hero with mistakes, imperfections, and who have been cast out by society but still fight for people's lives.


Overall, Dragon Speaker was an amazing book and I'm glad to read it. Sure, there were some minors but the greater things outshine them. If you managed to read my review until this part where you read this sentence, I supposed you can decide whether this is your type of book or not but I still recommend you to check it out. Book 2, Dragon Child, hit the shelves in May, I can't wait!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will start by saying that the writing in the novel is fine, and I noticed no glaring editorial mistakes.

That said, the novel had some glaring flaws that detracted from my enjoyment of the story. The main one being that the heroine of the novel has no agency until almost two thirds of the way through the novel. She is acted upon and views the action, but is seldom able to influence events through her own actions.

The second issue was that the novel kept shoehorning the plot into the heroic quest, even when it made no sense. Why would a kingdom about the face its imminent demise send only the heir to the throne along on a dangerous mission instead of sending an entire battalion of elite troops? Why would an imperial military service not act to purge traitors in their midst as soon as discovered? Why are all the questers that join members of the nobility?

The third issue I had was in the worldbuilding. In a fantasy like this where politics and magic combine, there should be more revelation of the politics and the magic system. Why does Roxanne get suddenly more powerful, but Fletcher doesn't? Why do rocks thrown at ethereal creatures sometimes destroy them and sometimes pass through harmlessly? What are tiers? Why do creatures that have successfully possessed others for millenia suddenly fail? What is the political situation of the various kingdoms and why are they acting the way they are in the little we see?

Overall, the book kept me engaged enough to finish, but the world and the characters were not compelling enough to encourage me to continue the series.

Starts out slow and the world building is a bit chaotic and confusing at times, but once you get into it the pace picks up and it’s an entertaining read. Characters well written, strong and interesting. The story was good and original. Well worth a look.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion