i really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great start to the series and I enjoyed Ms. Richardson's writing.

I didn’t enjoy what I read of this book and therefore ended up not finishing and putting it down. Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book and I did it like the characters. I won’t be able to review this book.

Dragon Connection is the first of The Stone Crown series by Ava Richardson.

This is the first installment of Narissea (Nari), a strong-willed slave stuck in the dangerous mines owned by self-proclaimed Queen Inyene. Determined to free herself and her people (despite 4 already failed attempts) she digs in and does her work and on one day, discovers Ymmen, an injured dragon. Thus begins the adventure and spark of hope she has to be able to free all the Daza people from the iron hand of Inyene.

Along the way she teams up with Tamin, her god-uncle from Daza; Abioye, the Queen's brother; and Montfre, a mage who's been locked in a tower to create weaponry for the Queen.

I enjoyed reading about her learning process of working with and bonding with a dragon in a world where most of the dragon riders are in the past. I also liked the scheming going on with the main characters to, essentially, save the world.

This book is just the start of that adventure, so I definitely can't wait to start Book #2!

Side note: One thing I'd very much like to see either in the book or on the author's website, is a list of characters that includes a pronunciation guide. I've read this book and while it has a fabulous story, I still can't figure out how to pronounce the names of some of the main characters - such as Abioye, Inyene, etc. In my head, I pronounce them differently every time. But - I keep reading because - it's a terrific story!

This book was provided to me by Net Galley as an ARC and I am voluntarily reviewing it here and on other related sites.

Dragon Connection is the first book in the Stone Crown series by author Ava Richardson. It is a well-written, fast paced, YA fantasy fiction novel that follows the life of Narissea as she navigates the mines as a slave and later embarks on a journey to find the Stone Crown. Nari is a strong willed girl, set to work in the mines as a slave along with many of her people, trapped into this situation based on falsified debts that are owed to Lady Inyene.

I particularly enjoyed how the author does not waste time building up the story, but throws the reader right into the middle of it. The author later on takes her time to explain some of the setting and give us a sense of the background of the people and the reason for their current predicament. Most of the things that happen in this book come as a pleasant surprise though some parts are a little predictable.

With a strong desire to thwart Lady Inyene's plans, Nari embarks on a journey that involves an injured dragon, the Lady's brother and a mage. Add to this mix some magic and we have the perfect recipe for an enjoyable read! I truly cannot wait to pick up the next book and find out what happens!

I haven’t read a whole lot of fantasy lately and I was feeling nostalgic for a good ol’ Dragon tale. When I stumbled upon Dragon Connection by Ava Richardson, I didn’t just find one such tale, but discovered an entire series I’m going to need to get caught up on!!

The Story:

Dragon Connection tells the story of a time when most of the dragons have gone and with them, the Dragon riders. The land is being dominated by a vicious wannabe queen who is enslaving many free citizens under ridiculous charges. Narissea is one of the unfortunate souls taken from her homeland on trumped up charges and forced to work in the mines for the “queen”, Inyene.

Narissea has made multiple attempts to escape. She’s been promised by the overseers that her next attempt will be her last. No more branding her arm as punishment…death will put an end to her misery.

As further punishment for her latest failed prison break, Narissea is sent into treacherous territory to hunt for Dragon scales. She thinks her luck has turned for the better when she discovers more scales than anyone ever has! And not just any scales – these are black, large and fully intact. She follows the trail and eventually finds herself in a precarious situation,which is made all the more deadly when find herself face to face with a living,breathing,black Dragon!

Narissea has no idea how the connect made that day will change her life – and possibly the lives of her people. When she returns from her punishment/adventure, she’s in even more danger than before.

The Characters:
I fell in love with almost every character in this book! Narissea, her “uncle”, her best friend Oleer – even the queen’s brother, Abioye. And of course I grew quite attached to the mage, Montfre! I’ve got a special place in my heart for mages and dragons. I can’t wait to start the next book in the Stone Crown series to see where their story goes from here!

Conclusion:
Dragon Connection by Ava Richardson is a fun, exciting, and emotional read. I recommend it to anyone who loves stories with dragons!

I have read these so out of order, but so far it hasn't had any effect on my enjoyment or understanding of the world. I hope to get all the books in every series and have a nice binge in the requested reading order that's on her website.

I really like Narissea as a character. She hasn't completely lost herself even though she's been a slave for the past four years of her life. She still has fight in her, which while I don't know how realistic it is, is nice to see in a character.

Like all the books in the Kingdom of Torvald series', this is a very fast-paced book. The set up to the plot happens within a couple of chapters. I like a quick set up. Though a failing of the setup, is that the whole book kind of feels like a setup. The characters are all established and the mission they need to go on is all just set up in this book. Nobody really goes anywhere. But, we meet all the key characters and it does a good job setting up where the world is at, at this point in the country's history. As I mentioned, I have read these very much out of order and haven't even read all the books in all the series'. But, since they are typically set many years apart, it shouldn't matter a great deal that I haven't read them all, hopefully.

Of all the dragons I've met in these books, I might like this dragon the most. Not going to say too much more about him, as I don't want to spoil anything.

I am excited to read the next book in the series, and to see how these characters again.

ARC from NetGalley

DNF at 5%

I just don't have time for this shit. I'm not wasting my time reading something if the writer cannot get their shit together well enough to have some semblance of grammatical correctness. I have a finite amount of time on this Earth, and I'd rather not spend it enraged by some amateur. I am absolutely down with self-publishing, but you must either get an editor or be able to self-edit to some reasonable degree. This is unacceptable.

I fucking can't.

I thought this book was a good to fill my time while wait for some fantasy books that I want to read are published. I liked this book but this is not one that I would reread. It had an active plot line but was a bit predictable for me.

I have read all of Ava Richardson's books in the previous Dragon series and I love how she sticks to her M.O by having a lead female heroine. In this series, it's Nari, and she's one of the many villagers who have been enslaved by Inyene who is after power- seeking to revive the reign of dragons, and in building her empire, she goes to all lengths to make sure that she has everyone doing as she pleases, at the cost of their freedom.
This book's pace is unlike all the other first books in the author's series, I found it slow.
This slowed down my reading and I found myself taking time to really get on with the reading, and it was only when I accepted that it's set years after the reign of dragon masters and tamers- that I started to appreciate how bleak Nari's time seemed.
I believe the second book will be better.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This starts a new series for Ava Richardson it's set in the same "world" but a long time after the pervious series.  While this book was not a great read I still hope that the next one is more in line with what I would expect from Ava Richardson.