Rise of the Fire Dragon by R.D.Foster

Yup, you got me.... I absolutely hate cliffhanger books, and yet....... I really liked this one!  Go figure.....  To me, starting a book I know will end on a cliffhanger, is like watching a movie halfway thru. You keep wondering! And I don't have the mental stretch to do this for very long, so I usually don't start. I have noticed, that sometimes a title will stay "Book one" only to be just that... book one of a series of loosely connected stories, but not one story running thru 2 or 3 books, and my mind didn't make the distinction this time around. Yes, I read a book on a cliffhanger, YES!!! I liked it! And, again, Yes, I will read the others, to get that sense of accomplishment without any loosends.  But until I can do that..... here's the review of Rise of the Fire Dragon.

The story is a tale of desperation and hope, tinged with adventure and action. The manipulations of one man, his hunger for power shackles a whole society and the world surrounding it, including the dragons that will eventually free the world.  The book is written well, the characters evolve thoughout the story, but....... it's only part of the story. I should have realised it by "book one" in the title, but I didn't, so..... I kept looking where I was in the story and comparing it to the pagecount, figuring the ending would be abrupt, only to find out, there was no ending yet.  

If you don't like cliffhangers, don't start this book untill you have all of them. If you don't mind them.... it's a very nice read that will have you looking for the next book when you're closing this one :-)

Trickster's Trap by Axl Blaze

Yup, realized I didn't read these in order, but besides some mentions of previous cases (that became clear, once I read said "case"  ROFL!) the books are standalones. Still not sure if I want to read more, but maybe I'll borrow one that should be edited and ready for print and see if I can get into them more.  The books could be great, but somehow fall short of their potential.

As the last book available from the series closes on another twisted case, I have to wonder and hope that the inconsistencies throughout the books, is because the final edit hasn't been done. The storylines, the twists, the premise all point to a great imagination, but the characters are not fleshed out and makes the books shallow, there seems an unending string of clues that are not explained and the ending is abrupt. Still, I couldn't put it down, wanting to know where it all leads, who did it and why. So, yeah...... Good read, with some second thoughts. As the last book available from the series closes on another twisted case, I have to wonder and hope that the inconsistencies throughout the books, is because the final edit hasn't been done. The storylines, the twists, the premise all point to a great imagination, but the characters are not fleshed out and makes the books shallow, there seems an unending string of clues that are not explained and the ending is abrupt. Still, I couldn't put it down, wanting to know where it all leads, who did it and why. So, yeah...... Good read, with some second thoughts.

Deadly Delusion by Axl Blaze

 It's hard to resist if you have a chance to review a whole series of stories..... The problem is, if you don't like it, you're kinda stuck :-)    It's not that I don't like this series, but there's something "off" and I can't explain it. The stories have a good theme, that's not it, either. The writing isn't bad, there's just something not "tripping" with me.....  Still, I try to be fair to the book and the author.

Nice read. The premise is interesting, the characters could be a little less shallow, and the story could have a little more details as to the "why is this a clue and not just information" but it's still an enjoyable way to pass the time.Nice read. The premise is interesting, the characters could be a little less shallow, and the story could have a little more details as to the "why is this a clue and not just information" but it's still an enjoyable way to pass the time.

 Nice read. The premise is interesting, the characters could be a little less shallow, and the story could have a little more details as to the "why is this a clue and not just information" but it's still an enjoyable way to pass the time.

 

Nice read. The premise is interesting, the characters could be a little less shallow, and the story could have a little more details as to the "why is this a clue and not just information" but it's still an enjoyable way to pass the time.Nice read. The premise is interesting, the characters could be a little less shallow, and the story could have a little more details as to the "why is this a clue and not just information" but it's still an enjoyable way to pass the time.

Summer Break by Britney Bell

 Still not a great fan of short stories under 100 pages, but as far as "lunch reads" go, there is something to say for them, I guess.....  I read a lot by this author, and it doesn't matter whether its a 40-something-page short like this one, or a full book.... It's a joy to spend some time with her characters and writing stye.

Fun short story. The writing is good, and the characters are likeable and human. No over the top action, just a little ego-trip at the beginning, but even that fits the character :-) It's a little lite on details, but with the limited pagecount, the story IS all there. Everything you need to know, is covered. Fun short story. The writing is good, and the characters are likeable and human. No over the top action, just a little ego-trip at the beginning, but even that fits the character :-)  It's a little lite on details, but with the limited pagecount, the story IS all there. Everything you need to know, is covered.

Fun short story. The writing is good, and the characters are likeable and human. No over the top action, just a little ego-trip at the beginning, but even that fits the character :-) It's a little lite on details, but with the limited pagecount, the story IS all there. Everything you need to know, is covered.