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Dragon Kings #1
Caged Warrior
From Book 1: The first installment in this fierce and sensual new paranormal romance series features demonic gladiators, ruthless mafia villains, and a proud race on the brink of extinction.
Ten years ago, Audrey MacLaren chose to marry her human lover, making her an exile from the Dragon Kings, an ancient race of demons once worshiped as earthly gods. Audrey and her husband managed to conceive, and their son is the first natural-born Dragon King in a generation—which makes him irresistible to the sadistic scientist whose mafia-funded technology allows demon procreation. In the year since her husband was murdered, Audrey and her little boy have endured hideous experiments.
Shackled with a collar and bound for life, Leto Garnis is a Cage warrior. Only through combat can Dragon Kings earn the privilege of conceiving children. Leto uses his superhuman speed and reflexes to secure the right for his two sisters to start families. After torture reveals Audrey’s astonishing pyrokenesis, she is sent to fight in the Cages. If she survives a year, she will be reunited with her son. Leto is charged with her training. Initially, he has no sympathy for her plight. But if natural conception is possible, what has he been fighting for? As enemies, sparring partners, lovers, and eventual allies, Leto and Audrey learn that in a violent underground world, love is the only prize worth winning.
380 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 25, 2013
About the author
Lindsey Piper
5 books239 followersLindsey Piper is the alter ego of award-winning historical and contemporary romance author
Carrie Lofty
. She was nominated for a RITA for Best Paranormal in 2013 for the first in her Dragon Kings series, CAGED WARRIOR. She lives and writes in Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
March 19, 2013
4.5 Stars for this brutal, passionate, imaginative new series!!
I've waited a week to write this review because I thought that I may have been overly exuberant about my feelings for this new series. But it's days later, and I'm still ridiculously excited about this book.
It's a world set in modern times, yet also set apart from the modern world. Nearly the entire book takes place underground, in a place hidden from society. The dragon kings aren't shifters. They are a race of people born with gifts, from super senses and speed to explosive energy capable of leveling buildings. Audrey left her race of dragon kings to marry a mortal human and live out her life without the company of her race. But her husband is brutally murdered, and she and her young son are captured and taken to be experimented on and tortured. There is no more fierce love than that of a mother for her child, and Audrey has held it together only by sheer force of will. Imagine her desperation and rage.
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The book almost has a dystopic feel to it, and is a remarkable mix of modern convenience and brutal historical fantasy. Truly, unlike any paranormal I've read.
As the book opens, Audrey is waking up in a dirty, dank underground place...she's bruised and broken, laying on a cold floor in a lonely cell. Her will to live is bolstered by the fact that her son is still living in the horror of a lab from which she came. She has been dropped into the world of cage fighting, sent to train for three weeks with the champion fighter Leto Garnis. Here is my Leto and Audrey:
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Leto isn't the expected romance hero. This is not a nice guy! He's brutal and heartless, his only goal to make this "lab filth" a fighter. He deprives our heroine of food, he degrades her, he puts her down and shames her...but the hardest part to read for me was his indifference to her suffering. He just doesn't care, for the longest time!!! But he's doing everything he can to prepare her to win in the cage with him. For he has reason to win his fights...the merciless proprietors of the cage fights hold his sisters, and for each win, they gain a bit more freedom. Leto is basically a collared slave, and has been for his entire life. But that is what he knows, and his glory up to now has been everything. He's the best, the fiercest, the top dog of the Dragon Kings, and he has no intention of this dirty blonde woman to hold him back.
And unintentionally, Audrey starts to dig herself into Leto's psyche and he finally becomes aware of all that he is missing. The two form a rough sort of attachment out of necessity, but end up relying on each other for much more than their fights. They are allies in more ways than one.
The Dragon Kings, once a proud race, are on the verge of extinction, forced to live in hiding or to fight for the pleasure of a bloodthirsty crowd, a la gladiator style...
[image error]
This is not a pretty love story. You will likely despise Leto before you love him. He's nearly a gamma hero for awhile, so I hope that those reading this go into it with an open mind. There's the saying, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." So true in this case, and one of the reasons that I love this type of man so much. In the end, there's never any doubt of the devotion, the passion, the absolute obsession that this couple has for each other. Through adversity, they bond, and from that comes respect, tenderness, and consuming love. It's truly magic.
ARC provided by Pocket Books via Edelweiss.
I've waited a week to write this review because I thought that I may have been overly exuberant about my feelings for this new series. But it's days later, and I'm still ridiculously excited about this book.
It's a world set in modern times, yet also set apart from the modern world. Nearly the entire book takes place underground, in a place hidden from society. The dragon kings aren't shifters. They are a race of people born with gifts, from super senses and speed to explosive energy capable of leveling buildings. Audrey left her race of dragon kings to marry a mortal human and live out her life without the company of her race. But her husband is brutally murdered, and she and her young son are captured and taken to be experimented on and tortured. There is no more fierce love than that of a mother for her child, and Audrey has held it together only by sheer force of will. Imagine her desperation and rage.
[image error]
The book almost has a dystopic feel to it, and is a remarkable mix of modern convenience and brutal historical fantasy. Truly, unlike any paranormal I've read.
As the book opens, Audrey is waking up in a dirty, dank underground place...she's bruised and broken, laying on a cold floor in a lonely cell. Her will to live is bolstered by the fact that her son is still living in the horror of a lab from which she came. She has been dropped into the world of cage fighting, sent to train for three weeks with the champion fighter Leto Garnis. Here is my Leto and Audrey:
[image error]
[image error]
Leto isn't the expected romance hero. This is not a nice guy! He's brutal and heartless, his only goal to make this "lab filth" a fighter. He deprives our heroine of food, he degrades her, he puts her down and shames her...but the hardest part to read for me was his indifference to her suffering. He just doesn't care, for the longest time!!! But he's doing everything he can to prepare her to win in the cage with him. For he has reason to win his fights...the merciless proprietors of the cage fights hold his sisters, and for each win, they gain a bit more freedom. Leto is basically a collared slave, and has been for his entire life. But that is what he knows, and his glory up to now has been everything. He's the best, the fiercest, the top dog of the Dragon Kings, and he has no intention of this dirty blonde woman to hold him back.
And unintentionally, Audrey starts to dig herself into Leto's psyche and he finally becomes aware of all that he is missing. The two form a rough sort of attachment out of necessity, but end up relying on each other for much more than their fights. They are allies in more ways than one.
The Dragon Kings, once a proud race, are on the verge of extinction, forced to live in hiding or to fight for the pleasure of a bloodthirsty crowd, a la gladiator style...
[image error]
This is not a pretty love story. You will likely despise Leto before you love him. He's nearly a gamma hero for awhile, so I hope that those reading this go into it with an open mind. There's the saying, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." So true in this case, and one of the reasons that I love this type of man so much. In the end, there's never any doubt of the devotion, the passion, the absolute obsession that this couple has for each other. Through adversity, they bond, and from that comes respect, tenderness, and consuming love. It's truly magic.
ARC provided by Pocket Books via Edelweiss.
June 8, 2013
Leto's side : Three matches. Keep her alive. Then his comatose younger sister would be protected forever.
Nynn's side : Leto was the alpha she needed in order to survive. To get her son back.
WOMEN ARE DRAGON KINGS. BAD-ASS.
There's so much to love about Caged Warrior. Aside from the "women can be kings" angle, there's the whole "cage match" thing going on. Leto and Nynn have their own reasons for needing to fight, and much of their interactions revolve around Leto training Nynn to become the strong warrior that she was born to be. In theory, this should be the type of heart-pumping action which would normally hook me, and it did...up to a point. I wasn't fully grasping why the training went on...and on...and on. At least a small portion of the training could have been hinted at happening off-page. The dragon ancestry and lore should have been more developed in favor of cutting back some training scenes.
Leto is one of those characters who should tick all of the boxes for being a dynamic male lead, but his jackassery at the start left me feeling lukewarm to his appeal until extremely late in the game. I don't care how tough a trainer needs to be in order to break through to the person they're training, when I see a passage in which the male lead thinks nothing of grabbing an abused female by the crotch, I'm going to be turned off. As well, the scene in which he (look only if you want to know) was something that took "pushing someone to their breaking point" way past a place that I wanted to see. Just because you need to be hard on someone in order to get through to them, it doesn't mean it has to happen in that specific way.
It took far too long for Leto to show that he could be a hero worth cheering for. I wanted to know more about this "god bent on laying waste to cities" than we were shown.
When they stepped into a Cage together, they moved and breathed as one. Unified and deadly. He didn't want that - not permanently. But to feel it just once?
My prediction : fans of traditional PNR are going to be split down the middle about this series. There is a strong sexual element present, but romance is not really the focus. I felt that the direction of the story was focused mainly on character growth and discovery, with some raw primal urges thrown in to make the it fit within the parameters of PNR.
There was almost an old-time Gladiator feel to the presentation. Even though magic and dragon-lineage was the explanation given for the abilities and talents, we were shown fight training and survival tactics more than the magic itself. While Nynn did get a chance to grow into her magic, the execution of her completion was a feeble addition to the bigger picture.
I do love when genre lines get blurred and readers get to experience a mix of writing styles. The fantasy-meets-apocalyptic survival clash was excellent, but going back to my point from earlier, this could have been so much better with a stronger infusion of the lore and character personalities.
What will make me keep reading on in the series is that curiosity to want to know more about the racial characteristics and lifestyle outside of the fighting system. In terms of uniqueness, the setup is genius. Now I just have to wait for win to happen.
This book provided from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be changed or omitted from the final copy.
March 14, 2019
⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Why Did I Do This?*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱
Re-read: 14.03.2019
I don't know what I was thinking in re-reading this one. And to let it be my first M/F book this year. Such a disappointment. I cannot believe how much I've changed! I mean, I apparently really enjoyed this book the first time reading it, and now? I could barely get through it. I found myself skimming more and more, and became extremely annoyed with myself for picking this book up again. Perhaps I should've just stuck with M/M since M/F clearly doesn't do it for me anymore. I just wanted fighting, swords and all, so I though this one might due, but nooooo. Not for me. I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the settings, I didn't like how humans apparently controlled powerful supernatural beings. It doesn't make sense. I didn't the how anti-climax it was. I really just didn't like it.
The book centers around Audrey MacLaren aka Nynn of Clan Tigony, who had been a high school art teacher, married to a marketing exec. before her life was changed forever a year ago. Her husband, Caleb Andrew MacLaren (34) murdered, her and her son, Jack Robert MacLaren (5) captured and became lab-rats. But now, her use in the labs are no longer needed and she is sent to fight in the Cages. Enter Leto of Clan Garnis (the Lost) who becomes her mentor/teacher who fights for his clan's safety. He must teach Nynn how to fight, and he must break her to make her better as she is to be his partner in the fightings. Overall, I don't know what I'm doing. The book was... not for me at all. Why did I like it the first time? I don't understand.... I should've written a review the first so I would've known -.-
Other Characters:
→ Old Man Aster (pushing 80), the head of the Aster cartel.
→ Dr. Heath Aster, the Old Man's son.
→ the Pet, a woman of Aster. A soothsayer.
→ Malnefoley ‘Mal’, the Honorable Giva (the leader of the ten-person Council that protected the Dragon Kings’ ancient traditions), and Nynn's cousin.
→ Silence and Hark, fighters in the Cages.
→ Hellix a disgraced fighter in the Cages. A rapist.
→ Tallis of Pendray, the Heretic and Nynn's uncle. A murderer.
→ Pell, Leto's sister who is in coma.
→ Ulia, a powerful Indranan (mind-reader?) woman.
“I wear new armor and a bandage because I was not at liberty to kill you,” he said quietly. “Your skills are already impressive. I cannot say I’ve trained your like before. I’m twenty years a Cage warrior, but this is only the beginning for you. To survive, you must admit that I could’ve bested you at any moment. You would be dead now had I not refrained.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance (M/F).
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Leto of Clan Garnis.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Not really.
Would I recommend this book/series? -Not really.
Will I read this again in the future? - Never again.
New Rating - 1.5/2 stars.
First time reading:
Rate: 4/3 stars.
June 24, 2013
4 Stars … Sexy and Dark Alternate Underworld
Exiled from her clan, Audrey MacLaren married a human and bore a natural-born Dragon King. Life had been happy and ordinary until violence bursts into her family’s home. As captives of the Aster cartel, Audrey and her child are subjected to sadistic underground science experiments until a turn of events lands her in a Cage warrior’s training. She will fight to save the life of her son.
Leto Garnis followed in his father’s footsteps to become the premiere Cage Warrior. His successes in the Cage have won his siblings the gift to conceive children. His newest goal is to win long-term nursing care for his broken sister, whose mind was shattered. Leto’s goal won’t be hindered by the neophyte he’s been ordered to train for the Cage. He will hone her skills through whatever means necessary.
The first full-length novel in the Dragon King series transports readers into a dark, violent gladiator-style underworld. The private wars Leto and Audrey fight are fraught will emotional pain, longing, and ferocious determination. He’s a master warrior willingly collared in service to the Aster Cartel, believing the illusion of freedom. She’s the Dragon King captive with a wealth of untapped power and grim secrets. Together they generate sizzling moments in this striking Dragon King world.
This is a series where the women are as fierce as their male counterparts. It’s where exceptional powers can defeat brawn with a cunning mind. Each of the five Dragon King clans possesses extraordinary gifts. Once, they were revered as human gods, providing the foundation for ancient mythologies. With their species nearly extinct, they purposely live segregated from one another, as their people once fought bitterly with one another. Most live within their clan’s territory. There’s also a secret group finding opportunities with the drug cartels.
I had thought this books underlying purpose would be unraveling the fertility problem. Instead we’re held captive with Audrey deep within the underground Cage warrior culture, which dispensed merciless fight scenes and calculated brutality. Leto is presented as the arrogant, yet fair, trainer. As the ruling champion, he takes pride in his victories, along with the benefits rewarded to his family. It’s Leto who provides the most profound transformation. Audrey’s metamorphosis has its rewards. It also seemed as though her son, Jack,easily faded into the background, especially with him in crisis.
With sizzling sexual tension, this story kept me in its grip until nearly the end. I do feel as though the best of Caged Warrior took place underground. Once topside, the story lost its grittiness to clichés. Plus an ongoing series storyline seemed broad and unclear. The conclusion didn’t leave me with an overwhelming need to read the next book. Will I read the next Dragon King book? Yes. This is the first book in a dark and interesting world of cartels, paranormal beings, and humans. These fierce clans are brimming with potential.
Final Grade: B -
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Digital RC courtesy of Pocket Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Exiled from her clan, Audrey MacLaren married a human and bore a natural-born Dragon King. Life had been happy and ordinary until violence bursts into her family’s home. As captives of the Aster cartel, Audrey and her child are subjected to sadistic underground science experiments until a turn of events lands her in a Cage warrior’s training. She will fight to save the life of her son.
Leto Garnis followed in his father’s footsteps to become the premiere Cage Warrior. His successes in the Cage have won his siblings the gift to conceive children. His newest goal is to win long-term nursing care for his broken sister, whose mind was shattered. Leto’s goal won’t be hindered by the neophyte he’s been ordered to train for the Cage. He will hone her skills through whatever means necessary.
The first full-length novel in the Dragon King series transports readers into a dark, violent gladiator-style underworld. The private wars Leto and Audrey fight are fraught will emotional pain, longing, and ferocious determination. He’s a master warrior willingly collared in service to the Aster Cartel, believing the illusion of freedom. She’s the Dragon King captive with a wealth of untapped power and grim secrets. Together they generate sizzling moments in this striking Dragon King world.
This is a series where the women are as fierce as their male counterparts. It’s where exceptional powers can defeat brawn with a cunning mind. Each of the five Dragon King clans possesses extraordinary gifts. Once, they were revered as human gods, providing the foundation for ancient mythologies. With their species nearly extinct, they purposely live segregated from one another, as their people once fought bitterly with one another. Most live within their clan’s territory. There’s also a secret group finding opportunities with the drug cartels.
I had thought this books underlying purpose would be unraveling the fertility problem. Instead we’re held captive with Audrey deep within the underground Cage warrior culture, which dispensed merciless fight scenes and calculated brutality. Leto is presented as the arrogant, yet fair, trainer. As the ruling champion, he takes pride in his victories, along with the benefits rewarded to his family. It’s Leto who provides the most profound transformation. Audrey’s metamorphosis has its rewards. It also seemed as though her son, Jack,easily faded into the background, especially with him in crisis.
With sizzling sexual tension, this story kept me in its grip until nearly the end. I do feel as though the best of Caged Warrior took place underground. Once topside, the story lost its grittiness to clichés. Plus an ongoing series storyline seemed broad and unclear. The conclusion didn’t leave me with an overwhelming need to read the next book. Will I read the next Dragon King book? Yes. This is the first book in a dark and interesting world of cartels, paranormal beings, and humans. These fierce clans are brimming with potential.
Final Grade: B -
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Digital RC courtesy of Pocket Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2013
My Nynn and Leto:
Caged Warrior is story about tough journey of a woman who transforms from broken individual into ruthless warrior, fighting for her dignity and freedom for her loved ones as well as for the love itself.
Nynn descends from Dragon Kings race of individuals with special abilities. After death of her human husband and one year of being tested in laboratory in terrible conditions, she finds herself to be trained as a cage warrior. Collared and unable to use her special ability she is like a slave and the only thing that keeps her going on is her son whom she want to save from hands of cruel scientist.
Leto, one of the best cage warriors, was assigned to train Nynn to be cage fighter herself. He seems to be ruthless and cruel at the beginning but he has his reasons. Reasons that are based on noble cause. At first, their relationship is far from ideal. Hatrage, disdain, no affection, only a little bit of sexual attraction. However, later, when deeper feelings starts to evolve between Leto and Nynn, Leto begins to question his way of life and our main characters find themselves together against everyone...
Caged Warrior is perfect for all readers of adult paranormal stories. There were brutal fighting scenes, extremely sexy and erotic scenes as well as exciting storyline. I liked writing, plot development, characters, everything... All ideas about Dragon Kings, clans, special abilities, cage fighting was very original and very captivating.
Some readers may be offended by slightly rough scenes but rough times ask for rough measures. And since characters didn't live in very civilized conditions, their sometimes brutal behaviour did not bother me and it suited story perfectly.
Thers is only one reason why I couldn't rate this book with 5 stars. Personally, I didn't feel connected to characters as much as I wanted to. But overall, book was really good, I highly recommend it and I will definitely continue reading this series since I cannot wait to spend more time in the world of Dragon Kings!
May 27, 2013
Reviewed for: Where the Night Kind Roam
*****WARNING I feel compelled to tell you all that this book does NOT actually contain dragon shifters. I know the name of the series is misleading. There are no actual dragons. THE dragon is their deity and what legends say created the dragon kings. I know this will disappoint some, but they still have cool powers. *****
This is a great new start to a new series. It is not for the faint of heart and is in no way fluffy, it is pretty dark but I like that. As far as the darkness goes, I think it would be comparable to Larissa Ione’s Demonica Series. There is a LOT of violence and mentions of other not so bueno things. Women are treated as men when it comes to violence and when there is violence are not excluded from some pretty brutal fights. They are warriors and just as tuff as the men. No quarter is given; this may not be for everyone but I think that those who don’t mind the dark will really enjoy this series.
The world building is decent, it is not the best that I have read but you get a pretty decent sense of this new world and there are some unanswered questions or maybe to be explained later questions?? Basically there is a race of beings that have extra powers, each clan has its own. The race is dying out and there have been no natural births since Audrey. Audrey and her son are kidnapped and held for testing by a brutal human mafia like syndicate. Audrey is forced to fight in the cages in order to free her son. Her “trainer” is Leto. Leto is in the cages by choice, he fights for his family.
Audrey is heartbreaking, she has had to endure so much. First with her clan rejecting her, then her husband brutally murdered with her subsequent capture with her son. Now she is thrown into the cages to fight, she has to learn to survive in fights in record time. Audrey is definitely no wilting flower, she does what she has to do to survive and she keeps on going. Her main thought to fight, to survive, and to rescue her son. Leto is the key to her survival, the king of the cages she needs him to teach her. What she never expected is to be so brutally attracted to someone she should loathe as their training intensifies so does their attraction.
Leto is brutal; it is the only way he knows how to be. There is no softness in him, until Audrey. Her inner strength calls to him and he finds himself wanting to protect her which is a foreign feeling. In the beginning I really thought I would HATE Leto, but somehow he won me over. Maybe it was his protective instincts or that he was willing to take Audrey’s hate to not only protect her body but her mind as well. He does his best to make sure Audrey survives so that she can get back to her son. Little by little he wins you over. Well at least he won me over.
Overall, I was intrigued and thoroughly engaged in this book from beginning to end. It is action packed and quite interesting. It’s is wonderfully different and sticks out from a crowd. I read this book maybe two months ago and I still remember it which for me and my lacking short term memory, says a lot. I read the first novella in this series and I do recommend that you read it as well before starting this one. It’s not required but the couple in the first series does have a pivotal roll in this book. I would recommend this new series to paranormal readers especially those who like a darker book.
Rating: 4.5
*This book was provided through Edelweiss for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.
*****WARNING I feel compelled to tell you all that this book does NOT actually contain dragon shifters. I know the name of the series is misleading. There are no actual dragons. THE dragon is their deity and what legends say created the dragon kings. I know this will disappoint some, but they still have cool powers. *****
This is a great new start to a new series. It is not for the faint of heart and is in no way fluffy, it is pretty dark but I like that. As far as the darkness goes, I think it would be comparable to Larissa Ione’s Demonica Series. There is a LOT of violence and mentions of other not so bueno things. Women are treated as men when it comes to violence and when there is violence are not excluded from some pretty brutal fights. They are warriors and just as tuff as the men. No quarter is given; this may not be for everyone but I think that those who don’t mind the dark will really enjoy this series.
The world building is decent, it is not the best that I have read but you get a pretty decent sense of this new world and there are some unanswered questions or maybe to be explained later questions?? Basically there is a race of beings that have extra powers, each clan has its own. The race is dying out and there have been no natural births since Audrey. Audrey and her son are kidnapped and held for testing by a brutal human mafia like syndicate. Audrey is forced to fight in the cages in order to free her son. Her “trainer” is Leto. Leto is in the cages by choice, he fights for his family.
Audrey is heartbreaking, she has had to endure so much. First with her clan rejecting her, then her husband brutally murdered with her subsequent capture with her son. Now she is thrown into the cages to fight, she has to learn to survive in fights in record time. Audrey is definitely no wilting flower, she does what she has to do to survive and she keeps on going. Her main thought to fight, to survive, and to rescue her son. Leto is the key to her survival, the king of the cages she needs him to teach her. What she never expected is to be so brutally attracted to someone she should loathe as their training intensifies so does their attraction.
Leto is brutal; it is the only way he knows how to be. There is no softness in him, until Audrey. Her inner strength calls to him and he finds himself wanting to protect her which is a foreign feeling. In the beginning I really thought I would HATE Leto, but somehow he won me over. Maybe it was his protective instincts or that he was willing to take Audrey’s hate to not only protect her body but her mind as well. He does his best to make sure Audrey survives so that she can get back to her son. Little by little he wins you over. Well at least he won me over.
Overall, I was intrigued and thoroughly engaged in this book from beginning to end. It is action packed and quite interesting. It’s is wonderfully different and sticks out from a crowd. I read this book maybe two months ago and I still remember it which for me and my lacking short term memory, says a lot. I read the first novella in this series and I do recommend that you read it as well before starting this one. It’s not required but the couple in the first series does have a pivotal roll in this book. I would recommend this new series to paranormal readers especially those who like a darker book.
Rating: 4.5
*This book was provided through Edelweiss for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.
July 15, 2013
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I am a hero-centric reader.
But in this novel, all four whole stars were given because of the heroine, the plot and the setting only. I’ll come to the hero later.
In this modern world, there is a different race of people called the Dragon Kings. Humans don’t really know about them, except a group of humans that do know about them, use their knowledge to force the Dragon Kings into cage matches.
Audrey was exiled from her clan for marrying a human. But when her union with the human produced the first natural born Dragon King, Audrey and her family is targeted. Her husband killed, Audrey and her son are taken to the labs, and from there she is taken to the cages.
Audrey is definitely one of a kind. A mother turned warrior. She fights for the only thing worth living for, her son. I can’t express in words how much I love the setting of this novel and this heroine. I loved how we got to see more of Silence and Hark, and their familiar one-sided banter.
Lastly, there is the hero. I must warn you though, if you like Gamma Heroes, you will love this guy. But it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Without giving much away, I shall describe Leto.
Leto was misguided at first. But as I progressed through the novel, words like selfish, immoral wouldn’t even begin to describe him. What he does is unconscionable. There is no other word for it. He is so driven, so blind by his need to win for his family, no matter what the price, that he makes excuses for his actions and behaviours.
That everything worked out at the end is immaterial. That he wasn’t the one who ultimately did those things to her is immaterial, when he has done little to stop it, and when he can fix it, he refuses to do anything, justifying himself with whatever means necessary.
That he holds her bruised, battered body sickens me. Because he does nothing, when he can, to stop it, but only when it goes too far, does he attempt to do something.
So no, I wasn’t really impressed with the hero, but the hero’s part in it was overshadowed by the strong heroine and the beautiful setting. So do I recommend this book?
Most definitely.
ARC Courtesy of Edelweiss and PocketStar
I am a hero-centric reader.
But in this novel, all four whole stars were given because of the heroine, the plot and the setting only. I’ll come to the hero later.
In this modern world, there is a different race of people called the Dragon Kings. Humans don’t really know about them, except a group of humans that do know about them, use their knowledge to force the Dragon Kings into cage matches.
Audrey was exiled from her clan for marrying a human. But when her union with the human produced the first natural born Dragon King, Audrey and her family is targeted. Her husband killed, Audrey and her son are taken to the labs, and from there she is taken to the cages.
Audrey is definitely one of a kind. A mother turned warrior. She fights for the only thing worth living for, her son. I can’t express in words how much I love the setting of this novel and this heroine. I loved how we got to see more of Silence and Hark, and their familiar one-sided banter.
Lastly, there is the hero. I must warn you though, if you like Gamma Heroes, you will love this guy. But it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Without giving much away, I shall describe Leto.
Leto was misguided at first. But as I progressed through the novel, words like selfish, immoral wouldn’t even begin to describe him. What he does is unconscionable. There is no other word for it. He is so driven, so blind by his need to win for his family, no matter what the price, that he makes excuses for his actions and behaviours.
That everything worked out at the end is immaterial. That he wasn’t the one who ultimately did those things to her is immaterial, when he has done little to stop it, and when he can fix it, he refuses to do anything, justifying himself with whatever means necessary.
That he holds her bruised, battered body sickens me. Because he does nothing, when he can, to stop it, but only when it goes too far, does he attempt to do something.
So no, I wasn’t really impressed with the hero, but the hero’s part in it was overshadowed by the strong heroine and the beautiful setting. So do I recommend this book?
Most definitely.
ARC Courtesy of Edelweiss and PocketStar
February 23, 2015
Book 1 of the Dragon Kings series throws the reader right into a brutal and violent world featuring a supernatural race – the Dragon Kings. Featuring one of five powerful ‘gifts’ (depending on their family of origin), The Dragon Kings exist in the modern day, but are mostly hidden from humans.
Despite being a Dragon King, Nynn was exiled to the human world as a teenager, and has been living there ever since. She is aware of what she is, but has very little memory of her past, and lives an idyllic life with her human husband and their 5 year old son. Her life is shattered when her husband is murdered in front of her, and she and her 5 year old son, Jack, are taken to a laboratory and subjected to never-ending tests, torture and experimentation. All because Jack is a naturally conceived Dragon King child in a world where their kind is slowly going extinct, and natural procreation is virtually impossible.
When torture reveals a glimpse of the power of Nynn’s pyrokinetic gift (which she was completely unaware of), she is thrown from the hell of the laboratory into the hell of underground cage fighting. Run by the same sadistic, mafia-like humans that run the laboratory, cage fighting is big business, and the Dragon Kings are kept as fighters, forced to battle both humans, and each other, either as punishment, or in order to pay off debts or earn favour for themselves or their families.
Nynn has been sent to the cages with the promise that if she serves for a year, her son will be freed from the laboratory. And despite all that she has been through, she clings to that promise, and uses her anger to keep her strong.
“Words began to coalesce in her mind. New words.
Vengeance. Judgement. Reckoning.
She liked those words – would live for them.”
And then along comes Leto. Fighting in the cages since he was a teenager, he has served his 20 years as a way to keep his sisters on the surface safe, and allow them the right to procreate. He is one tough badass, and is charged with the duty of training Nynn for the cages. Simply put, he’s an asshole to her – harsh, rough, and unforgiving, he uses extreme methods to provoke her and test her limits. But his training shows results when Nynn starts to discover the hidden nature of her Dragon King gift, and she is faced with the decision of whether to hold on to her human nature, or fully explore her supernatural, warrior side and all of the power that comes along with it.
Fighting as partners, Leto is right by Nynn’s side the whole time, and when a devastating betrayal forces Leto to start questioning his life, his role as a fighter, and the possibility of ‘more’, things begin to change.
With all that they both go through, the romance takes a while to develop - they truly hate each other at the beginning, but slowly, the hint of lusty attraction simmering between them gets stronger and develops into some pretty hot sexy time. And I love the way that their relationship eventually progresses into something very special between them as the big, badass warrior discovers something beautiful for the first time in his life.
“I can’t imagine my life without you … You’ve given me a taste of a life I never knew I could have … I wasn’t going to give that up. I’ve sacrificed too much to lose you now.”
I really liked these characters, and loved watching their development throughout the story. There are some very clever and unexpected twists and turns in the plot, all leading up to an action-packed finale that was exciting, yet still had some much needed tender moments. The book is cliffy-free, and finishes off with a happy ending, with a bit of a lead in to the next book when we are introduced to its mysterious hero, Tallis.
As intriguing as the story is though, I found the world building and lack of back history to be a bit unclear. I still don’t have a strong idea in my head of where the Dragon Kings came from, and how their race has ended up the way they have. In fact, even after reading the book I didn’t realize they were demons until I saw it written in the synopsis :\ I also found the writing style a bit confusing at times. It wasn’t always clear to me exactly what was going on, and why, but as I kept reading, I was able to wrap my head around it.
I would like to see a bit more background in future books, and look forward to continuing on with the series.
Despite being a Dragon King, Nynn was exiled to the human world as a teenager, and has been living there ever since. She is aware of what she is, but has very little memory of her past, and lives an idyllic life with her human husband and their 5 year old son. Her life is shattered when her husband is murdered in front of her, and she and her 5 year old son, Jack, are taken to a laboratory and subjected to never-ending tests, torture and experimentation. All because Jack is a naturally conceived Dragon King child in a world where their kind is slowly going extinct, and natural procreation is virtually impossible.
When torture reveals a glimpse of the power of Nynn’s pyrokinetic gift (which she was completely unaware of), she is thrown from the hell of the laboratory into the hell of underground cage fighting. Run by the same sadistic, mafia-like humans that run the laboratory, cage fighting is big business, and the Dragon Kings are kept as fighters, forced to battle both humans, and each other, either as punishment, or in order to pay off debts or earn favour for themselves or their families.
Nynn has been sent to the cages with the promise that if she serves for a year, her son will be freed from the laboratory. And despite all that she has been through, she clings to that promise, and uses her anger to keep her strong.
“Words began to coalesce in her mind. New words.
Vengeance. Judgement. Reckoning.
She liked those words – would live for them.”
And then along comes Leto. Fighting in the cages since he was a teenager, he has served his 20 years as a way to keep his sisters on the surface safe, and allow them the right to procreate. He is one tough badass, and is charged with the duty of training Nynn for the cages. Simply put, he’s an asshole to her – harsh, rough, and unforgiving, he uses extreme methods to provoke her and test her limits. But his training shows results when Nynn starts to discover the hidden nature of her Dragon King gift, and she is faced with the decision of whether to hold on to her human nature, or fully explore her supernatural, warrior side and all of the power that comes along with it.
Fighting as partners, Leto is right by Nynn’s side the whole time, and when a devastating betrayal forces Leto to start questioning his life, his role as a fighter, and the possibility of ‘more’, things begin to change.
With all that they both go through, the romance takes a while to develop - they truly hate each other at the beginning, but slowly, the hint of lusty attraction simmering between them gets stronger and develops into some pretty hot sexy time. And I love the way that their relationship eventually progresses into something very special between them as the big, badass warrior discovers something beautiful for the first time in his life.
“I can’t imagine my life without you … You’ve given me a taste of a life I never knew I could have … I wasn’t going to give that up. I’ve sacrificed too much to lose you now.”
I really liked these characters, and loved watching their development throughout the story. There are some very clever and unexpected twists and turns in the plot, all leading up to an action-packed finale that was exciting, yet still had some much needed tender moments. The book is cliffy-free, and finishes off with a happy ending, with a bit of a lead in to the next book when we are introduced to its mysterious hero, Tallis.
As intriguing as the story is though, I found the world building and lack of back history to be a bit unclear. I still don’t have a strong idea in my head of where the Dragon Kings came from, and how their race has ended up the way they have. In fact, even after reading the book I didn’t realize they were demons until I saw it written in the synopsis :\ I also found the writing style a bit confusing at times. It wasn’t always clear to me exactly what was going on, and why, but as I kept reading, I was able to wrap my head around it.
I would like to see a bit more background in future books, and look forward to continuing on with the series.
June 14, 2013
When Audrey is violently drawn back into the Dragon King world from the human world to which she'd been exiled, she is first subjected to torturous experiments and then thrust into training to become a cage fighting 'gladiator'. Given the job as her trainer, undefeated champion of the Cages, Leto, gains a grudging respect for the woman who defies him at every turn, her determination to free her son from the horror of the labs motivating her to fight her captivity despite the fact that she has every reason to be a blithering mess. Leto is relentless in his efforts to uncover the power hidden beneath Audrey's human identity but when Audrey is 'lost', Leto will question his role under the thumb of the Cartels and realize what he's sacrificed for their dubious promise of keeping his own family safe.
I have to say that the actual cover blurb for Caged Warrior didn't grab me, if I hadn't read the prequel, Silent Warrior, I don't know that I'd have given this one a shot. That said... Wow, I thought that this story was really amazing despite the fact that world building is not perfect ( I still don't know exactly the 'what' of the Cartels and how they got the upper hand) and we've only scratched the surface of the five clans of the Dragon Kings.
What makes the story so good is that the character development is wonderful. Audrey's smart enough to know that she isn't completely powerless in the situation and works to make herself even less so as time goes on, Leto's interesting too (but I am always a sucker for the hero, even in his not initially heroic role as her cage fighting trainer, so that's not as impressive:) The interactions between the pair are really good and I liked how both of the leads become 'more' by the end of the story. With the gladiator like cage fights, there is good action in addition to a love that grows to the point where the 'I love yous' aren't really needed (we already know, and so do they).
Reading the prequel isn't necessary but the characters, fighters Silence and Harsh,from Silent Warrior play a significant - and cleverly done - part in this story - I liked knowing their back story, but it would probably be just as fun to fill in the blanks on them afterward.
So Caged Warrior is good stuff and 5 stars for me even with a tick off for the lack of clarity in the world building. Can't wait for more and fortunately the wait's not long the next one is out in July.
ARC via Edelweiss - release date 6/20
I have to say that the actual cover blurb for Caged Warrior didn't grab me, if I hadn't read the prequel, Silent Warrior, I don't know that I'd have given this one a shot. That said... Wow, I thought that this story was really amazing despite the fact that world building is not perfect ( I still don't know exactly the 'what' of the Cartels and how they got the upper hand) and we've only scratched the surface of the five clans of the Dragon Kings.
What makes the story so good is that the character development is wonderful. Audrey's smart enough to know that she isn't completely powerless in the situation and works to make herself even less so as time goes on, Leto's interesting too (but I am always a sucker for the hero, even in his not initially heroic role as her cage fighting trainer, so that's not as impressive:) The interactions between the pair are really good and I liked how both of the leads become 'more' by the end of the story. With the gladiator like cage fights, there is good action in addition to a love that grows to the point where the 'I love yous' aren't really needed (we already know, and so do they).
Reading the prequel isn't necessary but the characters, fighters Silence and Harsh,from Silent Warrior play a significant - and cleverly done - part in this story - I liked knowing their back story, but it would probably be just as fun to fill in the blanks on them afterward.
So Caged Warrior is good stuff and 5 stars for me even with a tick off for the lack of clarity in the world building. Can't wait for more and fortunately the wait's not long the next one is out in July.
ARC via Edelweiss - release date 6/20
July 8, 2013
What a brutal and great novel!!!
Since the first sentences it made me cringe. The labs, the unknown training facility, the brutal first encounter between Audrey and Leto… it was almost overwhelming!
Audrey/Nynn is a mother whose child has been taken away from her to be experimented upon by a sadistic mob scientist; she’s been his experiment too and she knows what he will do to her child; she’s a wife whose husband has been killed in front of her…
Leto is a Cage-warrior. He’s brutal, he’s cold, he’s a monster. He sold his life for his family. He knows that he will die when he’s not useful any more to the mob organizing the cage-fights, and he’s ready for that without regrets.
His assignment is to train Audrey to become a Cage-warrior. He will do anything and everything to keep her alive for three fights because he was promised his comatose sister will be helped.
Audrey and Leto clash. Audrey is fighting against Leto and Leto is treating her accordingly: he humiliates her, he hits her, he pushes her in every way! It was difficult to read his training methods… and it was difficult to read about Audrey’s reactions. It was also difficult to read about their reasons of doing what they’re doing to each other.
The story is very complex: there’re layers and layers in it. There’s the paranormal angle: they’re Dragon Kings – being with special abilities and superhuman powers which in the case of Cage-warriors and “lab-filth” (subject experimented upon) are muted by slave-like collars. There’s the human mob involvement. There’s the competition within the Dragon-Lord Clans. There’s the fact that the Dragon Lords are a species on the edge of extinction. There’s mother’s love for her child and her readiness to do everything in her power to save her child. There’s the brother’s love for his sisters. There’s so much in this book that is absolutely impossible to write a review for each thing!
The best parts is the very slow and gradual change in Leto from tormentor to friend to lover. It was masterfully done. Also Audrey’s acceptance of Leto is wonderful. Their relationship grows and grows until a fantastic union!
Great book and great start of a series! I’ll be looking forward to the next one!
Since the first sentences it made me cringe. The labs, the unknown training facility, the brutal first encounter between Audrey and Leto… it was almost overwhelming!
Audrey/Nynn is a mother whose child has been taken away from her to be experimented upon by a sadistic mob scientist; she’s been his experiment too and she knows what he will do to her child; she’s a wife whose husband has been killed in front of her…
Leto is a Cage-warrior. He’s brutal, he’s cold, he’s a monster. He sold his life for his family. He knows that he will die when he’s not useful any more to the mob organizing the cage-fights, and he’s ready for that without regrets.
His assignment is to train Audrey to become a Cage-warrior. He will do anything and everything to keep her alive for three fights because he was promised his comatose sister will be helped.
Audrey and Leto clash. Audrey is fighting against Leto and Leto is treating her accordingly: he humiliates her, he hits her, he pushes her in every way! It was difficult to read his training methods… and it was difficult to read about Audrey’s reactions. It was also difficult to read about their reasons of doing what they’re doing to each other.
The story is very complex: there’re layers and layers in it. There’s the paranormal angle: they’re Dragon Kings – being with special abilities and superhuman powers which in the case of Cage-warriors and “lab-filth” (subject experimented upon) are muted by slave-like collars. There’s the human mob involvement. There’s the competition within the Dragon-Lord Clans. There’s the fact that the Dragon Lords are a species on the edge of extinction. There’s mother’s love for her child and her readiness to do everything in her power to save her child. There’s the brother’s love for his sisters. There’s so much in this book that is absolutely impossible to write a review for each thing!
The best parts is the very slow and gradual change in Leto from tormentor to friend to lover. It was masterfully done. Also Audrey’s acceptance of Leto is wonderful. Their relationship grows and grows until a fantastic union!
Great book and great start of a series! I’ll be looking forward to the next one!
September 10, 2015
What it's about: I loved the prequel, Silent Warrior, and was ecstatic to begin reading the official start of the Dragon Kings series. Audrey MacLaren did the unthinkable and married her human, exiling her from the Dragon Kings. She and her husband gave birth to the first natural-born Dragon King in a generation. This, of course, leads to a lot people wanting the baby. Then her husband is murdered and Audrey's life is changed forever, yet again, she is forced to become a Cage warrior and fight for the right to live and for her son's life.
Why you should read it: I loved it. Seriously one of my new favorite series. The characters were extremely well developed, and the world-building was solid and fierce. The fact that there was violence aplenty satisfied even my appetite, and I found myself hooked from the first page. If you haven't read the prequel, you will still enjoy the story. I enjoyed it so much more knowing the back story of Silence and Harsh, though.
To see other great recs and what the author has to say check out the HEA Blog
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
Why you should read it: I loved it. Seriously one of my new favorite series. The characters were extremely well developed, and the world-building was solid and fierce. The fact that there was violence aplenty satisfied even my appetite, and I found myself hooked from the first page. If you haven't read the prequel, you will still enjoy the story. I enjoyed it so much more knowing the back story of Silence and Harsh, though.
To see other great recs and what the author has to say check out the HEA Blog
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
May 29, 2013
Written by: Lindsey Piper
Series: Dragon Kings #1
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publish Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN-10: 1451695918
ISBN-13: 978-1451695915
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Age Recommendation: Adult
Genre: Dark Romance
Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble
First you have to understand, there are no dragons in the Dragon Kings series. The Dragon King are an ancient race of beings, called demons, that were once worshiped as gods. Now there are only 5 known clans left of the Dragon King and they are fighting extinction. To make matters worse a group of humans have discovered a way to limit the Dragon King power and have enslaved them into a world of cage fighting and experiments.
Audrey MacLaren is a descent of the Dragon King. Living in the world of humans, she has been exiled because she took a human mate. Ten years of marriage and a small son did not protect her from the humans...they broke into her home, killed her husband and took her and her son hostage. Now Audrey must fight for her life and the life of her son.
Leto Garnis has been raised as a Cage warrior. He is given the task of teaching Audrey, making her into a Cage warrior. When Audrey presents signs of great abilities with using and manipulating energy she is sent into the cages to fight.
Audrey must convince Leto that there is more than Cage fighting to save her son. Leto must convince Audrey that there is great value to winning to protect his family. Both discover that even in the dire circumstances love might save them both.
Caged Warrior pulls you into an extremely dark and violent world. Betrayal and deception rule. The evil, sadistic mafia like group will stop at nothing in the fight for ultimate power and wealth. This is a book that will make you cringe but you just can't look away. I was captivated from start to finish... Lindsey Piper does an outstanding job, making this new world vividly engrained in your imagination and creating a story that will have you riveted to the pages.
This ARC copy of Caged Warrior was given to me by Pocket Books in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication on June 25, 2013.
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
Series: Dragon Kings #1
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publish Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN-10: 1451695918
ISBN-13: 978-1451695915
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Age Recommendation: Adult
Genre: Dark Romance
Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble
First you have to understand, there are no dragons in the Dragon Kings series. The Dragon King are an ancient race of beings, called demons, that were once worshiped as gods. Now there are only 5 known clans left of the Dragon King and they are fighting extinction. To make matters worse a group of humans have discovered a way to limit the Dragon King power and have enslaved them into a world of cage fighting and experiments.
Audrey MacLaren is a descent of the Dragon King. Living in the world of humans, she has been exiled because she took a human mate. Ten years of marriage and a small son did not protect her from the humans...they broke into her home, killed her husband and took her and her son hostage. Now Audrey must fight for her life and the life of her son.
Leto Garnis has been raised as a Cage warrior. He is given the task of teaching Audrey, making her into a Cage warrior. When Audrey presents signs of great abilities with using and manipulating energy she is sent into the cages to fight.
Audrey must convince Leto that there is more than Cage fighting to save her son. Leto must convince Audrey that there is great value to winning to protect his family. Both discover that even in the dire circumstances love might save them both.
Caged Warrior pulls you into an extremely dark and violent world. Betrayal and deception rule. The evil, sadistic mafia like group will stop at nothing in the fight for ultimate power and wealth. This is a book that will make you cringe but you just can't look away. I was captivated from start to finish... Lindsey Piper does an outstanding job, making this new world vividly engrained in your imagination and creating a story that will have you riveted to the pages.
This ARC copy of Caged Warrior was given to me by Pocket Books in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication on June 25, 2013.
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
June 16, 2013
WHAT.A.WORLD.!!
I've been dying to read this book for months!! The synopsis was so captivating, that although I couldn't wait to delve into this story, I wasn't sure what I would expect.
Leto is a caged warrior, rising to the rank of Champion with one sole purpose: help his family!!
Audrey's tragic past was so heart!!!!! I won't say too much, other than every time she spoke of her love for her son and her husband, it twisted my heart, knowing what she went through, and what her son was still going through!
But things take an interesting turn when the sadistic ruler of the cage, teams Audrey and Leto together to battle in the cage against other opponents! Audrey is such a strong character, and that's what attracts Leto to her, even when he doesn't want you, he just can't help being pulled in by her strength, softness, love....
This is definitely a gritty, take-no-prisoners, rough, unrelenting novel and I did enjoy it!! However, the world depicted it this book was very difficult to follow. There's no glossary of terms to help the reader understand it, which is a downer for me! I had the confused W.T.H? look on my face so many times, cause I had such a hard time understanding it. At 23% I wanted to shelf it, but I just knew the story would get good, and I wasn't disappointed!
The last few chapters were heart-racing, fast paced, intense, and it did get the tears flowing...all in all a good book!!!
I've been dying to read this book for months!! The synopsis was so captivating, that although I couldn't wait to delve into this story, I wasn't sure what I would expect.
Leto is a caged warrior, rising to the rank of Champion with one sole purpose: help his family!!
Audrey's tragic past was so heart!!!!! I won't say too much, other than every time she spoke of her love for her son and her husband, it twisted my heart, knowing what she went through, and what her son was still going through!
But things take an interesting turn when the sadistic ruler of the cage, teams Audrey and Leto together to battle in the cage against other opponents! Audrey is such a strong character, and that's what attracts Leto to her, even when he doesn't want you, he just can't help being pulled in by her strength, softness, love....
This is definitely a gritty, take-no-prisoners, rough, unrelenting novel and I did enjoy it!! However, the world depicted it this book was very difficult to follow. There's no glossary of terms to help the reader understand it, which is a downer for me! I had the confused W.T.H? look on my face so many times, cause I had such a hard time understanding it. At 23% I wanted to shelf it, but I just knew the story would get good, and I wasn't disappointed!
The last few chapters were heart-racing, fast paced, intense, and it did get the tears flowing...all in all a good book!!!
July 8, 2013
5 stars
The sheer brutality of 'Caged Warrior' took me completely by surprise - but I enjoyed the ever-livin' heck out of it! I mean seriously - this one was intense!!!!
Going into it, I'm not sure what I was expecting, except maybe
(at most) a typical paranormal romance with a bit of angst and lots of lovin' involving sexy dragon-shifters.
Uh uh. NOT THE CASE.
Not.
At.
ALL.
Not only is there not a dragon-shifter in sight, but this is about as far removed from a fluffy feel-good romance that you can get.
Instead, this is a grim tale of survival. About doing whatever it takes - even if that means losing hold of who you are - to free yourself and those you love from a nightmare so bad most would just give up and die.
Yet, even through all the brutality Piper delivers a kick-ass romance that by the end pulled at my heart-strings so bad I had to take a serious wipe-away-the-tears break.
Lindsey Piper... I am officially a fan!! Can't wait for the next 'Dragon Kings' installment!
The sheer brutality of 'Caged Warrior' took me completely by surprise - but I enjoyed the ever-livin' heck out of it! I mean seriously - this one was intense!!!!
Going into it, I'm not sure what I was expecting, except maybe
(at most) a typical paranormal romance with a bit of angst and lots of lovin' involving sexy dragon-shifters.
Uh uh. NOT THE CASE.
Not.
At.
ALL.
Not only is there not a dragon-shifter in sight, but this is about as far removed from a fluffy feel-good romance that you can get.
Instead, this is a grim tale of survival. About doing whatever it takes - even if that means losing hold of who you are - to free yourself and those you love from a nightmare so bad most would just give up and die.
Yet, even through all the brutality Piper delivers a kick-ass romance that by the end pulled at my heart-strings so bad I had to take a serious wipe-away-the-tears break.
Lindsey Piper... I am officially a fan!! Can't wait for the next 'Dragon Kings' installment!
May 24, 2013
I almost hate myself for enjoying this one so much. Very dark, lots of Very Bad Things happening to people, but awesome.
It's good to mention that there aren't any shape shifters in this series though. The Dragon Kings are a sort of paranormal race descended from (or who worship, not 100% clear on that at the moment) The Dragon, their deity.
4.5-5 Stars, full review to follow once I get my thoughts in order.
It's good to mention that there aren't any shape shifters in this series though. The Dragon Kings are a sort of paranormal race descended from (or who worship, not 100% clear on that at the moment) The Dragon, their deity.
4.5-5 Stars, full review to follow once I get my thoughts in order.
June 26, 2013
Imagine being stripped of your family, tortured, and then enslaved in an underground world where survival depends on how well you can fight. This nightmare has become Audrey MacLaren’s life. Audrey’s real name is Nynn, and she is a Dragon King born of the Clan Tigony. Dragon Kings are an ancient race of supernatural beings with special power endowed to them. They are proud warriors who have kept their identity a secret from most humans.
Audrey is branded as a traitor and exiled from her clan when she marries a human man and later gives birth to a son. Her peaceful life is shattered when her husband is murdered, and she and her son are kidnapped by the Aster family, a human crime cartel who exploit Dragon Kings by using them for scientific experiments and confining them underground where they train as cage warriors who fight for favor and privilege.
Although the reason is never fully explained, the Dragon King race is in danger of extinction because of difficulty conceiving children. Giving natural birth to a Dragon King is a rarity, and the sinister Dr. Aster keeps Audrey and her son locked away in a laboratory where he experiments on them to further his knowledge of this supernatural race. After a year of being tortured by Aster, Audrey is forced to become a cage warrior if she ever wants to see her son again. I admired Audrey’s perseverance and tenacity throughout the story. She endures endless verbal, emotional, and physical abuse that would easily break others. Despite the odds, she is willing to do whatever it takes to be reunited with her son, even though she knows that it is likely Dr. Aster will not keep his promise.
Leto of Clan Garnis has the responsibility for training Audrey to fight as his partner. He is a multifaceted, dominating character with a brutal nature, which I found hard to like but could understand, since he has spent his entire life training and fighting in the cages, and violence is all he’s ever known. Leto is an undefeated fighter in the cages. He is proud that his wins have given his sister the opportunity to conceive a child with her husband and continue the family line. He believes the sacrifices he has made are honorable. His reputation has made him a favorite to the Asters, and he enjoys the respect and privileges that are given to him.
Leto has never worried about his elite warrior status until he meets Audrey. He is given little time to train her, and if she doesn’t do well, that will reflect upon him and the future of his family. Leo tries to force Audrey into submission through harsh, inhumane treatment. His lack of compassion and indifference to her situation was at times hard for me to read. However, no matter how cruel Leto is, Audrey still manages to retain some form of dignity and defy his efforts to break her spirit. Even though Audrey knows she has to learn to fight for her son’s sake, she refuses to use her incredible powers of harnessing and manipulating energy since she has no control over them. She worries that by doing so, she will lose her sense of self and turn into a ruthless monster.
Much of the book focuses on the dynamic nature of Audrey and Leto’s relationship. Spending so much time together creates a mounting sexual tension that becomes harder for them to ignore. A major turning point in the story occurs when Audrey and Leto become victims of Dr. Aster’s malevolence and begin to trust and work in synch with each other.
I was enthralled with the second half of the book, where unexpected events arouse change in both Audrey and Leto. As Audrey embraces her warrior prowess, Leto begins to question the illusion of his life. I enjoyed watching both characters grow emotionally and physically closer once they understood each other’s plight. Piper does an excellent job with character development and shows that no matter how flawed, one can always be redeemed.
The greatest drawback of the story is the lack of necessary background to help me fully understand these warriors and the challenges they face: What’s the story behind the origin and powers of the Dragon Kings? Why are Dragon Kings affiliating with human crime organizations? Is it always by choice or are they forced into it like Audrey? How exactly does Dr. Aster “help” Dragon Kings with their fertility problems? I hope the author will flesh out more of this fantasy world she has created to make the read more enjoyable.
I received a copy of Caged Warrior from the publisher via Edelweiss.
Audrey is branded as a traitor and exiled from her clan when she marries a human man and later gives birth to a son. Her peaceful life is shattered when her husband is murdered, and she and her son are kidnapped by the Aster family, a human crime cartel who exploit Dragon Kings by using them for scientific experiments and confining them underground where they train as cage warriors who fight for favor and privilege.
Although the reason is never fully explained, the Dragon King race is in danger of extinction because of difficulty conceiving children. Giving natural birth to a Dragon King is a rarity, and the sinister Dr. Aster keeps Audrey and her son locked away in a laboratory where he experiments on them to further his knowledge of this supernatural race. After a year of being tortured by Aster, Audrey is forced to become a cage warrior if she ever wants to see her son again. I admired Audrey’s perseverance and tenacity throughout the story. She endures endless verbal, emotional, and physical abuse that would easily break others. Despite the odds, she is willing to do whatever it takes to be reunited with her son, even though she knows that it is likely Dr. Aster will not keep his promise.
Leto of Clan Garnis has the responsibility for training Audrey to fight as his partner. He is a multifaceted, dominating character with a brutal nature, which I found hard to like but could understand, since he has spent his entire life training and fighting in the cages, and violence is all he’s ever known. Leto is an undefeated fighter in the cages. He is proud that his wins have given his sister the opportunity to conceive a child with her husband and continue the family line. He believes the sacrifices he has made are honorable. His reputation has made him a favorite to the Asters, and he enjoys the respect and privileges that are given to him.
Leto has never worried about his elite warrior status until he meets Audrey. He is given little time to train her, and if she doesn’t do well, that will reflect upon him and the future of his family. Leo tries to force Audrey into submission through harsh, inhumane treatment. His lack of compassion and indifference to her situation was at times hard for me to read. However, no matter how cruel Leto is, Audrey still manages to retain some form of dignity and defy his efforts to break her spirit. Even though Audrey knows she has to learn to fight for her son’s sake, she refuses to use her incredible powers of harnessing and manipulating energy since she has no control over them. She worries that by doing so, she will lose her sense of self and turn into a ruthless monster.
Much of the book focuses on the dynamic nature of Audrey and Leto’s relationship. Spending so much time together creates a mounting sexual tension that becomes harder for them to ignore. A major turning point in the story occurs when Audrey and Leto become victims of Dr. Aster’s malevolence and begin to trust and work in synch with each other.
I was enthralled with the second half of the book, where unexpected events arouse change in both Audrey and Leto. As Audrey embraces her warrior prowess, Leto begins to question the illusion of his life. I enjoyed watching both characters grow emotionally and physically closer once they understood each other’s plight. Piper does an excellent job with character development and shows that no matter how flawed, one can always be redeemed.
The greatest drawback of the story is the lack of necessary background to help me fully understand these warriors and the challenges they face: What’s the story behind the origin and powers of the Dragon Kings? Why are Dragon Kings affiliating with human crime organizations? Is it always by choice or are they forced into it like Audrey? How exactly does Dr. Aster “help” Dragon Kings with their fertility problems? I hope the author will flesh out more of this fantasy world she has created to make the read more enjoyable.
I received a copy of Caged Warrior from the publisher via Edelweiss.
May 13, 2015
My Review:
I've had this print book in my TBR pile ever since it came out (did you see that gorgeous cover? Yes, that is why I bought it.) Then I received book #3 in this series for review. I honestly still didn't have time to read this book, but partway through reading that book, I was feeling slightly confused about the world. I thought if I picked up this first book in the series and read the first couple of chapters, that it would probably clear up the confusion. While that honestly never happened (yeah, I've finished both #1 and #3 and I'm still slightly confused about the world), I did get too caught up in the story line of this book. I had to finish it whether I had time to do so or not.
This is NOT a light and happy book. In fact, it's pretty dark and gritty. Nynn and her son, Jack, were kidnapped a year ago. They've spent the last year being experimented on in Dr. Aster's labs. But now Nynn has been thrown into the cages and separated from Jack. The cages are an underground gladiator-type ring. All the cage fighters are under control of the humans...basically slaves trained to fight for the monetary gains of the human cartel they fight for. They are forced to fight or die.
Leto is her trainer. They will be partners in the cage fights in three weeks, and if she fails, he fails. That isn't an option. Leto has been a cage fighter for 20 years and he's never lost. He is the premier champion for the Aster family and has enjoyed a few perks because of that. He doesn't know any other life, so Nynn, who came from the human world, is completely foreign to him. But as they begin to train together, they develop a certain trust and yes, partnership, too.
I loved how tough Nynn is. It soon becomes obvious that she's a natural to the cage. Leto is harder to like right away. He is so hard on her, but he doesn't know any better. I've heard of other readers who never warmed up to him, but when you look at his history, it's amazing that he has as much empathy as he does. I can't imagine living in that world for so long.
It is an interesting world, although I still don't feel like I understand it completely. The back of the books say that the Dragon Kings are ancient demons, but that aspect is NEVER brought up in the books. There are five clans and each has it's own special ability...manipulate minds, berserkers, channel electricity, extreme speed, and then one clan can siphon any of the powers off the other Dragon Kings. But the Dragon Kings are dying out because they have a very difficult time of conceiving and over time the humans, which are organized into cartels, have taken advantage of that to enslave the Dragon Kings...for experimentation and the cage fights.
I did thoroughly enjoy Leto and Nynn's story regardless of my confusion about the world though. I liked how their bond was a slow build and I enjoyed the character arc for both of them as they learned to adjust and change their world views. I definitely enjoyed this first book and look forward to more in the series.
I've had this print book in my TBR pile ever since it came out (did you see that gorgeous cover? Yes, that is why I bought it.) Then I received book #3 in this series for review. I honestly still didn't have time to read this book, but partway through reading that book, I was feeling slightly confused about the world. I thought if I picked up this first book in the series and read the first couple of chapters, that it would probably clear up the confusion. While that honestly never happened (yeah, I've finished both #1 and #3 and I'm still slightly confused about the world), I did get too caught up in the story line of this book. I had to finish it whether I had time to do so or not.
This is NOT a light and happy book. In fact, it's pretty dark and gritty. Nynn and her son, Jack, were kidnapped a year ago. They've spent the last year being experimented on in Dr. Aster's labs. But now Nynn has been thrown into the cages and separated from Jack. The cages are an underground gladiator-type ring. All the cage fighters are under control of the humans...basically slaves trained to fight for the monetary gains of the human cartel they fight for. They are forced to fight or die.
Leto is her trainer. They will be partners in the cage fights in three weeks, and if she fails, he fails. That isn't an option. Leto has been a cage fighter for 20 years and he's never lost. He is the premier champion for the Aster family and has enjoyed a few perks because of that. He doesn't know any other life, so Nynn, who came from the human world, is completely foreign to him. But as they begin to train together, they develop a certain trust and yes, partnership, too.
I loved how tough Nynn is. It soon becomes obvious that she's a natural to the cage. Leto is harder to like right away. He is so hard on her, but he doesn't know any better. I've heard of other readers who never warmed up to him, but when you look at his history, it's amazing that he has as much empathy as he does. I can't imagine living in that world for so long.
It is an interesting world, although I still don't feel like I understand it completely. The back of the books say that the Dragon Kings are ancient demons, but that aspect is NEVER brought up in the books. There are five clans and each has it's own special ability...manipulate minds, berserkers, channel electricity, extreme speed, and then one clan can siphon any of the powers off the other Dragon Kings. But the Dragon Kings are dying out because they have a very difficult time of conceiving and over time the humans, which are organized into cartels, have taken advantage of that to enslave the Dragon Kings...for experimentation and the cage fights.
I did thoroughly enjoy Leto and Nynn's story regardless of my confusion about the world though. I liked how their bond was a slow build and I enjoyed the character arc for both of them as they learned to adjust and change their world views. I definitely enjoyed this first book and look forward to more in the series.
October 1, 2016
I don't often write reviews but this book inspired me.
To start with, when I was much younger and more screwed up, I often liked to read about alpha men who saved some girl from horrible circumstances. That was good fun and still is, from time to time. However, sometimes I ran across a novel in which the man kidnapped, terrorized, and ravaged some girl till she liked it and then they fell in love. People will argue that it is just good fun but those books have a theme, which they share with caged warrior, that I have come to recognize as harmful and part of the rape myth that people are increasingly exposed to. i.e. Women secretly like to be raped.
Rape, torture, kidnapping and intimidation are not good fun, no matter what awesome reasons the alpha male has for being cruel. Why is this author, a woman, encouraging the belief that if you treat a woman like shit she will come to love you in spite of it if you are a hot manly man?
Some people might say that there are lots of people with healthy relationships that like the whole BDSM thing. Fine, none of my business. But I also think that the BDSM people are CONSENTING adults, not victims of stockholm syndrome!
That is not to say that I don't think that there can be some conflict between the main characters before they realize they like each other. BUT, Darcy didn't grab a naked Elizabeth's "P****" within the first few pages as he threatened to rape her. Nor did he ever kick her butt or (if you want to be literal), punch her in the kidneys and kick her in the ribs as she lay on the ground. how sweet! no wonder she fell for him!
I should also admit that I did not get more than 50 pages into the book so you may write off my review if you like. I give credit to the author that despite the horrible theme of her book, it was actually engaging enough that I was tempted to keep reading so I could see the main character succeed in rescuing her son. But the degradation of the main character by the assumed love interest was so relentless that I couldn't stomach it anymore.
In a world where people practice virtual violence for hours on end and books written for teens romanticize controlling, abusive relationships, I refuse to read one more book where a woman learns to love the person who victimizes her.
To start with, when I was much younger and more screwed up, I often liked to read about alpha men who saved some girl from horrible circumstances. That was good fun and still is, from time to time. However, sometimes I ran across a novel in which the man kidnapped, terrorized, and ravaged some girl till she liked it and then they fell in love. People will argue that it is just good fun but those books have a theme, which they share with caged warrior, that I have come to recognize as harmful and part of the rape myth that people are increasingly exposed to. i.e. Women secretly like to be raped.
Rape, torture, kidnapping and intimidation are not good fun, no matter what awesome reasons the alpha male has for being cruel. Why is this author, a woman, encouraging the belief that if you treat a woman like shit she will come to love you in spite of it if you are a hot manly man?
Some people might say that there are lots of people with healthy relationships that like the whole BDSM thing. Fine, none of my business. But I also think that the BDSM people are CONSENTING adults, not victims of stockholm syndrome!
That is not to say that I don't think that there can be some conflict between the main characters before they realize they like each other. BUT, Darcy didn't grab a naked Elizabeth's "P****" within the first few pages as he threatened to rape her. Nor did he ever kick her butt or (if you want to be literal), punch her in the kidneys and kick her in the ribs as she lay on the ground. how sweet! no wonder she fell for him!
I should also admit that I did not get more than 50 pages into the book so you may write off my review if you like. I give credit to the author that despite the horrible theme of her book, it was actually engaging enough that I was tempted to keep reading so I could see the main character succeed in rescuing her son. But the degradation of the main character by the assumed love interest was so relentless that I couldn't stomach it anymore.
In a world where people practice virtual violence for hours on end and books written for teens romanticize controlling, abusive relationships, I refuse to read one more book where a woman learns to love the person who victimizes her.
July 23, 2013
I thought the book was brilliant!
Savagely beautiful! First book form Lindsey Piper but it will not be the last.
I found the idea and story behind Dragon Kings truly creative. What I really loved was the book unfolded and told it's own story. Without pages of defining every term, everything explained it's self as you read.
Fast paced and heart stopping all the action was perfectly detailed!! You saw it all happening as you read. I found the brutality just mind blowing but it made the revenge all the more sweeter!!
My all time fav. part was when Leto's POV and Nynn's were swapped out. He realized just how sorted his way of thinking was when Nynn was spewing the same garble as he was in the beginning.
Edgey and new I loved the book from the beginning to the end!!!
Totally new genre for the paranormal!!
Savagely beautiful! First book form Lindsey Piper but it will not be the last.
I found the idea and story behind Dragon Kings truly creative. What I really loved was the book unfolded and told it's own story. Without pages of defining every term, everything explained it's self as you read.
Fast paced and heart stopping all the action was perfectly detailed!! You saw it all happening as you read. I found the brutality just mind blowing but it made the revenge all the more sweeter!!
My all time fav. part was when Leto's POV and Nynn's were swapped out. He realized just how sorted his way of thinking was when Nynn was spewing the same garble as he was in the beginning.
Edgey and new I loved the book from the beginning to the end!!!
Totally new genre for the paranormal!!
June 19, 2021
This is a VERY generous 2. Under normal circumstances I would probably have DNF'd this (the writing was decent).
Audrey (AKA Nynn) was banished because she married a human (and in part d/t her parentage). She is also a Dragon King (a powerful supernatural race; they were once worshipped as gods). Her husband murdered, she and her son are kidnapped and subjected to experimentation and torture. Leto is a Cage Warrior. He is fighting for the "right" to procreate. It appears that the DK race is severely diminishing in numbers due to infertility. Things happen and Nynn is sent to the cages to be Leto apprentice.
This is pretty dark. The world building could have been better. There are different "clans" among the DK and each have different abilities and capabilities. The clans don't necessarily get along or see eye to eye. For a supernatural group that presumably had all these strengths, it was never fully explained how (mere) humans gained the upper hand and were able to enslave, torture so many of the DK.
A lot of this was training and more training. I really hated Leto. He was an asshole most of the time. Tough love is one thing, but I thought his actions towards Nynn were abusive. Plain and simple. He does have an awakening, but I do not forgive and forget. Not happening.
At the end of the day, I had more questions than answers. At the same time, do I care to see if answers are forthcoming in the next 2 books? Nope. Pass, I've got other books I'd rather be reading.
I read this for Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo; the Demi-god square.
Audrey (AKA Nynn) was banished because she married a human (and in part d/t her parentage). She is also a Dragon King (a powerful supernatural race; they were once worshipped as gods). Her husband murdered, she and her son are kidnapped and subjected to experimentation and torture. Leto is a Cage Warrior. He is fighting for the "right" to procreate. It appears that the DK race is severely diminishing in numbers due to infertility. Things happen and Nynn is sent to the cages to be Leto apprentice.
This is pretty dark. The world building could have been better. There are different "clans" among the DK and each have different abilities and capabilities. The clans don't necessarily get along or see eye to eye. For a supernatural group that presumably had all these strengths, it was never fully explained how (mere) humans gained the upper hand and were able to enslave, torture so many of the DK.
A lot of this was training and more training. I really hated Leto. He was an asshole most of the time. Tough love is one thing, but I thought his actions towards Nynn were abusive. Plain and simple. He does have an awakening, but I do not forgive and forget. Not happening.
At the end of the day, I had more questions than answers. At the same time, do I care to see if answers are forthcoming in the next 2 books? Nope. Pass, I've got other books I'd rather be reading.
I read this for Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo; the Demi-god square.
June 3, 2013
I adore trying out a brand new book series. It always feels a little bit like Christmas – some years it is awesome and fun, but other years it can be over-hyped and slightly disappointing. But not this year folks, oh no – Santa has delivered and it is COMPLETELY BODACIOUS. Yes, even Bill and Ted would get down on their knees and worship at the shrine that is Lindsey Piper and her fantabulous Dragon King series.
This has to be hands down my favourite new paranormal romance series of 2013 to date.
This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is raw, it is violent and it made me cry like a right old ninny. I must point out straight-up that this is not a shifter novel nor were there any dragons in this book at all. The Dragon Kings are a race of people with long lives and super awesome powers (dragon gifts), the actual power depends on which of the five clans they come from.
This author has the ability to let the book’s world shine through without copious pages of info dumps and awkward this is how things work round ‘ere kinda speeches. Brilliant.
Nynn
We join Audrey MacLaren at probably the lowest moment of her life. Her husband is dead, her six year old son is being held captive by a mad scientist and she has spent the last couple of months in a lab being cut open, tested upon and subjected to all manner of nasty surprises. We join her as she wakes up in a small dark cell to be told that she is now a neophyte. Basically a baby cage fighter with no privileges, no possessions and certainly no voice. And the person who wakes her up is her trainer, Leto Garnis, a super McHottie with a Body. He’s one step above feral and has never lost a fight in his twenty year cage fighting history.
“Yet he was sexy in the basest, most primitive sense. Weapons and armor and strength. Unequaled skills. He possessed confidence she doubted could ever be matched. Rather than want to divest him of that confidence, she wanted to get closer, soak it up, know what it was like to look at the world with such unabashed certainty.”
Audrey has been through hell and back – and that is before she even steps inside a gladiatorial ring. To her people and her clan, the Tigony clan, she is Nynn. The woman who left her people to live as a human, to marry a human and do something that no other had done for a generation– give birth without the intervention of medical science. This miracle is the reason why her world was torn apart and why she and her son are now at the mercy of a corrupt family.
Nynn is told that if she survives the year then she can go free and take her son with her… which will be a challenge as she has no combat experience or dragon gift to speak of. But this is a woman on a mission and she wants to make those mothers pay! Damn straight – no one messes with a kick-ass lady holding a serious grudge who has a handsome male side-kick for back up. Nuh-ah. Slowly Nynn comes to realise that she has something extremely powerful at her fingertips. So powerful that parts of her memory are missing… gone and lost forever. But what is that power and will those lost memories ever be restored to her? Plus the more Nynn trains, the more she realises that something about herself is different. Something more.
Leto
It’s a very stark story. It’s certainly not an easy love story either. Nynn hates Leto at first �� and this continues for a long time. Despite the impressive pectorals. He can’t save her, no matter how he feels emotionally – but he can teach her how to survive, despite the beatings and the torture, the starvation and the brainwashing.
Leto is such a character. Misguided, honorable and incredibly intelligent, he is from Clan Garnis. The Lost. Special among their kind, he is incredibly quick with super fast reflexes (but not too fast, if you get my drift…). I must admit, I’m a sucker for the ‘unloved boy lurking under a man’s skin’ syndrome. He is completely the epitome of this. A strategist in and out of the cage, his intelligence – pitting people against their own demons, is part of what has kept him alive the last twenty years. Leto is not a slave or paying off debts to one of the cartel factions like many of the other inmates, but fights for his family. He fights to afford medical expenses for his younger sister and fights so that his family can reproduce and carry on the Garnis line. But at what cost?
When he falls for Nynn, he falls HARD and it isn’t pretty. Leto doesn’t treat her gently, but as a warrior. They have a strange but strong elemental connection, one that could land them in a world of trouble. And pain. Throughout the book, Nynn tries to open his eyes to the outside world and when they do open, it is a beautiful thing.
“I’ve seen the snow and the sun now, but without you, I’ll live in the dark forever.”
Overall, I thought this book was the bomb, but if fighting and violence is not your thang than look away now. I don’t reckon that the book is as violent as say, the BDB boy’s fights, but nor is it a walk in the park either. Th author writes about tough social issues such as abuse, slavery and gender inequality. These are not easy things to read about but they make for a darn fine story. Give this new series a try, you won’t be disappointed and please book gods, please let Tallis be next. Pretty please!
Read more reviews with The Urban Book Thief here
This has to be hands down my favourite new paranormal romance series of 2013 to date.
This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is raw, it is violent and it made me cry like a right old ninny. I must point out straight-up that this is not a shifter novel nor were there any dragons in this book at all. The Dragon Kings are a race of people with long lives and super awesome powers (dragon gifts), the actual power depends on which of the five clans they come from.
This author has the ability to let the book’s world shine through without copious pages of info dumps and awkward this is how things work round ‘ere kinda speeches. Brilliant.
Nynn
We join Audrey MacLaren at probably the lowest moment of her life. Her husband is dead, her six year old son is being held captive by a mad scientist and she has spent the last couple of months in a lab being cut open, tested upon and subjected to all manner of nasty surprises. We join her as she wakes up in a small dark cell to be told that she is now a neophyte. Basically a baby cage fighter with no privileges, no possessions and certainly no voice. And the person who wakes her up is her trainer, Leto Garnis, a super McHottie with a Body. He’s one step above feral and has never lost a fight in his twenty year cage fighting history.
“Yet he was sexy in the basest, most primitive sense. Weapons and armor and strength. Unequaled skills. He possessed confidence she doubted could ever be matched. Rather than want to divest him of that confidence, she wanted to get closer, soak it up, know what it was like to look at the world with such unabashed certainty.”
Audrey has been through hell and back – and that is before she even steps inside a gladiatorial ring. To her people and her clan, the Tigony clan, she is Nynn. The woman who left her people to live as a human, to marry a human and do something that no other had done for a generation– give birth without the intervention of medical science. This miracle is the reason why her world was torn apart and why she and her son are now at the mercy of a corrupt family.
Nynn is told that if she survives the year then she can go free and take her son with her… which will be a challenge as she has no combat experience or dragon gift to speak of. But this is a woman on a mission and she wants to make those mothers pay! Damn straight – no one messes with a kick-ass lady holding a serious grudge who has a handsome male side-kick for back up. Nuh-ah. Slowly Nynn comes to realise that she has something extremely powerful at her fingertips. So powerful that parts of her memory are missing… gone and lost forever. But what is that power and will those lost memories ever be restored to her? Plus the more Nynn trains, the more she realises that something about herself is different. Something more.
Leto
It’s a very stark story. It’s certainly not an easy love story either. Nynn hates Leto at first �� and this continues for a long time. Despite the impressive pectorals. He can’t save her, no matter how he feels emotionally – but he can teach her how to survive, despite the beatings and the torture, the starvation and the brainwashing.
Leto is such a character. Misguided, honorable and incredibly intelligent, he is from Clan Garnis. The Lost. Special among their kind, he is incredibly quick with super fast reflexes (but not too fast, if you get my drift…). I must admit, I’m a sucker for the ‘unloved boy lurking under a man’s skin’ syndrome. He is completely the epitome of this. A strategist in and out of the cage, his intelligence – pitting people against their own demons, is part of what has kept him alive the last twenty years. Leto is not a slave or paying off debts to one of the cartel factions like many of the other inmates, but fights for his family. He fights to afford medical expenses for his younger sister and fights so that his family can reproduce and carry on the Garnis line. But at what cost?
When he falls for Nynn, he falls HARD and it isn’t pretty. Leto doesn’t treat her gently, but as a warrior. They have a strange but strong elemental connection, one that could land them in a world of trouble. And pain. Throughout the book, Nynn tries to open his eyes to the outside world and when they do open, it is a beautiful thing.
“I’ve seen the snow and the sun now, but without you, I’ll live in the dark forever.”
Overall, I thought this book was the bomb, but if fighting and violence is not your thang than look away now. I don’t reckon that the book is as violent as say, the BDB boy’s fights, but nor is it a walk in the park either. Th author writes about tough social issues such as abuse, slavery and gender inequality. These are not easy things to read about but they make for a darn fine story. Give this new series a try, you won’t be disappointed and please book gods, please let Tallis be next. Pretty please!
Read more reviews with The Urban Book Thief here
July 5, 2013
I had been waiting to read this ever since I read the review that posted up on GR back in March. Thus, my expectation might be a tad high. Although this new PNR series is not mind blowing, I do feel invested with both the character, Audrey aka Nynn and Leto, the Caged Warrior. Overall, this is a strong and engaging first in the series book.
The book except had provided a good background for us to get started with the story. There isn't much time wasted on Audrey's past ordeal about her losing her husband and that her son, Jack got kidnap by the psychopathic, Dr. Aster. The Dragon Kings are depicted as something different from humans. They each came from different clan that inherit different gifts and ability. Despite their obvious superior capabilities, they are being controlled and enslaved by the human, Aster. The situation is something that came right off Gladiator, where the warriors fight among themselves to amuse the rich humans for their entertainment.
Audrey found herself landed at the Underground where she had to fight in the Caged to earn the right to have her son back. Leto, the Caged Warrior champion for decades, had been assigned to train her and helped her to discover and harness her gift. Their first encounter isn't pleasant with Leto appears a tad cruel. However, due to the dual POVs that we have here, once I knew about Leto's motivation I immediately developed a soft spot for him. You see, each warrior who wins will receive a reward. For Leto, his two sisters are the only thing important in his life. Everything that he does, is for his family. How can I not fall for that?
Their animosity towards each other didn't last and before long they find themselves having to rely on each other to achieve a common goal. They both need to win this together for they have to fight alongside as a partner. Audrey wants to save her son. Leto wants better life for his sisters. But deep down, Audrey hates the Aster. She sees them as the villain that enslaved the Dragon Kings, killed her husband and kidnap her son. To Leto, he live as a warrior and his life depended on Aster. Without the Caged and rewards that he need, what's he suppose to do then?
Their romance isn't the instant attraction that often found in PNR. But they do came to trust and accept each other quite swiftly. There is presence of lust filled thoughts, but it isn't overdone. The romance pacing flow naturally. When Leto was fighting and in his element, he appear savage, and when he is in front of his fellow warrior, he is so proud and cocky. But when he is alone with Audrey or Nynn, which he sometimes called her by her Dragon Kings name, he is caring and thoughtful. Audrey showed him that there is more to life than just fighting in the Caged. He then starts to question his faith and what he believes in.
"What would you be without this?"
"I'd be a better man."
The fellow warriors that we were introduced are Silence, the girl who doesn't talk and Hark, her lover who talked too much. I find them to be such a cute couple and later found out that they were featured in the prequel novella Silence Warrior. I will definitely check it out. They played quite a prominent role during the climax while fighting alongside with Leto and Audrey. The book ended without a cliffhanger and Leto and Audrey story is wrapped up nicely. But we know that the Dragon Kings story arc is yet to be resolved. Looking forward to Blood Warrior, which will be out on August.
The book except had provided a good background for us to get started with the story. There isn't much time wasted on Audrey's past ordeal about her losing her husband and that her son, Jack got kidnap by the psychopathic, Dr. Aster. The Dragon Kings are depicted as something different from humans. They each came from different clan that inherit different gifts and ability. Despite their obvious superior capabilities, they are being controlled and enslaved by the human, Aster. The situation is something that came right off Gladiator, where the warriors fight among themselves to amuse the rich humans for their entertainment.
Audrey found herself landed at the Underground where she had to fight in the Caged to earn the right to have her son back. Leto, the Caged Warrior champion for decades, had been assigned to train her and helped her to discover and harness her gift. Their first encounter isn't pleasant with Leto appears a tad cruel. However, due to the dual POVs that we have here, once I knew about Leto's motivation I immediately developed a soft spot for him. You see, each warrior who wins will receive a reward. For Leto, his two sisters are the only thing important in his life. Everything that he does, is for his family. How can I not fall for that?
Their animosity towards each other didn't last and before long they find themselves having to rely on each other to achieve a common goal. They both need to win this together for they have to fight alongside as a partner. Audrey wants to save her son. Leto wants better life for his sisters. But deep down, Audrey hates the Aster. She sees them as the villain that enslaved the Dragon Kings, killed her husband and kidnap her son. To Leto, he live as a warrior and his life depended on Aster. Without the Caged and rewards that he need, what's he suppose to do then?
Their romance isn't the instant attraction that often found in PNR. But they do came to trust and accept each other quite swiftly. There is presence of lust filled thoughts, but it isn't overdone. The romance pacing flow naturally. When Leto was fighting and in his element, he appear savage, and when he is in front of his fellow warrior, he is so proud and cocky. But when he is alone with Audrey or Nynn, which he sometimes called her by her Dragon Kings name, he is caring and thoughtful. Audrey showed him that there is more to life than just fighting in the Caged. He then starts to question his faith and what he believes in.
"What would you be without this?"
"I'd be a better man."
The fellow warriors that we were introduced are Silence, the girl who doesn't talk and Hark, her lover who talked too much. I find them to be such a cute couple and later found out that they were featured in the prequel novella Silence Warrior. I will definitely check it out. They played quite a prominent role during the climax while fighting alongside with Leto and Audrey. The book ended without a cliffhanger and Leto and Audrey story is wrapped up nicely. But we know that the Dragon Kings story arc is yet to be resolved. Looking forward to Blood Warrior, which will be out on August.
July 1, 2013
3.5 Stars
"Ms. Piper did deliver a sexy warrior " ~ Under the Covers
Ms. Piper wrote a very promising start to a new series. Caged Warrior is not your typical Dragon books, in fact; there are no dragons in this book, which was a bit disappointing only because the cover and title shouted it was a dragon book. But let me assure you that even without dragon shifters, this novel is overall a good read.
Let me tell you the things I liked about this book. First is the cover. Okay, I will tell you that I picked this book up just by looking at this cover. It just promised me a hot sexy warrior. Well, Ms. Piper did deliver a sexy warrior. Leto is a champion of underground cage fights, which reminds me of UFC fighters and I imagined him to be that very person on the cover. Of course, Leto is from a race with supernatural powers , and it gave this book an exciting twist. Now, what made it a bit complicated was that Leto was not a freeman but really a slave fighter and in charge of training newcomers. That's where Audrey, aka Nynn comes in. She is also of the same race but has lived in the human world to be with her husband and son. Unfortunately, in this violent, almost extinct world, her husband was murdered. Now, Audrey is slaved to fight for her and her son's freedom. Her captivity somewhat reminded me of Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts. Not as dark but both heroine were kidnapped, abused and trained. They also both fell in love with their captors. I know they are of different genre , but I found it similar in some ways, IMO. I liked Audrey, she is a mother on a mission to save her son. Any woman who comes into a man's world and proves her self is just gets much respect from me. My heart broke for her with all her experiences in the beginning of this book. I'll tell you right now though; this heroine is strong and can fight like there's not tomorrow.
The world building was overall good. It is a dark and vicious world but thriving to survive. I was a bit disappointed that Leto, the man in the cover, did not shift into a dragon , but I do like him just the same. I also would've like to read more of his background. I feel like there's more to him then what was revealed. One thing that bothered me most was the pace in the beginning of this book. I thought it was slow and the only think kept me going was the intriguing story line. It was not until half way through that the pace picked up and became more of a page turner. Overall, Caged Warrior is a good start to a new series , and I am optimistic for a good sequel.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review
June 4, 2013
Brutal, creative and very dark! Lindsey Piper’s first installment in her new series Dragon Kings, Caged Warrior is darkly sensual, brutally painful and, as I discovered had no dragons! The dragon kings are an ancient and proud race of people born with special gifts ranging from supernatural speed to the powerful energy and senses. They are now on the verge of extinction and must either hide to survive or face being used as lab rats or gladiators in the dreaded Cage fights. Audrey has left her people to follow her heart and marry a human, but now both she and her young son have been held in the labs of their captors. When she is taken to be trained to fight in the cages, only her fierce determination to keep her son safe and rescue him someday provide her the will to go on, because heaven knows, her ‘trainer,’ Leto, another dragon King is far from an ally. Leto is bitter, brutal and completely dark inside and it shows as he seems to enjoy tormenting and humiliating Audrey. But what secret does he hold for his determination to do the bidding of their masters? What can drive a man to such blatant cruelty? Forced to train and fight with Audrey, Leto finds a begrudging respect and need for this fiery woman as she slowly breaks down his walls to find that a heart still beats within him.
Lindsey Piper has created a gritty and emotionally grueling tale where survival is all one can hope for, to find anything else in this bleak world is a rare and true gift. With very strong character development, Ms. Piper has bravely made a hero you love to hate and a heroine you can’t help but root for at every turn!
This ARC edition was provided by NetGalley and Pocket Books in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Dragon Kings #1
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publish Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN-10: 1451695918
ISBN-13: 978-1451695915
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Age Recommendation: Adult
Genre: Dark Romance
Available at: Amazon Barnes & Noble
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
Lindsey Piper has created a gritty and emotionally grueling tale where survival is all one can hope for, to find anything else in this bleak world is a rare and true gift. With very strong character development, Ms. Piper has bravely made a hero you love to hate and a heroine you can’t help but root for at every turn!
This ARC edition was provided by NetGalley and Pocket Books in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Dragon Kings #1
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publish Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN-10: 1451695918
ISBN-13: 978-1451695915
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Age Recommendation: Adult
Genre: Dark Romance
Available at: Amazon Barnes & Noble
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
December 11, 2014
Check out this review and others at Badass Book Reviews.
Caged Warrior was an entertaining read with a novel premise but something was missing for me. For some reason, I wasn’t as emotionally touched as I should have been for the plight of a woman who’s child is being used for who knows what experiments.
The Dragon Kings are a race of beings with supernatural abilities. They are NOT dragon shifters, just a different species that sprung from a deity they call the Dragon. They have lived among humans for eons and at one time were considered gods. But their race is at the point of extinction as they are having difficulty reproducing. One human doctor claims to have found a way to solve his problem but his prize is that the Dragon Kings must fight in gladiator style matches for the privilege of conception. Leto, the hero, was born and raised in this environment and he’s drunk the kool-aid. He fully believes in the system and he’s only goal in life is to win matches so he can continue his family’s lineage.
When he meets Audrey, he’s not too happy with the assignment to train her but once he gets to know her, he’s taken by her bravery in such horrible circumstances. Soon, he’s questioning everything he’s learned in his life.
A good chunk of the book is about Audrey’s training regime and that’s its biggest weakness. The mythology surrounded the Dragon Kings is sketchy and not very well fleshed out. We learn about the clans different powers, that they don’t trust each other, their bigotry towards humans but that’s about it. Leto and Audrey spend a lot of time together – which is good – but his behavior towards her was horrible at times because “it will help her fight.” This doesn’t give the reader a very fuzzy feeling.
The human villains were caricaturish in the extreme – I was expecting mustache twirling at some point. They are evil, eeeeeeevil with sadist tendencies and scary smiles. I couldn’t fully understand how they had gotten away with subjugating a group of people as the Dragon Kings but there you have it.
The book had some really good parts. The moment when Leto realizes he’s pretty much a slave was very moving and the escape was exciting – even if I wasn’t sure how everything came about. I think PNR readers interested in something new would find this a worthy read
Caged Warrior was an entertaining read with a novel premise but something was missing for me. For some reason, I wasn’t as emotionally touched as I should have been for the plight of a woman who’s child is being used for who knows what experiments.
The Dragon Kings are a race of beings with supernatural abilities. They are NOT dragon shifters, just a different species that sprung from a deity they call the Dragon. They have lived among humans for eons and at one time were considered gods. But their race is at the point of extinction as they are having difficulty reproducing. One human doctor claims to have found a way to solve his problem but his prize is that the Dragon Kings must fight in gladiator style matches for the privilege of conception. Leto, the hero, was born and raised in this environment and he’s drunk the kool-aid. He fully believes in the system and he’s only goal in life is to win matches so he can continue his family’s lineage.
When he meets Audrey, he’s not too happy with the assignment to train her but once he gets to know her, he’s taken by her bravery in such horrible circumstances. Soon, he’s questioning everything he’s learned in his life.
A good chunk of the book is about Audrey’s training regime and that’s its biggest weakness. The mythology surrounded the Dragon Kings is sketchy and not very well fleshed out. We learn about the clans different powers, that they don’t trust each other, their bigotry towards humans but that’s about it. Leto and Audrey spend a lot of time together – which is good – but his behavior towards her was horrible at times because “it will help her fight.” This doesn’t give the reader a very fuzzy feeling.
The human villains were caricaturish in the extreme – I was expecting mustache twirling at some point. They are evil, eeeeeeevil with sadist tendencies and scary smiles. I couldn’t fully understand how they had gotten away with subjugating a group of people as the Dragon Kings but there you have it.
The book had some really good parts. The moment when Leto realizes he’s pretty much a slave was very moving and the escape was exciting – even if I wasn’t sure how everything came about. I think PNR readers interested in something new would find this a worthy read
June 7, 2013
I picked this book up at the RT Convention and packed it in a bag to take along to my sister's house. I read the first 20 pages on the plane and I was hooked!
In this world a dragon race lives among humans. Though they look human in appearance, more or less, they possess dragon powers. Their race has problems reproducing. Audrey was banished from the dragons and led a life with humans, until she and her human husband had a baby. One day dragons arrived. They killed her husband, kidnapped Audrey and her son, and delivered them to the sadistic Dr. Aster's lab. After a year of torture and experimentation, Audrey is separated from her son and sent to train to be a cage warrior. She's been promised that if she can stay alive for a year, her son will be returned to her.
In the warrior complex, Audrey is assigned to Leto to train. When Leto's success is tied to Audrey's, they realize they have to find a way to work together.
This book really worked for me. I know, I know, I don't like angst, and this book is full of angst. And I don't like children in danger, and Audrey's son, Jack is certainly in danger. That was all off page, and it's Audrey's constant focus, which made it tolerable for me. But there's fighting! And there's powers and brainwashing. And it's complex, but written well enough that I didn't have problem tracking along with it.
Audrey is such a strong character! You get to see her gain self confidence and grow stronger. You get to see Leto come to admire her more and more as he gets to know her. From the beginning it was clear to me that Leto's asshole behavior had to do with the reality of training for cage fighting. They had a short time to get her ready to fight, and Leto has a personal stake in her success.
The story line was really interesting with enough twists and turns to really keep me enthralled. But they didn't seem to come out of nowhere. Each twist was an "ahhh!" moment for me, where suddenly things fell into place.
I thought the world was interesting and well written. I want to know more! The villains (Old Man Aster and his son, Dr. Aster) are a bit two dimensional. That was fine with me.
To be clear, there's no shifting into dragon form, for those who dislike shifters. (I'm good either way!) Overall I give the book a 4.5 out of 5 and look forward to reading more. I really enjoyed it!
In this world a dragon race lives among humans. Though they look human in appearance, more or less, they possess dragon powers. Their race has problems reproducing. Audrey was banished from the dragons and led a life with humans, until she and her human husband had a baby. One day dragons arrived. They killed her husband, kidnapped Audrey and her son, and delivered them to the sadistic Dr. Aster's lab. After a year of torture and experimentation, Audrey is separated from her son and sent to train to be a cage warrior. She's been promised that if she can stay alive for a year, her son will be returned to her.
In the warrior complex, Audrey is assigned to Leto to train. When Leto's success is tied to Audrey's, they realize they have to find a way to work together.
This book really worked for me. I know, I know, I don't like angst, and this book is full of angst. And I don't like children in danger, and Audrey's son, Jack is certainly in danger. That was all off page, and it's Audrey's constant focus, which made it tolerable for me. But there's fighting! And there's powers and brainwashing. And it's complex, but written well enough that I didn't have problem tracking along with it.
Audrey is such a strong character! You get to see her gain self confidence and grow stronger. You get to see Leto come to admire her more and more as he gets to know her. From the beginning it was clear to me that Leto's asshole behavior had to do with the reality of training for cage fighting. They had a short time to get her ready to fight, and Leto has a personal stake in her success.
The story line was really interesting with enough twists and turns to really keep me enthralled. But they didn't seem to come out of nowhere. Each twist was an "ahhh!" moment for me, where suddenly things fell into place.
I thought the world was interesting and well written. I want to know more! The villains (Old Man Aster and his son, Dr. Aster) are a bit two dimensional. That was fine with me.
To be clear, there's no shifting into dragon form, for those who dislike shifters. (I'm good either way!) Overall I give the book a 4.5 out of 5 and look forward to reading more. I really enjoyed it!
April 8, 2013
I really wanted this book to be amazing. I read the short prequel just before Christmas and I was supper impressed with it so I had high hopes for Caged Warrior. I find the whole of this series amazing; it is so fresh and original. I like that this series is dark and dangerous, these are no sweet romances they are dirty, violent and brutal.
The first half of this book was just what I thought it would be and I was really impressed with it. I liked the horribleness, the roughness. I loved the characters Audrey is strong and heroic; she has been through so much and refuses to wallow in self-pity. Leto is dark and dangerous, he is nor a ‘hero’ he does and has done bad things and he is not gentle or sweet, but he is honourable and there are a few moments where his protective nature came out and he was mesmerizing. The chemistry between them was building up into something great and I thought that this book was getting better and better…but then, something went wrong.
The storyline takes a turn and forces Audrey’s character to change and from there this book faltered. It is hard to be harsh about this book because I was so determined to love it but the second half of this book was a let-down. The chemistry and sexual tension that had been lovingly and expertly built over the first half was just wasted and the flow of the novel was lost. Audrey’s character change doesn’t last long but the book never really recovered and I was left wishing that the whole second half wasn’t really this book.
Despite this I am still backing this series; there is a lot to admire here, a lot of originality. This is the author’s debut novel and so there is still room to grow and improve. I have high hopes for the rest of the series, because the first half of this proved that there is a lot of potential and a lot of talent to be found here.
The first half of this book was just what I thought it would be and I was really impressed with it. I liked the horribleness, the roughness. I loved the characters Audrey is strong and heroic; she has been through so much and refuses to wallow in self-pity. Leto is dark and dangerous, he is nor a ‘hero’ he does and has done bad things and he is not gentle or sweet, but he is honourable and there are a few moments where his protective nature came out and he was mesmerizing. The chemistry between them was building up into something great and I thought that this book was getting better and better…but then, something went wrong.
The storyline takes a turn and forces Audrey’s character to change and from there this book faltered. It is hard to be harsh about this book because I was so determined to love it but the second half of this book was a let-down. The chemistry and sexual tension that had been lovingly and expertly built over the first half was just wasted and the flow of the novel was lost. Audrey’s character change doesn’t last long but the book never really recovered and I was left wishing that the whole second half wasn’t really this book.
Despite this I am still backing this series; there is a lot to admire here, a lot of originality. This is the author’s debut novel and so there is still room to grow and improve. I have high hopes for the rest of the series, because the first half of this proved that there is a lot of potential and a lot of talent to be found here.
June 7, 2013
I didn't know what to expect in this book, first glanced reminds me of the movie Gladiator. hehe, but Caged Warrior is not your typical paranormal/fantasy romance book. First impression? not your typical paranormal love story. It's too dark, ugly, raw, fighting and violence for my taste.. it was shocking and to be honest I didn't want to continue it but for some odd reason I feel like I was inside the book and couldn't look away!
The storyline is pretty good, though I did find some parts a little confusing and a bit slow paced for my taste. Character wise, they were all okay... I like our heroine Audrey- she's strong, and feel somewhat connected to her. When I think of her, I feel like singing "I'm a survivor by Destiny's Child" hehe! She's been through so much and it's hard not to feel sorry for this woman. Now the Hero Leto is quite unlikeable, he was cruel and it took me awhile to warm up on him. Gotta say, I still don't like him.. :/
Caged Warrior is not just a dark fantasy.. it was also an emotional roller coaster that at some point I felt exhausted to continue to read it. This is my first read from this author and I think she did an amazing job on this one! It's pretty original in my opinion and definitely great start for a new series!
Will wait for the next book of Dragon Kings!
I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The storyline is pretty good, though I did find some parts a little confusing and a bit slow paced for my taste. Character wise, they were all okay... I like our heroine Audrey- she's strong, and feel somewhat connected to her. When I think of her, I feel like singing "I'm a survivor by Destiny's Child" hehe! She's been through so much and it's hard not to feel sorry for this woman. Now the Hero Leto is quite unlikeable, he was cruel and it took me awhile to warm up on him. Gotta say, I still don't like him.. :/
Caged Warrior is not just a dark fantasy.. it was also an emotional roller coaster that at some point I felt exhausted to continue to read it. This is my first read from this author and I think she did an amazing job on this one! It's pretty original in my opinion and definitely great start for a new series!
Will wait for the next book of Dragon Kings!
I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
April 5, 2013
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from Edelweiss
DRAGON KINGS is a good new series, but I actually enjoyed the prequel novella better than the first full length novel. It just felt like I was missing something for a good part of the story (even after reading Silent Warrior), but once I filled in the gaps in my head and got things straight using my imagination, I was able to better enjoy the story for just that... the story.
I loved the different clans and their respective Gifts - it should be noted that the characters are not dragons though, they are immortals with a Dragon deity, each with a God/Goddess given Gift depending on their bloodline.
The ups and downs of our hero and heroine's journey to one another was emotion filled and tense, the characters were wonderfully created and portrayed, and the world was unique and complex. It was also quite dark, and for a reader who leans more towards the grittier Urban Fantasy reads, I enjoyed that greatly!
There were also some great twists throughout the story that kept me riveted.
With all that said, I give Caged Warrior 3 1/2 Skulls and will be looking forward to book #2 and more time spent with our Dragon Kings.
*eARC received from Edelweiss
DRAGON KINGS is a good new series, but I actually enjoyed the prequel novella better than the first full length novel. It just felt like I was missing something for a good part of the story (even after reading Silent Warrior), but once I filled in the gaps in my head and got things straight using my imagination, I was able to better enjoy the story for just that... the story.
I loved the different clans and their respective Gifts - it should be noted that the characters are not dragons though, they are immortals with a Dragon deity, each with a God/Goddess given Gift depending on their bloodline.
The ups and downs of our hero and heroine's journey to one another was emotion filled and tense, the characters were wonderfully created and portrayed, and the world was unique and complex. It was also quite dark, and for a reader who leans more towards the grittier Urban Fantasy reads, I enjoyed that greatly!
There were also some great twists throughout the story that kept me riveted.
With all that said, I give Caged Warrior 3 1/2 Skulls and will be looking forward to book #2 and more time spent with our Dragon Kings.
July 7, 2013
WOW....that is what I am reduced to after finishing this...I don't think I can really give a review that will do it justice...even though I had a bit of an idea of what to expect after reading some of the reviews...it was still unexpected and very different from anything that I have read so far, which is very refreshing in this age of everyone jumping on the same bandwagon of the "next big thing"
I'm not going to go into a synopsis of the story there are other reviews that have done that and have done it better than I could have.
I hated and loved Leto, and it was more hate until late in the story. And Audrey/Nynn...while very much the victim when we first meet her, she was still incredibly strong...and then we get kick ass Nynn.
I thought this was a good start to a new series, it sucks you in the world building is good, not too much at once and I was hooked on the story from start to finish.
Book provided by publisher through Edelwiess for an honest review
I'm not going to go into a synopsis of the story there are other reviews that have done that and have done it better than I could have.
I hated and loved Leto, and it was more hate until late in the story. And Audrey/Nynn...while very much the victim when we first meet her, she was still incredibly strong...and then we get kick ass Nynn.
I thought this was a good start to a new series, it sucks you in the world building is good, not too much at once and I was hooked on the story from start to finish.
Book provided by publisher through Edelwiess for an honest review
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