Book Review: Dragon Blood

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Dragon Blood     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Patricia Briggs
Class/Genre:   Fantasy
Ace, Jan 2003, $6.99, 288 pp.

The keep of Hurog was torn asunder by magic in order to save it. Now Ward, the lord of Hurog, is seeing to the task of rebuilding the land. His closest friend is Oreg, half dragon and half man, comfortable in either form. They are content to stay in the holding and not have anything further to do with the evil High King Jakoven or the intrigues of the court.

Unfortunately, Jakoven wants Hurog, a land steeped in magic and to get it he arrests Ward and throws him in the Asylum where the king’s mages and torturers work on him. They hope to prove that Ward is unfit to rule but the lord has powerful allies who are able to stop the King’s plan at the last minute. Free to go home, Ward knows he must join the rebellion and topple the High King from the throne before he can use the powerful magical artifact, the Bane, which can control dragons and destroy empires.

Patricia Briggs is a master storyteller who creates fanciful adult fairy tales that readers will love. DRAGON BLOOD has a charismatic hero who wins the hearts of the audience with his inner strength, compassion and good heart. The use of magical beings such as dragons, dwarves and other creatures of myth and legend don’t distract from the believability of the plot. This reviewer hopes that some of the characters in this fantasy get a chance to have their story told.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner