Review: Curse of The Ice Dragon

Happy Thursday! Today's post is a review of Curse Of The Ice Dragon by Tara West. Enjoy!

The author is also awarding a prize to a randomly drawn commenter from this tour, so be sure to enter as often as you can to win an e-book from the Whispers Series. You can find the tour schedule here.

BLURB:

From the bestselling paranormal author of The Whispers Series comes a new fantasy saga.

Born with mark of the Mighty Hunter, Markus has the skill and strength to feed his people, but not to confront his own tyrannical father. Shamed by his cowardice, Markus releases his frustration on the forest creatures.

The village prophet warns that Markus's reckless ways will bring down The Hunter’s Curse, and for every animal Markus kills, his loved ones will suffer the same fate. When the warnings go unheeded, the Sky Goddess unleashes her ice dragon. Now Markus must flee the dragon without killing it or his beloved brother will die.

Markus's flight takes him to the lands of the mysterious Ice People. There, the beautiful maiden Ura helps Markus learn the compassion and courage he needs to face the wrath of the Goddess, but the final confrontation will not be without price, as Markus must choose between the life of his brother and the fate of the girl he loves.

REVIEW:

I rarely pick up fantasy novels. They've never really gripped me on the written page so much as in the epic movies we all know. This one, though, held me from start to finish.

The book opens on the birth of Markus, the hunter meant to save the village from certain starvation. His brother, Alec, is a sickly child and suffers the wrath of their father, but he vows to help Markus retain compassion in his life, and not become a mindless killer. I won't delve too far into the plot lines of the story, as the reader should give this book a chance and discover the beauty of it themselves.

I was impressed with this book. West has delicately woven relationships that will survive through dragons and curses, and echo real issues most of us face every day. Each character was expertly fleshed out, and the dynamics throughout are amazing. I recommend this story, and I'll definitely be reading more of West's novels.

EXCERPT:

Markus gazed in horror at Lydra sitting perched at the cusp of the glacier, blowing a long curtain of ice in front of her. With a deep intake of breath, the beast’s chest ballooned before she blew out another stream of ice, frost dripping off her fangs with each hiss of air. She was making the path thicker and impenetrable.

She was building a bridge across the glacier! Looking up from her perch, Lydra leveled Markus with a crimson, sinister glare.

Swallowing a lump of fear, Markus struggled to breathe through his constricting lungs. This was no dumb animal. Nay, Markus was the fool. He had considered himself safe on this glacier, but he had proven himself to be no more intelligent than an elk.

Lydra did not try to traverse the ice bridge on clumsy legs — she used her belly instead. The shimmery scales that coated her distended stomach must have been smooth as well, for she slid seamlessly along the surface. When she reached the end of the bridge, she stopped herself with the tips of her long fangs and stood up before blowing yet another bridge of smooth ice across the glacier.

Turning, Markus picked up speed, knowing that with his weighted, frozen feet, he put himself at greater risk of falling through the ice. But he had no choice. The dragon would be upon him before he crossed to the mountain. With his quickened pace, he narrowly missed several crevasses. The dragon had come so close to him now that he could almost feel its frozen breath at his back.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

A former Texas high school teacher, I enjoyed coaching the writing team and even the hectic deadlines that came with running the school publications. After taking a break to raise my baby girl, I now work from home as a novelist and a part-time graphic designer. In my spare time, I love to read, exercise and spend time with my family and friends.

I would love to hear from my readers!

Blog: tarawestauthor.wordpress.com

Email: tara@tarawest.com

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Website: tarawest.com