Why I picked up this book:

I received a series of free books via email, and The First Crown was buried in the pile. The cover was the first thing that called out to me, and honestly, how could I resist any story about dragons? It was a quick read and definitely a gem for readers who are curious about the Caledan worlds.

This review may contain spoilers.

The First Crown (Books of Caledan #0.5)
	It’s easy to kill a man. It’s hard to kill a dragon. Is it impossible to kill a god? Bahr, the god of Fire and War, is terrorising the land, annihilating men, Eldarkind and dragons alike. Nothing can stand before him and Beren, chief amongst men, faces everything he loves being lost to Bahr’s fickle fires. After witnessing Bahr’s devastating power, Beren despairs, until the mysterious king of the Eldarkind offers him one glimmer of hope – but it comes at great cost. To have any chance of success, Beren must have faith in the enigmatic Eldarkind, set aside his lifelong differences with the dragons, and place his trust in the enemy who has destroyed his home and family. Unless he does so, they are all doomed.
As Bahr’s vengeful eye turns to their hostile alliance, their differences threaten to divide man, Eldarkind, and dragon. Can Beren forge the strongest allies from his bitterest enemies before Bahr destroys them all?

   

What I loved:

This novella length story is very well written. It had the feel of Tolkien’s worlds, and immediately put the reader in the middle of a dire conflict that needed to be resolved. I love that it showed three armies coming together in a struggle for peace without delving too deeply into a how-to on execution of flank maneuvers.

Brithilica is wonderful, and his role from start to finish was the most heart-felt. I now have a reason to cheer and keep reading into the series to find out how his story continues.

Areas needing a touch of refinement:

I wanted to feel a bit more in touch with each of the characters. They were all really fascinating, but the story didn’t have a strong emotional depth until the incident at the end. I would have liked to feel more. To connect more with each of the three main individuals and their struggles.

Overall:

Although this story read more like a quick history for the Caledan series, I really enjoyed it. And I’ll be honest… if it wasn’t for one tiny, heart-wrenching thing that happened toward the end, I may have chalked it up to a good read and moved on. However, the author hooked me and I’ll be picking up the first book in her series, The Tainted Crown, and adding it to my reads pile.

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