Dragon Dreams by Dusty Lynn Holloway

(Image found on Goodreads)

“He had been taught to be strong, but she had learned to be stronger.” -Dusty Lynn Holloway, Dragon Dreams

First in the series, Dragon Dreams follows Auri, an elf, and a human raised by a dragon named Nachel. Every night Nachel has the same nightmare. Auri, laying dead on a battlefield, killed by the Rebel Dragon Leader, Obsidian. Sent by his foster-father to find her and save her, he searches desperately, hoping to find a land that has long been hidden and do so without dying. But will he be able to save Auri? Or are the dreams set in stone. Find the official description at Goodreads!

This book was amazing! It grabs reader’s attention from the very beginning and also draws the readers into the story. Not only that, but it’s emotionally charged from the very beginning. I kept being drawn deeper and deeper into the story because of the level of emotion that was displayed and the insights that we are given into characters through their thoughts and actions. It wasn’t hard to find myself taking their place and feeling their pain as well as their joy, although that was few and far between.

Dusty Lynn Holloway also doesn’t overload the reader with information about the world. She slowly eases them into the world of Dragon Dreams while allowing them time to adjust. It didn’t seem too hard to understand the world as information was given slowly and in increments that could be understood before being given more. I couldn’t help but draw certain parallels with the Inheritance Series but it also wasn’t very similar. There were only certain aspects that seemed similar to the Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini.

Dusty also paces the action throughout much of the book and doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to get to the action. She allows the reader time to understand the world and find themselves learning about the characters, and growing attached to those characters.

Then there is the characters. I found myself amused by Auri at first, because she seemed to act immature at certain points but then as I got farther into the book I found myself watching as she developed a depth to her, one that doesn’t seem usual for a girl so young. There’s also Nachel. He is a young man and yet just like Auri he has insights into people. Not to mention that he sees a war that is destroying the world, one that will destroy the world if not stopped. A war that is hurting others, and he wishes it would stop. It’s not a depth that most young men have in books. It was interesting to see.

Dusty gives occasional humorous scenes to break up the emotionally charged scenes but as you move through the book, they become fewer and fewer. Until finally you are left with only these emotionally charged scenes, ones that will keep the reader reading. I was drawn into the world and emotionally I felt drained afterwards.

If you are a fan of fantasy and Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series, than I would suggest this book for you. It was a great read, one that was wonderfully written. Have you read Dragon Dreams? What did you think about it? Were you drawn in?