Customer Reviews

Dragon and Phoenix (Earthlight)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm not a teenager, in fact, I'm a grandmother, so saying that this book is too juvenile for anyone not a teen is a bit arrogant. I read many books, but for pure escapism, I really enjoy a good 'fantasy' novel! Some of those 'critically acclaimed' books for the 'discriminating reader' are just plain boring, although not all are.

Personally, I like reading about dragons. I think that Anne McCaffrey is my favorite author, but this give the same feelings: good vs bad, light vs darkness. The good guys win in the end by acting with honor. There should be more books like this that show our kids how to act with honor and respect to others.

I truly enjoyed this book, so much in fact, that I stayed up all night until 4 am reading, until I just could not stay awake anymore. I just didn't want to put the book down. I finished it the next morning, after a good nap!

This was absolutely great! I hope that there is a retro book, detailing Lindens past as well. Perhaps even one that details the shaman's war that created the DragonLords.

I started out with this second one in the series, and once it was finished, (I stayed up all night to read that one too!) I had to go find the 1st one to read. When are there going to be more? I can hardly wait.

Keep up the good work, Joanne Bertin!

Other reviews go into the plot, so I won't. Many 2nd novels in a trilogy are dull, hard to get through, and unappealing. Not so this one. Ms. Bertin adds interesting cultures, characters, and climates to what was already rich in The Last Dragonlord. Bad guys are bad but still have good characteristics; good guys still have flaws. She makes people and animals real. Now I have new favorite characters and I can't wait for Bard's Oath!

Joanne Bertin wrote "The Last Dragonlord," which is my favorite book, I literally could not put it down! I was beyond belief happy to find out she was writing a sequel. "Dragon and Phoenix" is the best sequel novel I have ever read, it maintained the characters you loved from the first novel and made them even more intriging and captivating to read about. The descripitions of the characters and places are some of the best I've read. The plot was completely unexpected and other-worldly great. Joanne Bertin has a mystifing talent that I do not believe she has fully tapped into yet... but hopefully she has may more novels to surprise and captivate us with. Joanne Bertin is one of the best writers out there and is quickly becoming my favortie author.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Last Dragonlord," so naturally I had to read this one. The same themes lie in the sequel: romance, political intrigue, and magic. Its also longer, and therein lies my main complaint about this book.

There was a good amount of stuff that could be easily cut out of this book without affecting it. It just felt like the plot was moving along too slowly. Even though there were other important things going on the same time, there's no need to switch over to another group that isn't doing anything at all. Also, at the end the point of view jumps around quite a bit, but the action is more intense.

The non-main characters were interesting too. In the first one, they didn't change very much and you usually knew what side they were on. In this book, Bertin works on her characterization by giving more points of view. Even though you know that what a particular character's ideas are wrong, you understand them. I found Shei-Luin, the emperor's concubine, the most interesting. She's somewhat similar Sherrine in the previous book, but she's much more human and rounded out.

So in some ways this book is better than the last, and in some ways it was worse. In the end, however, I'm glad I read this and I'll be picking up the next one. If you aren't sure whether this series is for you, check out my review for the last book and hopefully that will help. But if you did read and enjoy "The Last Dragonlord," give this one a shot. I can't guarantee that you'll love it like I did, it just depends on your tolerance for certain things. I know I liked it, and I hope you do too.

Ok. Not sure what some people are complaining about. I've skimmed the reviews and seen "too long" "not as good as the first", etc, etc, etc.
Listen people, this is a sequel, say it with me, SEQUEL. They never make the same impact as the first book, they are the bridge from teh first to the third. I mean c'mon people, this book was AMAZING if you look ahead.
Joanne Bertin is a goddess of the text, she is my idol and i can only dream of being as good as she is one day.
Her characters come alive to you, become like people you know. The worlds she creates are more vast and full of so much!!

If there was ever a series to read, it is Joanne Bertin's "The Last Dragonlord" and "Dragon and Pheonix".

I can't wait for "bard's Oath" and have no doubt it will bring about more than even the most hardcore fantasy fan couldever imagine.

I really enjoyed this book. It actually made the eight-hour car trip through the traffic of new york pleasant. This book had several different winding, twisting, and extremely engrossing story lines, each just as interesting as the next.One of the main ones was about the dragon lords, whose story started out in the first book, The Last Dragonlord, and the other main plot line was about a clever, scheming girl taken from her native tribe to a concubine of the emporer's.Many times, when authors try to put political intrigue in their books, it makes for an extremely boring read. Not so with this book. The politcal manuverings of Shei-Lu (the concubine),Lord Jhanun, and the weak emporer, Xiane, create a plotline that is difficult to tear yourself away from.
The romance betweenn mauryanna and Linden that was the only unappealing part of The Last Dragonlord is toned down a bit in this book. Also, new dragonlords are intoduced in this book. Overall, it was an extemely enjoyable book.

This book is the second book about the immortal were-dragons, the dragonlords. These dragons are born into a human body with both a human and dragon soul. In this particular story, Linden and Maurynna travel across their world to help free a dragon, whom they believe is a dragonlord gone insane. However, freeing the dragon means the freedom of the phoenix and the fate of an entire race of people.

This book was one of the most enjoyable I have ever read. There are very few books that I get so engrossed in that I can't put down at night. Joanne Bertin's writing style brings the reader into the story. I felt like I was riding alongside Linden and Maurynna as they went on their adventure. I have read many different dragon books, but I have never found one that I love so much that I could read over and over again.

I can't wait for her to write her next book!

I would not recommend that readers begin with this book. The Last Dragon Lord comes first. That having been said...

Bertin has created a word in which weredragons, otherwise known as Dragon Lords, dwell. Dragon Lords are humans with whom half a dragon's soul has bonded. The other half resides in the Dragon Lords soul twin. Together they are bonded into a lifelong pair. A very long life. Dragon Lords can live thousands of years.

In this tale Linden and Maurynna join a band of true humans and Dragon Lords in a fantastic journey across the world to the land of Jehanglan. Jehanglan is modeled after the far east, a closed society where violence is shunned as barbaric, yet the art of assassination thrives. A man presenting himself as an escaped slave brings word to Dragonkeep that a truedragon is being held hostage in Jehanglan. After a desparate and failed gambit by the truedragons, it is up to the Dragon Lords to uncover the truth in a harsh, deadly, beautiful country--one that hides a deadly secret.

Besides the familiar cast of characters from The Last Dragon Lord, an intriguing new character is introduced. Shei Luin is the emperor's concubine, and while her story is somewhat of a sideline, she is non-the-less a facinating character whom you will love, hate and admire.

I love this series. I am eagerly awaiting the third one. I thought this book was just as good as the prequel, "The Last Dragonlord". In this one, there is big trouble brewing in the eastern land of Jehanglan. A phoenix that is supposed to be released and burned every thousand years has been held captive. It is about a century overdue and getting angry. So powerful an army of truedragons can do nothing against it, the phoenix rages for freedom. A captive truedragon is also held captive beneath a mountain, and one small troupe of tumblers who are really Dragonlords are setting out into the heart of the near-disaster country...

This was an excellent addition to the fantasy genre, with an original take on dragons. I highly recommend it.