Customer Reviews

Dragon Queen: An Ancient Mirrors Tale

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In Aestretfordae, the Ancients grant great power to the three Guardians in training Yavie, Ryden and Nall. However, before their first official mission and in spite of these gifts, Nall is wounded by the deadly slitherwort poison; to save his life, Yavie gives him a blood oath.

The trio's opening project seems simple enough. They are each assigned to contact a different dragon flyte, who will in turn consign a quest to the visiting Guardian. Nall travels to the Ice and Accordant flytes; Yavie meets with the Wind and War dragon horde; Ryden, who hates dragons, visits the Sea flyte, but also cuts a side deal with a siren. After the Guardians complete the dangerous missions, war erupts when a kingdom under Yavie's watch attacks dragons. Sides are forming amidst the flytes, the kingdoms and the guardians with no one trusting their so-called allies or even a blood oath as betrayal is the norm amidst the Seven Kingdoms.

This is an interesting coming of age fantasy saga that focuses mostly on heroic Yavie although the other two guardians have their subplots told also just not as deeply as hers unfolds. Apparently THE WREKENING: An Ancient Mirrors' tale was released before DRAGON QUEST, but this novel's events occur earlier; thus the audience is better off reading this exciting story first. Though containing too much sidebar description, the brilliant use of On the Job Training to introduce the prime threesome make each of them seem genuine. Filled with political intrigue (especially interesting is the thought processes respectively of the Ancients and the flytes), military battles, and several surprising twists, Jayel Gibson provides an brilliant opening fantasy novel.

Harriet Klausner

In a time long ago, the world of Ædracmoræ was shattered into seven different lands, floating around a topaz star. This was the result of a desperate battle where evil triumphed over good, and the Guardians' souls were sent to slumber among the stars until called upon. Three of them, Yávië, Nall, and Rydén, are awakened by seven Ancients to fulfill a prophecy. They train vigorously until they are ready to undertake their quest, which they complete with the aid of three more Guardians. But their missions are not over: Yávië wants to reunite the seven kingdoms before she takes her rightful place as the Dragon Queen.

Jayel Gibson weaves a fantastical world populated by creatures of both good and evil. They journeys the Guardians complete are fascinating and difficult, yet sometimes I felt the tasks seemed accomplished rather easily. The first half of the book was a little disjointed and sometimes I felt that pieces of the story were missing, but the plot flowed more smoothly through the ending. I would have liked this novel to be broken up into shorter stories, as that would make it more manageable to read, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this tale of the Dragon Queen.

Dragon Queen is the first book in the exciting Ancient Mirrors fantasy series. While it wasn't as captivating for me as Lord of the Rings, it was still very interesting and had a lot of action and even romance. If you are a fantasy can who doesn't mind a long story, then I definitely recommend this book.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com

Born are the seven Ancients from the Tree of Creation knowing that they must assist the Guardians in fulfilling the Prophecy of Man. As three Guardians are being called to Meremire from their slumber, a shadow passes above and that means the Guardian will be reborn with darkness in their heart. Who will betray their brethren?

Alandon saw the evil his daughter was harboring in her soul, even to the point of having the Queen, her mother slain so that she could be crowned. Twins as different as night and day; Yavie the pure one that did not hunger for the crown, the younger of the two; and then Aleria the evil twin bound to wreak destruction upon Aestretfordae. Alandon knew what must be done, he divided Aestretfordae into seven pieces and condemning it to forever slumber until the time was right. When the rightful Dragon Queen would take her place on the throne.

Yavie and the Guardians had many obstacles to over come before they could fully see the rebirth of Aestretfordae. Evil lurked around every corner, things were hardly ever as they seemed, and somewhere between dying and being reborn, blood oaths, betrayal, journeys for Truths, and memories, came love. Sorel was a Guardian from one of the seven pieces of Aestretfordae, with his life he would forever protect Yavie in battle and with his heart.

Much evil still lurks just behind the Guardians or in some cases lays in wait before them. A tale of many combined events that at the moment you think the book is coming to an end, it throws more action right into your face.

Dragon Queen by Jayel Gibson is a fantasy novel that you will not put down once you start reading the first page. Over 500 pages of twist and turning pure excitement, Dragon Queen delivers a sensational read! An eye-catching cover is only the beginning of the entrancing story, so reader be warned, once the cover is open, it is not easily closed. Ms. Gibson pens a fantasy novel unlike any other, it is a must read. 5 Hearts

Celtic history aficionado Jayel Gibson presents Dragon Queen: An Ancient Mirrors Tale, a high fantasy novel and the prequel to "The Wrekening". When Yavie, born of the Dragon Queen and rightful heir to the throne, awakens from deathly slumber, she discovers a shattered world, and personal betrayal by her lover, her siblings, and even her father. Only she can reunite the seven shattered kingdoms of Aedracmorae; together with her companions, she embarks on a perilous quest to seek the ancient artifacts necessary to fulfill her destiny. Yet dire threats of chaos and shadow are waiting in the wings of the Aedracmorae's resurrection, in this sweeping magical saga of one woman's struggle to set right a land rent asunder. Enthusiastically recommended for connoisseurs of epic fantasy.

Dragon Queen by Jayel Gibson is the newest installment to the Ancient Mirrors fantasy series. In it, she takes us back in time before Cwen and the cast of characters we met in The Wrekening. In doing so, Gibson spins a mythological tale involving the creation of the world Ædracmoræ, which she has so meticulously imagined.

While focusing on that myth building, Gibson still performs the magic that readers are coming to expect from her. She creates a fast-paced story filled with intrigue and amazing characters that keeps our eyes glued to the pages long after we should have retired for the night. In the end, these plot threads are woven together nicely, but we are left with a strong suspicion that Gibson is not done, just yet, with the world of Ædracmoræ.

The events in Dragon Queen spin around the characters Nall, Rydén, and Yávië, the Dragon Queen. They are the Guardians created by the six Ancients to fulfill the ancient prophecies of Alandon, reunite the world, and recreate mankind. The book begins with the creation of these three Guardians and their subsequent training. The story then leaps into their quests to find ancient artifacts, gain the pledge of various species of dragons, and, of course, battle the dangerous denizens of their world (while falling in love and gaining a few allies in the process).

I think, for me, the aspect of Dragon Queen I enjoyed the most was the creation myth that Gibson has thought up. Most fantasy novels tend to occur, for some reason, in a sort of Post-Eden world; a world that was once great and powerful, but for various reasons has fallen into a state of decline. Gibson strays from that trend and pushes her fantastic world one step further--not only has her world fallen, but it is gone. Hence, it must be recreated, almost from scratch, by Yávië and her companions with the help of the Ancients and the Tree of Creation.

Now, is this world still simmering in a lair of darkness? You bet. The Guardians' encounters with Maelstrom are a perfect example. Is there strife and plotting in this newly created world? Sure, just wait till you meet Sybeth. Think of it like the first settlers in America: a new, clean land with a lot to overcome. That, in a nutshell, is the world of Dragon Queen.

After finishing the book, I asked myself one question, as I do with all prequels: Should you read Dragon Queen before you read The Wrekening? In my opinion, I would say no. I do think that it would all make sense (chronologically and otherwise), but I enjoyed knowing the goal and eventual end result of Yávië's actions. This seemed to add, rather than detract, from the action of the novel. Take it from me: whichever you do, read both The Wrekening and Dragon Queen!

So, for you Jayel Gibson fans out there, I strongly recommend Dragon Queen to you. It is a gem of a book that will leave you happy you spent some time with it. And for those of you who have yet to introduce yourself to Ms. Gibson, now is the time to do so. Something new is starting here and you'll be thankful you were part of it.

I had the pleasure and good fortune of reading an advance copy of 'Dragon Queen' and enjoyed every page. The events in 'Dragon Queen' take place before those of 'The Wrekening', when the Guardian Yávië and her companions quest to reunify the shattered worlds of Ædracmoræ. Filled with mystical creatures and wizened beings, 'Dragon Queen' follows the Guardians through the tasks required for the reunification spell, while Yávië discovers the truth of her past and future.

The chapters are not overly long, and give you a chance to follow several threads of the story without losing sight of the main plot, but you'll have trouble ending a chapter and being able to put the book down as this is one very engaging tale. The Ancients who gently guide the Guardians are some of the most endearing characters I have discovered in my recent readings, and you'll come away with a new respect for dragonkind.

I have just started reading 'The Wrekening' and is that Cwen ever a piece of work! I'm looking forward to seeing how her journey defines her.

In the tradition of Tolkien and Lewis, Jayel Gibson spins the tales of epic fantasy with skill. She is the modern Queen of Epic Fantasy!

The entire book lacks detail. Chapters are way too short and tend to be boring and difficult to get into (only 2-3 pages long on average). They are rushed and lack substance, failing to keep you in any kind of suspense. It reads like an unskilled, mishmashed retelling of of some dungeon master's role-playing gamer's campaign. It's full of far too many unrelated quests (dozens and dozens of them... to the point of being one for EVERY chapter). They are shotgunned at the reader one after the other and -- once again -- are far too short and lack the detail needed to maintain the reader's interest. Every chapter is the beginning and end of some "vital" quest or mission. The book is also full of generic role-playing terms and descriptions (such as the use of the word "spells"). The writer makes little effort to make the scene come to life and fails to avoid cliche-sounding phrases used in role-playing. About the only thing I liked about this book (which I couldn't even finish reading because I became so bored with it) was the world-building theology and its larger, macro-scoped storyline. Unfortunately, the "lens" of the author's storytelling style never zooms in deep enough and close enough to allow the reader to relate to the characters on a personal, individual level... to absorb the reader on the micro level. Also I never felt like any of the characters were ever truly in any danger because they seemed too god-like and all-powerful... and too unreal. If they died it was only a matter of time before they reincarnated. I definitely do NOT recommend this book at all.