Draykon: Book 1 (The Draykon Series) [Kindle Edition]

Charlotte E. English (Author)

Book Description

When shy and retiring Llandry Sanfaer discovers a mesmerising new gemstone, she suddenly becomes the most famous jeweller across the Seven Realms. Demand for the coveted stone escalates fast; when people begin dying for it, Llandry finds that she herself has become a target.

Lady Evastany Glostrum has her life in pristine order. Prestigious, powerful and wealthy, she is on the verge of crowning her successes with the perfect marriage. But when her closest friend is murdered for the jewellery she wears, Eva is drawn into the mystery surrounding the curious "istore" gem.

The emergence of the stone is causing chaos across the Seven. Gates between the worlds are opening at will, pulling hordes of creatures through from the shadowy Lower Realm and the glittering Uppers. As Eva works to discover the culprit behind the spreading disorder, Llandry must learn the truth about her precious istore stone - before she herself becomes a victim.

Draykon is a full-length, high fantasy mystery novel of 95,000 words (approx. 380 pages). It is the first book in the Draykon Series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book was... an absolute gem. The writing was excellent, the descriptions of the worlds were so vivid I could see them and the characters were each unique." - Beth Hobson, Ebook Apothecary

"I really liked the story-telling style of the author and the two different story-arcs run smoothly along till almost the end when they collide magnificently and culminate in a crescendo." - Ritesh Kala's Book Reviews

"English's characters are very well written and easy to identify with... the plot is compelling. All in all I would recommend this book to anyone." - Urban Fantasy Reviews

About the Author

Charlotte writes fantasy/science fiction stories which blend eccentric world-building, mystery, romance and humour. Born and raised in England, she now lives in the Netherlands with her partner and two mildly demonic cats. She's an avid reader, history buff, text gamer, seamstress and cook.

Product Details

• File Size: 701 KB
• Print Length: 404 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1478319488
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005KLVNFA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,877 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #24 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Adventure
  • #36 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Epic

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A good fantasy read May 13, 2012

By Mirrani

Format:Kindle Edition

Draykon takes place in a world that contains many realms and layers within it, so many that I had difficulty working out exactly what was happening where. The plot is well considered and the characters were believable and easy to follow, but I really struggled with the location in this book. From the very beginning I was thinking that perhaps I had missed a book in the series that explained the layout of the realms and the depth of the culture surrounding them, but frequent checks back at the title reminded me that this was, indeed, book one, so I shouldn't have missed any information. This made the book somewhat frustrating at times because I was desperate for that understanding.

Otherwise, this was a fairly good read. I was interested in the action and many of the characters were able to hold my attention /through/ the confusing locations within the story. I found myself wanting more of them, not just more story, but more background, more explanation of their physical forms and their cultures. A little more attention to detail and I would have been happily clinging to the book to discover what was inside, then rushing out on a quest to get the second book in the series. As it is, I found this an interesting story, but I don't know that I was pulled in quite enough to get the next in the series, since I think my curiosity in the realms within the pages won't be as satisfied as I'd like it to be.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Draykon- GREAT fantasy/mystery read! November 6, 2011

By Kathryn S. Steves

Format:Kindle Edition

If I had to pick two of my favorite genres they would be fantasy and mystery. This book is the delightful integration of both. The story follow several characters, but primarily Llandry and Eva. Llandry is a jewelry maker by trade and stumbles upon a new stone which she calls istore (if I remember correctly it means star, but I could be wrong). This new gem makes Llandry's jewelry highly sought after, especially after Eva is seen wearing a ring made with the gem. Eva is a woman of high society, she is in a high position as well as having the title of Lady. However Llandry's new found success end rather abruptly when people who have bought istore turn up murdered.

As the book continues it is revealed there is much more at work here than just simple greed for a new found popular gem. It's at this point the book starts adding in the mystery element. While this book is certainly a mystery, English approaches it with a fantasy flare.

English's characters are very well written and easy to identify with. Not only that but the two women are strikingly different from each other, while each playing a vital and important role within the story. As the story began I thought I would not like Llandry, she seemed a little to fragile for my liking, but English proved me wrong. Llandry is just young and trying to find a way to come into her own. She also feels responsible for the events that happened to her customers, and is willing to do whatever she can to help and find a way to end the madness going on.

Another thing that made this book endearing to me was the use of animals throughout it. I myself am I pet lover (as I write this review I have three dogs fast asleep in my lap), and Llandry's protective nature towards Sigwide her pet. There are often times when she puts herself in danger to make sure he is okay, and he is just as fierce of a protector for her and she is for him. Another thing I enjoyed about the animal element is that there are various types of animals throughout the book, all with various skills, and they fit in so seamlessly into the society English created. They felt like they belong in the story as much as any other living creature did.

Another intriguing elements of the story was the istore, I will of course not give away what they find out about the mysterious gem, but I will say that it had almost an addictive like property for those who came in contact with it. Even after it is revealed that people who owe in are in danger, some are still obsessed with acquiring their stone or keeping what they own safe. This reaction makes the istore mystery that much more interesting as the story goes on.

All in all I would recommend this book to anyone. While some fantasy books can be overly complicated and harder to really delve into, this book is great for a new fantasy reader because English did such a good job of making the characters relatable. This book is also a great read for those who already like the fantasy genre because the plot is compelling. And for those who like a good mystery, this book will certainly be a good read for those as well. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A lovely stroll through a fantastic world. August 28, 2012

By Enter the Portal

Format:Kindle Edition

At first, DRAYKON seemed a bit juvenile, with winged fairies living in trees and an insecure young protagonist, but after a few chapters, the book really grew on me. The world-building was unique, with three different planes of existence and multiple realms within the "middle" plane that aligned themselves with one or the other of the "upper" and "lower" planes. As the characters traveled through the world and the plot unfolded, the complexity and true depth of the story was revealed. However, while I enjoyed the story, and it was fun to read, nothing hooked me to the point of never letting go. It was like taking a stroll through a lovely park, rather than riding a fast and furious rollercoaster; enjoyable, but not thrilling.

Characters: *** 3 Stars
Llandry is an immature twenty-something, afraid of crowds and insecure in her own skin. A young jeweler, fame overwhelms her when she discovers a rare gemstone and uses it in her designs. As the story progresses, Llandry starts to take some risks and attempts to assert herself, to mixed results, but I enjoyed seeing her grow and develop.

Eva is almost an opposite to Llandry. She's older, wiser, and confident in her abilities. She is also friends with Llandry's mother and as their worlds collide, she provides a good foil for the younger woman.

Devary comes in to the story as a mystery, and stays that way. I'm not sure if he is a love interest, a babysitter, or just a friend of Llandry's mother, but he does help bring Llandry out of hiding and into the world, literally and figuratively. I imagine more will come to light about him in later books, and I definitely wanted to know more about him and his role in Llandry's world.

Plot: **** 4 Stars
Draykon moved along at a nice easy "goldilocks" pace; neither too fast nor too slow. The author does a great job of twisting together different plot lines until they finally meet toward the end of the novel, revealing a big "AHA!" moment.

My one complaint was the choice of the name of the jewel: an istore gem made me think of an Apple product, as in an ipod or an iphone, and I couldn't get that out of my head for the whole story.

Setting: **** 4 Stars
Draykon seemed like a wonderful world, very well-drawn and easy to imagine, though fantastical. I loved the concept of the realms being aligned with the "upper" and "lower" planes, the upper being light, bright, and airy, and the lower being dark, shadowed, and chaotic.

Eva's realm, Glour, is aligned with the lower realm, and exists in the dark. As a result, all of the people of Glour are extremely sensitive to the light and the environment has evolved to thrive in nighttime conditions.

Meanwhile, the Glinnish people are winged and live in perpetual daytime. The author did a great job incorporating the flying into the story, where danger can come from above and Llandry's escapes had to be faster or higher than her pursuers.

Romance: * 1 Star
Llandry and Devary seemed to have a bit of a "thing" going on, but they never did anything about it. There was a nice scene at the end, when Llandry saves Devary's life, but at that point it was too late to have a great romance. Perhaps in later books their relationship will deepen, but for this first book I wanted more from them both.

Genre - Adventure Fantasy: *** 3 Stars
DRAYKON is a fun, easy story to read, but lacks the extreme highs and lows of a great adventure. It's a book that would be a great beach read, when you want to have something undemanding that you can put aside for a little while but quickly remember when you return.

Note: This review was requested by the author. The only compensation received was a free copy of the book.

More About the Author

Originally from England, Charlotte now in the heart of windmill country in the Netherlands. She has a degree in Heritage, and her interests include books, crafts, cooking and social history. She likes to write whimsical, colourful tales full of character and humour.