Hunter – 4 Star Book Review – Westveil Publishing

Welcome to one of the November 24th review stops on the blog tour for Hunter (Dragonrider Heritage book one) by Nicole Conway, organized by Rockstar Book Tours. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for excerpts, other reviews, interviews and guest posts with the author, and a giveaway! (More on that at the end of this post.)

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

About the Book

Hunter
Dragonrider Heritage Book One
by Nicole Conway

Published 24 November 2020
by Broadfeather Books

Genre: High Fantasy
Page Count: 352
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

One boy must earn the trust of a blind dragon and hunt down an elusive sorceress before she can rekindle the war that nearly destroyed their world.

As the Kingdom of Maldobar emerges victorious from the brutal invasion of the Tibran Empire, much of the land is left in utter ruin. With his home destroyed and family gone, 16-year-old Thatcher Renley has no one left to turn to. And when he’s mistaken for a Tibran soldier and banished to a wartime prison camp, Thatcher knows his only hope for freedom lies in appealing to Queen Jenna directly.
But getting out of the prison camp might be the least of his worries— especially after he stumbles across a feral dragon locked in an iron cell.

As far as dragons go, Fornax is a lost cause. The battle that killed his rider also left him blind and too aggressive for any knight to control. But Thatcher can’t deny feeling drawn to the beast. Does he have what it takes to calm Fornax and join the proud ranks of Maldobar’s dragonriders? Only time will tell. And with a bloodthirsty Tibran witch threatening to rekindle the chaos of war, everyone’s time may be running out.

My Review

My Rating: 4 Stars
(Consider “liking” it on Goodreads)

I received a complimentary review copy of Hunter by Nicole Conway through Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Nicole Conway and Rockstar Book Tours for the opportunity! This has not swayed my opinion. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Hunter, though book one in its own series, is not the author’s first dragon novel. A quick glance will tell you she wrote the 4-book series Dragonrider Chronicles and the Dragonrider Legacy trilogy. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading those yet, but I assume from the similar series name (Dragonrider Heritage) that Hunter is at least written in the same world, if not a continuation of stories previously begun. One of these days I’ll have to find out!

This is a victorious coming of age story about young Tatcher who fights for his freedom and a future worth living with the help of a blind, angry dragon named Fornax. It’s absolutely packed with action, not a minute is boring, and the characters are quite compelling. (I also love the fact that Thatcher is seeking to appeal to Queen Jenna. Hello, my name is Jenna, I will hear his plea…) This book is a must-read for fantasy loves and dragon enthusiasts of all sorts.

Where this falls a little short for me is that while it’s a great adventure with wonderful characters, there are too many very specifically familiar elements. Granted I haven’t read the previously published 7 novels in this world, but the worldbuilding we get at the beginning of this new series feels a lot like the Inheritance Cycle world, both in the human civilization existing here and in the way dragons behave. The bond between a forlorn teenage boy who has survived destruction and parental death and a dragon that has been permanently wounded and proves to be mostly misunderstood made me think of a grittier version of Hiccup and Toothless. These are not necessarily bad things, and I imagine if I had been more familiar with Nicole’s prior Dragonrider works I might find a lot more unique about the world, but this is what stood out to someone who is reading this first in a series book as also first in this world.

I will absolutely recommend this book to other fantasy lovers in the circles and I’ll keep Nicole Conway in mind when I’m looking to add to my never-ending TBR. Thanks again to Nicole Conway and Rockstar Book Tours for this opportunity!

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Audible

About the Author

Nicole is an award-winning, #1 international bestselling author from North Alabama. With a passion for relatable, authentic characters and exciting, fast-paced plots, Nicole is best known for her series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES. Other published works include THE DRAGONRIDER LEGACY SERIES, SPIRITS OF CHAOS SERIES, MAD MAGIC SAGA, and THE DRAGONRIDER HERITAGE SERIES (Coming Winter 2020).

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Giveaway Alert!

One lucky follower of the tour (US only, sorry!) will walk away with a Dragonrider swag bag and a signed copy of Hunter by Nicole Conway. Don’t forget to visit other stops on the tour!

Nov 16 Two Chicks on Books
Nov 16 @JaimeRockstarBookTours
Nov 17 Hurn Publications
Nov 17 @HurnPublications
Nov 18 The Momma Spot
Nov 18 @thamommaspot
Nov 19 A Dream Within A Dream
Nov 19 Jrsbookreviews
Nov 20 PopTheButterfly Reads
Nov 20 @popthebutterfly