Shield of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers #7) - 5 stars

 I have fallen in love with this story since book one, and Shield of Dragons, book seven in the Age of Sorcerers series, did not disappoint. Author Morgan Rice masterfully navigates the Northern Kingdom, Southern Kingdom, and beyond with plot twists, which I give five stars. 

Throughout the first six books in the series, she was able to kill off characters I loved and some I hated. At times, such events kill my enthusiasm for a story. But in this case, Rice keeps the heartbeat of the story steady and pulls the reader along with each beat.

In Shield of Dragons, Royalsport is back under the control of Queen Lenore, and she and Devin have reconnected. Lenore exiles Prince Vars, while his brother Greave returns to life in Royalsport as a changed man willing to take risks. Princess Erin becomes Lenore's bodyguard until she travels to the Southern Kingdom on a dangerous mission. Princess Nerra is pulled back into the story, but she is no longer the sweet, kind princess shunned by people because of the scale sickness. The sickness transformed her into something new. The dragons call her "perfected." But, without providing big spoilers, let me say, the "Perfect" is scary, like a Jekyll and Hyde type personality. Rice offers glimpses that the real Nerra may still be present within the creature she has become and provides breadcrumbs of hope that she may break free.

At the heart of the story is the magical amulet found in book six of the series. In Shield of Dragons, we see it at work. The one who wields it can control a dragon. But having possession of this talisman kills most people by sucking the life out of them. Throughout Shield of Dragons, it changes hands, and as book seven concludes, in my opinion, it is in the wrong hands.

I have grown used to the fact that Rice's books in this series are episodic. I still don’t love this approach to book writing, but with that said, the story is captivating enough to continue to the last book in the series. If you are a fantasy reader who enjoys medieval-type settings filled with wizards, dragons, royals, nobles and peasant folk, and unrequited love, then this book is for you. I’m ready for the final book in this series, Dream of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers—Book Eight).

Other reviews in this Morgan Rice series:

Dusk of Dragons (Book 6)

Crown of Dragons (Book 5) 

Ring of Dragons (Book 4) 

Born of Dragons (Book 3) 

Throne of Dragons (Book 2)

Realm of Dragons (Book 1) 

 

 * * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

Dusk of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers #6)

Morgan Rice does not disappoint with book six of her Age of the Sorcerers series. I give Dusk of Dragons five stars as the story pulls characters introduced in the previous books into the plot. She does a fine job of bringing closure to some plot threads while lighting the fuse to new strands that keep the story sizzling with fascinating possibilities and burning questions that keep the reader turning the page to see what happens next.

Lenore steps into a role of leadership to pit herself against Emperor Ravin. War draws clear lines between good and evil in the strategies used to reclaim Royalsport. I also enjoyed seeing characters reunited, relationships mended, and more than one romance budding under the surface even amid much death and loss.

As far as magic goes, there is the Royal family’s sorcerer, Sorcerer Grey, and his two apprentices who didn’t know a thing about each other until now. One apprentice is arrogant and full of himself and the other comes from a lowly family--or so he thought until he learned his unloving parents weren’t his parents after all. This whole part of the plot is bubbling under the surface with possible twists and turns that keeps the reader hungry for more.

Along with all that, Rice involves the dragons much more in this book. We learn that they pose an active threat to humans. And speaking of humans, one unique thing in Rice’s fantasy is the scale sickness. People who have it are forced into exile because they may transform into something no longer human but akin to the dragons. Among them is Princess Nerra, who rides on the back of the queen of dragons. The transformed Nerra is unaware of the war or the death of her parents and brother. It adds another layer of possibilities to the story for sure.

The truth is, I could go on and on about various characters that add to the richness of this story, but I try not to include spoilers in my reviews. I recommend Dusk of Dragons to anyone who enjoys fantasy set in medieval settings that include royalty, peasants, sorcerers, dragons, military, and more. Rice is a masterful storyteller.

Other reviews in this Morgan Rice series:

Crown of Dragons (Book 5) 

Ring of Dragons (Book 4) 

Born of Dragons (Book 3) 

Throne of Dragons (Book 2)

Realm of Dragons (Book 1) 

 

* * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

 

Crown of Dragons (Age of Sorcerers Book 5)

Morgan Rice’s fifth book in the Age of the Sorcerers series does not disappoint. I give Crown of Dragons 5 stars as the continuation of the story of the royals of the Northern kingdom navigate the perils of the occupation of the Southern kingdom’s forces.

I’m amazed at how Rice masterfully weaves a multitude of plot threads and still holds the reader’s attention with so many things going on. I never felt lost or confused. Instead, I hungered to know what happens next for every character. 

In Crown of Dragons, I was happy to see the dragons playing a larger role, as well as more of the reluctant hero, Devin, who was introduced in the first book and only marginally involved until now. He’s an underdog of sorts, gifted in ways he doesn't fully understand and is certainly on a hero’s journey.

Rice provides a spark of magic with several complex characters. The story is unique, interesting, and masterfully merges their paths to add depth to the plot with twists and turns that have me running alongside the character trying to catch my breath.

As mentioned in the reviews of the previous four books in this series, the only thing I find disappointing is that the story isn’t brought to closure but is more episodic. But with that said, I must add that I find the story captivating enough to continue on to the next book.

 
If you are a fantasy reader who enjoys medieval-type settings filled with wizards, dragons, royals, nobles, and peasant folk then this book is for you. And of course, there is the smattering of love in the works on more than one front. I’m ready for Shield of Dragons, book six.

Reviews of Age of Sorcerers books 1-4

Ring of Dragons (Book 4) 

Born of Dragons (Book 3)

Throne of Dragons (Book 2)

Realms of Dragons (Book 1)

* * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

Ring of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers—Book Four) by Morgan Rice

 

I give Ring of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers—Book Four) five stars. Author, Morgan Rice, has masterfully woven the plot and multitude of characters into a page-turning Epic. With this many characters an author often loses their way and the plot becomes confusing, unfinished or even boring. Not so in the Ring of Dragons. I was submerged in the story. I cared about the characters. I either loved them or hated them, and those I didn’t know well still served a purpose. Each character does a fine job of carrying their part to make the plot work. There’s no fluff. The words are carefully crafted and tell the story well as this magical world lures the reader forward a step at a time. The only thing I don’t like about the book, is that it doesn’t tie up all the plot threads but leaves the main story wide open and unfinished. It’s more than a cliff hanger. It leave you standing on the cliff. But I love the story enough to buy the next book in the series to keep reading.

 

This book is for fantasy lovers who love dragons, swords and sorcery carried off by complex characters in a unique world with touches of revenge, romance, and backstory to keep it enthralling. I highly recommend this story. I’ve already bought, book five, Crown of Dragons, by Rice and will post a review shortly.

* * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

 

The World Jesus Knew: Beliefs and Customs from the Time of Jesus

I originally learned about The World Jesus Knew: Beliefs and Customs from the Time of Jesus by Ann Punton on The Wretched TV show hosted by Todd Friel. He talked about a few things he learned from this book as he held a copy in his hands. It sounded interesting, and I picked up a copy. I was not disappointed. I give The World Jesus Knew a solid four-star rating.

 

 

Punton states that she hopes to present new insights from old sources she sites. She met this goal throughout the entire book. Take, for example, the phrase “you will heap burning coals on his head,” (Prov. 25:22). Punton explained this metaphor from the Hebraic perspective. During biblical times fire was a source of light, but also how they cooked and kept warm. Back then, starting a fire took work, so people tried their best not to let their fires die out. When it did go out, for some reason, people borrowed live coals from a neighbor or friend to rekindle the fire. Live coals were heaped into a container and carried upon the head. So heaping coals on a person’s head was a blessing.

 

The book uses credible sources and covers everything from the type of home Jesus would have lived in as a boy, synagogue life, clothing, the festivals, the Torah, the Scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, and much more about the culture. The only thing I didn’t care for was her added musings about what she thought might have happened or believed by the people living at the time. Those sections stood out in contrast to the well-resourced elements.

 

I’d recommend this book to history buffs, Jewish, Christians, and anyone interested in the Bible times and things related to the Bible. 

 * * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

Born of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers—Book Three)

Born of Dragons (Age of the Sorcerers—Book Three) did not disappoint. It picks up where book two of the series, Throne of Dragons, left off, with the queen beside her husband’s unresponsive body wondering when he will awaken. Morgan Rice does a masterful job at making the reader care about a royal family. Unpredictable scenarios carry the royal siblings across the realm where mystery, magic, and subterfuge, challenge their strengths and weaknesses. 

Princess Lenore faces marriage to a power-hungry nobleman’s son who is only using her so he can become king. Her sister, Erin, who never wanted to be a princess, is fighting to prove her skills to gain a place among the Knights of the Spur, and a third princess is exiled with the scale sickness. 

The remaining princes offer just as much drama and won’t disappoint, but I’m not going to spoil the read by mentioning the details here. Let’s just say you won’t be disappointed. Then throw in the elements of magic, the old sorcerer and the unlikely young peasant, Devin, finding powers he never knew he had. 

All of these characters play integral roles in this unfolding saga, along with a host of secondary characters that make things exciting at every turn. Even with a large cast of characters, the writing is done well. All the characters are relevant, interesting, and unique which helps to keep them all straight.

I do love this story and plan to get the next book in the series to find out what happens next to these characters I’ve grown to love and hate. The only reason I give the book 4 stars instead of 5 is that I really don’t like the way the book just ends without tying up threads of the story in a satisfying way. Instead, it picks up in the next book. That’s fine. But it is not my preference and since it is my review, it gets 4 stars for that reason.

If you enjoy clean fantasy with relatable characters and plenty of action I recommend Born of Dragons to you. It offers hints of romance, magic, dragons, and an encroaching war ready to take over everything that’s good. You won’t be disappointed.

* * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

 

The Shepherd's Voice by Robin Lee Hatcher

I give The Shepherd's Voice by Robin Lee Hatcher five solid stars. It is well-written, the story is not preachy, the relationships are realistic, and it shows God’s hand in the day-to-day lives of the characters. The Shepherd’s Voice takes place during the Great Depression, in the small town of Ransom, Idaho. The heroine of the story, Akira Macauley, is a plucky, independent redhead who runs a sheep ranch left to her by her grandfather. When she finds an unconscious hobo on her property, she offers him water to drink and moves him into the shade where he passes out. God tells her to bring him home and care for his needs. He wakes up in a bed in her home.

Turns out the man is Gabe Talmadge. He is originally from the town of Ransom, but he’s been gone--in prison for ten years. His father is a wealthy, greedy man who owns the whole town, who has never loved his son. Akira offers Gabe a job on the ranch and a place to live. He accepts and receives so much more. By her example and words, he comes to trust in Lord, and his life is changed. Of course, that doesn’t mean all his problems are gone. Everyone in the town knows his past.

I like that the story is realistic rather than a sappy, too-good-to-be-true version of life. The characters experience the whole gambit of emotions as they face trials, difficulties, love, and hope with growing faith. In fact, this is one of those rare books in which I find no fault.

I highly recommend The Shepherd’s Voice to anyone who enjoys Inspirational Romance. This story gently carries the message of God’s forgiveness, how to accept it, as well as how to learn to forgive yourself once the sin is confessed. It’s a book you won’t want to put down.

 * * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.