Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White

Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White ISBN-13: 9780062747976 ebook: 400 pages Publisher: Harper Voyager Released: Nov. 20, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Aliza and Alastair match wits as they fight to protect the helpless and save their world.

The Battle of North Fields is over—or so Aliza Bentaine, now a Daired, fervently wants to believe. But word comes that an unknown monster is ravaging the isolated Castle Selwyn on the northern border of the kingdom. She and Alastair must travel with their dragon Akarra through the Tekari-infested Old Wilds of Arle to answer Lord Selwyn's call. Shadowing the dragonriders is an ancient evil, a harbinger of a dark danger of which the Worm was only a foretaste.


My Review:
Dragonshadow is a heroic fantasy novel with a bit of mystery. It is the second book in the series. It spoils events from the first book (though not in detail), so I'd recommend reading them in order. You don't have to read the previous book to understand this one.

Aliza is a healer and has no training as a warrior. She fights with her wits, but she's married to a warrior with a dragon. He views her as helpless and doesn't want her in danger, but she wants to be seen as a useful partner. They take a contract to stop an unknown monster that has been killing the creatures--and now a human--near a castle. On the way to the castle, they're attacked by organized groups of humans and monsters. Once at the castle, Aliza asked questions to discover what was going on while her husband patrolled the castle.

I liked that Aliza was able to protect herself using her quick thinking and was vital to solving the mystery. While her husband fought bravely, he had an injury from a previous battle that made him less effective, thus providing more suspense. The characters acted realistically, and I cared about what happened to them. They battled their doubts as much as the physical monsters.

There was enough world building to make a unique environment with out becoming bogged down in the details. There were no sex scenes. There was only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, exciting fantasy.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.