Title: Harbinger
Author: Nicole Conway
Genres: YA fantasy, high fantasy
Year of Publication: 2018
Pages: 292
Series: Dragonrider Legacy
*Post contains spoilers for Savage (The Dragonrider Legacy #1)
Alright, this is my second review as a part of Wyrd and Wonder! My full TBR list for the month can be found here. My next couple of reviews will be on Prophase and Incendiary, but I will come back to finish the Dragonrider Legacy series. Anyway, meant to post this a couple days ago, but life attacked. Oh, well. I have a bit of catching up to do.
Summary
The Tibran empire continues to attack Maldobar, and not even the dragon riders will be able to stop the armies of Lord Argonox. Jenna, the princess of Maldobar, fights with her brother, Aubren, to defend the city of Barrowton, but they are overwhelmed and taken captive. There is little hope for them, but Jenna refuses to give in to Lord Argonox. Meanwhile, Reigh has mistakenly awakened the legendary dragon rider, Jaevid Broadfeather. Now Reigh must decide if he should fulfill his role as a death goddesses’s chosen hero, or continue to suppress his dark power.
Review
Harbinger is the second book of Nicole Conway’s Dragonrider Legacy series. Similar to Savage, this book jumps straight into the action with Jenna and Aubren. I definitely appreciated the fast pace more the second time around, especially since character development was stronger in Harbinger.
I was surprised when I opened this book, and Reigh was not the narrator. At first I was skeptical, but reading from Jenna’s POV gave me a chance to get to know the other characters in the series. I enjoyed getting to know Jenna and the other dragon riders but did miss Reigh’s humor. Most of the humor in this book stemmed from the banter between characters, which is always fun to read. I often found myself giggling, but also appreciated that characters were able to have serious and vulnerable conversations with each other.
Speaking of seriousness, the conversations did get sappy at times. This usually gets on my nerves, but Conway was able to present the sappiness in a way that was heartwarming–even if it was hard to read. I did like that there was no petty drama between characters. If there was a problem, they communicated. Wow! This sounds small, but I am a little tired of miscommunication becoming a major plot point. So even if I cringed at a few lines, it wasn’t a major issue. Besides, everyone needs a little fluff in their life.
One of my favorite parts of this series is all the interesting creatures. I, of course, loved the dragons, but Conway also creates a variety of unique animals, both good and bad. The Tibrans have many of these creatures in their army, which was a great way for Conway to hint at how many kingdoms the Tibrans have conquered before Maldobar. Who knows what monstrosities Lord Argonox brings out next!
I give Harbinger a 4 out of 5 stars. I still love the exciting fight scenes, and the character development was better, just not exactly to my taste. The Dragonrider Legacy series is perfect for anyone who likes a fantasy adventure and pure-hearted characters.
Isabel
Peyton