"A great beginning to an intriguing fantasy series!"
Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko
Posted February 7, 2025
Fantasy
In OF STEEL AND SCALE, Princess Bryn Silva is the only child of Esan’s king, a captain in the service of the king and a Strega witch. Gifted with the ability of mind speaking to animals and for raising fire. Her greatest joy is forming a tenuous relationship with a drakkon queen – Kaia. After years of almost being hunted to extinction those that have survived remain hidden.
About to be joined in an unwanted marriage to the heir to the throne of Zephrine, Prince Damon Valez, Bryn plans one final trip to see her drakkon queen. There are no drakkons in Zephrine, so this will be goodbye. On the return, she spots the utter destruction of a remote fishing village. There are no signs or evidence of who attacked them or why. The village held no treasure nor was it a secret military base used for the safety of the territory.
On the journey home after her father sends a rescue team, the ship is attacked by the enemy using weapons made of metallic feathers. The drakkons are also attacked and Kaia loses one of her offspring. An alliance is formed between Bryn and Kaia, who feels Bryn is kin, to defeat the enemy mounted on the metal feathered birds.
OF STEEL AND SCALE is the beginning of an amazing new series Drakkon Kin by author Keri Arthur. The building of the world is slow but steady as we get to know the different personalities – first Bryn and Kaia then Damon joins the mix along with other humans and drakkons.
The marriage is arranged between the couple but though Bryn is not happy at first, she slowly gets to know Damon and finds that he is at least likeable and sexy. Damon comes off as happy-go-lucky but once you get to know him there is a depth that is unexpected. There is a lot of flirty, sexy talk between them as this all happens between the marriage (contracts signed) and the celebration, so there is teasing and expectations.
OF STEEL AND SCALE is an amazing beginning to what appears to be a very interesting fantasy read. Though if I have one complaint the ending is rather abrupt with more questions than answers. But then maybe Ms. Arthur planned it that way, so we will grab up the second of the series! Sneaky author.
SUMMARY
Once, they hunted the drakkons to near extinction. Now their survival might well depend on them…
Princess Bryn Silva, the sole child of Esan’s king, is not only soldier-trained but also a Strega witch, gifted with the ability to raise fire and mind speak to animals. After years of tracking the movements of the drakkons, she has formed a tenuous relationship with the biggest of them all—a queen in the prime of her life.
On the eve of Bryn’s unwanted wedding to Damon Valez, heir to the throne of Zephrine and a powerful blood witch, she ventures out to see the drakkons one last time, only to discover the utter destruction of a remote fishing village on the very edges of East Arleeon, with no evidence left behind on who attacked it or why.
Then, on her sea journey home, she senses the mind of an animal unlike any she has ever felt before. It attacks—and sinks—their boat, using weapons made of golden metal feathers that pierce wood and flesh as easily as any sword.
When that same enemy attacks Kaia—the queen she has been following—and her drakklings, a desperate alliance based on the need for survival and revenge is formed.
But can a Strega witch, who relies on the strength of her flesh to control and destroy with flame, and a drakkon, whose only weapons are tooth and claws, defeat an enemy that is mounted on armored birds and who possess weapons capable of eating through stone and skin with equal ease?
Will the husband she hadn’t wanted help defend the city, or will the secrets he keeps only add to the danger they face?
Can Esan, the mighty fortress that has protected the Eastern regions of Arleeon for eons, survive, or will it finally fall…. and take the drakkons with them?
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