Heather’s Bookshelf: StarFire Dragons
Author: Dawn Ross
Released: 01/15/20
Genre: SciFi/Space Opera
“In a strange way, the vastness of space resembled the forests of his homeworld. Behind every tree, around every star, a new adventure awaited. The semblance ended there, though. Back home, the trees brought serenity. Nothing but discord awaited here.”
“StarFire Dragons” is Book One of the Dragon Spawn Chronicles and introduces Commander JD Hapker in 3790. Second-in-command, but unsure about his position and how he got there, he’s quickly tested in his new role as a Commander on the Odyssey. The ship’s the largest and most advanced science vessel of the Prontaean Colonial Cooperative.
The crew of the Odyssey encounter two ships engaged in a battle. When Hapker finds the survivors of the crashed ships still engaged in combat and realizes the only two survivors on the StarFire are young boys, he’s torn about what to do. Eventually deciding to take the two young boys (Jori and his injured brother) aboard the Odyssey, Hapker is assigned as Jori’s keeper.
While trying to gain the confidence of Jori, Hapker learns the boys are very important and also very dangerous. He’s determined not to hold them accountable for actions initiated by others decisions and influences, but not everyone is so open-minded or understanding.
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The two main characters of Jori and Hapker are well-developed with very different personalities and a connection that leaps off of the page. Jori’s inner struggle of his families’ expectations combined with the inner turmoil of his feelings is emotionally complicated and intriguing. Some of the ancillary characters are more developed than the others, but this is only book one and may be a focus of a future tale. I’m glad the author was clear about this being a start to the series, because the plot is the weak link. The setting is clear and interesting and the characters are intriguing, but the plot is a little unfocused and as such drags the pacing of the tale a little bit. Having said that, the ending seemed a good place to stop as the start of a series and the character development intrigued me enough to want to learn more about what happens with Hapker and Jori.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A start to a SciFi series with interesting characters but an unfocused plot
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Dawn Ross
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Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited
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