I've received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Curiosity Quills.
3.5*

Review in Portuguese: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/livro-dragon-redeemer-de-amy-bearce.html

This is third and final book of the series World of Aluvia. The first one was about Sierra, the second one about Phoebe and the third one is about Nell, although all of them had characters almost has important as these main female characters.

Nell is a warrior and she feels that her life is a bit out her control, since (in the first book) she was stung by fairies, survived and awakened the magic inside her, which made her a prophetess who spoke for Aluvia’s salvation. Although she understood the importance of her mission, and how much her life had improved with it, Nell misses… not really fighting, but the feel of having a sword in her hand, so to speak. And Corbin, her love and fairy keeper, doesn’t understand her hunger for something more than just being a prophetess and a healer.

When Aluvia finds itself confronted with a new villain than wants to steal magic from magic beings and make them all obey him (in his mind giving the power to humans – meaning him), Nell, Corbin, Sierra, Micah, Phoebe and Tristan find themselves in a new mission through iced lands.

Nell is haunted by dark magic that pulls to the surface her worst traits and she has to fight not only a physical battle, but an emotional one as well – not just for who she really is, but for her friends too. I really liked seeing how much she had evolved since the first book.

I don’t want to spoil the plot for those of you who might want to read this book, so I’ll just say that magic is still the main theme, with interpersonal relationships going through several tests. I was a bit sad that most of the book is just Nell (and Corbin), and I missed the rest of the group – they were there, but it was almost like they weren’t missed or needed, which I didn’t feel in the previous books. It’s true that are moments when Micah and Tristan’s magic is indispensable, but it’s not really their magic (as individuals) but Earth and Water magic, which could have been used by other characters (had they been created, of course). Sierra was probably the least important and present character for me, which was a shame. I wanted to see some bonding time between these enemy-to-friends girls, and maybe have Sierra support Nell a bit more. I wish there had been more interaction between the whole group of friends and not just Nell and Corbin, and Nell and the Dragon (the villain, the man that wants to steal Aluvia’s magic).

I liked Reading about Nell’s interior fight and how the voice that made her a prophetess manifested itself throughout the book and I enjoyed the ending particularly, which included a story of redemption and evolution. It was a good ending for this series although it missed some crucial points.

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Dragon Redeemer is the third and final book in the World of Aluvia. This one focuses on Nell, who has been hearing voices and needs to save Magic and the World from a Dark Alchemist. All the main characters from the first two books are also there.

Nell was a strong character, a real warrior. What I didn't like so much was the love interest. It felt a bit forced and unnatural, as now all three main characters have their tailor made love interests in the books where they feature as the main character. All in all, I'm not a big fan of the love subplots in most YA books these days anyway. Nevertheless, an enjoyable end to the series.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I received this eBook from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, out of all the three books of the world of Aluvia, this is possibly my most favourite.
At first, I wasn’t too keen on Nell, when I read about her in Fairy Keeper. But she really grew up in this book. She embodies everything people look for in a strong heroine. She is strength, determination and while she is a tom-boy by our Earthly standards, her connection with Corbin was lovely to watch.

I love books that go on grand adventures. Instead of the two sister’s this round, it is Nell who has to follow the prophetic voice inside her head to the Ice-Locked Lands in order to save Aluvia from someone trying to steal the land’s magic. This someone is eerily familiar to Nell as well. A reminder of her past where she delved into organized crime to provide for her family.

This is a great trilogy for your kids to grow up with. Especially those who are in middle grade starting with Fairy Keeper. As Sierra, Phoebe and Nell all grow up and learn their paths in life, find their life partners. It is a great timeline for that and each girl is an inspiration.

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Full review up on my blog: http://bit.ly/2r2IBN7

Now I hadn’t read that plot summary before I started reading this and I will confess I started the novel pretty confused as to what was going on and why I was supposed to care about various characters, but this book does a pretty good job of explaining what’s happened previously (without doing a TV style roundup on the first page). So quite quickly it’s clear who you’re supposed to be rooting for and what she’s currently up to.

Aluvia is an interesting name for a world, not the most creative I’ve come across but at least it isn’t difficult to work out how to pronounce it. Now this is a world with magical creatures, we’ve got Dragons, Snow Sprites, Wind Steeds (flying flaming wind horses) and we’ve also got merfolk and fairies. I have a feeling that the real benefit to reading the first two books in this series would be getting a better feel for what the original state of affairs for these creatures was because I’m still not sure I fully comprehend what went down. But the world is interesting (mainly because dragons and mermaids). What we don’t really understand, maybe because it was explained earlier and I haven’t read it yet, is how magic works. It would appear it can be put into people through various means but the affect of this and why this is the case was never made clear. Probably my fault for starting at book three.

Nell is a cool character. She’s a warrior who has had to accept a whole other mantle and run with it when really what she wants to be doing (at least some of the time) is hitting things with a large sword. Now I can relate to that, quite a lot of the time I would like to hit things with a large sword instead of dealing with them diplomatically.

The side characters were also really cool and it is basically for them that I want to read the first two books in this series. I’m intrigued as to how this band got together and I think the first two books will hold the answers. I mean fairy keepers and mermaids? That’s my Christmas.

The main thing I didn’t enjoy as much as I might have done was the romance. So often the benefit to starting a series nearer the middle/end is the main romance is already established and you can just enjoy it without all the angst. But in this instance there was still so much angst and just irritating mollycoddling which made me really dislike the main romantic interest. I wanted to like him but just couldn’t get past my annoyance, die hard fans please feel free to let me know how wrong I am.

I thought that this book was well set out, well paced and well written. It didn’t come across as overly descriptive and nor was it lacking. The plot felt well thought out and was realised in a timely way so you didn’t feel rushed or confused and have to go back and reread exactly what happened. There was a good old fashioned scooby doo villain in a mask reveal that I won’t spoil but to be honest, it is kind of predictable.

Also, there are dragons in this, fairly standard fantasy dragons, nothing particularly new about them, but they did make me very happy.

Final thoughts

I enjoyed reading this book, it caught me up and I wanted to know how the story ended. I’m not waxing lyrical about it now that it’s over but I will attempt to find copies of the first two books to flesh out my knowledge of the world. Maybe once I’ve managed that we’ll find ourselves back here for a recap? Only time will tell.

My rating: 3/5 I liked this but I didn’t love it.

Dragon Redeemer publishes May 23rd so you’ve got just enough time to grab yourself a copy either online or in a bookshop (support local business people!).


J

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher (Curiosity Quills Press) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I wouldn’t recommend a book if I didn’t genuinely enjoy it.

I rarely mention book covers but the one for Dragon Redeemer is a near perfect representation of the story and of Nell. Nell is a warrior first. She keeps her weapons near and dresses in clothes she can move in easily. She is always ready for a fight. Her aggressive stance, her eyes staring directly out of the page whisper, “I see you…” It must have been horrible the first time the Voice took over her body. To lose control and become so vulnerable and unable to defend herself.

I have yet to read Fairy Keeper. It is waiting patiently on my bookshelf (books are very patient). The second book in The World of Aluvia, Mer-Charmer, barely has Nell in it at all. The little bit I saw of her left me thinking she was a benign peace-keeper; someone who kept Sierra in line.

From the very beginning of Dragon Redeemer, Amy Bearce ensures that we know Nell loves to fight. Nell loves to win and she rarely loses. Despite being the one the Voice has chosen to speak through, Nell hasn’t let go of her warrior heart and she doesn’t want to. She still practices her skills alone in the woods and gets to use them a little whenever Jasper and other members of his crew come to hassle her. Before she was just a body for the Voice to use. Now the Voice has begun to speak directly to her, in her head. How will her friends react when she tells them she hears Voice?

Aluvia is healing. Magic has returned to the land and the sea. Peace is spreading. Then a new threat comes to claim Aluvia for himself. The Dragon has found a way to control not just dragons but all the magical creatures of the Ice-Locked Lands. With their magic his to command, The Dragon plans to take over the whole of Aluvia within a matter or days or weeks. Thankfully, the Voice can tell Nell and her friends how to stop him IF Nell can keep her head and heart under control. A hard job when she’s been poisoned with The Dragon’s magic-stealing, soul-destroying potion.

I love that Nell is the warrior and chosen leader of Aluvia while Corbin, her beloved, is the one who dreams about the figurative little house and white picket fence. He wants Nell to become a healer and settle into his home community in peace. It is the biggest barrier to their future because Nell wonders if Corbin really knows her in those moments. She is a warrior and a good one but he worries every time she pulls out her sword. Once the Voice begins to speak to her privately, Nell begins to wonder if she even has a choice about her future. The Voice has a plan for her and she might have to give in to it… or lose her heart to The Dragon’s poison.

A copy of this book was provided by Curiosity Quills and Netgalley for an honest review.

Link: https://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2017/06/world-of-aluvia-series-by-amy-bearce.html

What a cute series! I absolutely adored everything about these books from the characters to the plot to the writing style.

The first book, Fairy Keeper, is basically an introduction book about the world of Aluvia. I liked how the world wasn’t super complex to the point that there are a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of facts being thrown at you. Aluvia is basically a world where magic and magical creatures still resides and some relatively evil humans are using fairies for their own personal gain by stealing all the nectar produced and using them to create poisons and elixirs to further gain personal wealth and means. The first book followed along Sierra, who is a Fairy Keeper, which means that somehow she draws fairies to her and becomes bonded to a fairy queen and is able to essentially control and take care of the fairies in her care. I thought Sierra was a great character because I enjoyed seeing her mature and develop to a wiser figure. Another great quality of hers was her loyalty and her love for her sister – those were traits you simply can’t deny her. The other characters were introduced like Nell, Corbin, Micah, Phoebe, etc. who will also play major roles in the future books.

In the second book, Mer-Charmer, you follow Phoebe’s adventures. The book takes place a few years later when peace and magic is now more readily available in Aluvia. Honestly, I think I liked Phoebe’s adventures the most out of all three of the books. Mainly because I thought there were a lot more adventure and interesting creatures in this one. I mean, the first book obviously had its fair share of obstacles but Mer-Charmer just seemed more intense with the mystical creature of the deep sea and whatnot. The one thing I liked more about the first book than this one was the relationship with Micah and Sierra as opposed to Phoebe and Tristan. For some reason, Micah and Sierra’s relationship seemed more natural whereas Phoebe and Tristan was a little more awkward. They were still cute but maybe because they were younger so the relationship didn’t seem as mature? Not entirely sure what the reason was.

For the third book, Dragon Redeemer, it delved into Nell’s story. In the first book something happened to Nell which propelled her from a regular warrior to someone who had a magical side of things. She wasn’t really discussed in the second book so I was glad to see her have her own story in this last book. Out of the three main characters, Sierra, Phoebe and Nell, I liked Nell best. I thought she had the most character and I was able to relate to her most because I can see myself in her a lot of the times. I would say that I was a little disappointed in the dragons’ role in this book because I totally thought Nell would become a dragon rider or something but that wasn’t the case. Apparently she became the rider to something much cooler but I don’t know…dragons are pretty cool in my book.

Anyways, overall I thoroughly enjoyed the series. I found almost everything (ah, dragons!) to be very delightful and I was able to read through the books very quickly. It’s definitely not a series where you spend a lot of time on which is awesome for me. I definitely recommend these books if you’re into fantasy and magic.