Reviews

Dragon Lost: A Dark Kings Novella by Donna Grant

canadianbookaddict's review against another edition

5.0

I have been a fan of Donna Grant for a while now and I have been reviewing her books since about 2014 so every time she has a book out I just have to have it and read it right away.

I have loved each book and novellas in the Dark Kings series and I am happy to say that I love this novella as well. This book is a quick read since it is a novella but I do wish it was a bit longer because I just loved this story so much.

This is book 16.5 in the Dark Kings series but you can read it as a stand-alone.

I do highly recommend.

raven168's review against another edition

2.0

So I'm clearly the minority here, but I was kind of bored with this one. And I think it's the first novella that could actually be skipped in this series because it added zero to the actual story line. I've said this, repeatedly, but I'm also getting tired of getting the dragon's history in every single book. Here was even worse because it was already so short. I kept waiting for something to happen. For anything to happen. But nothing ever did.

Annita's family is super rich and owns a good chunk of some coast land. Because she apparently doesn't have a job, Annita goes for a swim everyday and explores all the caves there. It's during one of these trips that she finds Royden. In his dragon form. Even when she sees him shift into a human, she doesn't get scared.

Royden came back to the lands that he once ruled in order to search for something that his brother had taken and hidden from him. He figured he could sneak away from Scotland and be back before anyone realized he was gone. He was wrong. He doesn't know why he didn't shift and hide when he first heard a human approaching his cave, but now that he's seen the human he can't get enough of her.

I get that this is a novella and because of the length, things need to move more quickly. But how fast their relationship went was completely unbelievable. They haven't even known each other for two days and already they are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together no matter what dangers they may face. It just really annoyed me and so many times I wanted to bang my head on something.

I really expected something to come of the item that Royden was searching for. It was obviously important, and they even quickly found out what happened to it. Sooooo why was nothing done to retrieve it in some way?

Like I said, nothing at all happens with the actual story line. But I'm guessing that Annita is going to be another important snowflake in the future based on what her Seer great aunt said of her future. Fan-fucking-tastic. Gawd, I hate snowflakes.

tanyad74's review against another edition

4.0

I received this book for free from Tour Group in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

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I love the world of the Dragon Kings and wouldn't miss even a novella. The war and overall arc are not affected in any way. In Dragon Lost we focus on Annita and Royden with little contact from the other Dragon Kings with the exception of some check ins with Con. As is the case with novellas, the romance is short and the characters very quickly fall in love and acknowledge it.

Annita and Royden's story takes place in Crete, Greece and I found the area fascinating. This is Royden's old home and learning about what lay in the caverns and in the sea was exciting. In this whirlwind romance, Annita's great aunt's prophecy is coming true. The part of the prophecy that is unclear is which path Annita will take after she has found her dragon. Knowing how novellas usually have the romances go fairly smoothly, I was holding my breath when the time came for Annita to make her decision. I thought I knew what she was going to do, but the way the story progressed was not what I expected. I was especially attached to Royden so I was a bit picky about Annita's actions.

Dragon Lost was a novella I had to read straight through. I wanted to see Royden get his mate and get back to Draegan as quickly as possible. This was a fun, quick read and I'm so glad I didn't miss it!

BOOK TRAILER

REVIEW QUOTES FOR DONNA'S NOVELS:

“The central romance, fueled by a hostage drama, plays out in glorious detail against a backdrop of multiple ongoing issues in the “Dark Kings” books. This seemingly penultimate installment creates a nice segue to a climactic end.”
~Library Journal – for BLAZE

“…intense romance amid the growing war between the Dragons and the Dark Fae is scorching hot.”
~Booklist for BLAZE

“This rousing tale of adventure, thousand-year-old secrets, lust and love is vivid and intense. This is another excellent installment in this fan-favorite series.”
~BookPage for FIRESTORM

“Donna Grant has given the paranormal genre a burst of fresh air…”
~San Francisco Book Review for DARKEST FLAME

“…will leave fans eager for the next volume in the series.”
~Publisher’s Weekly for FIRE RISING

 

This review was originally posted on Rantings of a Reading Addict

fsmeurinne's review against another edition

5.0

I love Donna Grant's dragons, this is a novella that is intense but had everything. Royden an Annita, I so wanted to know about Royden's story. We get a new couple, Annita who tells him about a prophecy and Royden who needs to find his lost treasure. The world of the dark kings is phenomenal, I always enjoy the stories.

redhairedashreads's review against another edition

3.0

Annita has always known that her destiny involves a dragon. Her aunt foretold that she would find a dragon, but as the years passed and no dragon appeared she thinks that it might be a mistake. While swimming in the caves near her home she stumbles upon a beige dragon, who quickly turns into a man. Royden just wants to find an item his brother hid from him and go back to Dreagan, but instead he finds a beautiful woman who says she was destined to find a dragon.

I enjoyed this quick Dragon King story. Annita and Royden had a sweet romance that I enjoyed and wanted more of. I do wish we had seen a little more action in this book. There were a couple times when I thought there was going to be some big thing happen, or some more information about the item Royden was searching for but it never happens.

Overall, this was a nice addition to the series. I do wish it had been a little longer though.

This review was originally posted at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

malissac's review against another edition

3.0

This is a nice little story, but it’s simply a filler story for those of us who have been around since the beginning. That certainly doesn’t make it bad, it was an enjoyable quick read but it doesn’t advance the Dragon King story line (though there is a small hint that something could be there for future use) it just gives us that peek back into a world we love.

This one would be particularly good for a first time Dragon King reader, nothing that will really spoil too much but give you that desire to learn more, always a great thing with a 1,001 Dark Night book.

I am so anxious for these last two books in the Dragon King world, I’m not ready for the end and yet I am, it will be truly bitter sweet!

ofbooksncupcakes's review against another edition

4.0

Dragon Lost is a novella set within the Dark Kings world and part of the 1001 Dark Nights compilation. Even though this is a novella and this quite an easy quick read, I still find it highly entertaining and Ms Grant did a wonderful job writing us the story of 2 lovers finding each other and their place in resolution of this saga.

Ryoden and Annita were pretty well fleshed out given its constraints as a novella. Annita came off as a strong partner for Ryoden, indeed an asset to him. Royden, Dragon King of the Beiges returned to his ancestral home in Greece in search of something that was hidden. He didn't expect to find his mate Annita in the caves and from the get go their attraction was intense.There was some background info for those new to this series so that you will not get lost.

All in all, it was a satisfying read and I couldn't wait for the next full length novel to come out.

mimireadsromance's review against another edition

4.0

Dragon Lost gets 4 stars from me because it delivered on the 1,001 Dark Nights theme of entertaining bedtime stories. As a fan of this series, I absolutely want each book related to the Dark Kings saga to be full of all sorts of character and plot detail, but it's nice to sort of let go and just let these characters "be", which is exactly what the reader gets in one of these novellas. In this case, there was just enough dragon lore shared by Royden, one of the Dragon Kings, to help a reader new to the series figure out the general gist of things. I liked that it came across in a fluid way, rather than as an information dump. Royden was an interesting character, and his remorse for both the war that was and the war that is coming were recognizable in his words and actions. I appreciated that he was willing to share his story with Annita, all while allowing her the space to figure out if she wanted to ultimately be a part of such an uncertain future. I do wish I'd been able to get more of a feel for Annita and her Seer abilities, but I did like that she is a woman willing to face her fears and brave the unknown. I'm hoping we'll see more of how she (along with the other mates) plays a role in the battle that is coming.

sipreadlove's review against another edition

5.0

Donna Grant has taken my world by storm with these Dragon King books. I actually went online and purchased the first book in the series on my kindle for my spring break trip to the Bahamas in a few weeks. I NEED MORE DRAGON KINGS. I was introduced to the series from a previous 1001 Dark Night‘s book and it thrilled me that there was another one coming out.

What I love about Grant is that she truly knows how to wrap you up into the story. Yes, dragon shifters are fantastical but they feel raw and real to you as you read her books. You find yourself falling for each of the dragons and their mates. This story was no different. Also, did I mention he’s Scottish? Oh yeah, get ready to hear that brogue in the phrasing of this book. It will make you melt just a little (or a lot) for our hero Royden. Also, Annita our heroine is really strong as a character on her own. You really get to know her as a character, even in a short time.

This is a novella so it is short and sweet but there is definitely some steam to this one and you won’t be disappointed with the journey that it takes you on, even in 120 pages.