Tag Archive | dragons

Treasure and dragons, Scales & Scoundrels! by Sebastian Girner & Galaad (book review)

Nov12

book cover of Into the Dragon's Maw (Scales & Scoundrels v. 1) by Sebastian Girner & Galaad. Published by Image Comics | recommended on BooksYALove.com Magic, mystery, peril,
bandits, allies, dwarfs,
elves, dragons, mermaids…

Luvander reluctantly joins forces with three other adventurers also heading for the fabled treasure hidden deep within the Dragon’s Maw caverns.

Hmm… why does she love roast meat and riddles so much?

Who’s the guy stalking them, with that Wanted Dead or Alive poster in hand?

Elves in battle, creatures of water, and beings of fire – time and again, Luvander is asked “Who are you?”

We join her story in volume 1 as the team journeys “Into the Dragon’s Maw,” then go further afield on land and sea with “Treasurehearts” (each volume collects 5 issues of the continuing comic).

Any adventurous blood singing in your veins?
**kmm

Book info: Into the Dragon’s Maw (Scales & Scoundrels, vol.1), Treasurehearts (Scales & Scoundrels, vol. 2) / Sebastian Girner, art by Galaad, lettering by Jeff Powell. Image Comics, 2018.   [author site]  [artist Tumblr] [publisher site] Review copies and cover images courtesy of the publisher.
book cover of Treasurehearts (Scales & Scoundrels v. 2) by Sebastian Girner & Galaad. Published by Image Comics | recommended on BooksYALove.com

My book talk: Meet one who hunts treasure, another seeking a lost brother, a prince looking for adventure, and the bodyguard sworn to protect him on the quest in this graphic novel series set in a medieval world of magic and no little mayhem.

Luvander bows to no one during her ongoing treasure hunt, Dorma brings her dwarven guiding talents to the team, the prince wants to see beyond his kingdom while completing his adulthood challenge, and Koro must stand between him and excessive folly to get him home in one piece.

They traverse a land where dragons fiercely guard their treasure, misfortune takes many a peasant from their family, and bandits eagerly take hostage any well-to-do travelers crossing their territory.

Finding the legendary hidden treasure cave called The Dragon’s Maw is much easier than successfully avoiding its traps and perils – not even a bespelled dragon gives up one bit of its hoard without a fight!

Can Dorma find her brother who also sought to go “Into the Dragon’s Maw”?

What is the strange language Luvander speaks to statues down there?

If they escape with treasures, what curse might the team set loose on the world?

Surprises and secrets continue in volume 2 “Treasurehearts” as more of Luvander’s true self is revealed, the treasure hunters are hunted, and fire battles against the balance of power.

D is My Diary From the Edge of the World, by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Apr5

book cover of My Diary From the Edge of the World by Jodi Lynn Anderson published by Aladdin | recommended on BooksYALove.comDragons, mermaids, Sasquatches,
the earth is flat,
every school textbook says so.

If only Gracie’s family can get to the edge of the world and cross over to the The Extraordinary World, that mythical globe-shaped Earth where they can find a cure for her little brother’s illness before the Cloud takes him from them forever…

Recently released in paperback, Gracie’s travelogue told through her Diary (chapter 1 here, free) should be at your local library or independent bookstore; if not, ask for it!

When have you seen a Dark Cloud and wondered?
**kmm

Book info: My Diary From the Edge of the World / Jodi Lynn Anderson. Aladdin, 2015 (hardcover), 2017 (paperback). [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When a Cloud comes for Gracie’s little brother, the 12 year old’s family packs up the RV and goes searching for the mythical ‘Extraordinary World’ to find a cure.

Leaving their Maine hometown, the Lockwoods (plus Oliver, recently orphaned by a Sasquatch attack) visit a witch (Gracie’s grandmother), then head west where they encounter a strange circus, gamble against a genie in Luck Town, and hire a guardian angel on the coast for the perilous voyage to the far south edge of the world.

Can’t they outrun that Dark Cloud?
Will her big sister ever stop complaining about the trip?
How far is it to a miracle?

V is Ven traveling under the sea, where it’s eat or be eaten – Tree of Water, by Elizabeth Haydon (book review)

Apr25

Tree of Water by Elizabeth Haydon published by StarscapeFrom known dangers into unknown perils,
testing the bonds of friendship,
seeking wonders under the sea.

If Ven’s curious streak made him stand out from his cautious Nain brethren, then his venture into the Sunlit Sea makes the son of earth an easy target for ocean-dwellers who don’t care at all about his mission of discovery or the fate of folk on the land.

The Tree of Water  can be read by itself, but you’ll enjoy Ven’s current adventures even more if you read the first three books (available in paperback) starting with The Floating Island (my www.abookandahug.com review here), followed by The Thief Queen’s Daughter  (my review here) and The Dragon’s Lair.

These wonderful fantasy books are recreated from fragments of the Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme ‘found’ by Haydon. If someone found pieces of your journal, what adventures would they read between the lines?
**kmm

Book info: The Tree of Water (Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme, book 4) / Elizabeth Haydon; illustrated by Brandon Dorman. Starscape/Tom Doherty, 2014.     [illustrator site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Escaping his enemies by following a mermaid under the sea will also let Ven report on its wonders to the King, if the young nain and his best friend can survive its perils!

Amariel the merrow hides Ven and Char from the Thief Queen beneath the waves, where the young King’s Reporter and his friend use a magical gift to breathe water. Too bad that it cannot protect them from the sea’s law – “Everything in the sea is food for something else” – as the son of earth and son of air are so often reminded.

An underwater forest, a hippocampus race, storms, and predators interrupt the group’s race to find the mythic Tree of Water and prevent the sea-Lirin commander from attacking the land-city!

This fourth book in this fantasy series can stand alone, but for maximum enjoyment, read them in order: The Floating Island,  The Thief Queen’s Daughter,  and The Dragon’s Lair. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)