This book was reviewed for Lola’s Blog Tours

 

Gallardo’s The Dragon Sphere is a strong start to a new series. We follow Landon, a teen on the cusp of a great life change. Landon’s da disappeared when Landon was quite young. A visit from his uncle, near his fifteenth birthday, revealed a family secret that rocks Landon’s world to the very core.

 

Turns out, Landon’s da and uncle are dragons, making Landon a halfling, part dragon and part human. As he matures, more of the dragons aspects will come through, and he needs to learn to control them. He goes to train with Alpha, an elemental spirit who is the Son of War. During the training a quest is offered, to seek out and bring back a missing artifact of great importance. The Dragon Sphere is a bowling ball-sized blue stone that serves as a cage for the dread Aremas, an ancient dragon of immense power.

 

Landon and two others take up this insane quest and set out to find the Dragon Sphere. They find it, then take the blame when the cage is cracked, freeing Aremas. Instead of listening to Landon, he is imprisoned, accused of setting Aremas loose. As the world begins to plunge into another Ice Age, the dragons must scramble to face the deadly ancient one.

 

This is a fast-paced story with action stuffed into every chapter. Cults! Ancient artifacts! Dragons! Excitement everywhere.! I loved Alpha, his personality and language are great. I enjoyed the different dragon descriptions. The author actually got the different types of dragons correct, such as wyvern with only two feet and wings, or drakes who have four feet and no wings. Here, drakes measure among the largest of the dragons, and one drake in particular, name of Tyrus, was the inspiration for the kaiju Godzilla.

 

I did feel the characters fell a little flat in places, and there were parts where the writing felt stilted and off. There was also a great deal more telling, than showing. Most I noticed toward the beginning of the story. Here, from start to finish, you can actually see the writer’s growth over the course of the book. I found that particularly intriguing, as such is usually a behind the scenes sort of thing. I hope there is a sequel to The Dragon Sphere coming! The end left it open, and I look forward to seeing Gallardo continue to grow as a writer.

 

???? recommended if you like Kagawa’s Talon saga, or any of Riordan’s demigod series.