Blog Tour Scavenger Hunt and Review: Fledgling by Nicole Conway

Title: Fledgling

Publication date: April 29, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Nicole Conway

Can one boy stand between two kingdoms at war?

Jaevid Broadfeather has grown up as a wartime refugee, hiding from the world because of his mixed racial heritage. He feels his future is hopeless, until a chance encounter with a wild dragon lands him in Blybrig Academy—a place usually forbidden to anyone but the rich and royal. But Jaevid’s case is special; no dragon has voluntarily chosen a rider in decades, so the proud riders of Blybrig must begrudgingly let him join their brotherhood despite his bloodline. Lieutenant Sile Derrick, a sternly tempered man with a mysterious past, becomes his instructor and immediately takes a peculiar interest in Jaevid’s future.

While struggling through the rigorous physical demands of training, things begin to go awry. Jaevid witnesses the king’s private guards kidnapping Sile in the dead of night. When none of the elder riders are willing to help him, Jaevid begins a dangerous adventure to save his instructor.

Everything Jaevid learned at the academy will now be put to the ultimate test.

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Fledgling brought to mind memories of one of my favorite dragon series - The Dragonriders of Pern - but with a much more young adult feel.  Jaevid is a great hero - accidental and fumbling through.  In the beginning, he has no idea that he may become anything more than a half-breed, unwanted by either of his heritages.  His journey to becoming a dragon rider is full of so much adventure and discovery.

Mavrick the dragon is a perfect fit for Jaevid.  Both outcasts from the academy they fit so beautifully together.  The dragons each have a bit of their own personality and I'm hoping to see more of the other rider's dragons in future books.  Sile is a larger than life figure and while he plays a very important role, we don't see a whole lot of him.  I wish he hadn't been so one-diminsional.

This was a fantastic start to a new series with a ton of potential.  The world and lore pulled on a lot of "traditional" dragon and fantasy aspects, but there is a lot to set it apart from others as well.  I strongly urge lovers of dragons and fantasy to check it out.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Author Bio:

Nicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider. She has completed the first two books in the series, and is now working on the third and final book.

Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Classics from Auburn University, and will soon attend graduate school.

 She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation.

Nicole enjoys hiking, camping, shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also loves watching children’s movies and collecting books. She lives at home with her husband, two cats, and dog.

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Excerpt from Fledgling:

Katty puffed a sigh of disappointment while shaking her head. It made her gold curls swish back and forth. “I saw him coming up the road. I knew he had to be a dragonrider. Normal soldiers don’t wear armor like that,” she told me. “Can you come over today?”

I didn’t know. Normally, I could’ve easily slipped away to visit the Crookins without Ulric or Serah even noticing I was gone because usually, they didn’t care where I was. But Ulric had actually asked me to do something for him today. Not to mention, he and the knight had been discussing my future—or lack thereof. I wasn’t so sure I could get away with leaving without getting caught.

Katty was watching me waffle between my desire to go to her house, and the inevitable beating I would get if Ulric ever caught me over there. She smiled. “Momma’s making sweetbread,” she baited me. “With wild honey.”

That decided it for me. I grinned back at her, nodding because we both knew what goodies were sure to go along with sweetbread. Thoughts of whipped butter with cinnamon and sugar, and warm milk with a hint of honey, were already swimming happily through my brain as we climbed down from my loftroom. We darted out the back of Ulric’s shop before anyone noticed, and took the narrow footpath we’d made ourselves through the prickly briars. It was our secret path, so no one would see us.