Review: Asta, Esther, Estella, Hester, Hesper, and—Istore?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 25, 2013
I downloaded a free copy of Draykon from Amazon.  I thank the author and in exchange, I offer this, my fair and honest review.Draykon, by Charlotte E. English is a well-written fantasy that takes readers to a truly unique alternate world. Focusing mainly on Llandry Sanfaer a young woman who possesses some unique skills but suffers from extreme shyness, and Lady Evastany Glostrum, a key figure in the leadership of the realm, the tale includes a full cast of characters that help to round out the story and keep it moving forward.Llandry, who makes her living crafting sought-after custom jewelry, happens upon a cave wherein she finds a beautiful stone—one that fairly glows in the dark. She collects pieces, then finds herself inundated with orders from those who seek to own a piece of the rare and beautiful istore—as Llandry dubs the stone because it is the Old Glinnish word for “star.” But chaos soon breaks out as some area residents are found maimed or even killed. The only common denominator in the crimes: each victim had owned and worn istore jewelry, but when his dead body was found, the istore jewelry was the only item from amongst the victim’s possessions found missing.Llandy’s world is full of magical characters, summoners and sorcerers. Throughout, the mystery of the istore is at the center of attention. Events take an unexpected turn when it is discovered that the istore is not stone at all but rather, biological material.I quite enjoyed Draykon. I did, however, have one fairly significant issue with the read and that was that the story did not have a fully satisfying conclusion for me. Indeed, I was left with more questions than answers—questions I expect are answered in the additional works in the series. Unfortunately, I have something of an issue with stories that leave me on the precipice (as I noted in a prior blog article). I am perfectly content with a read that leaves any number of threads not crucial to the story at hand, left dangling. However, when I reach the “end” of a story, I do not want it to merely be an “intermission.” Rather, I prefer reads that make for complete stories without my needing to find, wait for, or purchase, part two and so forth. Having said that, English is incredibly imaginative. If you are looking for a uniquely built fantasy world and you do not mind resting on a precipice, look no further than Draykon. (Incidentally, this series is complete, so Lokant (Book 2) and Orlind, (Book 3) of the series are both available so you needn’t wait long to get answers to questions left unanswered in Draykon.)