Synopsis
Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean.
Until he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within.
But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows.
Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon’s magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come, and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.
Review
Genesis
Michael R. Miller was the first author to reach out to me for a book review when I started my BookTube journey. I was over the moon excited, and now… the channel has grown as well as the TBR. Since Michael has reached out, I now have a stack of indie books that I am looking forward to reading. Indie books are sometimes hidden treasures of goodness that need a little more help pushing them out to the masses. In Michael’s case, his Songs of Chaos series was already doing phenomenal before he ever reached out to me. This is why I was surprised when I was requested to do a review but I gladly accepted.
Before Michael reached out, I was seeing his covers bounce around in our SFF community on all the social media platforms I was on. Hype was out there for his series, and Michael was doing something right. I had no clue what the series was about with me, only knowing that it was HOT in the indie and fantasy scene.
Preamble
Ascendant is the first entry in the Songs of Chaos series. Currently, this book has over 6500 ratings on Goodreads, which is astounding to see from a self-published book.
When looking at this cover, clearly, you can see that it deals with dragons. Like most fantasy fans, I’m a big fan of dragons in my SFF books. Right before Michael reached out to me, I was actually in the middle of reading Ryan Cahill’s The Bound and the Broken series, which also deals with dragons. So what do we have here? Two indie authors publishing fantasy books with a core element being dragons? Yep, exactly that, and IT’S NOT A BAD THING AT ALL!
Just like eating at different steakhouses, the flavor and experience you have with each respective steak will be different. If you are a steak fan (dragon fan), you will most likely want more of it… right?? You seriously are not only going to have one steak your entire life. Same thing here with dragons. If you like them, you will probably want more stories involving them. At the same time, though, not every experience will be positive with you coming out of the other end going… “Hmm, that wasn’t for me.”
Now, did Ascendant have a unique story? Did I have a good experience? Will I continue into the series? Well, you can find out below how it went.
Aftermath
The beginning scene of Ascendant quickly introduces us to our main character, Holt Cook. As his last name suggests, he is low on the totem pole of this society, which is filled with dragon riders. Holt serves to clean the kitchens and does so until, one day, he discovers a secret. Young dragons deemed as “flawed” are doomed to a certain death. Holt makes a difficult decision, saving a flawed egg from being thrown into the deep pits below. He vows to protect the tiny creature and keep it secret as long as possible. This decision changes Holt’s path to an entirely new direction that leads to a world of war and chaos.
Coming into this story, it felt familiar and fresh simultaneously. Saving a dragon egg, a world of chaos, an army of evil rising, and of course, the chosen one trope are all ideas and things you have most likely encountered if you read anything in the fantasy genre before. Heck, most of this fits pretty in line with Ryan Cahill’s first dragon rider entry as well. However, the experience is different and is very enjoyable.
As a fantasy reader, I am getting many things I love out of the genre.
- Dragons
- Magic
- Battles
- A main character that rises to the challenge
- A friendship that slowly grows over time
In terms of the overall tone of this book, I would lean a lot closer to the Young Adult (YA) side of fantasy than the adult side. Instead of a bleak world full of grit, you follow a fairly young character who is still growing. It is fast-paced, but the overall themes were not that heavy-feeling (to me) and were more focused on the warm-hearted nature of friendship with a touch of coming of age.
So, if you are a fan of dragons and fond of the chosen one/coming-of-age tropes, I think Ascendant will be right up your alley. It might feel pretty YA now, but I’m unsure how much that will carry over to the other books already out in the series. The covers give a much darker vibe compared to the first book, which, to me, feels more hopeful, which is exactly what you will find in this story, HOPE.
No, there wasn’t anything that was particularly mind-blowing to me, but I don’t think you need that for every book. Sometimes, you just want a fun and enjoyable story that you can sit back and relax. This is a well written book that has intention from the author exuding from each page. Michael came in with a mission to provide a fun trope-filled story, and he did exactly that.
I enjoy darker-themed fantasy books, so it was a bit challenging to get into at first. If you are looking for a fantasy book that feels similar to The Song of Ice and Fire or First Law, this might not be your best bet.
Overall, ascendent will scratch your fantasy dragon rider itch and make you want to read more of The Songs of Chaos series. Full of charm and great fun!
4 stars
“A Cook was a cook for life. That was that. And he, the lowly pot scrubber in his father’s service, shouldn’t dare to dream beyond the life laid before him.”
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