SEASON OF THE DRAGON

A woman who has the power within her to destroy the world must fight her destiny and save those she loves in Wright’s fantasy novel.

Quen Tomo Santu has always been an outsider in her town of Solia. Within her lives a “shadow soul” of a changeling called a Nixan, which could one day forever transform her into a beast. For now, she does her best to remember what her father has taught her to stay peaceful. Despite her best efforts, animals run from her in fear, and unlike every other woman her age in her society, she’s unmarried. Her father hopes that she’ll be honorably accepted into Pillar of the Way of Water to study. Things change when Kentaro Nevara, a high-ranking mage of a dragon cult, comes to collect her; Quen’s late mother had promised Quen to the cult, and Nevara warns her that unless she joins them—and he helps her through the Nixan’s first transformation—“tragedy will follow. Until you face the truth of what you are, you’ll lay waste to villages.” As if to prove this prediction, a dragon attacks the village and kills a major character. Quen and her brother, Rhoji, leave with a traveling group of vigilantes with a plan to track down the dragon and kill it. Over the course of this first series installment, Wright presents readers with a setting that is complex and intricate, with layers of worldbuilding details that coalesce into a fictional civilization that’s exciting to discover. Quen is a relatable character; her story is a heart-wrenching one, as it effectively highlights her outsider status and how the truth of her existence pushes her loved ones away. Her character arc effectively focuses on her strength and persistence in a world of magic and dragons.

An engaging beginning to a promising fantasy series.