Showing posts with label dragons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dragons. Show all posts

Sunday, 29 March 2015

Serpent Priestess of the Annunaki by Katrina Sisowath (Dragon Court #1)

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Original Title: Serpent Priestess of the Annunaki
Year Published: 2014
Published by: 5 Prince Publishing
Number of Pages: 394
First Sentence: 
Goodreads Rating: 4/5
Plot:
The Annunaki on Nibiru lack precious metals, stones and minerals, which they desire, food on Nibiru is also running low. Their solution: establish a colony on a distant planet teeming with wildlife and vegetation. When the Annunaki discover they are ill equipped to labor under the harsh conditions found on Earth, they create a workforce called humans, a hybrid manufactured from their DNA and a species known as hominid. 

The Serpent Priestess Ninkha and her husband Lord Enki are charged with this task, battling not only the challenges faced adjusting to life on Earth, but Enki's brother, Enlil, as well. Will the humans live as Enki and Ninkha envisioned--able to learn, create and above all, reason? Or will they subjugate themselves to Enlil and his rule willingly?

At stake is the future of the Priestesses of Damuth, who, along with their serpents, service the Annunaki with their own blood, providing those who partake of the cocktail of blood and venom the ultimate in achieving a higher state of consciousness, along with youth, vigour and longevity. If Enlil, whose disdain of them is well-known, wins, what will happen to them?

To protect themselves and their descendants, they form the ‘Dragon Court’, but is it enough?

Serpent Priestesses or Witches, Gods or Demons,

Aliens or Ancestors, Oppressors or Creators? 

Perhaps all of the above..............
My thoughts:
I bought this book after receiving the arc for the sequel over at NetGalley (I didn't realise it was a sequel when I requested it), and figured that I would need to read this one before reading the arc I got. So I bought this and got reading. It was a little hard to get into but after just one chapter I found myself completely hooked. 
The world described in this book is quite fantastic and it is obvious that the author has given it a lot of thought. It is very detailed (which is awesome but has its negative sides, I'll get to that). The Annunaki's, the inhabitants of Nibiru, are a very intelligent people with several supernatural abilities. They are all matched with a dragon at birth (DRAGONS!!) and create and unbreakable bond with their dragon. They are governed by their priests and priestesses that help guiding the people through their lives. 
There are many characters that the plot revolves around, all who are very interesting. I won't go into detail about the characters as that actually would spoil the plot. The plot is a very interesting take on the creation myth (yeah, you read that right) and gives a very interesting account where the Annunaki's are the creators of humans. 
Usually, I don't like books with religious themes or allusions to religion but this book is just too good to be true. You will definitely recognise some of the stories from the Bible, along with some names, but you don't need to know the Bible to enjoy this book (I really don't. Know the Bible that is).
So, is there anything negative? Yes. The book is like only 4 percent dialogue, and since the author obviously has given the world in the book a lot of thought, it can get a little bit overwhelming. In fact, although I loved it, my brain felt kind of mushy at the end. It was just so much information to take in. Detail is awesome, but you need something to make it easier to take in. A little bit more dialogue had been great. 
Do I recommend it? 
Yes! It is amazing, and I can't wait to get started on book numero 2. 

Thursday, 26 March 2015

In Search of Lost Dragons by Elian Black'Mor and Carine M

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Original Title: In Search of Lost Dragons
Year Published: 2014
Published by: Dynamite Entertainment
Number of Pages: 224
First Sentence: "I've just arrived at a small Inn in the heart of Armorica."
Goodreads Rating: 4/5
Plot:
Gorgeous full-color paintings, accompanied by a unique story of world-wide exploration and dragon encounters! On the trail of dragons forgotten, an intrepid illustrator and reporter journeys from Europe through the Middle East and finally to Saigon in search of the dark caverns and mountaintop perches where the elusive winged serpents dwell. With the gift of seeing the invisible, our explorer friend records each encounter in a journal of gorgeous, fully painted artwork, capturing every majestic and fearsome visual detail of the scaly behemoths, and accompanies his findings with snippets of local lore as evidence that these hidden beasts continue to shape the world in ways we may never expect!
My thoughts:
Oh my god, I loved this! It is just so gorgeous! I've always loved dragons and after reading this nobody can convince me that dragons aren't real. Just amazing. The book is laid out as a travel journal, and we get to follow an explorer as they travel to several countries through Europe and Asia in search of dragons and eventually a lost party of explorers. Sometimes the plot get's a little lost, but it doesn't really matter since the images are so incredibly beautiful. 
Do I recommend it? 
Yes, if you like dragons or pretty images. It's gorgeous and I kind of want all of the images posted on my flats walls.