On the brink of war, the fate of the nine realms lies in Tori Kagari’s hands. After her arduous efforts to infiltrate the queendom of Avarell, Tori must now escape from it in an unforeseen alliance with a runaway princess and the soldier who saved Tori’s life.When the savage forces of Nostidour take hold of Avarell, Tori must seek out the rulers of the other realms and convince them to join the … join the fight. But when the other realms discover that Tori has been lying about who she is, they are hesitant to trust her. Now Tori must find a way to prove herself, even if it means leading the battle herself and risking everything in the name of peace.
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“Paragon Rising” is the second instalment in the “Curse of the Phoenix” Duology by Dorothy Dreyer, an enticing, thrilling, well-written NA epic fantasy story, that captivates the reader from the very beginning, with a fantastic well-crafted world, which blends elements of hero quest, adventure, mystery, light horror and Asian inspired lore into a fully unique enticing story.
“Paragon Rising” takes exactly on where “Phoenix Rising” (Book 1) left, and hits the floor hard, with Avarell being threaten by the other realms (including the Rift) and in the blink of an all-front war that could engulf all nine realms, a fate Tori is intended on avoided at all costs, even if that means to seek help in the most unexpected places, and unite all realms against the threat of Nostidour, but first she has to get them to trust her again, after having hidden her real identity from them. The fate of the realms is at stake, and Tori would have to risk everything for peace.
Dreyer has constructed a fantastic world, unique, fresh, beautiful, and terrifying at the very same time. Tori is a wonderful heroine, strong just because she needs to be. The secondary characters are fully fleshed and have their own personality, even the dead-inhabitants of the Rift are much more than mere brainless zombies and have their own purpose in the plot. While still being fast-paced, this book is more relaxed than the prequel, and offer lots of background story on Avarell, without interrupting the story-arc in the least. Once again, we enjoy a vast array of strong women, and beautiful crafted LGTB+ characters. And last, but not least we get the desired HEA, we have been expected from the very beginning.
This is one fantastic and addictive story. It has so much action, adventure, drama, and mystery with swords, pirates, soldiers, and love. It is a gripping continuation of the first book. We see so much from our characters and the missions that they are. You laugh with characters, cry with them, feel their anger and their love. The descriptions are so well thought out that you can picture it in front of you. I adored Tori and Bram with their protective, honor bound attitudes. The flow of the story is superb and beautiful. It is a must read that draws you in and doesn’t let go. This one series you do not want to miss or miss out on.
Paragon Rising is the second book of the series. I admit after reading the first chapter I was a bit lost. It had been awhile since I had read the first book and so I had forgotten the twists and turns and characters. After rereading book one, I was able to jump back in and understand and enjoy the situations and the development of the story. This series offers the reader an exciting journey with action, adventure and twists.
Series needs to be read in order.
This was so exciting and so much going on sometimes at once. I have read Phoenix Descending the first in the book series and the world build has grown so has the characters. It is wonderful how it was done Dorothy Dreyer is very imaginative and has a good sense of letting things grow with her imagination. I would so recommend this book but be sure to read the first one or you miss a lot.
I was hooked on this series when I read the first book in the series entitled Phoenix Descending. To understand this book you must read that first book prior to starting this one. Otherwise it will be like entering a movie theater when the show is half over and you’ll be at a loss as to what happened previously.
Dorothy Dreyer is a great author who tells a tale that a reader is drawn to. The characters seem real both those who are good and those who are evil and those who unfortunately are caught in the middle.
If you want to escape from the world of reality this series will satisfy that desire. You will not be disappointed by reading the series.
What can I say?!? Mind Blown!! This book has everything you could ever want in a book. Adventure, Excitement, Pirates, Betrayal, Intrigue, Spycraft, and the Undead…There is beauty, there is war, and what’s better is there is an intelligent Fox named Takumi who knows the ins and outs of the shadows better than anyone. The Pirate Queen has her very own Phoenix as well. Tori, Bram, Finja, Princess Wrena, Aurora, Goran, and many others from the nine realms hatch a plan to save Avarell. So much happens that you will completely forget that it’s just a story, and find yourself wholly invested in these characters’ lives and well-beings. You will find your heart beating in your throat, you fingers gripping the pages in hope, joy, desperation, sadness, and grief. Perhaps you will be surprised to find yourself looking up and the scene you feel you SHOULD be seeing doesn’t match up with what you are seeing in all reality. Maybe it takes a minute for your brain to catch up with your heart. That’s what this book does. It takes you on a very vivid adventure. It is definitely one you won’t want to miss, and one you are sure to love! 5 stars and 100% 2 thumbs up!!