Heart of Dragons: A Sword & Sorcery Epic Fantasy

Chronicles of Pelenor, Book 1

By: Meg Cowley

Narrated by: Jack Voraces

Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

A stolen magic. A rising evil. They are pawns in a game they do not understand.

USA Today best-selling author and 2018 SPFBO semifinalist Meg Cowley returns with a stunning new epic fantasy trilogy set in the same world as her acclaimed Books of Caledan series.

When orphan Harper discovers a legendary Dragonheart, her life changes forever.

Magically flung to the faraway country of Pelenor, where magic, dragons, and elves rule, Harper must find her place - and fast.

Searching for the elven King's missing Dragonheart is his ruthless Spymaster Dimitri, who has his own agenda to revolutionise Pelenor, and free it from the King's greed.

Harper is thrust into a web of intrigue beyond her knowledge, and her newfound companions - a roguish elven thief and his ragtag band of companions - might not be the trustworthy friends she thinks.

When Harper and Dimitri's paths collide, the only thing more dangerous than lies might be the truth, yet either might destroy them. Harper is forced to ally with the hated spymaster - but Dimitri is equally displeased that his fate rests in her unworthy hands.

Harper and Dimitri must work together to ensure both of them survive the King's wrath in a court where betrayal is as easy as breathing. The Dragonheart is key to both their successes - but only one can possess it, and the king will not suffer its loss.

Who will drown in deceit, and who will rise triumphant?

If you enjoy epic fantasies with vivid characters and complex plots, you'll love the Pelenor Chronicles. It's perfect for fans of SJ Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series and Jeff Wheeler's Kingfountain series.

Listen to Heart of Dragons now.
 

©2019 Meg Cowley (P)2019 Meg Cowley

Brilliant, all the way around!

Let me just start by saying this is my second Meg Cowley book and wow has she stepped it up! The end of this one left me gasping for more!

I loved it so much, I had to listen to it a second time before leaving my review!

Similarly, this is my second Jack Voraces audiobook and it gave me yet more evidence to why he immediately jumped into my 'top ten narrators ever' list!

He does narrate a touch faster than your average narrator, so I listen to him at a slightly lower speed than normal (my standard is x1.75-x2, while I listen to Jack at x1.5).

He has a phenomenal skill in manipulating pacing and vocal inflections to provide exactly the experience on offer and he has an impressive array of voices (especially the feminine ones, I mean, wow!) and accents.

If I had a critique, I suppose it would be that his voices don't always 100% match the way they are described in the text. In particular, over the two books there have been several voices described as deep that he actually gives quite high voices.

However, audio is an adaptation, much like having a movie made. And typically I'm much happier with the narrator's interpretation than I would have been if it had been a perfect translation of the author's intentions.

Such is the case with Jack's work.


Quite apart from her Books of Caladan series, while this story does take place in the same world, most of it happens in a land quite distant from Caladan.

Much more so than the previous trilogy, there is a lot of Christopher Paolini influence in several aspects of this story, yet most of them end up being flipped on their heads in some deliciously fun ways!

Although the book definitely maintains the general YA feel of Meg's books, this one also feels a bit more serious with more of an epic-feeling scope than at least the first Caladan book.

Not that we're looking at the next Wheel of Time, Malazan, or Song of Ice and Fire here. Nothing that grandly epic. But it doesn't need to be.

What we do have, is an introduction to some really fun characters that are mostly just trying to get their heads on straight (and largely failing to do so!).

None of these characters is what we would typically call heroic or villainous, but each falls into the crags somewhere between them.

I love the way the distrust between them was played up to feel so genuine and real, and I love the growth we get to see these characters go through, particularly in the case of Harper. She has her world views challenged over and over and is continually reevaluating her definitions of the way the world works.

I also love that in no way did this book fall into the (in my experience) all-too-common YA trap of having characters that are contradictorily both extremely self-centered and altruistically make fixing all the world's problems their personal responsibility.

There are some definite twists that, while not completely out of left field, were a bit surprising and worked to tie things together into a more cohesive whole.

I admit that maybe I just haven't seen enough of it yet, but I'm still left feeling a bit underwhelmed by the magic system. But it's entirely possible that I've just been spoiled from reading the works of Friedman, Jordan, Sanderson, and Erikson.

And that ending!
I mean, wow!

Okay, in fairness, I saw it coming very early on. One aspect of it, at least, was quite obvious to me. But the devil is in the details, as they say. And this ending, while neatly tying several threads together, has me on the edge of my seat with baited breath waiting for more!

I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Great Story and A Great Performance

To Start this books performance is another Great entry into the narrators growing body of work, possibly one of his best performances to date. The voices for the characters bring them to life in a spectacular way that really drives home the characteristics and world the author was trying to depict in her story. He even utilizes techniques for internal dialogue that keeps the focus om the story without making the listener lose track which is awesome! Overall an outstanding performance well worth a listen.

The story itself is enthralling, for me, it took a lit bit to take off but once the players where introduced it started to rapidly progress, the story follows a cast of characters with different goals and ideologies. Without spoiling the story this book does an amazing Job of building the world, developing the main Cast of Characters and setting up for a thrilling book #2 while being a thrilling story in its own right. Overall any fan of the fantasy Genre should be looking to pick this book up, it is well worth a listen, i look forward to listening to the second installment!

Terrific Book

I received a free review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It features lovable characters, a complex villain, and interesting plot lines. The narration was great! I look forward to seeing where the story goes in the subsequent books.

The following synopsis may contain spoilers:

A young woman is transported to a magical kingdom in her world where she meets a group of thieves. However, she feels betrayed and wants to go home. Towards that end she travels to the capital but meets an unpleasant surprise.

In the meantime, a spymaster seeks an ancient ruler with the goal of overthrowing the corrupt government. Their fates become enmeshed. Will they succeed in their goals? Listen to the audiobook to find out.

So good!

If you're looking for a book series that has a little bit of everything stop and look no further. This book is amazing It has a unique and different approach to introducing the characters which in my opinion it makes the book better because it's not your every-day type of book, it keeps you hooked because you really don't understand what the heck is going on up to the point where you get a glimpse of what the main plot is and at that point your hook for the rest of the book its just that good.

not only did the other doing amazing job with writing this book and keeping it interesting the narrator what SEALs the deal and why you should listen to this book he is absolutely one of the greats from everything from the different character inflections between both male and female characters to the distinct voices for all the different characters absolutely phenomenal job!

Great epic fantasy

I really enjoyed this epic fantasy audiobook. The characters are vivid and easily capture your attention. I loved the humour, warm heart and cockiness of Aedon, the inner strength, growth and determination of Harper and the “Robin Hoodness” of their group as a whole. None of the characters are totally good or bad, even Dimitri elicits some sympathy. He has been treated so poorly by everyone for so long that, even though he is intelligent, he seems to be blinded by his bitterness. The interweaving storylines connect well, creating intrigue, mystery and suspense. It also has hints of romance and a good dose of humour. The narrator does an excellent job, he infuses the characters with life and does a great job of all the various accents. His pace was perfect, and you could easily visualize what was happening in the story. This is an enjoyable story with twists, excitement, great characters and a world that easily draws you in and keeps you captivated.

Decent characters let down by mediocre writing

I received this book gratis.

I enjoyed the characters. They were each vividly written.

The narration was too fast; I played it at .95.

The real downfall of the book is the lackluster story and writing.

I finished the book, and it wasn't a chore to do so, but at the end I was pretty meh about the whole affair.

Simply Amazing

I got this book on a whim and a recommendation. I was floored and could not stop listening.

The narrator guides the story beautifully complete with different voices and effects. It added so much to the story that I didn't know I wanted and needed. Every character is portrayed with such a different voice and emotion added. I was very pleased and was a great addition to the story that some narrators can miss.

This is my first Meg Cowley book. I love the pace and was sad when it ended. I immediately got the sequel. Each of the characters and their backstories were woven through the story intricately and it makes it hard to choose a favorite. No one is necessarily solely the hero or solely the villain. I cannot wait to start the next book.

GREAT START TO A NEW SERIES

Heart of Dragons: A Sword & Sorcery Epic Fantasy (Chronicles of Pelenor, Book 1), my fifth read from author Meg Cowley. From the opening pages, you could tell this was an epic in the making with the story requiring multiple volumes to tell. Wonderful characters, detailed settings. Very good read! (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018). Narrator Jack Voraces continues narrating Meg Cowley’s work & his talented narration & captivating accent adds greatly to the book's enjoyment. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. Owning both the Kindle & Audible editions I was able to follow along while being read to. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

loved

Action packed thrill ride that I couldn't put down and can't wait to see what happens next. Well worth reading you'll be hooked. To add to it the narrator was just amazing.

One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to!

Meg has done it again! She ups her story-telling abilities with every new book, and this is her best yet. All the characters are relatable from the ones you love to hate to the ones you hate to love, and of course, the ones you love to love. The performance is also top notch, and brings the world to life beautifully❤️

Dont Listen to the other review:

I thought the wild variation of reviews on this book was weird. Some gave it a 5 and some gave it a 1 so I checked the Audible US reviews. People LOVE it! All the reviews there are positive. Ignore what the 1 star review says.

Personally I loved this book. The characters are well fleshed out and Jack Voraces gives every one a unique and fitting voice.
The plot was extremely engaging and had me coming back again and again to find out all the twists and turns with each character.

Do yourself a favour and check this one out.

Generic Tolkien-style fantasy

Heart of Dragons is the first book in the Chronicles of Pelenor quadrilogy, written by Meg Cowley. We follow the young and poor orphan girl Harper, who gets whisked away to a different place by a magical dragon heart. Here she meets a group of thieves on a mission, which she teams up with, and it doesn’t take long before she gets involved in matters she would have preferred to be without. Certain members of the royal court, wants to get hold of the dragon heart, for their own personal gain, and Harper has a hard time doing, what she believes to be, the right thing. At the same time, the royal spymaster Dimitri, is plotting to overturn the current ruler, in order to improve living conditions in the kingdom, and get personal revenge.

The book was generally well written. Dialogs were good, characters in general were likable, there’s a clear plot and is relatively easy to follow. I enjoyed the banter of the group of thieves that Harper hangs out with, and the second main character, royal spymaster Dimitri, was very nuanced and was by far the most interesting character in the book.
We don’t get too much world building though, so there’s a distinct lack of information on where we are. At the same time, the world is a cookie cutter Tolkien world: We have sexy elves, artistic underground dwarves, generic thieves, magic everywhere, runes, goblins that overtake dwarven strongholds and mines, etc. Nothing new there at all, at that is somewhat sad. I could also have liked a bit more descriptive prose, to really set the world apart, especially since that which is there, is always copied from Tolkien style unfortunately.
The plot is also relatively simple, and I could have enjoyed a little more depth there. It moves quite slowly the first part of the book, and is used mostly to introduce characters. But it could have moved a bit faster in my humble opinion. They talk and banter a LOT. The book sets up nicely for a sequel.

The biggest problem I had with the book was the main character Harper. She’s about as intelligent as an overripe pineapple, and she acts like a gullible child all the way through. She grew up alone, and in poverty, so you would have assumed that she had the will and foresight to act through life, but she appear to have no idea as to what she is doing. Also, she’s magically transported to another place, and she accepts that almost immediately. She also suddenly appears to have magical powers, and it also takes her only a short moment to accept. We find out she has elven heritage? Fine, why not! All in all, she’s not a very interesting character, as she is about as deep as the leaves on said pineapple. There’s a bit of character development, but not nearly enough to make her interesting. The only major question is wether her heritage is important. Similarly, Dimitri seems to like her, but even he can’t explain why. Neither can I!

I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jack Voraces. He did an overall excellent job, with great distinct voices for different characters and thoughts, randomly added accents, and clear narration that moved very well in pitch with the written text. My only ‘but’ is that he has a somewhat ‘goofy’ way of reading, making the book appear more comical than it actually is. So while his narration as such was expertly done, I don’t think he was the right choice for the book. My immediate thought was to expect a book akin to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or the Discworld series, yet it was definitely not, as it was much more serious. Your experience of his reading may differ of course, and it is merely my personal preference. By the second book, I was really enjoying his reading mind you.

All in all, an overall enjoyable fantasy story, that doesn’t push any boundaries. Go for it if you want an easy Tolkien-esque fantasy read, with likable characters (Other than the main character) and a plot that is easy to follow.

Really good start!

I really enjoyed this book, I've not listened to fantasy for a while as I'm usually into Sci-fi so this was a breath of fresh air for me.
The story follows our 3 main characters Harper, Dimiti and Aedon.
Harper is my favourite by far, an unexpected heroine she comes into possession of the lost Dragon Heart and finds herself right at the centre of events, her story is so well done I simply can't wait to continue.
It was a really great adventure and I can't wait to continue reading the series.

Strong start to this series

In another series by this author, I found the world-building to be strong, but the characters weren't as engaging and the series was weaker than it should have been. So far this new series seems like it maintains the strong world-building of that one, but crucially for me, I found the characters to be far more interesting and they helped to draw me into the book that much more strongly.

The narrator of this book also helps to enhance the book with a strong and distinctive performance that helps to bring the cast to life in an enjoyable manner.

Overall, this book worked very well as both a standalone and as the first part of a series and I am enthusiastic about subsequent books.

[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]

The intrigue of elves

An excellent start to a new series. The book introduces you to the politics and intrigue of elves as a young woman is catapulted into the middle of it, with only the help from some unlikely friends to see her through. It is well written and narrated leaving me very much looking forward to the next one.

A brilliant Fantasy

I can highly recommend this brilliant piece of fantasy I have also read the book and to have it read for me by a great narrator brought a whole new dimension to the story. When Harper is transported to a far away land the adventure began.Finding herself with a band of misfits.The Dragonheart that transported her is being persued by the Kings spymaster in a land of stolen magic Elves and Dragons and a King who wants to possess everything.all this and a rising evil how can she survive when she has yet to discover her own powers.

Reasonable story, awful narration with cringeworthy accents!

The character accents fluctuated throughout- with the only consistency being their cringeworthy awfulness! Particularly the accent for Dimitri was hellish and would have induced me to give up on the book - had I not have paid for it.
Read it instead!!!!