Dragonsbane: Fate's Forsaken, Book 3

This volume was easily the best of the series so far. I can't wait for the next one.
The narration was, as always, excellent.

The love story is as heartbreaking as ever, and I found the action (battles etc) to be better written than in the previous books. The narrator does an excellent job. To sum it up, I enjoyed it immensely! Some "Twilight" vibes towards the end (Marry me, Bella), but I didn't mind. I'm a big fan of Twilight.

I have just stared to listening and can not wait to devour the book.... and yet I don't want it to be over. This will be one of the few series that I go back and listen to again. Thank you Shae Ford

great story..great reader..thank you both...can't wait for the next one...til then..ta ta for NOW!! Jason Potter

Love it the story keeps j
you on each and I was hanging on each word

YA /adult fantasy with some romance, told in 3rd person, narrated superbly by Derek Perkins. Not über-intense, and not endlessly grim-dark. Fairly heartwarming at times, and fairly suspenseful, with some excellent battle strategy. Sometimes mildly funny. Poignant at times, as Kael realizes that his heroes and villains aren't as one-dimensional as depicted in his Atlas. A few beloved characters die, but with honor.

Plot in general terms: Titus and his abomination of beasts rule the Unforgivable Mountains at the summit, while Grognot the Bandit Lord wreaks endless havoc in the foothills. Kael the Wright and Kyleigh the Dragon-girl decide to do something about that, with a little help from the Wild Men, an ancient tribe of magical whisperers. Learning from the wild whisperers, Kael comes into his own as a Wright — the most powerful type of whisperer.

The book also features the giants (Declan especially) and the pirates, the forest girl Elena, and Nadine the exiled desert girl. The hawk-boy Eveningsong comes to terms with his past deeds, and Jonathan the fiddler discovers the terrible power of magic. From book 1, we again meet bully-boy Marc, who joined Titus's hoard, and Amos, who was conscripted to serve as his healer.

Quibbles: This is the third book in the series, and the best so far, in terms of pacing and flow, even though some scenes could be shortened (all the scenes at Kyleigh's Roost, the hike to the summit, etc). Some aspects of this book (and the whole series) are too sweet for my taste. I wanted a little more suffering and pathos. A few chapters set the stage for the sequel DAYBREAK. They were integrated well enough into this book, even though they digress from the action in the mountains.

Also, the character referred to as Fate is too nebulous. Same goes for the Fire-Crowned King. These characters feel like poster-board plot-pushers, not real entities. (However, the author develops this thread more clearly in book 4, DAYBREAK, the series conclusion).

I had to read book 4, because it's not yet available on Audible.

kept me on edge i will look foward to the next book by shae ford

Awesome book and great narration with all the various characters! Ready for book number 4. Loads of fun must read

From the first book to the third. It only got better. Best payoff in ages.

Great book, can't wait for the fourth book. It can go so many different directions from here, I am excited to see what Shaw has in store.