Reckoning (Chronicles of the Dragonoid: Book 2) by Brian Rankin

4 Stars

Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc

Date of publication:

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 535

Series: Chronicles of the Dragonoid

Resurrection – book 1 (review here)

Reckoning – book 2

Where you can find Reckoning: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from author’s website):

War has spread and nations have fallen. Only one nation remains brave enough to stand in defiance to the might of the empire. With the weight of everything falling on his shoulders, Atticus begins to fall apart and finds himself hurting those he has sworn to protect with his increasing power. Ryder once more takes charge of the Woodland army and leads them in a tide-turning battle where treachery lurks in every corner. Having done nothing more than hide and watch, Erin begins to unlock her full elemental potential. Meanwhile, Syler finds himself trapped in promises that leave him on the front line of danger. The four must travel through hostile territory, fight monsters thought only to be myths, and make the hardest sacrifice yet–a sacrifice that may be the reckoning of Valat. 

Trigger Warning: None

My review:

I was excited to read Reckoning. I had enjoyed reading Resurrection. I couldn’t wait to see what trials the author would put Atticus, Ryder, Erin, and Syler through. I wasn’t disappointed. I will give everyone a heads up, Reckoning is 535 pages. It took me, a very fast reader, over 5 days to read. But the longness of the book is needed. The author packs so much into this book that it could have gone longer.

Reckoning picks up shortly after the ending events of Resurrection. Atticus is coming to terms with being the Dragonoid and with his new powers. With Ryder, Erin and Syler, he is making his way to Ryder’s home country of Woodlands. It is there that he hopes to make a stand against the Selsic Empire. The journey to the Woodlands is dangerous. There are Selsic soldiers patrolling the Wetlands, looking for Atticus. The journey to the Woodlands was also one of discovery and renewed hope. But, once they get to the Woodlands, things take a turn for the worse. From an obsessed ex to an unbeatable army, Atticus must overcome them both. After a meeting with The Lord of the Woodlands, Atticus is sent on another journey with his friends. He needs to find Deoxy before the Selsic Empire does. If Deoxy falls into the Selsic Empires hand, all will be lost. So Atticus must stay a step ahead of them. Will Atticus find Deoxy with his friends?

Atticus had such a tough time in this book.  He had to come to terms with being the Dragonoid and the responsibilities that came with being it. He had to make decisions that haunted him afterward. There were times that I felt awful for him because the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He did have the help of his friends to help ease the burden but still. I did like it when he stood up to the Lord Onti, Lord of the Woodland. On a side note about that guy, all I have to say about his get up is “Really???” I felt that he belonged in a dungeon somewhere. Anyways, back to Atticus. I do think that him leaving on that quest to find Aris was not the best timing but he had to do it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have had the power to defeat the war machine. Also, he wouldn’t have discovered that he had a secondary element. Even then he still had doubts and regret. Those thoughts lasted until he started the quest to find the Lord Onti’s heir. That heir will be the only able to open The Feverent Woods. That is where Deoxy has been hidden.

I liked Erin but I thought she was weak during the first part of the book. Not in her element, her backstory was heartbreaking about why she couldn’t use it. No, I thought she was weak because she either wouldn’t or couldn’t stand up to Kanni. That drove me nuts. At one point, I wanted to shake Erin and say to her “Forget that she is Ryder’s sister. Let her have it!!” But they left before anything could come of that. She did get stronger in the book. By the time they found Deoxy in his cave, she was the Erin I thought she could be. I loved how Aba had her training with her Uncle to master her element also.

Ryder drove me crazy for about 75% of the book. I began to question who he was loyal too: Kanni or Atticus. He did choose Atticus but I could see a rift forming between them. It saddened me because he shouldn’t have had to choose between his sister and his best friend. Other than that, I liked him. He was an essential part of the foursome.

Not a lot was revealed about Syler, other than he was as skilled in his Ice Element as Atticus was in his Fire Element. He was a mystery. Something happened to him in the Icelands which caused him to keep everyone at arm’s length. Beside’s that tidbit, the author also revealed that Syler was an Ice Whisperer. From what I understood, an Ice Whisperer can put his/her element into a person and kill them. He kept to himself and didn’t open up to the others in the group. I liked him. I wish I knew what happened to him to make him the way he was.

The battle scenes in Reckoning were epic. I liked that the author had the Selsic Army have a slight steampunky feel while the Valatians’ were more traditional fantasy. That made for some very interesting battle scenes.

The end of the book was fantastic. While some storylines were ended, all the other storylines were not. Which set the perfect stage for book 3.

Reckoning is a great fantasy book. It is book 2 in the Chronicles of the Dragonoid series. This is not a stand-alone book. You do need to read book 1 to understand what is going on in book 2. The plot was fantastic. The characters will get under your skin and you will care about them. I recommend this book!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Violence. There is one scene where Atticus and Kanni have sex but it is very vague and not at all descriptive.

I would like to thank Brian Rankin and Page Publishing Inc for allowing me to read and review Reckoning.

All opinions stated in this review of Reckoning are mine.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**