2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Resistance by Amy Rae Durreson (239-08-01-2016)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

1) A story of a God who, humbled by life and his decisions, does not feel worthy of being the God he feels his people, and his lover, a dragon, deserve. This was a fascinating take on how a god is created, and how very human he actually is. We can see Iskandar, the leader of his people after the fall of a restrictive religious regime, and his four counsel members rebuilding a city and a society. The angst and the despair of Iskandar does not drag the story down; though at times I wanted to shake the character to see his worth rather than his flaws. The secondary story, the glossary, is written as if it was centuries later, but a university scribe. Some of the humor fell flat, as the asides were a bit confusing as to who wrote it, the scribe or his patron, the Dragon Adrian. This glossary gave a bit more depth into areas that that story could not; and gave little information where the story was a bit more robust in the characters. The seemed to be fun for the author to write, though it was superfluous and really was not needed. Overall, the story kept my attention and it was an enjoyable read.

2) Wow. I fell in love with this book right from the beginning. The world building was detailed, with a rich complex history and the settings were very easy to visualise. The characters are interesting, realistic and struggle with the decisions they’ve made and have still yet to make. I particularly loved Hal the dragon, and the fact that his hoard wasn’t the usual gold and treasure but the people he takes into his heart and protects. There are a few twists in the plot, and not all the main characters survive the story unscathed but that makes it all the more realistic. Although I haven’t read book 1, I didn’t have any problems picking up the series part way in, but now I need to go find that first book. Hoping the author has another planned, and that hint I picked up on that there is another story to be told wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part.

Resistance (Reawakening #2) by Amy Rae Durreson
Gay Fantasy
Paperback: 350 pages
Publisher: DSP Publications (December 29, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1634761677
ISBN-13: 978-1634761673
Amazon: Resistance (Reawakening #2)
Amazon Kindle: Resistance (Reawakening #2)

Reawakening: Book Two

Overthrowing the Shadow that ruled Tiallat was only the first step. For rebel leader Iskandir, rebuilding his shattered country is an even greater challenge. A poor harvest, religious conflict, and years of tyrannical governance combine with the challenge of getting the soldiers of the Shadow’s army home and rehousing the exiled who are flooding back into free Tiallat.

Then people begin to get sick.

A thousand years ago, after the Shadow’s first defeat, a blight fell upon the north: a disease that killed more than the war itself. Now, as this plague returns, Iskandir must look north again to the newly awakened dragon Halsarr, a learned doctor and professor who wants no part in a new war. Even if Halsarr agrees to come to their aid, Iskandir is afraid of the truth he will expose. For the dragon Halsarr once loved a bold and reckless steppes elemental who later transformed into the lonely and powerful Dual God of Tiallat, the two-faced Lord who has been missing since the Shadow entered the country.

Rainbow Awards Guidelines: http://www.elisarolle.com/rainbowawards/rainbow_awards_2016.html