Title: Courage of One
Author: Zola Blue
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Book Blurb:
In ancient times on earth, there lived a race called Dragonors. Following in a tradition to gain status and recognition in the village, those able would compete in rigorous games of cunning and abilities. Tournaments culminated into a weapon battle to the death or submission while riding a dragon; at its end, the winner was given status within the village.
In this event, a blacksmith named Luken intended to win and gain the regard necessary to ask for Talulah's hand in marriage from her father Ephenio, lord of the village, competed in the challenge. Luken, who had no dragon or experience dragon-riding or battling, had no choice but to win against all the other competitors for his love. The final contest pits him against the worthiest aggressor. He is fortunate to use the more aggressive dragon of his true love, Talulah, that carries the battle and allows him a most unlikely victory.
Over time the happiness of Luken and the Dragonor princess turned to despair as men invade their once pristine swamplands. The earthlings eventually caused the death of Talulah, and the great Lords of the Dragonors decide to leave the earth instead of destroying men.
Dragonors run into unlikely allies in their new lands, the Mejuarian, and the two different groups in all ways and mannerism develop friendships and a familial bond. This closeness compelled the valiant dragon riders to assist the king of the Mejuarian in the recovery of his missing mewlings.
As luck would have it, King Teloby also discovers a new diminutive race interested in a friendly alliance with both the Mejuarian and Dragonors. A meeting with Marina, Queen of the Arvunglies, revealed that she has found one of the three missing nests and treasures it as a colorful bauble. The little queen agreed to return the nest happily. Still, she told them that rescue of the other two could prove a challenge. To retrieve the babies, they had to venture and most likely defeat a rogue dragon that attacked their small village from time to time.
On Earth in 1960, Ren discovers two nests while exploring by a lake. His father, a veterinarian, drew an interest in them and took them back to his facility for further investigation. Ren feared they were UFOs with body-snatching capabilities. Ren's fears soon disappear when his father indirectly hatched the two creatures in his incubator and discovers they are lovely, intelligent creatures that reminded him of some rare species of puppies.
Unaware that the missing nests fell to earth off the airship on their way to the Dragonor land, King Teloby prepared himself. For the next day, the three groups would head out for the dubious task of entering and searching the dragon's lair for his missing mewling.
My Review:
Three missing babies, an alliance with a miniature race of beings, and a rogue dragon to defeat…can King Teloby do what needs to be done? The Mejuarian have safely made the move to Dragonor lands. With a missing ship, King Teloby must calm the fears of his people before hysteria sets in. Once they discover the crashed ship, devastating news hits them. Three mewling nests (Mejuarian unborn babies) are unaccounted for, including the king’s own mewling. King Teloby befriends a new race of tiny people who help him search for the missing mewlings. There’s a rogue dragon to root out and this creates a conflict within the king. Dragons are his friends and allies. How can he kill one and still maintain his alliance with the Dragonors? He’ll need all the courage he possesses to not only rescue the two mewlings but his own son mewling, the future prince of the kingdom.
Courage of One is a fantasy adventure I couldn’t put down. In Courage of One, we finally get the backstory of Luken and discover why he is so important in this series. He is, in fact, the bridge between both worlds. We also have many storylines and characters to interact with, but Zola Blue’s imaginative prose keeps it all straight for the reader. The plot moves at a great pace. The dual timelines add an additional dimension to the overall story. My favorite scenes are with the fantasy world (Mejuarian, Dragonor, Arvunglies), especially King Teloby and Luken. The descriptive narration is immersive, and readers will find it easy to dive into Zola Blue’s world. While this is book three in the series, Zola Blue provides all the details of what happened previously so the reader can play catch-up with ease. If you’re a fantasy reader, dive into Courage of One. If you’re looking for an escape, pick up Courage of One. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5 stars
Buy it Now:
Giveaway:
I’m one of the authors participating in the Summer in the Sun Book Giveaway and you can win a $25 Amazon gift card or a print copy of Courage of One plus swag (US only).
Runs July 1 - 31 and is open internationally for many prizes.
Winners will be drawn on August 2, 2021.
Author Biography:
Born in Florida, I am a resident of the US, but now I reside on a lovely island in British Columbia, Canada, with my husband and two dogs, and one cat.
I love to read, and over my lifetime, I have probably read hundreds of books. Now that life has given me a bit more time to concentrate on my personal time, I am building my relationship with God and writing fun, fanciful fiction stories that blend over into the fantasy realm.
I hope that each time I put words on the paper, they make my readers want more and desire to voraciously continue reading.
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Reviewed by: Mrs. N