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gmvader's review
5.0
Zahn never really gets better which would be disappointing if he wasn't so good to begin with. He's never going to change your life with brilliant writing but he will keep you turning pages with brilliant story telling. Jack Morgan and Draycos continue their quest to save Draycos's people from extinction and get trapped on the planet where Jack's parents died – or were murdered. Great adventure. I would recommend this series to anybody especially young adults and children.
djinnetta's review
2.0
DNF to this book and now DNF for this series. Yes, I realise there's only one more book after this but the last two have been so dull and so plodding that I can't be bothered anymore. This is such a shame because the series started out so strong. But it's not doing anything for me anymore and I can only imagine Jack and Draycos will be just fine without me.
kailey_luminouslibro's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
In this fifth book of the series, Jack and Draycos make a quick stop at the planet where Jack's parents died in an accidental mining explosion. Jack is kidnapped by aliens from a remote area of the planet, and they think he is a Judge sent to mediate their petty legal matters. Jack begins to uncover clues that suggest that his parents were not just miners who died in an accident. They were most likely murdered, and they were not miners at all!
I loved this book so much! Every book in the series is action-packed and full of mystery and danger. I loved that the plot answers some of the questions that came up in the previous book, but then new mysteries and new questions are introduced, so you are always wondering and guessing what could possible happen next.
Alison Kayna is becoming more and more embroiled in Draycos' plans, and it is interesting to see how this group trusts each other, but only partially. They trust each other for now, but things could change quickly as the situation unfolds.
Draycos' warrior ethic of always doing what is right is rubbing off on the others more and more, and they find themselves taking risks to help innocent people even when it means going out of their way and losing valuable time or even risking their lives.
I love all the characters, the plot, the themes, the writing style! Everything about this book is just so delightful. I can’t wait to read more from the series!
I loved this book so much! Every book in the series is action-packed and full of mystery and danger. I loved that the plot answers some of the questions that came up in the previous book, but then new mysteries and new questions are introduced, so you are always wondering and guessing what could possible happen next.
Alison Kayna is becoming more and more embroiled in Draycos' plans, and it is interesting to see how this group trusts each other, but only partially. They trust each other for now, but things could change quickly as the situation unfolds.
Draycos' warrior ethic of always doing what is right is rubbing off on the others more and more, and they find themselves taking risks to help innocent people even when it means going out of their way and losing valuable time or even risking their lives.
I love all the characters, the plot, the themes, the writing style! Everything about this book is just so delightful. I can’t wait to read more from the series!
onemanbookclub's review
3.0
Check out my blog, One Man Book Club
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
STOP EVERYTHING!!!
Are you telling me there's a ScyFy series written by the king of Star Wars novels about an orphan with his own AI-controlled spaceship AND who has a symbiont relationship with a dragon warrior-poet who lives on his back as a giant golden tatoo?
Yes. Yes I am.
The story was a blast, and I'm a sucker for dragons. Slightly unfortunately, I found the Dragonback series to be well written for the demographic it's targeted for--upper middle grade--but not so well written for my grown up expectations. The writing and plot were both terribly simplistic. Conclusions to conflicts were resolved with unrealistic ease. The characters discovered or revealed a new skill that saved the day exactly when it was needed. The ebooks had an annoying number of misspelled words and misplaced punctuation. BUT, as I usually find with fun middle-grade stories, once I realigned expectations, I sat back, kicked-off my shoes, and enjoyed the story.
By the end of book 6 I was perfectly happy with the resolution and how things were tied up. The annoying things stayed annoying, and there was much more fiction than science. But the 13-year-old nerd in me was too happy to be reading about a quick thinking, 14-year-old thieving conman, his AI powered spaceship, and an awesome poet-warrior dragon living in a tatoo on his back!
Do you have a 13-year-old nerd somewhere inside of you? Or maybe you are a 13-year-0ld nerd! Either way, I bet you're going to enjoy this fun space romp. I did!
No content issues at all.
Best for 12 and up.
Happy Reading!
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
STOP EVERYTHING!!!
Are you telling me there's a ScyFy series written by the king of Star Wars novels about an orphan with his own AI-controlled spaceship AND who has a symbiont relationship with a dragon warrior-poet who lives on his back as a giant golden tatoo?
Yes. Yes I am.
The story was a blast, and I'm a sucker for dragons. Slightly unfortunately, I found the Dragonback series to be well written for the demographic it's targeted for--upper middle grade--but not so well written for my grown up expectations. The writing and plot were both terribly simplistic. Conclusions to conflicts were resolved with unrealistic ease. The characters discovered or revealed a new skill that saved the day exactly when it was needed. The ebooks had an annoying number of misspelled words and misplaced punctuation. BUT, as I usually find with fun middle-grade stories, once I realigned expectations, I sat back, kicked-off my shoes, and enjoyed the story.
By the end of book 6 I was perfectly happy with the resolution and how things were tied up. The annoying things stayed annoying, and there was much more fiction than science. But the 13-year-old nerd in me was too happy to be reading about a quick thinking, 14-year-old thieving conman, his AI powered spaceship, and an awesome poet-warrior dragon living in a tatoo on his back!
Do you have a 13-year-old nerd somewhere inside of you? Or maybe you are a 13-year-0ld nerd! Either way, I bet you're going to enjoy this fun space romp. I did!
No content issues at all.
Best for 12 and up.
Happy Reading!
kodi_rae's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Another exciting edition to this series. I really like the mystery elements added to this one and the two simultaneous narratives. I’m excited to see how the story will end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Slavery, and Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement, Blood, Death, and Death of parent
jurassicreader's review
5.0
Please vote on list Best Timothy Zahn novel.
This is my favorite one in the series so far. The plot was great, as was the character development. I liked getting the perspective of Alison and Taneem also. I didn't enjoy their chapters as much as Jack and Draycos's, but they were still very good. The backstory for Jack was interesting, and I also enjoyed the new development in the relationship between Jack and Draycos. I was a little disappointed that there was nothing in the book from the twist at the end of book 4. Still a great read and my favorite in the series. Looking forward to the conclusion in book 6.
This is my favorite one in the series so far. The plot was great, as was the character development. I liked getting the perspective of Alison and Taneem also. I didn't enjoy their chapters as much as Jack and Draycos's, but they were still very good. The backstory for Jack was interesting, and I also enjoyed the new development in the relationship between Jack and Draycos. I was a little disappointed that there was nothing in the book from the twist at the end of book 4. Still a great read and my favorite in the series. Looking forward to the conclusion in book 6.
rachela1eaf's review
5.0
Another very enjoyable installment. I love all the story threads that are coming together here. It was also great to get so much of Alison and Taneem! Plus, I realized how much I love the little made-up phrases Zahn sprinkles in--"out of your apple-buttered mind," "spinning soap"--those can sound contrived but they were funny and natural to me.
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