Forever Obsession: Review Request: Hatch

ASIN: B00G0KKBBC
Pages: 344
Source: Author

Appearance:

Summary:

Ammon's job was simple, to care for the dragon eggs in the Nest. It should have been easy, but it wasn't. When the sun rose after the hatch, he had made an enemy of the most powerful man in the kingdom, and he would soon learn that was the least of his problems!

Hey everyone! Today I've got a review request to share with you guys. I recently uploaded a profile on tweetyourbooks.com which is a website that allows authors to connect with various bloggers to review their books. I got a ton of review requests so you'll be seeing a lot of them hopefully in the near future. So the first review I have is Hatch by James Stevens, a YA dragon fantasy full of adventure. Let's get into the review~

Ammon was hired to take fore the dragon eggs, keeping them warm and safe until hatching. If all went well, he'd get his pay and be on his way. Unfortunately life does that work that way and he finds himself bonded to a golden dragon on Hatching day. The dragon was late to the hatch which was unheard of, but the color makes it all the more special. To top it all off, he also made an enemy of the king's heir, a greedy conniving man by the name of Tirate. Tirate's been waiting ages to bond with a dragon as that is the only thing that is keeping him away from the throne. To be bonded with a golden dragon is the greatest of honors and will make him an unstoppable tyrant.

I'll admit that when I first read the summary, I wasn't all that interested. My only drive to accept the request was because there were dragons and it's been ages since I read a dragon book. I was afraid that this book would not live up to my expectations and I'd be left disappointed BUT everything I ever feared of was COMPLETELY disproven when I finished reading Hatch. This book was so much fun to read and full adventure and epicness and adorable dragons!

Ammon is one of those characters who go through a lot of character development and growth throughout the course of the story. He starts off a timid watcher of the eggs with a small spark of courage that by the end of the book grows into a full blown flame. There were parts of the story line that I easily saw coming so yes, it does get pretty predictable, but the fun and new thing about the story were the characters. I don't think I've ever met any other dragon with as much sass as Fulgid. That little golden dragon has got some serious attitude and he's absolutely adorable. The two of them make a very uncanny pair as they share an incredibly strong bong of loyalty and courage.

Other memorable characters included Boris, King Erik. the knights, and El. Boris took on the role of a father figure, guiding Ammon to become educated in the way of a dragon knight. King Erik is like a wise uncle or grandfather, depending on how you look at him. Both of them were really amazing people and helped Ammon grow so much throughout the book.

Of course, we must include El, Ammon's wife (spoiler?) I liked her fire because it made reading her conversations with Ammon really enjoyable. They are both pretty young and thrust into a crazy situation. My one problem with their relationship was how stilted it was. Obviously it was mega awkward at moments because they didn't plan on becoming married to each other, but the way El handled it didn't really make sense. She spends a month after marriage avoiding Ammon and then he goes to risk his life and she's upset that he's leaving her alone? In the end, they do work things out so it's all good.

It seems crazy to say this but I absolutely adored Tirate and Liah. They are absolutely the most hilarious "villains" of a story I've ever read to date. Tirate seems like a petulant child while Liah is like a whining cough (rhymes with itch). I still didn't like Liah because of how she treated El, but that ending had me laughing so hard I might have cried.

Overall, the story is definitely very enjoyable. It was a bit long and there are a couple grammatical errors, but it's a first book so I'm not too worried about it. Hopefully the second book comes out soon because I miss Fulgid already.