This is a good start to a series.
Unfortunately the story was too short.
What there was of it though was an exciting mix of romance and fantasy.
Whether to read the next in the series though is a dilemma, purely because of how short it was.

Half-blood dragon by K.N. Lee.
Rowen is s lady in waiting for princess noemie. She is half dragon and half human. Although she can't shift into a dragon. She sees the future in her nightmares. She sees herself being hanged. Can she stop it? But when prince Lawson is killed and they say she killed him? What will she do? Can someone save her?
A fantastic read. I loved the story and the characters well there was some I didn't like. Am looking forward to read more from this author. 5*.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I gobbled this book up in one sitting. I really really enjoyed the story and I can't wait to read the rest of the installments. Murder, mayhem, intrigue, dragons, mermaids, pirates, sorcerers, and a love story. This first book was a such a tease but a great intro to the rest of the series. My only criticism of this book was some of the dialogue between the ladies in waiting, specifically Brea to Rowan. Brea constantly calls her "dear," which is a term of endearment my grandmother would use when speaking to me. Other than that tiny detail, I enjoyed it.

Looking forward to the next one which I've already purchased!

2 1/2 stars

I really liked the premise of "Half-Blood Dragon" but I think that this novel felt too rushed to really do it justice. The plot moves rather quickly which means that none of the characters or the story itself have time to develop in a natural way.

There aren't any surprising twists, the protagonist seems really dumb at times and none of her relationships are well-developed.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this novel and won't be continuing with the series.

Embarking on this breathless and fascinating journey is one that will readers will certainly enjoy as it brings pirates, dragons, sorcerers and even mermaids to brilliant and vivid life.

Rowen is planning to elevate her family’s status by marrying the crown prince, but prophecies haunt her dreams, intrigue and seduction fill her days and death awaits. Change is coming with a new prophecy that threatens the fate of the entire world and Rowen will have to accept her fate, awaken her gift and set the world on fire.

The characters are strong, captivating and easily enchant readers into their world full of thrilling suspense, excitement and daring plots that keep readers on the edge of their seat during this steady to fast paced plot. Most of the story is all about the intrigue which keeps ensures readers never have a dull moment as they try to determine what will happen next especially since it is filled with startling twists that cause astounding changes to Rowen’s life. There is also quite a bit of emotional issues that ensures that readers feel as if they understand the characters and which certainly adds depth to the story as Rowen faces prejudice, danger, and destiny. There’s not a whole lot of romance in this part of the story, although there is the seduction of the Crown Prince which is essential to Rowen’s stepfather’s plans.

The characters and the world are well developed and the author described the world and her characters vividly so it made is easy for me to imagine each and every scene as I became caught up in the story. The author did end the story at a decent point, but the story does have a cliffhanger as it is part of a saga, so I am looking forward to discovering what happens next in Rowen’s world.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Actual rate: 4.5

Half-Blood Dragon suggested a cliche character who is half-blood and is destined for a much greater cause. The plot of the book did not stray away much from my assumptions. It is written in 3rd POV, and I have no problem with that. The story began with Rowen (main lead) deciding to run away but changed her mind at the very last minute. She is a half-blood dragon in a place that rejected half-bloods like her.

I was conflicted with how I feel about the story, as they were too many things going on at the same time. With Rowen's life and Elian's (main character) quest to search for a red dragon. I had to stop reading for a while everytime the settings change between the two characters. However, I do like how in the middle their life intersects and it did not felt like it was forced.

Overall, this is a good fantasy book with a plot that is quite different than a normal dragon-themed book, This book is the first book of a series, and Magic-Born Dragon is the second book. I'm looking forward to the second book of the series.

I honestly tried to like this book, I really did, but the story felt jumbled to me and once I feel as though I've lost the story that's it I can't continue on, I'm hoping to try it again in the future though!

**Review on https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **

In a world where being a full blooded Dragon gives you status, Rowen will never really fit in due to the fact she is a half breed. Now that she is in the court as a ladies maid, the first half breed to be so, she feels even more pressure now. But Rowen has a secret, not just why she is really in the palace but what she is capable of of. When at court, it all depends on how well you can lie.

I have been wanting to read pretty much ANYTHING by K.N for the last year, I just never got around to it, but she has so many great titles out and the covers are all so gorgeous. When I had the opportunity to read Half-Blood Dragon I was very excited to jump in. It doesn't hurt that the cover is so pretty and has a real mother of dragon's feel to it that I can't resist- and dragons are cool.

I had a hard time getting into this book and I was a little surprised that the synopsis given for the book is pretty much a majority of the plot for this book. I assumed it would be just a hint as to what happens, but nope, it was almost the entire story. The story was basically Rowen trying to seduce the prince while holding on to her virtue, battling magic and disdain for what she was. I did really love the court intrigue though, where everyone had an unknown motivation and nobody could be trusted. The side characters were interesting (go Gavin!) and I loved to see how everyone came together in some way or another, but I will be honest that I was not a fan of Rowen. She was just kind of boring and blah, not as well developed or as clear a character as I would have preferred. I really did not care what would happen to her but I loved see what happened to the pirates (yay, go pirates!).

The ending was fantastic and enough to make me really want to read the next book in the series. The last chapter or so was full of surprises and twists that I never saw coming and ending with more secrets that I have not been able to get the book out of my head. That being said, I will pick up the next book in the series because the world building is so fantastic and hopefully Rowen will grow and develop more as a character (or at least become more likable).

A decent start to a story but way too short. This is a novella, it’s listed as 200 pages, but I think that would mean you are using a larger font size than average. There was just enough world building to get by. Because the book is so short there really wasn’t enough time to build character relationships. Also there seemed to be some confusion in the writing on the type of person the heroine is. First she is portrayed as naive, then a schemer, then right back to naive. Again, because the story was so short the shifts in her personality couldn’t really be justified.

This book is part of a trilogy that is being re-released. To me this story would’ve been better served combining all the parts into one book, making it a decent length. It seems that this is being redone under a publisher with grammatical and spelling corrections, but it could’ve used an editorial brush up as well. That being said I am curious to see where the story goes and would most likely read the next installment. This is one of the series you read to distract yourself while waiting for a anticipated book.