A Dragon's Dyne (The Talisman Series 6) by Brett Salter

What worked:

For readers who like action, this book jumps right into it from the very beginning. The first third of the book finds the heroes facing three monsters they’ve previously defeated but the creatures have more abilities this time around. This battle actually presents a nice situation where readers can become reacquainted with Rome, Julian, and the other members of the dragon/knight Alliance. Rome is a fire dragon, Krysta is an ice dragon, and Clay’s dragon form acts as a battering tank. The dyne is mentioned earlier in the series and refers to extremely rare abilities that lay dormant within some dragons. This new power is what I’ve been looking for as the series has progressed.

The characters all have unique personalities with a few of them having dynamic relationships. Rome and Krysta have been growing closer and they finally confess their feelings for each other. This can complicate things in dangerous situations since worrying about the other person/dragon can create a distraction. Julian and his sister Camela continue to have a humorous sibling rivalry although there are moments where their mutual caring for each other seeps into snide comments. Their father hasn’t been a pleasant character up to this point and he takes a more prominent role in this book. All of the various dragons from earlier books reunite as the plot moves to a showdown with The Tyrant King.

The Darkbrand creatures entering through the Void have become even more formidable this time around. These huge monsters are more aggressive and quicker than before and there seems to be no end to their numbers. The dark energy passing through portals from the Void rejuvenates and repairs the Darkbrand so there seems to be no way to stop them. In most cases, they must be forced back into the Void in order to eliminate them for another millennium. Rome and his friends find this difficult since the monsters are able to inflict serious damage on members of the Alliance. The Alliance receives help from an unlikely source and most of the characters are unaware of its presence.

What didn’t work as well:

There’s so much action in the plot that the climax doesn’t stand out as an ultimate moment of suspense. On the other hand, this could actually be viewed as a good thing since there’s never a dull moment.

The Final Verdict:

Action-adventure lovers should love this book and dragon lovers will obviously enjoy it too. All of the issues in the series are resolved although the final page hints that something new may be brewing. I recommend you give this book and series a shot.