The Owl and the Dragon (The Bander Adventures Book 1)
Author: R.A. Nargi
5 out of 5 stars
After being attacked on the road and most of his possessions stolen, Bander finds his way to Hytwen. Hytwen is a small village on a lake, and across the lake is the village of Ortwen. Both villages are centered around the farming of Lapp, which grows in the lake. When Bander arrives in Hytwen, he discovers that Jillen Lockwell, the 12-year-old daughter of the lord of Hytwen, has gone missing. The Lockwells first suspected that Jillen’s nursemaid, Wylla, took her, but now they believe that Ellia Lockwell’s cousin, the lord of Ortwen, may have been involved too. When the Lockwells realize that Bander used to be the Imperial Investigator they hire him to figure out what happened to their daughter. But as Bander looks deeper, he realizes that not all is as it seems in Hytwen, and the Lockwells are hiding many secrets.
This fantasy mystery story had a really intriguing plot. Between the mystery of Jillen’s disappearance and what the mage known as The Dragon is up to, I was thoroughly engrossed. And as I reached the end, I had some suspicions about things, but I really wasn’t sure how everything was going to end up. It had good world building in regards to the towns and the main road through the Harion Empire, called the West Way, but I also was left interested in knowing more.
The book was filled with interesting and compelling characters, particularly Bander and Wylla. Bander is shown as more of the gruff, brute-type, but there are also glimpses of another side of him when his past as a Red Shoulder Captain and the Imperial Investigator is brought up. Wylla is very mysterious, and I could tell there was more to her story that she wasn’t revealing. While many of her secrets are eventually revealed, there are other things that she keeps from Bander and thus, the reader, and Wylla stayed a mysterious character.
This book has completely earned 5 out of 5 stars as there was nothing I disliked about it. Anyone who enjoys a mix of fantasy, mystery, and adventure will like this book. Just as a warning, there is quite a bit of violence, and some of it is graphic.
Current price through Amazon Kindle: $2.99
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0792SCZR7
(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)