Kina is the daughter of King Robert Rillian, head of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Empire, and next in line to the throne. Prak is the last surviving member of the ancient Srak dragons, who once conquered and ruled over all lands using their ability to disguise themselves as humans. After Kina and her bodyguard Quinn run into Prak, danger is not far behind. A bandit attack forces Prak to fill Quinn's role or else be reported to the Emperorâs Inquisitors, an organization whose sole purpose is to hunt down dragons, magic, and the like, by Kinaâs father. After a fateful trip to a neighboring kingdom, rebellion and magic erupt as a force seeks to destroy the Rillians. A group that once tried to assassinate Kina appears suddenly, giving Prak no choice but to take his dragon form to protect her. Prak, Kina, and Quinn must battle this old enemy, more powerful than ever before, while simultaneously avoiding the Inquisitorsâ prying eyes. Unforeseen revelations escalate the battle into an all-out war, while all the while a dark evil lurks in the background. Join Prak and Kina as they battle to save their homeâŚand the world.
Kina is the daughter of King Robert Rillian, head of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Empire, and next in line to the throne. Prak is the last surviving member of the ancient Srak dragons, who once conquered and ruled over all lands using their ability to disguise themselves as humans. After Kina and her bodyguard Quinn run into Prak, danger is not far behind. A bandit attack forces Prak to fill Quinn's role or else be reported to the Emperorâs Inquisitors, an organization whose sole purpose is to hunt down dragons, magic, and the like, by Kinaâs father. After a fateful trip to a neighboring kingdom, rebellion and magic erupt as a force seeks to destroy the Rillians. A group that once tried to assassinate Kina appears suddenly, giving Prak no choice but to take his dragon form to protect her. Prak, Kina, and Quinn must battle this old enemy, more powerful than ever before, while simultaneously avoiding the Inquisitorsâ prying eyes. Unforeseen revelations escalate the battle into an all-out war, while all the while a dark evil lurks in the background. Join Prak and Kina as they battle to save their homeâŚand the world.
Kina darted through the trees faster than she ever had before.
âHold up!â Quinn shouted from behind, out of breath, âThe king said youâre not supposed to run off without me! You know heâs been anxious since the attempt!â
âWell, what good is a bodyguard if he canât even keep up with the princess!â she shouted back. Kina had gotten tired of the celebration of her tenth birthday and had decided to get some fresh air, as she usually did in times like these. âArenât you a year older than me as well Quinn! Thatâs a bit embarrassing!â she yelled and heard Quinn grunt angrily in response.
Quinn thought of a justification as he tried to catch up, âWell you donât have to carry any weaponry with you Kina!â
Before she could shout back another witty remark, Kina felt as though she was being watched and stopped dead in her tracks.
âWhyâd you stâŚâ Quinn started, but Kina shushed him before he could finish.
âI think someoneâs here,â Kina whispered.
All of a sudden Quinn yelled, âWHOEVER IS THERE, SHOW YOURSELF!â
âHave you no idea of the concept of stealth?" the princess chided.
âWell, knights donât need stealth,â Quinn responded, puffing out his chest. Before Kina could respond that he technically wasnât a knight yet, a figure moved out into the clearing.
Quinn drew his sword. âStop right there!â he yelled.
Kina looked closer and saw that it was a boy, about the same age as her, wearing ragged black clothing and who had short, black hair. âWho are you?â she asked.
âNone of your business,â he responded sarcastically.
Outraged, Quinn told him, âI shall have you know you are addressing Princess Kina daughter of King Robert Rillian, and as her subject, your identity is her business.â
The boy turned to the princess and remarked, with a small smile, âOh, so itâs your birthday thatâs causing all the ruckus.â
âWhy yes, my father invited nobles from all over to celebrate. I do find it all a bit too much though, thatâs why Iâm out here,â Kina told him. She had always had a habit of going out into the woods whenever there was any stately dinner, or a foreign emissary was visiting.
The boy gestured to the forest surrounding them and told them, âWell, you two shouldnât be out here all by yourselves. Your fatherâs guests are wealthy, and nothing attracts bandits more than wealth.â
âThen shouldnât you also not be out here all by yourself. Maybe you should go back to your family too,â she shot back.
The boy, with face expressionless, responded, âDonât have one and donât need one.â
Quinn jumped in, âWait, so do you live out here all by yourself?â
âYes, that is what I just told you,â the boy replied, slightly annoyed.
Kina couldnât help but feel sympathy for the boy, âWell, you are welcome to join us for my birthday feast.â
Quinn again cut in and the princess turned to face him, âSpeaking of which, we really should be getting back to that.â
The princess looked back to the boy to await his response to her offer, but when she turned back, he was gone. âWhereâd he go?â she asked Quinn, who responded with a shrug.
Quinn surveyed the area, âI say good riddance, that kid was trouble, I know it. Come on letâs head back.â
And so, they made their way back to the castle, and though she once again felt like she was being watched, they arrived back at the castle without an incident. Later in the day, Kina sat staring into space when she was interrupted.
âWhat are you thinkinâ âbout little one?â Claudia asked as she entered Kinaâs room. Claudia had been the caretaker of the princess ever since her mother had died giving birth to her.
Kina told her, âNothing, itâs just that Quinn and I had a strange encounter in the woods with this boy who said he had no family and was out there all alone.â
Claudia sat next to her, âWell, thatâs strange indeed, and perhaps it will make you think twice before going out there again with all these miscreants running around.â
Kina responded, âI donât think he was a troublemaker, Claudia, he seemed nice. I even tried to invite him to the feast, but he ran off.â
Claudia put her arm around the princess, âThatâs probably for the best little one, your father would get riled up if you started bringing mysterious children back to the castle. Itâs time to go to the feast now, princess. Best not to keep your father waiting.â
Kina and Claudia walked through the stone hallways of the castle, traveled down flights of the spiral staircase, and arrived on the main level where they were immediately hit with the smell of cooking food and the sounds of music and laughter. âLooks like theyâre already getting started,â Claudia noted as she saw guests running about the dining hall. They walked through the large wooden doors and saw hundreds of people from all over the kingdoms conversing, until her father saw her.
King Robert was a large man and when he stood, he towered over his seated guests, âAHEM.â The room immediately became quiet. âMy daughter has arrived,â the king began as all the guests turned to look at Kina, âNOW LET THE FEAST BEGIN!â With that, dozens of waiters scurried out of the kitchen laden with foods of all varieties. Kina took her seat next to her father and Quinn, who was devouring a chicken leg. The feast continued late into the night, but Kina still could not get her mind off the strange boy she had met in the wilderness.
I have to say, that I enjoyed reading Sunskaald. I was sucked into the world from the first word and appreciated that the background was given before going into the story. It cut back on exposition and info-dumping which can often make a story lose momentum and cause the audience to lose interest. It was also short and concise, only giving us what we need to know about the history between humans, dragons, and sorcerers. Although I did enjoy the book - hence the four stars â I do have a few gripes. Some of which may go away when the next book comes out.
I wish that Kina and Prak couldâve had a little more mistrust for one another, or at least more of an explanation as to why they trusted each other so quickly. If there was bad blood between humans and dragons, I feel that should translate into their relationship. There should have been more scenes of them spending time together and slowly getting to know each other and building trust. They became friends a little too quickly in my opinion.
Although there was a lot of action, I do feel that there could have been more scenes to develop the characters and their relationships with one another. I would have liked to read more about Prakâs past, or even some scenes of him watching Kira and Quinn in the woods. These types of scenes may slow a story down a bit, but it helps the audience get to know the characters and the world better. However, this is just a small gripe since this is the first book in a series. We will get to know these characters as the series progresses.
The thing that I liked the most was that the characters did seem to act their age. Iâve read countless books staring teenagers that act like they're either in their mid-twenties or like theyâre in elementary school. While reading Sunskaald, there was no question that Kira, Prak, and Quinn were between sixteen and eighteen. Their actions, the way they said things, and how they reacted to situations were actions that were typical for people their age. There were some situations that had to make them grow up quicker, but they still acted like teenagers.
All in all, Sunskaald was a great read. Canât wait for the next book!