Droughtbringer: Desolate Dawn a debut sword & sorcery novel by Kristen Kail Roberts

This weekend lets take a peek at Desolate Dawn, the debut novel by author Kristen Kail Roberts and volume one of her Droughtbringer series. This sword & sorcery novel is a novelized release of her online serial which can be found on Ream (https://reamstories.com/kristenkailroberts/public) which has become a very popular method for new indie authors to launch their series and build up a following. The story reads very smoothly and it is obvious that is was planned from the beginning to be released in novel form, so far it does not suffer from any of the meandering filler that can be common when stories leave Royal Road and move to Kindle. My first impression was Draya, our MC, was a medieval Lara Croft out dungeon diving for antiquities and a payday. Sent into an ancient palace she needs to recover a priceless artifact for an unsavory network and quickly discovers that not everything is as it seems. She seems to have a sort of sixth sense that helps guide her through obstacles and seemingly to find the tastiest bits of treasure. I can think of several characters, Zoro from One Piece for starters, that would kill to have such an ability but unfortunately this ability has a knack for getting her into trouble as she unwittingly kicks off a chain of events that will leave the world changed forever.

Without giving too much away I really enjoy her cast of supporting character companions. As of the end of book 1 we get introduced to Nel who plays off the more broody lawful good paladin type, think Sturm Brightblade, who is offset by Yllari magi extraordinaire who brings his own brand of debonair swagger to the group. I am a sucker for parties built like this, especially ones who play off a more buddy cop style theme, so this already checks off a ton of boxes.

The writing is strong, the world building is concise and not overwhelming, and overall I consider this a fantastic read. The one thing I would mention is that Nel, short for Sentinel, is referred to throughout the story as they/them which can lead to some confusion in some of the busier scenes. Coming in at just under 300 pages this is a nice bite sized read and manageable even for audiophiles like myself. Check it out!

Reviewed by Tony Gallo

Kindle link: https://amzn.to/44Pir25