Review - Dragon's Dusk by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

Prince Kostya loves his dragon, Kirian. People hate and fear Kirian because of something that happened when he was young and afraid, but Kostya knows his dragon is sweet and gentle. Still, Kirian is kept isolated from the rest of the dragons. The only one who comes to see him is Kostya, who would love to free his dragon, but he knows the mad king, his cousin, will never allow it. Kostya’s sister, a powerful blood witch, thinks she knows the answer: if Kirian were a man, he could be with Kostya and neither of them would need to be alone anymore. Of course, things are never as simple as they should be.

This sequel to Dragon’s Dawn focuses on Misha’s brother Kostya. You could, in theory, read this story without having read the first book, but you’d be missing a lot of the world-building for this fantasy universe where humans get bonded to animals, including dragons. This is essentially a “what-if” fantasy. What if an already bonded dragon were turned into a man so he could be with the one human he’s been in love with for as long as he can remember?

Kostya was a secondary character in the first book, where he kept secrets from his younger brother, Misha. Family secrets and plots are a big theme in this series, which is another reason you’ll want to read all of the books in order. Kostya seems to be one of those people who appears hard on the outside, but is really a softie on the inside. This is shown by the way he treats the strange man who turns out to be Kirian, even before he recognizes his dragon in human form.

Kirian is a fascinating character. It’s an interesting thought experiment: how hard would it be for a four-legged animal to adapt if suddenly transformed into a two-legged human? The story provides some ideas about how difficult this is, while also exploring the joys of being able to touch another man the way Kirian has always wanted.

“Dragon's Dusk” is only available from Amazon (commissionable link).