2.5 stars, rounded up because I love the Dragon Keeper series. This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

As a long-time fan of Donita K. Paul's Dragon Keeper books, I've been itching to get my hands on this series for years. When I saw the second book available through BookLook Bloggers I knew I had to grab it, the fact that it was an ebook notwithstanding. While reading it, I was completely engrossed. I found myself drifting away from my school work, reading "just one more page" in the middle of doing what I was supposed to be doing. I thought I would give it a high rating, maybe 3.5 or 4. It wasn't quite as good as the Dragon Keeper books, but I was definitely loving it!

Then, somehow the ending just kind of . . . dropped me. Really, I was starting to get antsy by the last third of the book. Because the first third sets the book up for amazing things: old friends reunited, a spark of suppressed romance between two main characters, impending doom and the right hand of Primen. There was some serious potential there, and even though they spent a lot of time wandering around in ruins in the middle of a mountain, I enjoyed myself. The second third involves the loss of two characters, one minor (a mining slave) and one I'd thought wasn't so minor (Neekoh had better be important in the third book, because otherwise he serves abolutely no purpose that a bit of magic couldn't have performed). It sees the beginning of travel, the addition of a bunch of dragons with names that all sort of blur together, and this random guy who keeps popping up, asking Bixbee to marry him, and then disappearing again. I was sure there would be some sort of great purpose for his presenncem and kind of disappointed about where he wound up fitting into the plot. He'd better have a pretty important role in the third book (along with Neekoh), otherwise he's a pretty big waste of time.

Over all, this is a good book from a great author. The world-building is amazing as always (Paul is a world-building pro at this point!), but while I did love the characters I felt like by the final third of the book there were too many mixed in there, pulling the focus away from the characters and plot-lines that really mattered. I am definitely looking forward to the third book, though, and I think that will be the one to make-or-break the series. If the third book pulls everything together perfectly, then One Realm Beyond is a great introduction to a lot of the threads that will be needed for a masterful ending. If the third book is disjointed, overwhelming, and disorganized, then this book will have been the book that set up for that. Basically, it's a stepping stone for the story arch. Whether that step leads upward or downward is still up in the air.

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy of this book through the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Two Renegade Realms takes place two years after One Realm Beyond. Cantor, Bixby, and Dukmee are on a quest to find the legendary, Chomountain, and save the realm from an impending attack.

I enjoyed how the characters developed both mentally and physically since the previous book; especially Cantor who seemed to have undergone the most changes. I still appreciate his relationship between him and his dragon Bridger. They have an amusing connection that keeps growing and retains the reader interest. Bridger is such a goof you cannot help but love him.

There was a stretch I felt dragged a little but overall the plot was carefully thought out and original. Towards the end of the novel, it had a more science fiction feel.

Donita K. Paul is an exceptional writer. She has a talent for visualization, symbolism, and creativity.

Two Renegade Realms is a fun book for a young adult or adult. It in an imaginative read with Christian values and beliefs. This is a book that I would encourage my eleven-year-old son and his friends to read. I also think the series would make great movies.

Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )