The Bones of Makaidos-Bryan Davis

If you haven’t read the Dragons in our Midst series then you can still read the Oracles of Fire series.  They draw off of each other.  However, if I had a choice, I would read Dragons in our Midst before reading this.  Either way I think you’ll deeply enjoy the series as in drawing off each other they delve into the world of the unknown.

Description:

As The Bones of Makaidos begins, a wall of fire protects the inexperienced villagers of Second Eden from a planned invasion of dragons and Nephilim, but how long will the flames last/  Billy, Walter, Ashley, Elam, and the faithful dragons help the people prepare, but they are woefully outnumbered and will have to go back to Earth and recruit the humans who have the ability to revert to their former dragon states.  In search of aid, Billy escorts Acacia, an Oracle of Fire, through a dangerous volcano portal.

     Sapphira, Acacia's Oracle sister, stays in the underworld with Bonnie and Shiloh, waiting for the signal to emerge and join the battle.  With Hades and Earth locked in a catastrophic merging of their two realms, Arramos, evil incarnate, plans to use Bonnie to add Second Eden to the convergence, thereby drawing his forces to Heaven's Gate, where he hopes to gain access to divine authority.

     Arramos has two secret weapons: Sir Devin, the greatest of all dragon slayers, lies in wait  to destroy all dragons and their offspring, including Billy and Bonnie; and Mardon, a brilliant scientist, knows the secret to the Oracles' indestructibility, and he has devised a way to steal it from Acacia, thereby draining her strength.  Meanwhile, Semiramis, Mardon's mother, comes to Second Eden and provides BIlly with a wealt of information about Arramos's plans, and with every subsequent challenge, her words are proven true.  but can she be trusted?

     With mysteries abounding and an ultimate battle looming, every decision could mean the difference between survival and catastrophe, and only a prophesied sacrificed can stop the onslaught of evil.  But who will be the sacrificial lamb?

Plot:
The climax of the eight book series and sequel series.  I don't know what to say about the plot actually.  It was fast-paced as usual.  Exciting and original.  But those are just adjectives.  It certainly was a great way to end the series, though.  After reading it I simply can't put my reactions to word.
there is only one thing I remember having trouble with in this book.  At the half-way point in the book you really have to force yourself through.  It is just really dry.  The first two chapters in the second book are like this.  I would explain more of why it's dry and describe it in more depth, but that would spoil some of the plot, and wouldn't want that now would we?

Characters:
I learned more about the characters and understood them on a deeper level than in any of Mr. Davis's past novels.  When I heard one character went missing in battle my heart pounded.  When I found out one character was mortally wounded I put the book down and literally blanked out for a moment or two.  I had no choice but to care.
Go ahead and hate me for it, but strangely enough, with my fascination of swords and war and fantasy in general, I'm a sap for romance novels mind you, but novels with romance.  When proportioned right and well done I think they make a great addition to a novel.  This book has great balance.  Just the right amount for me.  I love the finale in this book, but I will keep my mouth shut about it.

Writing:
As I said in the Plot section, there was a period that was lacking the usual engaging writing.  I had trouble getting through those two chapters, but afterward the story takes a jumpstart that is even more exciting than before.
Other then this I had no problems with the book writing wise.  Not anything that stuck out at me, anyways.

Conclusion:
To say I am reluctant to give a book five stars (or Pens) would be an understatement.  So when deciding what to give this book it was clear to me.  This book was one of the most emotionally and spiritually gripping and powerful books I've read.
My rating: 5 Pens

Genre: Young Adult Christian Fantasy
Intended age group:  12-15 (but can easily extend in either direction)
Third in four part series
Where to buy:  Amazon, ChristianBook, or authors website (signed if requested).
You can get in contact with the author by going to his website where you can go to the very active forum, check out fan art or go to his blog.