The Blood of a Dragon
The Dragons of Dorwine • Book 1
by Jack Adkins
Why You'll Love This
A self-important half-goblin, a pirate ambush, and a dragon economy on the brink of collapse — this one wastes absolutely no time.
- Great if you want: swashbuckling fantasy with a charismatic, morally flexible protagonist
- The experience: fast-moving and fun — plot complications stack quickly and keep stacking
- The writing: Adkins leans into Anuka's unreliable self-regard for consistent dry comedy
- Skip if: you prefer grounded, serious fantasy over breezy adventure-forward storytelling
About This Book
In a world where dragon blood is both currency and the source of all magic, a missing father sends the charismatic half-goblin Anuka Sandbar on a search that spirals far beyond anything he bargained for. What begins as a personal rescue mission becomes entangled with piracy, enslavement, and a conspiracy threatening to ignite war between ancient dragon factions. Adkins builds a world with genuine economic and political stakes — the illegal flood of dragon blood isn't just a mystery to solve, it's a powder keg — and at the center of it all is a hero who is funny, self-aggrandizing, and quietly driven by love for his father.
What sets this book apart is Adkins's commitment to voice. Anuka narrates with the confidence of someone who absolutely believes his own hype, and that swagger makes the quieter, more vulnerable moments land harder than expected. The pacing moves with the energy of a heist novel — chapter to chapter, complication to complication — while the world-building unfolds organically rather than through heavy exposition. It's the kind of fantasy that trusts readers to keep up, and rewards them for doing so.
