Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Luckless 
SERIES: Luckless
AUTHOR: Cari Z
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Cari Z
LENGTH: 3 hours and 14 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2022
BLURB:
Evan Luck is a dragon rider with no dragon. Five years ago, his dragon gave her life defending the monster-ridden remnants of Marble, and ever since, his ability to connect empathically to another dragon had been as broken as his heart. Now he spends his days dodging his disappointed mayor, crafting arrows, fighting off the not-as-legendary-as-they-should-be beasts that’ve overrun America, and just trying to get by in the city of Forge.
But when he meets newcomer Lee Caldwell, Evan thinks his lonely luck might be changing. Lee is the only person in the city who doesn’t blame Evan for his dragon’s death, and he welcomes Evan into his own little family. There’s more to Lee than meets the eye, though, and between his refusal to talk about himself, pressure from the mayor to split them up, and a monster attacking the city’s foundations, Evan isn’t sure he’ll live long enough to learn the truth.
But not learning the truth will almost certainly be fatal to Evan and Lee’s budding relationship and to the entire city.
REVIEW:
Evan Luck is a dragon rider who has lost his dragon. His dragon had been bonded to his grandfather and father before him. Dragons are one of the few creatures that have sided with the humans and are defenders of the species with their bonded riders. Evan and his dragon were in many battles to save the humans of one of the fortified cities of America after the vale has been breached between worlds and all sorts of creatures survive outside of and attck the cities. Evan has petitioned and moved to Forge (most likely the previous Denver) and he’s been allowed to stay. He’s a fighter still, but most of the city folk don’t trust him and call him Luckless since he’s a rider without his dragon – which is unusual because dragons and empaths bond and if one perishes, the other generally doesn’t last too long.
During a fight on the city walls, Forge loses one of it’s precious dragons. Other dragons need to find riders and while that spectacle is going on, Evans heart is breaking at missing his dragon and not bonding to any other dragon. Evan notices a man and his son in the distance and the young boy waves at Evan. He doesn’t recognize the man or the boy, so he shrugs it off. Eventually Lee Caldwell introduces himself and asks Evan to train his son Jason. Evan tries to tell him that he’s definitely not the one to train Jason – as he’s a a dragon rider who has lost his dragon. Lee is adamant that indeed Evan is the perfect one to train his son. He’s stronger than he believes – because he’s gone on living and contributing without his dragon.
When the city leadership tries to take advantage Evan’s vulnerabilities, he’s sent on a mission. Evan has resigned himself to his fate and he’s going to make the most of his opportunity. But when the chips are down, he receives help from a most unexpected source. The tide is turned and Evan is stunned by what is revealed.
This is such a cool story! I used to read a LOT of dystopian fiction and I really liked this kind of novella length story here. The stage is set for a much bigger world and more tales of Evan and Lee and the dragon and Jason. The monsters that have breached the rift between worlds just keep on coming. I could really visualize the creatures who were attacking the cities and the dragons. There is a lot of tension in the story because the threats just keep on coming. Just when one battle is over, it’s time to prepare for the next one. Evan’s life is solitary and not terribly nice given how poorly he is treated by the people of the city. But when Lee takes an interest and Evan starts training Jason, his life really turns around. The unwanted attention though leads to a near undoing of Evan’s good luck and change in outlook. Lee is the wildcard here. What he doesn’t tell Evan leads to some distrust and Evan is still dealing with feelings of being unworthy – even though Lee is the one person who believes him and doesn’t blame him for the loss of his dragon. I loved the revelation of the meaning of Evan’s dreams and his bonding with the dragons. I mean come on! Who doesn’t love dragons and dragon riders? Lee and Evan are a team that will make a real difference. They are truly meant to be a family. I really can’t wait for the next book.
So what can I say about Michael Ferraiuolo that hasn’t already been said. His execution of the short but intense story really puts us through the paces. Kicking off with a battle scene defending the city, we’re already set up for the tension that ensues. The mistreatment of Evan comes through in the bad behavior of the one of the city dwellers who has no respect for Evan and feel he doesn’t even deserve his place in Forge. Michael does a wonderful snarling menace of a character and he has several opportunities in this story to flex that particular talent 😉 Jason, Lee’s son is a sweet character and I loved the performance of this young boy. Lee is a bit of a wildcard and he’s distinctive voice and accent were really a departure from most of the rest of the characters which helped him stand out – appropriately given his role in the larger story. Then there is the wonderful music that is included at the start and end of this story. Michael captured the grandeur of the dragons and the anticipation of the battles to come. I always enjoy the musical interpretation that he draws from the stories he narrates. Another winner. Highly recommended and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in this series.
RATING: 
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