The Rogue King by Abigail Owen

This is the kind of book that will immediately make you crave the sequel as soon as you reach the last page.

What’s it About? 

Kasia Amon is a master at hiding. Who—and what—she is makes her a mark for the entire supernatural world. Especially dragon shifters. To them, she’s treasure to be taken and claimed. A golden ticket to their highest throne. But she can’t stop bursting into flames, and there’s a sexy dragon shifter in town hunting for her…

As a rogue dragon, Brand Astarot has spent his life in the dark, shunned by his own kind, concealing his true identity. Only his dangerous reputation ensures his survival. Delivering a phoenix to the feared Blood King will bring him one step closer to the revenge he’s waited centuries to take. No way is he letting the feisty beauty get away.

But when Kasia sparks a white-hot need in him that’s impossible to ignore, Brand begins to form a new plan: claim her for himself…and take back his birthright.

First Impressions

I’ve been a huge fan of the Fire’s Edge series by Ms. Abigail Owen, and I’ve been craving more information about the dragon clan drama we’ve only heard hints of so far. When The Rogue King, which is the first book in the companion Inferno Rising series, landed in my lap I was positively tinkled pink. I’m happy to say this alternating series doesn’t disappoint, and has finally provided insight into the issues which have been playing on the edge of this dragon world up until now. What I love about any Abigail Owen book, and which certainly holds true in this premiere novel, is that there are so many layers at work to the plot beyond mere romance.

You have Brand fighting to belong to a clan once again after going rogue hundreds of years before. His desire to earn the trust of his fellow dragons has the slightest hint of both desperation and exasperation to it, as he constantly struggles to become fully incorporated into this family/brotherhood. Then there’s the element of family legacy for both Kasia and Brand. She saw her mother die in front of her, and is now the phoenix of legend who can bring unbridled power to whichever dragon she eventually chooses to mate. Brand too witnessed the slaughter of his entire family, and now seeks to earn back his rightful place as king of the Gold Clan. There are battles for power and immortality, friendship, trust, loyalty, and on top of all that you have Brand and Kasia discovering their love for each other. That’s a full package right there!

Blind Faith

Even the developing romance between Brand and Kasia is a complicated one that contains multiple layers which go deeper than simple infatuation. He has been ordered to bring her back to mate his king, but his king isn’t merely his ruler. This is his one true friend in the world who took him in when no one else would. In the beginning Kasia was his mission, pure and simple. Yet the more time he spends protecting her, and getting close to her, the more Brand can’t deny his feelings for her are growing. However, to act on them would be the ultimate betrayal to the one man he’s considered a brother. The one man who might be able to aide him in his desire for revenge against his family’s killer. Can he really put all of that in jeopardy for a woman?

As for Kasia, she’s been taught from an early age to run from dragons. Her existence as a phoenix will bring ultimate power and luck to the clan of her future dragon mate. In spite of this power, she’s never wanted to be a pawn in the chess game these dragons have waged for centuries against each other. Kasia is a strong female who is convinced she’s no damsel in distress who needs rescuing. Imagine her annoyance when she’s confronted by this alpha rogue dragon who insists on taking care of her. However, even Kasia has to admit when she’s in need of help, and she quickly realizes the need to place all her blind faith and trust in Brand. She’s willing to meet and possibly even mate his king to endure her own survival. Her growing infatuation for Brand is undeniable, yet she understands that by giving into this desire she might be putting both of their lives at risk. You just have to wonder how long they can both hold out for.

The Species At War

Dragons, wolves, demons, hell-hounds, vampires, and witches. Oh my! A fascinating feature of this novel is seeing the extent of infighting within the dragon species. They may all be the same in theory, but a key theme is seeing dragons fighting dragons from separate clans. They’re all after power, and they’re willing to take down members of their own species in the pursuit of it. However, we also see the introduction of all these different species which are supposed to be seen as the “other” compared to dragons. Wolves, vampires, etc, who are constantly viewed as a potential enemy. Their distrust of each other is immediate. Be that as it may, in the end we see how some of these different species have to come together in order to survive against a common enemy, and their alliance turns into one of trust and friendship. It’s a rather hopeful outlook that even those who seem so different on the surface might have more in common than they originally suspected.

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Inferno Rising, book 1. I’ve been waiting so long for the stories of the clan kings, and it’s finally here! I can’t wait to see what comes next, and how these two series will continue to intertwine.

Final Impressions: Some fantastical aspects of the conclusion were a bit over the top for me, and we are ultimately left with some questions unanswered so that they can inevitably be resolved in a future book. This definitely helps to build the drama, but every now and again there were a few too many things going on at once. However, I loved that this also resulted in the plot constantly keeping you on your toes. It definitely was not a predictable read! You never know what’s going to happen next, what new characters we might meet, and what new alliances may be created or broken.

Smut Level: As if this dragon and phoenix weren’t putting out enough fire and flames of their own!! When Kasia and Brand come together they practically set the roof on fire!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Entangled: Amara. 400 Pages