The Zarder (edition 2011)

I got this book as part of an early reviewer program thinking my son would enjoy. I started reading it shortly after it was downloaded and couldn't stop until I finished that afternoon. Even though most of the main characters in this world are Onizards (dragon like creatures) the interaction and details are so human it is hard to remember some are dragons not humans.

The main character Jen is a human who bonds with one of the baby dragons which is not supposed to be possible according to the Onizard Queen who thinks humans are inferior. Her journey and that of the Onizards that help her is fascinating. You can see how the characters grow to become the heroes at the end of the book. It has some surprises but is a very uplifting book and I look forward to reading the other she has written in this world.

I won this book as an early reviewer and started reading it right away.

This is a book that will hold you from page one to the very last. The story develops around a human girl, Jena, who lives as a slave in a world ruled by Onizards, dragon-like creatures. When she bonds with one of the hatchlings , her life changes completely. So do the lives of the Onizards.

The characters are well developed and you like them right from the start. Although the story is called "The Zarder", a name for Jena, the book also tells a great deal about the life in the Sandleyr, the home of the Onizards. The story is not limited to Jena alone, which gives the book a nice twist, cause there are some minor plots, which develop nicely along the story.

The official summary of "The Zarder" makes the book sound like an action packed volume, which it isn't. This book isn't about all-time fighting or some quest like most fantasy novels nowadays. But that actually makes it more readable, since the author takes some well-known fantasy elements and combines them to a new fascinating world. And even without fighting this book is sure to grip you until you finish it. ( )

An interesting story about creatures who are the top of the food chain due to the hatred of the creature in charge. A good interpretation of how not to put people or things into little boxes of lower value than estimation of yourself. Very good read anyone should enjoy. ( )

A beautifully written short story about a magical kingdom inhabited by Onizards and humans. The Onizards are dragon-like creatures which Easton weaves a tale around the power of love and friendship. There are the Children of Fire, Onizards with the power to breathe flames, created from the deepest part of the mountains by the Great Lord of the Sky, the creator of the world. There are the Children of Earth, created from the soil, with the power to heal. From the gusts of the first storm, the Children of Wind were created and from the rain itself, the Children of Water.
The Bonds of love between different Onizards and the bonds of friendship between Onizards and humans make for a powerful and compelling story. The Zardeer is about the friendship and bond between a human girl, Jena, and the Fire Queen's son and a hatchling, Senraeno. The villain is the Fire Queen – she dislikes humans and everyone else. Her son, Delbralfi, has befriended Jena. Believing humans are not bond-worthy, the Fire Queen does not expect any alliance between a human and her son, or any Onizard for that matter.
When eggs are about to hatch there is little chance that a human will bond with a hatchling. The long awaited hatchlings are about to hatch as a storm approaches. One egg hatches, a Child of Water, and quickly abond forms with the Fire Queen's son, Delbralfi. Two more eggs hatch, one a Child of Earth, the other a Child of Water. Another egg hatches, a Child of Water, a small male. The storm has weakened a wall near the nesting site. The wall falls and crushes the leg of the hatchling, Jena realizes he will die if he does not bond. The water is rising and no one is helping the hatchling. He is going to drown! Why does Jena feel pain in her leg? Why can she hear the hatchling calling out to her? They have bonded – what one feels, the other feels. The hatchling, Senraeno, calls Jena: Zarder Jena – meaning two legged Onizard.
Believed dead by the Fire Queen and the Onizards, Senraeno and Jena go into hiding. For Jena's safety and the Hatchling this is the best solution for no Onizard has ever bonded with a human. What adventures await the bonded pair? An Onizard, Taltrena, will heal the hatchlings leg, but at what cost? The Fire Queen's son, Delbralfi, has bonded with a hatchling also but his friendships with humans are about to cause trouble. The Fire Queen, disliked by most and feared by all is veiled in secrecy. How does the birth of the hatchlings change the community? Easton weaves intrigue and twists into this wonderful story about hope. Jena represents hope and the Fire Queen depicts the absence of hope. An enveloping story for all ages masterfully written. ( )