Lord of Snow and Shadows by Sarah Ash

This needs to be made into a movie! Seriously, if Harry Potter could go as far as it did, this one would be gold. The characters are extremely well developed, the story may progress slowly with all the different view points but it is overall a fantastic book, let alone a fantastic trilogy. The last book, Children of the Serpent gate left me unsatisfied, but I guess that's the way it goes in terms of authors leaving cliffhangers to increase the fan's desire for another great book.

It is an absolutely brilliant book, which brings out the best parts of fantasy-dragons, power crazes and reluctant heroes. It is maybe not one of the best written books, but it is intriguing, and you find that the characters are subtly evil. The mysteries in the book reveal their answers as the book goes on and there are a number of interesting turns. The powers that the Drakhoul bring are quite different from the usual, as they can be used in human form or in the form of the Drakhoul. It is not a book to be missed.

Finally. I have been waiting for a book like this since forever. It is not the perfect character development which I so craved, it is not the world building that I wanted, it is finally a book where the hero is not a noble lord, but what could be considered a "baddie."

A fearsome dragon/vampire as the hero - this is somthing truly revolusionary. SOmeone who has to drink human blood to live. Someone who can decimate a whole army in seconds with a fearsome flame? Brilliant.

The book, although not as broad and clean sweeping as others (Eddings, Jordan etc) gives the reader a totally new insight to a fantasy novel. It is the sort of book which is an unsung hero. Not brilliantly written, though very well, little dry humour - unlike the masters like Eddings - but a generally and honestly superb story line.

This is one that no fantasy lover should miss.