What do you think?
Rate this book
The Waters of Nyra #1
The Waters of Nyra: Volume I
Never an ordinary dragon, Nyra grew up forbidden to breathe fire or fly. Like her mother before her, she has only known a life of enslavement, held in thrall by mountain dragons, which need Nyra’s ripening wings to secure hunting for the future.
But at the cusp of her first flying lesson, new rumors whisper through the herd. Mother pursues friendships in forbidden places, blurring the succinct enemy line. In a whirlwind of realization, Nyra uncovers a secret in plain sight, one thought unknown to her enslavers and putting her at the focal point of rebellion should it come into play.
And come it does, but through an ill-timed accident, killing the slaves’ last chance of escape... or so it seems. To survive, Nyra must overcome old lies and terrible truths, each weaving a war she was never meant to encounter.
But at the cusp of her first flying lesson, new rumors whisper through the herd. Mother pursues friendships in forbidden places, blurring the succinct enemy line. In a whirlwind of realization, Nyra uncovers a secret in plain sight, one thought unknown to her enslavers and putting her at the focal point of rebellion should it come into play.
And come it does, but through an ill-timed accident, killing the slaves’ last chance of escape... or so it seems. To survive, Nyra must overcome old lies and terrible truths, each weaving a war she was never meant to encounter.
287 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2014
About the author
Kelly Michelle Baker
2 books16 followersBorn an Air Force brat, Kelly grew up on both coasts and everywhere in between. She studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder and California State University Stanislaus, earning a master’s in Ecology and Sustainability. When not writing or trying to save the world, she enjoys drawing, theater, long walks, and new recipes. The Waters of Nyra is her first novel. She calls Colorado Springs home.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kellymichell...
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kellymichell...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 5, 2015
I received this book in return for an honest review. You can also find the review on my blog:
https://wordsofrablack.wordpress.com/...
Score: 3.5 stars
Breakdown:
Plot – 3
Characters – 3.5
Writing – 3.5
I found the book very slow to get going, and at first I struggled to engage with both Nyra and her brother. I think this is mostly because the characters are much younger than I am, and I think, looking back, that they author did a good job of representing pre-teens. Nyra got to grow on me as the book went on, and I really liked the character of their mother, Thaydra. she’s smart, optimistic and determined, but still bears the pain of the previous failed escapes. There were a few characters like Opalheart who I felt as if I was missing their purpose. Maybe they will come back more in the later books, but they lost relevance in this book.
When the action is good, it’s very gripping. I found myself flying though the section with the fire. However, the book takes a long time to get going, which meant I struggled with the beginning. The legend is an important point, but Nyra’s boredom and sleepiness in the scenes where it is being retold meant I was not engaging with it. (I do love the twist on it that is revealed at the end and that does make me interested in the second book.) There was also too much time spent on things like how young dragons learn to fish, which slowed down the pacing. I have the feeling the sequel will be better paced.
The ending felt a little rushed, in contrast. It definitely leaves the story wide open for a sequel, but the stop point felt a little arbitrary. I didn’t feel like I had a conclusion to this book. There are also some things in the last chapter, particularly around Thaydra, that I wish had been gone into in more depth for emotional reasons.
The language is very pretty, and I didn’t notice much in the way of errors. At points, I felt the the sound of the words over-took the meaning of them, so there were pleasant sounding phrases that didn’t mean much, but that wasn’t a frequent issue. I think this book will be best received by middle grade readers with a strong vocabulary, but will also be enjoyed by young adults who want an easy escape full of fantastical creatures.
https://wordsofrablack.wordpress.com/...
Score: 3.5 stars
Breakdown:
Plot – 3
Characters – 3.5
Writing – 3.5
I found the book very slow to get going, and at first I struggled to engage with both Nyra and her brother. I think this is mostly because the characters are much younger than I am, and I think, looking back, that they author did a good job of representing pre-teens. Nyra got to grow on me as the book went on, and I really liked the character of their mother, Thaydra. she’s smart, optimistic and determined, but still bears the pain of the previous failed escapes. There were a few characters like Opalheart who I felt as if I was missing their purpose. Maybe they will come back more in the later books, but they lost relevance in this book.
When the action is good, it’s very gripping. I found myself flying though the section with the fire. However, the book takes a long time to get going, which meant I struggled with the beginning. The legend is an important point, but Nyra’s boredom and sleepiness in the scenes where it is being retold meant I was not engaging with it. (I do love the twist on it that is revealed at the end and that does make me interested in the second book.) There was also too much time spent on things like how young dragons learn to fish, which slowed down the pacing. I have the feeling the sequel will be better paced.
The ending felt a little rushed, in contrast. It definitely leaves the story wide open for a sequel, but the stop point felt a little arbitrary. I didn’t feel like I had a conclusion to this book. There are also some things in the last chapter, particularly around Thaydra, that I wish had been gone into in more depth for emotional reasons.
The language is very pretty, and I didn’t notice much in the way of errors. At points, I felt the the sound of the words over-took the meaning of them, so there were pleasant sounding phrases that didn’t mean much, but that wasn’t a frequent issue. I think this book will be best received by middle grade readers with a strong vocabulary, but will also be enjoyed by young adults who want an easy escape full of fantastical creatures.
January 9, 2018
I've been lax on reading in recent years, and I wanted to start the new year out right this time, so instead of making lofty goals, I opted to go the route of reading in-between my own writing. This and its sequel, I've read before, usually for editing purposes. I opened the new edition last night for the sake of enjoyment, and was not disappointed. The characters are lovable and complex, the subjects carefully handled in a coming-of-age piece. And above all, dragons. Who doesn't love dragons??
November 29, 2014
A book review I did for the Good Book Alert blog: http://goodbookalert.blogspot.com/
This is the story of a young dragon named Nyra. She and her family are a kind of dragon called Agring and they live in a small colony of Agrings by the sea. Unfortunately, the Agrings have been enslaved by the Sperks, large dragons who use the smaller Agrings to hunt fish. Together they are ruled over by the menacing Sperk leader, Darkmoon.
I’m giving this book five stars because, despite its flaws, I found Nyra’s story to be engrossing. Baker has done an excellent job of immersing herself and the reader into a believable world of dragons. The author never loses sight of the fact that she is writing about non-human characters, and, because of that, neither does the reader. Furthermore, the development of Nyra over the course of the book, both physically and mentally, is eyes-glued-to-the-page reading.
The novel has a few weaknesses. The main weakness is that the book gets off to a very slow start. The setting and backstory develop without the use of meaningful conflict beyond an initial encounter with Darkmoon. But once siblings Nyra and Blaze begin a week long punishment the story gets going and I strongly suggest readers hold on for that. Meaningful conflict at the beginning of the novel would have helped considerably, and I’m afraid readers will put down the book (I myself had begun skimming) before the story takes off and becomes fully engaging (after which I was riveted).
Furthermore, there was a simple issue that nonetheless marred my initial acceptance of the novel’s premise. And here, I will phrase my inquiry in the manner in which it troubled me, although it already implies a misunderstanding: Why was it so important to the Sperk overlords that the Agring didn’t learn to fly, let alone open their wings, until age twelve? For much of the book I didn’t understand the point of this rule, or whether the rule was part of Nyra’s enslavement or simply the Agring way of raising their young.
All that aside—and yes, throw all that aside—this is a good book. The Waters of Nyra is a perfect novel for dragon enthusiasts. What’s more, it’s perfect for readers who enjoy novels which leave humanity behind and focus exclusively on the animal point of view, be it dogs, owls, cats, or in this case, dragons. There is not a single human being in The Waters of Nyra, and due to that, and the writer’s exceptional focus on conveying to the reader the tactile experience of living in the body of a dragon, this novel is sure to delight fans of this middle grade fantasy sub-genre, which includes the cat-centered Warriors series by Erin Hunter, and similar titles.
In summary, if you or your children enjoy novels about dragons, or stories that center on a world of animals, I strongly recommend The Waters of Nyra. Skim the slow bits up front if you have to, because The Waters of Nyra is an extremely worthy book and a welcome addition to the lore of dragons.
This is the story of a young dragon named Nyra. She and her family are a kind of dragon called Agring and they live in a small colony of Agrings by the sea. Unfortunately, the Agrings have been enslaved by the Sperks, large dragons who use the smaller Agrings to hunt fish. Together they are ruled over by the menacing Sperk leader, Darkmoon.
I’m giving this book five stars because, despite its flaws, I found Nyra’s story to be engrossing. Baker has done an excellent job of immersing herself and the reader into a believable world of dragons. The author never loses sight of the fact that she is writing about non-human characters, and, because of that, neither does the reader. Furthermore, the development of Nyra over the course of the book, both physically and mentally, is eyes-glued-to-the-page reading.
The novel has a few weaknesses. The main weakness is that the book gets off to a very slow start. The setting and backstory develop without the use of meaningful conflict beyond an initial encounter with Darkmoon. But once siblings Nyra and Blaze begin a week long punishment the story gets going and I strongly suggest readers hold on for that. Meaningful conflict at the beginning of the novel would have helped considerably, and I’m afraid readers will put down the book (I myself had begun skimming) before the story takes off and becomes fully engaging (after which I was riveted).
Furthermore, there was a simple issue that nonetheless marred my initial acceptance of the novel’s premise. And here, I will phrase my inquiry in the manner in which it troubled me, although it already implies a misunderstanding: Why was it so important to the Sperk overlords that the Agring didn’t learn to fly, let alone open their wings, until age twelve? For much of the book I didn’t understand the point of this rule, or whether the rule was part of Nyra’s enslavement or simply the Agring way of raising their young.
All that aside—and yes, throw all that aside—this is a good book. The Waters of Nyra is a perfect novel for dragon enthusiasts. What’s more, it’s perfect for readers who enjoy novels which leave humanity behind and focus exclusively on the animal point of view, be it dogs, owls, cats, or in this case, dragons. There is not a single human being in The Waters of Nyra, and due to that, and the writer’s exceptional focus on conveying to the reader the tactile experience of living in the body of a dragon, this novel is sure to delight fans of this middle grade fantasy sub-genre, which includes the cat-centered Warriors series by Erin Hunter, and similar titles.
In summary, if you or your children enjoy novels about dragons, or stories that center on a world of animals, I strongly recommend The Waters of Nyra. Skim the slow bits up front if you have to, because The Waters of Nyra is an extremely worthy book and a welcome addition to the lore of dragons.
January 12, 2018
Read this in one sitting and just finished! I haven't read something of this sort in quite a long time. I must admit, it is beautifully done.
Nyra is coming of age, a difficult thing to capture consistently throughout a story (and one can only wonder of the difficulties when it's happening to a draggling!). There's also some rather tricky concepts covered here, but the story never detracts from its flow or mood. An easy and absorbing read, most enjoyable!
Oharassie was probably my favorite. I have a soft spot for old softies. He didn't try to force belief or opinion - he allowed it to happen naturally, on its own terms. I loved this aspect of him.
Going to be gifting this book to a few of my family and friends, young and old, who I feel will enjoy it as much as I have. Can't wait for the follow up!
Nyra is coming of age, a difficult thing to capture consistently throughout a story (and one can only wonder of the difficulties when it's happening to a draggling!). There's also some rather tricky concepts covered here, but the story never detracts from its flow or mood. An easy and absorbing read, most enjoyable!
Oharassie was probably my favorite. I have a soft spot for old softies. He didn't try to force belief or opinion - he allowed it to happen naturally, on its own terms. I loved this aspect of him.
Going to be gifting this book to a few of my family and friends, young and old, who I feel will enjoy it as much as I have. Can't wait for the follow up!
December 14, 2020
The Waters of Nyra Volume I review
It's been a long time since I've written one of these in depth reviews, I'll admit I just started getting tired of long reviews especially when it came to longer series. So I've decided to reserve the reviews for my one great passion in art and life: dragons and magical beings. And the Waters of Nyra seems like a wonderful place to start that new trend. The last book I needed for this year's reading goal and a totally worthy one with that. I positively loved it for it's characters and also how it handled a very real theme. I will go into that in more detail like in past reviews with things I liked and things I had issues with.
What I liked about it:
Characters: The story is told from the point of view of the eponymous Nyra herself, with the exception of the prologue conveyed by her mother instead. All of the characters are rather unique beings with regards to personalities and such, nobody feels like a cardboard cutout and that is amazing. Even the villain Darkmoon has motivations for his actions and anger, losing his mate during an Agring escape attempt years ago. Going back to the main character Nyra, the way her 'voice' is conveyed is what I really appreciated most. The author really made sure to convey that Nyra is still a child. She doesn't know what certain words mean, sees the world in a fairly black and white manner, bickers with her sibling and mother over petty little things, acts like if she hasn't seen a thing personally it must just be a myth, sulks, and all that. This story really is about growing up and her character arc is reflecting that when she starts to understand the world is far larger and more complicated than she originally believed.
Theme: At the end of the day this is really a story about growing up and what that entails. As mentioned earlier, Nyra starts learning about the complexities of the world around her and just what it means to be mature and make her own choices and decisions. There's also a bit of an undercurrent I'm noticing about the nature of history and stories how they can become skewed with time, coping with loss of all kinds, prejudice, and a touch of adult fear if the subtext of the Agring parents is anything to go on. I personally think the author handled these themes very well with regards to letting them naturally flow from the narrative itself and not trying to get on a soapbox of some kind.
World Building: To be fair only small parts of the world have been shown so far but it's clear this is a very wide open place with beings and peoples of all kinds. From the Angring and Sperk main focus, to the strange Xefex sea dragons, to many others, the world is very colorful in both a figurative and literal way. The author takes care of little details such as the daily life of the dragons and their various traditions and mythologies even if we only get a glance of them in story.
Issues I had:
I know this seems like a copout but truth of the matter is I am struggling to think of any real negatives with regards to the book that really hurt if for me. The closest thing I could have to a complaint would be the fairly short length but even that one doesn't really have a leg to stand on given the book said all that it needed to in the pages it did have and there is still the other half of the duology to consider.
Conclusion:
This is just part one of a duology but if the second half is anything like the first then I'm going to love it just as much. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a deep story about growing up, an interesting world, and of course dragons. I am very much looking forward to the second volume.
It's been a long time since I've written one of these in depth reviews, I'll admit I just started getting tired of long reviews especially when it came to longer series. So I've decided to reserve the reviews for my one great passion in art and life: dragons and magical beings. And the Waters of Nyra seems like a wonderful place to start that new trend. The last book I needed for this year's reading goal and a totally worthy one with that. I positively loved it for it's characters and also how it handled a very real theme. I will go into that in more detail like in past reviews with things I liked and things I had issues with.
What I liked about it:
Characters: The story is told from the point of view of the eponymous Nyra herself, with the exception of the prologue conveyed by her mother instead. All of the characters are rather unique beings with regards to personalities and such, nobody feels like a cardboard cutout and that is amazing. Even the villain Darkmoon has motivations for his actions and anger, losing his mate during an Agring escape attempt years ago. Going back to the main character Nyra, the way her 'voice' is conveyed is what I really appreciated most. The author really made sure to convey that Nyra is still a child. She doesn't know what certain words mean, sees the world in a fairly black and white manner, bickers with her sibling and mother over petty little things, acts like if she hasn't seen a thing personally it must just be a myth, sulks, and all that. This story really is about growing up and her character arc is reflecting that when she starts to understand the world is far larger and more complicated than she originally believed.
Theme: At the end of the day this is really a story about growing up and what that entails. As mentioned earlier, Nyra starts learning about the complexities of the world around her and just what it means to be mature and make her own choices and decisions. There's also a bit of an undercurrent I'm noticing about the nature of history and stories how they can become skewed with time, coping with loss of all kinds, prejudice, and a touch of adult fear if the subtext of the Agring parents is anything to go on. I personally think the author handled these themes very well with regards to letting them naturally flow from the narrative itself and not trying to get on a soapbox of some kind.
World Building: To be fair only small parts of the world have been shown so far but it's clear this is a very wide open place with beings and peoples of all kinds. From the Angring and Sperk main focus, to the strange Xefex sea dragons, to many others, the world is very colorful in both a figurative and literal way. The author takes care of little details such as the daily life of the dragons and their various traditions and mythologies even if we only get a glance of them in story.
Issues I had:
I know this seems like a copout but truth of the matter is I am struggling to think of any real negatives with regards to the book that really hurt if for me. The closest thing I could have to a complaint would be the fairly short length but even that one doesn't really have a leg to stand on given the book said all that it needed to in the pages it did have and there is still the other half of the duology to consider.
Conclusion:
This is just part one of a duology but if the second half is anything like the first then I'm going to love it just as much. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a deep story about growing up, an interesting world, and of course dragons. I am very much looking forward to the second volume.
June 2, 2020
This was a fun, lighthearted story of a 11 year old dragon going on an adventure to save her family. There are so many classic troupes in this, but with the dragons only world, it seemed fresh and fun. Sometimes you forgot they were dragons, but the mention of claws and tails and the red colored skin was so well described that you could see the scales sparkle in the sunlight. There are few sentences that I highlighted and just reread because it painted the emotion between a group of dragons so well!
Like any kid, Nyra questions herself often, and sometimes out loud. I don't usually read YA books, and this was so refreshing from the Hunger Games. The themes of slavery and depression are both in this book and yet they didn't drive the storyline; Nyra drove the story. She grows on her adventure, and even though the stakes are high I never felt a stressed edge-of-my-seat-oh-no making this an easy bedtime read for me to read "just one more page" while staying lighthearted. Those types of books I think are rare.
The only bummer I have to this book is that there are TWO of them! There was a good conclusion, satisfying, but it was still a half of a journey. I guess I have to read the second!
Like any kid, Nyra questions herself often, and sometimes out loud. I don't usually read YA books, and this was so refreshing from the Hunger Games. The themes of slavery and depression are both in this book and yet they didn't drive the storyline; Nyra drove the story. She grows on her adventure, and even though the stakes are high I never felt a stressed edge-of-my-seat-oh-no making this an easy bedtime read for me to read "just one more page" while staying lighthearted. Those types of books I think are rare.
The only bummer I have to this book is that there are TWO of them! There was a good conclusion, satisfying, but it was still a half of a journey. I guess I have to read the second!
May 14, 2017
Waters of Nyra follows the young dragon Nyra, who is a perpetual troublemaker in a herd of Agring dragons that are slaves to the bigger & stronger Sperks dragons. The story focuses quite a bit on the dragon family and herd dynamics, but where this story really shines to me is in the fact that the community is centered around oral histories, I just wish there was more time spent on that directly, as it comes up a couple times early on, then I started looking forward to "gatherings" thinking it meant that storytelling would be happening, then it didn't - however in the later parts Nyra has memories of bits of stories or songs that help her along the way, so it does keep up to some degree.
It is decidedly more in the children's fantasy range in Part 1 than I usually read, but a pretty good story that I found it somewhat comparable to the Warriors books. Possibly a bit awkward that breeding is brought up frequently, though nothing graphic, this part could readily be skipped over for young kids. Part 2 & 3 are much stronger, with discovery of other dragon species, new settings, and a journey.
It is decidedly more in the children's fantasy range in Part 1 than I usually read, but a pretty good story that I found it somewhat comparable to the Warriors books. Possibly a bit awkward that breeding is brought up frequently, though nothing graphic, this part could readily be skipped over for young kids. Part 2 & 3 are much stronger, with discovery of other dragon species, new settings, and a journey.
December 6, 2022
This is one of those books I had shelved to read for some time already, that turns out in the good surprises.
The enslaved kin of Nyra tried to free themselves several times, and failed at a high cost.
Their legends speak of succor to be sought in distant lands, but how much exactly of these tales is true ? Perhaps the constant retelling from a generation to another, and arrangements with truth thought to be inconsequential by their ancients, have mangled the truth.
This will not be so inconsequential when this promised help is to be claimed.
Nyra and her brother are younglings, this pov might put off some readers, but I must tell they're rather on the realistic side, painted without excess either. Also, their naive (to begin with) yet curious look are a good way to bring this story and expose the unsuspected past.
Are the ancients of their herd as misleaded and naive as them, or are they hiding something ?
The ending of this book is a cliffhanger, as their titles suggest the two books are more two halves of a bigger one.
The enslaved kin of Nyra tried to free themselves several times, and failed at a high cost.
Their legends speak of succor to be sought in distant lands, but how much exactly of these tales is true ? Perhaps the constant retelling from a generation to another, and arrangements with truth thought to be inconsequential by their ancients, have mangled the truth.
This will not be so inconsequential when this promised help is to be claimed.
Nyra and her brother are younglings, this pov might put off some readers, but I must tell they're rather on the realistic side, painted without excess either. Also, their naive (to begin with) yet curious look are a good way to bring this story and expose the unsuspected past.
Are the ancients of their herd as misleaded and naive as them, or are they hiding something ?
The ending of this book is a cliffhanger, as their titles suggest the two books are more two halves of a bigger one.
February 10, 2014
this was a great read! totally enjoyed it. it was recommended to me by Nikki Pierrotttie who's books I have read also.
I expect great things from this young author! And I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens next. Total;y did not see that ending coming!
I expect great things from this young author! And I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens next. Total;y did not see that ending coming!
January 19, 2017
Very beautifully done! I sped right through this book, I liked it so much. I found it very similar to Song of The Summer King by Jess Owen, with the young main character going on a journey to find help for her enslaved family. Interesting and riveting, definitely a new favorite of mine.
January 7, 2015
An exciting and engaging adventure, told through the eyes of a dragon on her long journey across an ocean. Great for young and old readers alike!
October 17, 2016
A little slow at times, but great characters, great writing style, and great build up. Looking forward to Vol. Two.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews