On Wings Saga Prequel
by
Every story has a beginning….
Dragons. Angels fear them and demons follow them. Formidable beasts of incredible power, they fight each other to the death for dominance. But dwindling dragon numbers cause alarm among the angelic ranks. Surely when the dragons have finished killing each other, the victors will search elsewhere for conquest… maybe even the Upper Realm.
Roland, an angelic artist of significant talent, doesn’t know what to believe. Part of him longs to see a dragon in person, and his peaceful life of contentment is wearing thin. He wants passion, desire, adventure, and love. He gets more than he bargained for when he and his sister are ambushed and captured by demons, and they bring him to a creature who surpasses Roland’s wildest imaginings.
But the mighty dragon Asagoroth is not all that he seems. Something sparks between him and Roland. Something neither anticipated. Something that will shake the cosmos to its core.
Note to readers: this is the second edition, fully revised and updated.
The darkness was alive.
And it was coming for them.
Anpiel recovered first and nearly yanked his arm out of its socket as she bolted in the direction of Emphoria, staying near the bottom of the clouds.
“Just a little ways more,” she said, gasping for air. “Then we go up through the clouds again.”
“What is that?” he said, croaking the words.
“You don’t want to know.”
“What is that?” he screamed.
She flashed him a fierce look out of dark eyes and didn’t answer. She merely flew faster, and he could barely keep up.
“Where do you hope to fly to, little angels?”
READ MORERoland nearly fell from the sky. That voice. Was. Enormous. It rumbled against his bones, rattled his teeth. It seemed to come from all around them, the source unseen. Even Anpiel faltered for a moment. Then she gritted her teeth and continued to fly, though exhaustion slowed her and the strain on her face was visible.
It also disturbed him that the speaker was using Middle Enochian, the most common angelic dialect in use. The voice clearly did not belong to an angel, so what was it?
“There is nowhere you can fly that I won’t find you.” The voice sounded… amused. Arrogantly amused, like an owner watching a favorite pet doing something silly. The condescension momentarily managed to bump Roland’s fear to the side.
Who was this ass?
As if answering his unspoken question, a giant mass emerged from the darkness below, solidifying into a…. Oh Light.
Dragon.
Dragon!
The beast rose to hover in front of them, colossal wings languidly flapping and holding him aloft with ease. Built like a mountain, yet slender and elegant despite his size, the beast was as black as the Outer Borders, beyond all creation and formation. He was a force of nature, a power to be reckoned with, one that never apologized or asked for permission. He simply took what he wanted and damn anyone who got his way. If he wanted to destroy something, nothing could stop him.
Heat washed over them, the dragon the obvious source. Roland could see that every time the dragon moved, slivers of red and white, blue and orange could be seen between the scales, as if an inferno blazed within his body.
Sweat rolled down Roland’s face, and he hovered there, gaping, eyes bulging.
The magnificence of the creature before them was mind-blowing. Now he understood Gabryl’s fear about dragons being near extinction and turning their attentions elsewhere.
Here was proof that they had.
Was this…. Could this be… Asagoroth?
COLLAPSE** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine~
On Wings of Passion (On Wings #0.5) by M.D. Grimm
★★★★★
141 Pages
POV: 3rd person – primarily 1 character POV, but Epilogue features multi-POVI first read On Wings of Thunder in 2016. It was immediately an instant favourite and I would have bought it in paperback, if it had been released in that form. That's how much I loved it. It became a regular re-read, since then.
When I saw that On Wings of Passion was being released, I didn't even read the blurb before requesting an ARC. But, once I did, I was both heartbroken, hopeful and nervous. I was scared that it could never be the same to read about Asagoroth being in love with Roland, when I was so firmly entrenched with his love for Trystan. And then came the question on HOW to read it – did I read it first? Did I re-read On Wings of Thunder first, to remind me of who everyone was? I was in a dilemma.
Now, Goodreads didn't list the book until release day, and it's marked as Book 2...HOWEVER...I chose to read On Wings of Passion as a prequel, as it was intended, which means reading it first. And...honestly...I'm so glad I did. It is a TRUE prequel. It tells a story that immediately sucks you in, but at the same time, prepares you for the journey that On Wings of Thunder will be. It sets the stage, reintroduces character that I thought I knew, in a way I never saw them before.
Everything that I loved about On Wings of Thunder was here. The romance, the chemistry, the action, the risk, the danger, the excitement. There was a constant thrum of nervous energy, from the first moment Roland found himself in trouble, to the lurking vengeance of Asagoroth waiting for his moment to strike. It was both familiar and new, at the same time. And it was everything that anyone could want, coming into this series for the first time. It can be read before or after On Wings of Thunder, though I totally recommend reading it as a prequel, first.
Despite the 3 years between On Wings of Thunder and On Wings of Passion, it has the same heart, the same beauty, the same hope and despair that the original story had. It managed to suck me in from page one and give me that feeling of coming home, after being gone for too long. That feeling of seeing a friend or family member that you've been away from for years, and suddenly finding that nothing has changed; the years feel like days and that old chemistry and affection is still there. That's what On Wings of Passion is. It's the prequel that On Wings of Thunder deserved; it's the story that all the fans of the first book desperately wanted to read; and it's the beautiful and tragic love that Roland deserved.
Starting with a moving and powerful prologue, that awful mix of pain and joy didn't end until the last page. Nothing makes me happier than the Author's Note, that tells me this may not be the last we ever see of Asagoroth or Trystan.
~
Favourite Quotes
““I screamed at you,” he said softly. “The first time we met, I hurt you. I’m not an heir, so I can’t be part of your plans. I’m nobody. I don’t matter. Yet I’m still alive. You need to tell me why.”
Asagoroth stared for a long, significant pause before he closed his eyes and exhaled softly. Roland gripped part of the wall to keep from being pushed off the shelf.
“I am starting to wonder,” Asagoroth said, also in Middle Enochian, his words thick with emotion, “if you might be all that matters.”"