L.B. Conahan masterfully creates an exciting new mythic realm in “Shu’alu ‘Dragons Shall Weep,’” the first novel in a planned series of books set in this strange world. In this edition, Conahan introduces us to a variety of intriguing characters – the half-human royalty Sara, the demigod Arie, and the villainous Mei – and the triangle of love, loyalty and lust between them. Rather than they being mere actors in a cookie-cutter story, though, the plot unfolds based on these character’s motivations and efforts to achieve their conflicting goals. The result is that though we’re dealing with a physically unreal world and players in it, the characters are easy to identify with in a perfectly logical (but rollicking fun!) plot. Here’s to hoping that we soon see more works by Mr. Conahan in the years ahead – in the meantime, enjoy this first volume.

Having never heard of Shu’alu before I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this book. I’m glad I decided to give it a try because it was an amazing story. Sara was a complicated character and her back story and connection to the prophecies keep you guessing until the very end. Mei was a formidable foe and her lust for Arie makes her Sara’s enemy. Will Sara be able to figure out exactly who she is and what she is meant to do in time to save her people? This is a very well written and incredibly well researched story. There were no holes in the plot or anything else that would take away from the overall story line. The dialogue was crisp and never awkward. Which is a huge plus to me. I also really liked how short the chapters were. It really keeps you turning the pages late into the night. Overall I highly recommend to any fantasy lovers. The end will have you wanting to read the next book, but still has a satisfying ending.