Legacy of the Dragonwand, Book 1 by Daniel Peyton

At sixteen, Markus wants to study magic and become a wizard. His parents want him to stay and someday take over the family farm. It's time for him to choose, and choose he does. Slipping out in the middle of the night, Markus strikes out on his own in pursuit of rumors of an wizard in the hope that he will find in him a teacher and mentor. Markus succeeds in finding the wizard, but the old man only lives long enough to pass on his wand and a quest that, if he is successful, will save his world from a growing evil. 

Markus' world is filled with different beings resembling one or another type of non-human life capable of speaking, Lizardkind, Rakki (having tails and fur much like wolves or dogs), and dragons. On his way to find the Dragon Citadel, he comes across a couple of Rakki losing a battle with an imp. Using a spell from his dreams, he manages to save the female, and is invited back to their village to rest and resupply as thanks. While there, Markus learns he has become is country's most wanted by the Guard.

I found this to be a clean, easy read. The story has all the elements a young (or old) reader could want for a fantasy novel. There's the requisite girl his age for Markus to become interested in, the obligatory over-protective father, understanding mother, a quest, forbidden magic, an evil wizard and greedy king.

With a couple of exceptions where I found passages the read like a word was missing, the story is well written and fairly well edited. The biggest exception to this is the difference in the title on the cover of the book versus what is on the inside of the book. An easy enough fix for eBooks, not so for the print copies. This should have been caught before going to press.

Due to the issues mentioned above, I can only give this book three stars. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.

You can pick up your copy at Amazon (US, CA, AU, UK) and Barnes & Noble