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alyssaindira's review
2.0
Honestly, when I first read the description of this book I thought it would be good. But once I started reading it I realized 3 things.
A. This is mainly geared towards 3rd-5th graders and was not meant to be deep.
B. This is something I wouldn't recommend to a teen or an adult due to the level of plot and storyline.
C. Glad it was free on Google play.
A. This is mainly geared towards 3rd-5th graders and was not meant to be deep.
B. This is something I wouldn't recommend to a teen or an adult due to the level of plot and storyline.
C. Glad it was free on Google play.
alyshadeshae's review
4.0
A proper review will be coming in the next few days once my brain stops short-circuiting.
nissahh's review
3.0
I love the whole concept of the book, but thought it was to obvious who Andy was and what was going to happen to him. If the prologue didn't include some parts to it, I wouldn't have known why Andy was so important. I was slightly confused by Merman speech, I instantly thought of Tweety-Bird; there were times I wonder why he didn't pronounce the words that have 'r' in it like he did with the rest. I wished the author could come up with better names for the towns though. I did enjoy this book, it's good for the targeted age group.
briarrose1021's review
5.0
What are you supposed to do when you suddenly find yourself transported to Medieval times and meet a 500-year-old king who is trying to break a curse? Why, you trade in your game system controller for a legendary sword and go on a quest to break the curse, of course!
This was a fun story to listen to; Andy Smithson is the last descendant of a king from hundreds of years before who had a curse placed upon him by his sister after he murdered her and his parents in order to gain the throne. The sister, being rather understandably upset at being murdered, had the curse placed upon her brother until he had learned his lesson; the previous king and queen had agreed to the curse with the understanding that it be lifted as soon as the lesson had been learned. Unfortunately, the sister is still nursing her hatred, even after 500 years and many obvious signs that her brother had learned his lesson and had changed from the man he was when he murdered them. When she refuses to lift the curse, saying that he deserves everything that happens to him and more because of the murders, her father takes matters into his own hands by transporting his last remaining descendant from the present day back so that he can break the curse.
It was definitely an interesting introduction to the story, and it pulled me in very quickly. Once it began, the story only got better. I have to admit, I was amused at Andy's frustrations when things didn't go according to plan. I think that was because his reactions to each setback were fairly realistic for a boy his age.
Listening to a full-cast audiobook also meant that it was easy to follow the dialogue changes in the relatively large cast. My only complaint about the audiobook was that there were way TOO MANY sound effects. Some sound effects are good and add to the ambiance of an audiobook; too many sound effects and they just get in the way of the actual telling of the story. Still, the story was good and I give it 5 stars.
This was a fun story to listen to; Andy Smithson is the last descendant of a king from hundreds of years before who had a curse placed upon him by his sister after he murdered her and his parents in order to gain the throne. The sister, being rather understandably upset at being murdered, had the curse placed upon her brother until he had learned his lesson; the previous king and queen had agreed to the curse with the understanding that it be lifted as soon as the lesson had been learned. Unfortunately, the sister is still nursing her hatred, even after 500 years and many obvious signs that her brother had learned his lesson and had changed from the man he was when he murdered them. When she refuses to lift the curse, saying that he deserves everything that happens to him and more because of the murders, her father takes matters into his own hands by transporting his last remaining descendant from the present day back so that he can break the curse.
It was definitely an interesting introduction to the story, and it pulled me in very quickly. Once it began, the story only got better. I have to admit, I was amused at Andy's frustrations when things didn't go according to plan. I think that was because his reactions to each setback were fairly realistic for a boy his age.
Listening to a full-cast audiobook also meant that it was easy to follow the dialogue changes in the relatively large cast. My only complaint about the audiobook was that there were way TOO MANY sound effects. Some sound effects are good and add to the ambiance of an audiobook; too many sound effects and they just get in the way of the actual telling of the story. Still, the story was good and I give it 5 stars.
lhawk1's review
5.0
Check out my full review here: https://escapingrealitybookreviews.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/review-blast-of-the-dragons-fury-by-l-r-w-lee/
I loved this book. I really did! It took ages for me to get around to reading it, but literally from the first page, I was hooked.Do you know a ten year old? If yes, absolutely read this book with them, they will love it! If no, read this book yourself, you will love it!
I'm 19, and I highly recommend this book
I loved this book. I really did! It took ages for me to get around to reading it, but literally from the first page, I was hooked.Do you know a ten year old? If yes, absolutely read this book with them, they will love it! If no, read this book yourself, you will love it!
I'm 19, and I highly recommend this book
thehonestpuck's review
4.0
This is a really silly kids' fantasy novel that was actually very cute indeed! The world is pretty strange, but the characters are all really fun and it's great to see the main character grow as a person.
marciatch's review
3.0
I was send an e-version copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was asked to read this book through the perspective of an adult, but also to imagine how a 10-year-old child would like this. I tried to place myself in the head of the 10-year-old me, and I have to say this book would please her. It wouldn't become one of her favorite books, or even a re-read, but I'm sure she would like to read the other books in the series. That said, now I want to express my opinion as a critical adult reader. I liked many parts of the book and I really enjoyed the overall concept. A curse placed over a land as an act of revenge is definitely something I enjoy in a book. This book has a lot of potential. In my opinion, it just needs a little toning.
One thing that really confused me was the land of Oomaldee (and the other lands around it that were mentioned in the book). I liked the map in the beginning of the book. I always think a map is a great addition to any fantasy books because it helps the reader place where the events are taking place. However, my question is: where exactly is Oomaldee? When I started reading the book, I thought this land would be a substitute for our own. Like in many fantasy books, the Earth we live in would not exist. But this was not what happened and it confused me quite a lot. I mean, it is a separate world from ours? Where is it located? How do you get there? I can't be totally separated from ours because they share some mythological and folkloric aspects with us. Not to mention the linguistic aspects. So, how one gets there? How can we not know it is there? Is it part of the curse? But the cure only affects Oomaldee, so how can we not know about Abbadon's land as well?
Another thing I questioned a lot is: how is Andy a descendant of the King? I might have missed something in the beginning of the book, but I thought Imogenia's brother was the last member of the family, this is why he was King. I mean, if the King had siblings or any other relatives, they could have tried to take the Kingdom from the sister-murderer prince. However, they are not mentioned, not even hinted at. And then the dead King says he found a descendant of his. In our world nonetheless. How did they got here? Why did they leave Oomaldee? Why have they forgotten where they came from? Have they all forgotten or they are just playing the part? Is it because they are hiding the truth from Andy and his sister, that the parents are so mean?
Now I'd like to talk a little about the curse. I'm afraid to say I found the curse to be a little silly. No one is really affected by it. The land is happy, they have festivals, a lot of food (they can even bake loads of chocolate cookies)... Besides the drawback in technological advances they are fine. Also, I don't see why the curse, while still allowing everyone to be happy and have fun, would impede anyone from making new inventions. For example, the King and Mermim (I'll talk about the names eventually) do it all the time. In my opinion, this curse is not really a fit punishment if Imogenia really wanted revenge. She would have made her brother suffer a lot more, not grant him eternal life and a safe place to live.
Now, I 'd like to talk a little about the lessons in the book. Although I have nothing against books that teach something to their young readers, I think this should be made in a more covert way. The lessons are too conspicuous, too blatant obvious. It would tire a kid after a while. Kids learn through example most of the time. So why not make Andy as a character grow and show the kids change is possible? Also, the book is lesson after lesson. Maybe tone it down a little bit.
Since I am talking about Andy as a character, let's look at the characters. To start with, this books presents very little, if any at all, character development. I also had a hard time trying to distinguish the character's voices. They all sounded the same and were really flat. They used the same language, acted the same way. Most of them acted like the perfect family Andy would like to have. This leads me to one of my greatest concerns: most of the time Andy is feeling so happy and content that he has no thoughts about home. Or when he does it is only to say that his parents didn't act as kind as those people were acting. I think this part is unnecessary. Andy's parents are the plain villain of the story, without any explanation as to why they might act this way. I'd like to see a little more of their point of view, how do they react to Andy and his stories.
Talking about the characters leads me to talking about their names and also the names of the places. I can't say I liked them. When I imagine a different land, I also like to imagine different and exotic names. Even if they are not different, they have to be made to sound different. For example, Marta is a foreign in the land of Oomaldee and she definitely does not come from our world. And she is portrayed as a very different and exotic character. Why does she have such a plain name? Also, the mixture of Arthurian legends into the story doesn't really fit. Mermim is the embodiment of all the clichés about magicians that we can find. He even speaks funny.
Now I'd like to address two things that really bothered me in the story. The first one is the King sending two kids alone to fight a dragon. One of the most dangerous types of dragons there is. Two kids alone through lots of difficulties, and with Abbadon, the bad guy from another land, possibly spying on them and wishing them to fail in their quest. It doesn't sound like the most responsible thing to do. And the King acts as if it were something he is quite used of doing. Besides, I had some problems with two kids taking apart a dragon's carcass to eat. As if it were the easiest thing in the world. All the while there is a an adult much more fitted to the task only lying around. Something else is: they just killed a dragon and then they meet another one that can communicate with them and they don't even stop to think that other dragon they killed could be just trying to defend itself.
The second thing is: vulture-men. I have no problems with them, they are a very interesting addition to the plot. However, I liked them a lot better when they were not god people that were transformed into puppets of evil. And then, after Andy discovers that the vulture-men could be his friends, he still goes and beheads (beheads!!!!) some of them without even a second thought. He doesn't even stop to think, later, that he could have killed innocent people that were thrown into the story simply because they were born there.
I have some other points to make, but I think I've already said enough.
Overall, as I had said before, I think this can be quite enjoyable for younger readers. I think this novel has the capacity of being a great book. It just needs a little work. This installment felt rushed. Lots of things happened at the same time. I think some scenes could be cut and some others expanded. I liked the cliffhanger in the end too. And I'd like to wish the author good luck. I'm looking forward to see if some of my questions will be answered and to what will happen to Andy next.
I was asked to read this book through the perspective of an adult, but also to imagine how a 10-year-old child would like this. I tried to place myself in the head of the 10-year-old me, and I have to say this book would please her. It wouldn't become one of her favorite books, or even a re-read, but I'm sure she would like to read the other books in the series. That said, now I want to express my opinion as a critical adult reader. I liked many parts of the book and I really enjoyed the overall concept. A curse placed over a land as an act of revenge is definitely something I enjoy in a book. This book has a lot of potential. In my opinion, it just needs a little toning.
One thing that really confused me was the land of Oomaldee (and the other lands around it that were mentioned in the book). I liked the map in the beginning of the book. I always think a map is a great addition to any fantasy books because it helps the reader place where the events are taking place. However, my question is: where exactly is Oomaldee? When I started reading the book, I thought this land would be a substitute for our own. Like in many fantasy books, the Earth we live in would not exist. But this was not what happened and it confused me quite a lot. I mean, it is a separate world from ours? Where is it located? How do you get there? I can't be totally separated from ours because they share some mythological and folkloric aspects with us. Not to mention the linguistic aspects. So, how one gets there? How can we not know it is there? Is it part of the curse? But the cure only affects Oomaldee, so how can we not know about Abbadon's land as well?
Another thing I questioned a lot is: how is Andy a descendant of the King? I might have missed something in the beginning of the book, but I thought Imogenia's brother was the last member of the family, this is why he was King. I mean, if the King had siblings or any other relatives, they could have tried to take the Kingdom from the sister-murderer prince. However, they are not mentioned, not even hinted at. And then the dead King says he found a descendant of his. In our world nonetheless. How did they got here? Why did they leave Oomaldee? Why have they forgotten where they came from? Have they all forgotten or they are just playing the part? Is it because they are hiding the truth from Andy and his sister, that the parents are so mean?
Now I'd like to talk a little about the curse. I'm afraid to say I found the curse to be a little silly. No one is really affected by it. The land is happy, they have festivals, a lot of food (they can even bake loads of chocolate cookies)... Besides the drawback in technological advances they are fine. Also, I don't see why the curse, while still allowing everyone to be happy and have fun, would impede anyone from making new inventions. For example, the King and Mermim (I'll talk about the names eventually) do it all the time. In my opinion, this curse is not really a fit punishment if Imogenia really wanted revenge. She would have made her brother suffer a lot more, not grant him eternal life and a safe place to live.
Now, I 'd like to talk a little about the lessons in the book. Although I have nothing against books that teach something to their young readers, I think this should be made in a more covert way. The lessons are too conspicuous, too blatant obvious. It would tire a kid after a while. Kids learn through example most of the time. So why not make Andy as a character grow and show the kids change is possible? Also, the book is lesson after lesson. Maybe tone it down a little bit.
Since I am talking about Andy as a character, let's look at the characters. To start with, this books presents very little, if any at all, character development. I also had a hard time trying to distinguish the character's voices. They all sounded the same and were really flat. They used the same language, acted the same way. Most of them acted like the perfect family Andy would like to have. This leads me to one of my greatest concerns: most of the time Andy is feeling so happy and content that he has no thoughts about home. Or when he does it is only to say that his parents didn't act as kind as those people were acting. I think this part is unnecessary. Andy's parents are the plain villain of the story, without any explanation as to why they might act this way. I'd like to see a little more of their point of view, how do they react to Andy and his stories.
Talking about the characters leads me to talking about their names and also the names of the places. I can't say I liked them. When I imagine a different land, I also like to imagine different and exotic names. Even if they are not different, they have to be made to sound different. For example, Marta is a foreign in the land of Oomaldee and she definitely does not come from our world. And she is portrayed as a very different and exotic character. Why does she have such a plain name? Also, the mixture of Arthurian legends into the story doesn't really fit. Mermim is the embodiment of all the clichés about magicians that we can find. He even speaks funny.
Now I'd like to address two things that really bothered me in the story. The first one is the King sending two kids alone to fight a dragon. One of the most dangerous types of dragons there is. Two kids alone through lots of difficulties, and with Abbadon, the bad guy from another land, possibly spying on them and wishing them to fail in their quest. It doesn't sound like the most responsible thing to do. And the King acts as if it were something he is quite used of doing. Besides, I had some problems with two kids taking apart a dragon's carcass to eat. As if it were the easiest thing in the world. All the while there is a an adult much more fitted to the task only lying around. Something else is: they just killed a dragon and then they meet another one that can communicate with them and they don't even stop to think that other dragon they killed could be just trying to defend itself.
The second thing is: vulture-men. I have no problems with them, they are a very interesting addition to the plot. However, I liked them a lot better when they were not god people that were transformed into puppets of evil. And then, after Andy discovers that the vulture-men could be his friends, he still goes and beheads (beheads!!!!) some of them without even a second thought. He doesn't even stop to think, later, that he could have killed innocent people that were thrown into the story simply because they were born there.
I have some other points to make, but I think I've already said enough.
Overall, as I had said before, I think this can be quite enjoyable for younger readers. I think this novel has the capacity of being a great book. It just needs a little work. This installment felt rushed. Lots of things happened at the same time. I think some scenes could be cut and some others expanded. I liked the cliffhanger in the end too. And I'd like to wish the author good luck. I'm looking forward to see if some of my questions will be answered and to what will happen to Andy next.
sonshinelibrarian's review
2.0
This was all right. The beginning was pretty rough and I almost didn't keep reading. I found it odd that Andy was so blase about getting sucked into another world. There were enough things that were just rough and felt in need of polishing or that felt as though they'd been written by an 8 year old rather than for that age (like the names of the towns) that just kept the book from being enjoyable for me.
mattie523's review
4.0
I liked this book! I think it has a great story and am excited for it to be explored further. A few notes:
There were a few spelling and grammar errors (i did receive a pdf, 2nd Edition version so this may be why).
The beginning seemed a bit choppy and rushed. It was kind of like I was thrown straight into the story, which I liked because you get to the action right away but it left for some confusion, until i got further along.
The writing seems to smooth itself out as it goes. It's like the author connected better with the story and was able to make it flow.
Some things seemed a bit overstated, like his parents being CEOs and not really paying attention to him. It was stated more than once and seemed a bit like "yeah we know" every time it came up after that. Same with the curse. At the beginning it's mentioned there is a curse, but they keep saying it and it gets annoying not knowing what it is. There's a lot of confusion, which plays into Andy's confusion, but also throws off the reader.
I was a little unnerved when they ate the dragon. That seemed to go against all other dragon lore i've heard, but it was an interesting take. A little nauseating if you think about it and a tad morbid, especially since she was a mother dragon and had just laid eggs. Plus the fact that they talk to a dragon later makes me really sad that they killed and ate another.
It was also confusing because the dragons were set up to be beasts and monsters and then suddenly they can talk through thoughts? It seemed like a cop out since there was no previous statement of this fact. It should somehow come about when they see the dragons at the festival for the first time.
It also isn't clear that King Abaddon is a dragon. I didn't know that he was the dragon in the forest, that's why I was confused by the chapter title and when Mermin is talking after the fight.
Other than those things, there is good humor and a tale about friendship as well as adventure in another land. It has an interesting ending and definitely leaves me looking forward to the next book!
There were a few spelling and grammar errors (i did receive a pdf, 2nd Edition version so this may be why).
The beginning seemed a bit choppy and rushed. It was kind of like I was thrown straight into the story, which I liked because you get to the action right away but it left for some confusion, until i got further along.
The writing seems to smooth itself out as it goes. It's like the author connected better with the story and was able to make it flow.
Some things seemed a bit overstated, like his parents being CEOs and not really paying attention to him. It was stated more than once and seemed a bit like "yeah we know" every time it came up after that. Same with the curse. At the beginning it's mentioned there is a curse, but they keep saying it and it gets annoying not knowing what it is. There's a lot of confusion, which plays into Andy's confusion, but also throws off the reader.
I was a little unnerved when they ate the dragon. That seemed to go against all other dragon lore i've heard, but it was an interesting take. A little nauseating if you think about it and a tad morbid, especially since she was a mother dragon and had just laid eggs. Plus the fact that they talk to a dragon later makes me really sad that they killed and ate another.
It was also confusing because the dragons were set up to be beasts and monsters and then suddenly they can talk through thoughts? It seemed like a cop out since there was no previous statement of this fact. It should somehow come about when they see the dragons at the festival for the first time.
It also isn't clear that King Abaddon is a dragon. I didn't know that he was the dragon in the forest, that's why I was confused by the chapter title and when Mermin is talking after the fight.
Other than those things, there is good humor and a tale about friendship as well as adventure in another land. It has an interesting ending and definitely leaves me looking forward to the next book!