3 out of 4 stars
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Becoming the Dragon ( The Dragon Inside Book 1), an exciting tale of coming of age that is both literal and metaphorical earns three out of four stars.
In this first installment of a five book series we meet young Andy, who learns who he is while uncovering the truths and mysteries about life and relationships as he experiences harrowing situations and overcomes challenges. Immersed in different worlds, Andy must adapt, and learn quickly to survive.
The story unfolds on earth and on a planet inhabited by gnomes, elves and dragons. In this other plain of existence, magic is common place and numerous religions and belief systems are respected by all. The writing moves at a good pace, and keeps the suspense by not revealing too much at a time. I do find that the voice shifts from adult to young adult frequently, which does make it tough to stay lost in the worlds created by Alex Sapegin. It is possible that the tone and mood is more consistent in the author’s native language (Russian), but overall the tale is intriguing and holds you in as a reader.
The style of the English used, is generally casual and informal, making for an easy read. However, what seems to be an effort to vary the adjectives used, results in word choice that is at times contradictory and confusing. For example, the phrase, “pursed lip into a thin strip”, in lieu of ‘pulling lip…’, caused me to break from the story in order to process the image. At other times the description feels pretentious, “ice blue eyes, the depths of which hid a malignant cunning, gazed perceptively and carefully, noticing every detail and every movement.” Something more to the effect of “deep ice blue eyes, hid malice while noticing every detail and movement” would have kept me fully engaged in the story.
As expected there are words and names created for The Dragon Inside series. Unfortunately, it is made a bit more difficult to identify them because of the use of rare, and old English words such as quagmire and ham-handed. While the word choice is understandable for the context and setting of the scenes, it is also unnecessary. The size of some objects and places is also questionable as a dragon’s head is described as having teeth that are 5 feet long, with fangs that are 16 inches; the proportions are reversed possibly. While these details are not material to the story, they did affect the experience of enjoying the same. I like to be fully immersed in a book and have to bring myself back to reality. The word choices made this a little harder for me to do.
This is a good fantasy, and a wonderful book to escape into while still challenging the reader to consider how the choices made by the characters affect themselves and others. It is easy to relate to the hero and the villains as they are all developed enough. The book is intellectual and action filled. The other books in the series should be just as thrilling.
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Becoming the Dragon
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