Review by hsimone -- Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin

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Heidi M Simone
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Review by hsimone -- Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin

Post by Heidi M Simone »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Becoming the Dragon" by Alex Sapegin.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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Sixteen-year-old Andy is a bit odd. He was near a tree that was struck by lightning and therefore has strange reactions towards electronics when he’s near them. However, he’s managed to live life the best that he can. When delivering something to his dad, suddenly, Andy finds himself transported to the magical world of Ilanta.

Unfortunately, the new world isn’t welcoming. He is captured, beaten, sold into slavery, and suddenly is faced with a life or death situation. Becoming a dragon isn’t easy and can be risky, but left with no other choice, Andy agrees to this dangerous ritual. How different will it be to be reborn into a dragon than it is to be a human? Will Andy ever be able to see his family again? Come find out in Alex Sapegin’s fantasy, Becoming the Dragon.

In the midst of this fantasy world, there are orcs, gnomes, elves, dragons, and other magical creatures. Themes of transformation, mentoring, discovery, and destiny can be found within the book’s pages.

This was an extremely difficult book for me to enjoy. Aside from the main characters, the other characters seemed to blend in with one another without much distinction. With names such as, Grok, Grchok, Gmar, Glik, Dimir, Dorit, and others, it’s no wonder it was hard to keep track of who was who. Due to this, it was challenging to really be invested in any of the characters.

In addition to the uncommon character names, there were also several inventive vocabulary words that made it frustrating to read. For example, bozl, settage, mrowns, troglomp, and others can be found. A glossary can be found toward the end of the book, which could be useful for some. However, I don’t tend to enjoy flipping back-and-forth on an e-copy book to look-up the definitions of inventive words.

The plot was fairly choppy and had several lulls. It almost felt as if the author was telling two different stories without a clear connection between the two. There was Andy, who was struck by lightning and took up bow and arrow training, then becomes transported to another world. Then, there was Kerr, the dragon version of Andy, who became a dragon and now needs to learn magic. Though the title suggests the focus of the story would be Andy learning to become a dragon, the actual transformation didn’t happen until about two-thirds into the story. Toward the end, the author does leave a cliffhanger, setting up for the subsequent book. Unfortunately, I am not invested in continuing the series.

As a warning, there is talk about getting erections and violence within this book, so discretion should be used for the younger audience.

After much consideration, I give Becoming the Dragon a 2 out of 4 stars. Perhaps those who don’t mind reading with inventive vocabulary and books with plots that jump around quite a bit might find this one enjoyable.

******
Becoming the Dragon
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Heidi
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Chelsy Scherba
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Post by Chelsy Scherba »

I felt the same as you regarding everything you wrote. It was a tough read, and not really appropriate for kids either.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

The overall storyline sounds like it would appeal to young teens yet is a bit explicit for them.
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Post by Shellymarie »

I had great difficulty passing the first 4 chapters of "Becoming the Dragon". By the time I reached where Andy is learning archery I simply gave up.

The book "Becoming the Dragon" is absolutely difficult to read. It does not catch nor holds the attention of the reader. I had to ask for three extensions and still could not finish reading the book.

Michelle
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