3 out of 4 stars
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Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin is a story of a Russian boy, Andy, who’s just becoming a man. Discovering his feelings toward girls and new hobbies in Archery he seems like any normal boy; minus the fact that he’s the survivor of a lightning strike. His family is the typical nuclear family with mom and dad working, sisters and even the dog. Very relatable, in my opinion.
Andy, the survivor of a lightning strike while on a field trip, goes from being a normal kid playing video games to a boy who can’t go near technology. Now he spends his time reading, playing with his dog, helping to care for his sisters and learning Archery. Andy’s father is a scientist that is trying to create portals that allow a traveler to get from one place to another in an instant; although untested he’s getting pressure to show his higher ups that it’ll work. While running an impromptu experiment Andy happens to cross the testing field at the wrong time and is teleported to another place right in front of his father’s eyes.
It was a fantastic story with a cliff hanger ending with more books to continue the story; and exciting enough to keep the reader’s attention throughout. The story is well mapped out and flows nicely. Showing that the author took the time to chart out his chapters. The main characters seem well rounded and smart and the supporting characters are relatable. Some background information is needed to fully understand them however.
Andy isn’t a traditional Russian name, by any means; however, it doesn’t really take away from the story. Andy is about 15 or 16; and being the main character, indicates that the target audience would be of that age group or younger. However I can’t recommend it to that age group due to a sexual encounter within the story. But Andy is a smart character who must do unthinkable things in order to survive a harrowing journey. I highly recommend it to those around 18 or older who enjoy fantasy novels, dragons, elves or even just space and time travel. I can’t in good conscience recommend a book with sexual content to anyone younger than 18.
I’m giving this story 3 out of 4 stars for a few reasons; first I really liked it. I tend to read more fantasy genre so this was my bread and butter. I think other’s will enjoy the story as well and even want to read the later books in the series. Secondly, the thoroughness of the chapters allows the story to flow and keep the reader wanting more. Lastly, the story is written in a first person view that changes between some characters but the majority of the story is from Andy’s point of view. This change in narrative is a bit confusing in the beginning and not really a sign of an experienced writer but everyone has to start somewhere. Also, some common things, to the world of the story, aren’t clearly explained. But there is a guide included at the end of the story that describes what everything is which is very helpful.
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Becoming the Dragon
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