Review by LarissaRunamuck -- Becoming the Dragon

This forum is for volunteer reviews by members of our review team. These reviews are done voluntarily by the reviewers and are published in this forum, separate from the official professional reviews. These reviews are kept separate primarily because the same book may be reviewed by many different reviewers.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
LarissaRunamuck
Posts: 33
Joined: 18 Jun 2018, 23:44
Favorite Book: A Wizard of Earthsea
Currently Reading: Kicking & Dreaming
Bookshelf Size: 26
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-larissarunamuck.html
Latest Review: Darkness in Malaga by Paul S Bradley

Review by LarissaRunamuck -- Becoming the Dragon

Post by LarissaRunamuck »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Becoming the Dragon" by Alex Sapegin.]
Book Cover
1 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin is a science fiction/ fantasy story geared for teens and adults. Sixteen year old Andy is sent to his father’s lab to drop off some work he left at home. Once there, he accidentally teleports himself to a different world. Andy faces dangerous mythical creatures and a sudden need to survive on his own. He gets somewhat involved with elvish politics, accidentally frees a captured dragon, and discovers his own unique magical capabilities.

I like how obviously imaginative the author is. They clearly have some strong ideas for a fantasy world with a distinct concept of dragons and the magic involved for one to be born. I also enjoyed reading a few specific lines such as, “A slight breeze, like a playful puppy, began to break the fog into pieces and carry it off to the West”, for the use of imagery and personification. I also liked “Investments in science should be made with long-term returns in mind, not instantaneous gratification”.

However, most of the story is unfortunately written rather badly. Instead of getting creative and wording things differently, phrases were often repeated multiple times on the same page. It also did not appear that the characters were speaking with realistic diction and tone. I got the impression that the author used a thesaurus to fluff up their writing which made the word choice feel unnatural. In addition, the book is riddled with errors in grammar and spelling.

I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars. The poor sentence structure often made the story difficult to follow and the flow was interrupted with awkward phrasing. The plot pacing is also very weird. Scenes were frequently interrupted by long, unnecessary technical descriptions or misguided backstory with names, places, and jargon that were nearly impossible to follow.

On top of that, the main character Andy is overall unappealing. He is very impatient and ill-tempered. He seems to feel angst and self pity but usually does nothing to escape his situation. He is ignorant and quick to anger, often becoming violent without thinking things through and is unappreciative of the little help he receives. His actions are dramatic and unreasonable as well as inconsistent, as though he goes through frequent and drastic mood swings. This all gives the impression that Andy is a mess and it makes the reader not care if he succeeds or not. Rather, I often felt more worried for the other characters he might stumble upon.

I feel this book may do a lot better with professional editing and a clearly laid out storyline. I do appreciate that the plot involves a bit of big picture politics on top of individual problems. The world created is actually pretty interesting overall and I would give it 1.5 stars if I could. There’s no doubt that the author had a lot planned out for the story and a great imagination. It just wasn’t executed well enough to make an enjoyable reading experience.

******
Becoming the Dragon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords

Like LarissaRunamuck's review? Post a comment saying so!
User avatar
anwidmer
Posts: 282
Joined: 30 May 2018, 12:46
Favorite Book: The knowing
Currently Reading: The Awakening
Bookshelf Size: 45
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-anwidmer.html
Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin

Post by anwidmer »

Ive just started this one myself, and i seem to e having a hard time keeping engaged. Now that i think of it there's a disconnect between the authors writing style and the characters speech that is evident.
User avatar
onixpam
Posts: 318
Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 00:19
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 150
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-onixpam.html
Latest Review: Toni the Superhero by R.D. Base

Post by onixpam »

It is great to find a different point of view of the same story. I really appreciate your honest review. This book is not for everyone, and as you say is difficult to follow.
User avatar
Julie Green
Posts: 582
Joined: 31 May 2018, 17:36
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 45
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-julie-green.html
Latest Review: Fate Line by Marc J. Seifer

Post by Julie Green »

It sounds like a creative premise for a story. It's a shame the story has been let down in the telling of it. Nice review!
User avatar
Bonnie Shelby
Posts: 346
Joined: 12 May 2018, 20:07
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 78
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bonnie-shelby.html
Latest Review: Apollo's Raven by Linnea Tanner
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG

Post by Bonnie Shelby »

I agree that this book didn't reach it's potential. I had a hard time getting through it as well, especially because of the unnecessary details and descriptions of things unrelated and unimportant to the story. Great review, though!
User avatar
Jennifer Fernandez
Posts: 226
Joined: 09 Jun 2018, 21:30
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 69
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jennifer-fernandez.html
Latest Review: The Enemy In Me by Jacob Newell Campbell

Post by Jennifer Fernandez »

Thank you for your honest review! I had mixed feelimgs about reading this book but I can't stand it when books are in dire need of editing.
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. - H.P. Lovecraft :techie-studyinggray:
Post Reply

Return to “Volunteer Reviews”