Review by taygilber89 -- Becoming the Dragon
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taygilber89
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- Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin
Review by taygilber89 -- Becoming the Dragon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Becoming the Dragon" by Alex Sapegin.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Book Review for “Becoming the Dragon" by Alex Sapegin
In this book "Becoming the Dragon", we follow a young teenage boy by the name of Andy who lives a somewhat poor and insignificant life in Russia. Right off the bat, it is easy to tell Andy is unique in that he loves to read, learns how to shoot a bow in his free time, and survived a lightning strike as a child. Eventually, by happenstance or fate, Andy is transported to another world called Illanta. In this new world, he fights to survive against all odds. He encounters strange creatures, elves, orcs, humans, dragons, and even magic. With a choice of death or reincarnation, Andy chooses to live and is turned into a dragon by a friendly elf and dragon. He spends this new life learning magic, history, and religion, among other things. But Andy, now dragon Kerr, is capable of much more and his destiny is far from complete. This is an interesting beginning to an epic saga about dragons, magic, and the will to survive.
Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. I absolutely loved the lure of this new world Illanta. It has all the complications of a well-built society intermingling with different species. I love that Andy feels very authentic in his reactions and emotions as to that of a real teenage boy. I also thoroughly enjoyed how the author, Sapegin, created a world full of conflict, power struggles, war, and a deep-rooted history. It all feels very well thought out, and I can almost believe it actually exists.
However, due to the large influx of information, I sometimes found myself confused and having to reread. Some of the facts came too quickly. I believe myself to be a strong reader, but this book occasionally challenged my brain’s ability to keep up. However, each detail of the book seems relevant and should not be blatantly overlooked. Sometimes the suddenness of action can be jarring. I believe it is brilliant writing to have the reader enter in during the middle of conversations, but sometimes this would lead to the previously mentioned confusion and required rereading.
For the above-stated reasons, I would suggest this book for ages 13 and up. This a great young adult read, but again, the reader needs to remain focused and be willing to reread portions. Also, parents should take into consideration there are a few sexual innuendos, although they are often subtle, as well as the occasional violence. I also recommend this book to fantasy lovers of all ages. If you don’t enjoy talking dragons, magic, or entirely made-up worlds, this is not the book for you. This book is kid friendly since it excludes cursing, overtly zealous sexuality, and graphic violence. However, I do believe the adult reader can enjoy the book as well for its plotline alone.
My favorite aspect of this book is the well-built world of Illanta and the many different people, relationships, and motives behind the individual characters. While Andy is the main character, I found myself thoroughly interested in the lives and motives of others that he encounters along the way. Since this story is not told specifically through Andy’s point of view, we are able to glimpse the thoughts, actions, and backstories of other characters. My least favorite aspect is the amount of information. It’s hard to call this a con necessarily. I would classify it more or less as a caution to future readers. It can be both a blessing and a curse when an author so deftly creates another world.
I personally plan to continue reading the series on my own time, because the storyline was so compelling, the characters so authentic, and the world so unbelievably believable.
******
Becoming the Dragon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
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4 out of 4 stars
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Book Review for “Becoming the Dragon" by Alex Sapegin
In this book "Becoming the Dragon", we follow a young teenage boy by the name of Andy who lives a somewhat poor and insignificant life in Russia. Right off the bat, it is easy to tell Andy is unique in that he loves to read, learns how to shoot a bow in his free time, and survived a lightning strike as a child. Eventually, by happenstance or fate, Andy is transported to another world called Illanta. In this new world, he fights to survive against all odds. He encounters strange creatures, elves, orcs, humans, dragons, and even magic. With a choice of death or reincarnation, Andy chooses to live and is turned into a dragon by a friendly elf and dragon. He spends this new life learning magic, history, and religion, among other things. But Andy, now dragon Kerr, is capable of much more and his destiny is far from complete. This is an interesting beginning to an epic saga about dragons, magic, and the will to survive.
Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. I absolutely loved the lure of this new world Illanta. It has all the complications of a well-built society intermingling with different species. I love that Andy feels very authentic in his reactions and emotions as to that of a real teenage boy. I also thoroughly enjoyed how the author, Sapegin, created a world full of conflict, power struggles, war, and a deep-rooted history. It all feels very well thought out, and I can almost believe it actually exists.
However, due to the large influx of information, I sometimes found myself confused and having to reread. Some of the facts came too quickly. I believe myself to be a strong reader, but this book occasionally challenged my brain’s ability to keep up. However, each detail of the book seems relevant and should not be blatantly overlooked. Sometimes the suddenness of action can be jarring. I believe it is brilliant writing to have the reader enter in during the middle of conversations, but sometimes this would lead to the previously mentioned confusion and required rereading.
For the above-stated reasons, I would suggest this book for ages 13 and up. This a great young adult read, but again, the reader needs to remain focused and be willing to reread portions. Also, parents should take into consideration there are a few sexual innuendos, although they are often subtle, as well as the occasional violence. I also recommend this book to fantasy lovers of all ages. If you don’t enjoy talking dragons, magic, or entirely made-up worlds, this is not the book for you. This book is kid friendly since it excludes cursing, overtly zealous sexuality, and graphic violence. However, I do believe the adult reader can enjoy the book as well for its plotline alone.
My favorite aspect of this book is the well-built world of Illanta and the many different people, relationships, and motives behind the individual characters. While Andy is the main character, I found myself thoroughly interested in the lives and motives of others that he encounters along the way. Since this story is not told specifically through Andy’s point of view, we are able to glimpse the thoughts, actions, and backstories of other characters. My least favorite aspect is the amount of information. It’s hard to call this a con necessarily. I would classify it more or less as a caution to future readers. It can be both a blessing and a curse when an author so deftly creates another world.
I personally plan to continue reading the series on my own time, because the storyline was so compelling, the characters so authentic, and the world so unbelievably believable.
******
Becoming the Dragon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like taygilber89's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin
