3 out of 4 stars
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A Place with Dragons by Steven Lovett recounts the adventures of Nicolas Bennett as he fulfills his destiny as the Wren (king of birds) of Telluric Grand. On his twelfth birthday, Nicolas discovers a secret door that leads to Telluric Grand, a magical world where time moves differently and where evil continues to loom in the darkness. In this world, Nicolas befriends the cheerful thief Benjamin, the aspiring healer Adelaide, and the bladesmith’s apprentice Ranulf. Nicolas and his newfound friends then set off on a journey that involves giants, wisps, ogres, and other otherworldly creatures that Nicolas never even imagined existed. At the end of this journey is a deadly task that only Nicolas will be able to accomplish. An age-old prophecy foretells that Nicolas will be a Dragon Nightfall (dragon slayer) and the one who shall vanquish the evil dragon, Árnyék Tolvaj, also known as the Shadow Thief.
If you are fond of young adult fantasy stories, especially those similar to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, then you definitely have to try this book.
A Place with Dragons is the first installment in the series A City with Seven Gates. The author has evidently exerted a lot of effort in conceptualizing Telluric Grand, from its landscapes to its creatures. Although I have read of these same creatures in other books, the author still managed to include certain details that make the creatures of Telluric Grand stand out. The wisps, in particular, intrigued me as I rarely encounter stories about them. I also find the concept of fire and iron in connection to the dragons very unique. The inclusion of various myths and legends that the author crafted solely for Telluric Grand also made me feel like I was reading many short stories within a longer one.
However, I feel that the author concentrated too much on building his fantasy world that he neglected other elements of the story. My biggest problem is the drastic change in the personality of the main character, Nicolas. In the beginning, Nicolas occurred to me as a rather spoiled child, feeling a bit dejected that he was not having his usual party for his 12th birthday. I understand he is a smart, bookish kid with inborn courage and with a deep well of curiosity that need to be sated. I just find it absurd how Nicolas easily accepted his fate as Telluric Grand’s destined hero and how he’s suddenly acting much older than 12 in just a few pages. I don’t even see a clear development or motivation. Unlike young heroes in similar books, Nicolas is not an orphan with nowhere to return to or a troubled kid needing an escape. So why would he bother saving a world he’s unfamiliar with? Was it simply due to a hero complex or was it because of the memory of his grandfather? In addition, I also find it baffling how Nicolas went along with a stranger for around three chapters without even asking that stranger’s name. Even if his gut feeling told him he could trust the stranger, this doesn’t lessen the absurdity of it all.
The author needs to give readers a broader insight into Nicolas’ emotions and thoughts. I would have wanted to read about Nicolas' dilemmas and fears because these would make his character more believable. The author did this in the latter parts of the book, but in the earlier chapters, it was difficult to connect with Nicolas; thus, it was easy to deem his actions irrational and lacking motivation.
Providing detailed descriptions is also vital in making a good fantasy story. I appreciated how the author described even the tiniest detail for every setting and every character. I can clearly picture the characters and differentiate them from one another. However, halfway through the book, reading about all the contents of a room and the ingredients of the characters’ meals started to exasperate me, especially since they didn’t seem to have any significance to the plot.
I give A Place with Dragons 3 out of 4 stars. Despite my issues regarding the main character and some insignificant scenes, the enjoyment I felt reading about the world of Telluric Grand still outweighs these issues. I did consider giving a 2-star rating instead, but the book is also very well-written. I only noticed some typos and a few phrases that need to be reworded; thus, I decided to settle with 3 stars. However, I do hope that in the subsequent books the author would look into Nicolas’ character growth and expound more on Nicolas’ thoughts to make his main character more appealing to readers.
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A Place with Dragons
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But I think this really happens sometimes with fantasy books. It's just too bad because I did like the premise of this one.
