Monday 10 January 2011

Review: THE DRAGON WHISPERER

The Dragon Whisperer by Lucinda Hare
Book 1 of the Dragons Dome series

Genre: children's fantasy

Book Description:
The Dragon Whisperer
Can you tell a Sabretooth from an Imperial Black?  Do you know how many stomachs a battledragon has, or what they need to eat in order to toast hobgoblins with dragonfire?  No?  Well then, read on...because there are some who do...

The Seven Sea Kingdoms are under attack from overwhelming hobgoblin swarms, and only the Stealth Dragon Services, (the SDS) commanded by the Earl Rufus DeWinter, keep their ancient foe at bay.

On Dragon Isle, fabled fortress of the SDS, the Earl’s daughter Quenelda tends to injured battledragons and dreams of flying them alongside her beloved father. Young ladies traditionally belong at Court, but Quenelda – in her boy’s clothes and with her special bond with dragons – is a very unusual young lady.

Root, a gnome boy orphaned by the war, wants nothing to do with dragons, especially temperamental bad-tempered battledragons that can decapitate, disembowel, or frazzle you in the blink of an eye.  But when he becomes Quenelda’s new esquire they form an unlikely friendship under the watchful eye of Tangnost Bearhugger, the Earl’s Dragonmaster.

Together with their dragons Two Gulps & You’re Gone and gentle Chasing the Stars they must face the treachery that stirs at the heart of the ruling Sorcerers Guild. For the hobgoblin tribes have united, and the dark magic of Maelstrom is rising. Does this spell defeat for the legendary SDS?

A story of friendships set against epic battles, whispered legends and a girl who can talk to dragons combine in this breathtaking debut fantasy.
Source: Info in the Book Description was taken from the book's website at http://www.dragonsdome.co.uk/synopsis.html on 11/10/10.

FTC Declaration: This book was borrowed from the library.

Review:
I had a bit of a problem with the dragons in this book. Obviously they are sentient enough to have speech capacity. And have intellegence enough to have organized society. Not to mention that they also have a magic of their own. And they are penned, collared and breed like horses and dogs? It seems to me like saying that it is okey to pen, collar and breed humans. Smacks too much like slavery to me. I am not comfortable with that. Some society and some people may think that slavery is okey. But I am not one of those. And I don't like it at all. That is the main reason why this book is not a 5 out of 5 with me.... As I was reading the book, I could not help being uncomfortable with that fact in this fantasy world that Lucinda Hare has created. Or am I just being too analytical here? However, if a reader ignore that little issue, the story telling quality is quite compelling. The world building is wonderful! As you might have surmised, I like dragons, and here dragons are dished out in all their forms! Big dragons. Small dragons. Playful ones. Fierce battledragons. You name it. It therefore feed my addiction. As such it garnered a high rating with me :) If you like dragons like me, then this book would be of high interest to you! :D

Emperically translated, I would rate this book as:
World building = 5
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Ending = 3.5
Pace = 4
Plot = 3.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

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