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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
DNF 20%
story was slow
conflict did not seem to impact the story line which caused it to feel like the dragon got out of things too easily
story was slow
conflict did not seem to impact the story line which caused it to feel like the dragon got out of things too easily
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After reading the first chapter of this book I tried not to let my old critical self come out, but I was unfamiliar with E.E. Knight, so I kind of let it slide.
And, fortunately, I was wrong.
Being an active reader of fiction, I try to place myself in the shoes of the characters to get the full blow of their emotions, but with Knight’s blatant realism, I was reluctant to connect to this character. Publishers Weekly praised the novel as, “…a bloody, unsentimental fairy tale.” My first impression of this Auron character was just that: Unsentimental.
But don’t let that stop you. Knight definitely knows his stuff as a 14-plus-year author with the inspirational experience of writing fantasy. No spoilers, but this is certainly a tale of character transformation. With the last few words of the epilogue, a complete understanding of how this vicious, animalistic character has changed dawns on you along with the discovery of the knowledge this character was looking for. Your satisfaction level may vary such as mine did with the behavior of this visceral protagonist, but the solution to a locked door that was started in Chapter Four, is found with the last two pages of the book.
Dragon Champion is a mildly satisfying read that brings the reader the realization that a book like this hasn't been done in complete novel form yet. The entire book places the reader in the point of view of the dragon, which I have only read and heard of in anthologies. Knight is an author you should trust with the life of your reading alternate ego. Even if the fantasy genre isn’t your vente, double-shot, soy, chamomile with no bag, there is still “protagonistic” enlightenment that is always pleasing. Worth the 4 stars.
And, fortunately, I was wrong.
Being an active reader of fiction, I try to place myself in the shoes of the characters to get the full blow of their emotions, but with Knight’s blatant realism, I was reluctant to connect to this character. Publishers Weekly praised the novel as, “…a bloody, unsentimental fairy tale.” My first impression of this Auron character was just that: Unsentimental.
But don’t let that stop you. Knight definitely knows his stuff as a 14-plus-year author with the inspirational experience of writing fantasy. No spoilers, but this is certainly a tale of character transformation. With the last few words of the epilogue, a complete understanding of how this vicious, animalistic character has changed dawns on you along with the discovery of the knowledge this character was looking for. Your satisfaction level may vary such as mine did with the behavior of this visceral protagonist, but the solution to a locked door that was started in Chapter Four, is found with the last two pages of the book.
Dragon Champion is a mildly satisfying read that brings the reader the realization that a book like this hasn't been done in complete novel form yet. The entire book places the reader in the point of view of the dragon, which I have only read and heard of in anthologies. Knight is an author you should trust with the life of your reading alternate ego. Even if the fantasy genre isn’t your vente, double-shot, soy, chamomile with no bag, there is still “protagonistic” enlightenment that is always pleasing. Worth the 4 stars.
2.5 Stars. This one is a hard one to rate, parts of the story are really good. But I was rolling my eyes through quite a bit of this book.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
5 Stars!
I read this last year but wanted to get my thoughts down and let other people know just what I think!
The Dragon Champion was such a surprising and refreshing take on dragon fantasy.
In this novel we follow a scaleless dragon called Auron and his attempts to navigate a world that no longer views dragons as untouchable.
His species has been hunted to almost extinction and he now must learn what it is to be a dragon in a world that's rapidly changing, leaving behind those who do not adapt quickly enough.
Being a outspoken dragon lover, this book was almost certainly going to be enjoyable for me. What I didn't expect was for dragons to feel like cultured creatures with their own lore and history. It was so interesting to consider dragons as their own community of people instead of the end boss they normally are in other such fantasy stories.
Auron was such an interesting character to follow, he's immediately set up as an underdog like character (with his scaleless hide) but is continually able to navigate the world regardless or even use this to his advantage. Watching our main character travel through the rich and intriguing world E.E. Knight has build was a treat I would recommend to anyone who would listen.
I read this last year but wanted to get my thoughts down and let other people know just what I think!
The Dragon Champion was such a surprising and refreshing take on dragon fantasy.
In this novel we follow a scaleless dragon called Auron and his attempts to navigate a world that no longer views dragons as untouchable.
His species has been hunted to almost extinction and he now must learn what it is to be a dragon in a world that's rapidly changing, leaving behind those who do not adapt quickly enough.
Being a outspoken dragon lover, this book was almost certainly going to be enjoyable for me. What I didn't expect was for dragons to feel like cultured creatures with their own lore and history. It was so interesting to consider dragons as their own community of people instead of the end boss they normally are in other such fantasy stories.
Auron was such an interesting character to follow, he's immediately set up as an underdog like character (with his scaleless hide) but is continually able to navigate the world regardless or even use this to his advantage. Watching our main character travel through the rich and intriguing world E.E. Knight has build was a treat I would recommend to anyone who would listen.
Overall a delightful book, i loved the different sections of Auron's life, especially when he bonds with Hebia. The book opens with an interesting fight sequence between the hatchlings and almost immediately Auron and Wistala find themselves orphans. The storytelling is a masters work although I think the book would benefit from a little bit more description. I think my favorite part would have to be when Firelong runs with Blackhard and his wolf-pack and of course AuRons life song is beutiful and tells his tale fully and artfully. I cannot wait to continue reading this series and would love to learn what happens to the new fledgelings.
I liked that it was told from the dragon's point of view, that was a nice change. Unfortunately towards the middle it dragged a lot where it got into the wars and politics of the different species (calling different species 'races' goes against my nature). I kept wondering "why is AuRon listening to this? Does he care? Why is he sticking around for all this?" At that point I think the author had gotten too far away from the dragon's perspective. I would have liked more internal-AuRon there. But it picked up towards the end so overall I quite liked it.
I noticed that towards the end of the book there were an unusual amount of typos. I wonder if it was rushed.
I noticed that towards the end of the book there were an unusual amount of typos. I wonder if it was rushed.
An interesting read... I enjoyed the perspective, which I felt was fresh and realistic (which is great, considering it was written from the view of a dragon), but the plot just wasn't engaging enough. I feel like book one was all set-up for the rest of the series, and while it should serve that purpose, I believe it should still be interesting. The writing style isn't my favorite and I often feel it moves too fast, but there was a lot of ground to cover so I can appreciate the choice of the author-- at least it didn't drag in the sense that NOTHING HAPPENED. Instead, it was more of a drag because it simply wasn't interesting enough. My attention was caught at the beginning, meandered around in the middle, and then came back at the very end. Still, I'm interested to see how the story plays out so I'll probably read the others. Hoping they are written a bit better.