Reviews

Dračie oko by Dugald A. Steer

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kjersten's review against another edition

3.0

this was an interesting read! I found the main boy and Dr. whoever to be a little annoying, and the sister to be a little cool but mostly annoying. I didn’t care for the fascination with origin of species either. I liked the illustrations overall, but not the way that the people were drawn. I’m not sure who the target audience was for this book, but I am relatively confident that it was written for pretty young kids quite a few years ago. the book itself was well made (dust cover, bindings, paper type, etc). overall it was enjoyable enough as I did finish it, but it was not a favorite

acarman1's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a very Lemony Snicketesque take on dragon tales. The main characters are members of a society dedicated to researching and protecting the still existing dragon population. Of course, I have been well documented as being unable to resist a dragon story, especially when dragons are cast as creatures and not as villains. It really does give off Series of Unfortunate Events vibes both with its fictional intellectual backdrop, its secret society and its miss of dark threat and humor. I will be checking out the rest of the series for sure!

starscreaming's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

fioni's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Habs als Kind geliebt, jetzt nochmal gelesen und bin leider ein bisschen enttäuscht. Das Konzept ist toll und klar, es ist natürlich middle grade, aber es war mir dann doch zu einfach & flach. Warum ist Dr. Drake so ein Trottel, der die einfachsten Rätsel nicht lösen kann? Ich dachte, er sollte der schlauste & beste sein, oder was auch immer? lol.

nitzanschwarz's review against another edition

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2.0

It was an okay read, for me.

Everything happened very slowly, and I felt like the heroes just kept failing and losing. Losing sometimes is good because it's more human, but always losing? That's a bit annoying. The only time they won was around the last pages, which I found a bit ridiculous and off-putting.

The reason I say that is because the characters kept talking about how smart Dr. Drake is and they all expect him to be the next Dragon Master, but if he was so smart - why did he keep missing things and falling into traps, and basically leading the way for the villains? Throughout the story, I got the impression Daniel and Beatrice were smarter than him! They solved riddles, and they did stuff, while Dr. Drake kept relying on his notebook for knowledge. The only thing he seemed good at was keeping the other two calm and pulling out facts about Dragons. His sparkle of wisdom came only at the end, for me. Knowing things and being smart are two different things... Anyway, the whole part frustrated me.

I also felt the action was minor and didn't generate the excited or hooked feelings I get from other reads. A book doesn't have to be action-packed for me to like it, but I do think the parts that are action should be gripping.

I was able to finish the book though, contrary to some books which I simply drifted into other novels while reading them because they didn't grab me enough. This book's salvaging point is its interesting universe, filled with dragons and detailed descriptions of them and their lives. I liked how the dragons mimic humans – some are stupid and think glass shreds are as valuable as real treasure; some are smart and know the real gold (they can also speak). Dragons have elders. Dragons protect their young. Dragons vary and each is different from the other.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading about the dragons and the world created in the book despite the slow pace and sometimes darn right boring and annoying bits, but I will not be buying the next book.