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A review by secre
Dragon Hero by Eileen Mueller
4.0
Eileen Mueller really picks up the pace in Dragon Hero and this is definitely a good thing. It's a distinctly darker book than the previous instalment, but still manages to keep the tone of a young adult novel. From Ezaara we shift perspective to her brother, Tomaaz, as he gets a rude awakening to a world completely unfamiliar to him when his sister is taken from their village by a dragon. Having been brought up to loathe and detest dragons and their riders, it is quite a shock to discover that his parents were at one point in their lives, dragon riders themselves. Flitting between the view points of Tomaaz, his father, Hans and his mother, Marlies, Dragon Hero is not just a coming of age story but expands to a far wider view point.
The three plot lines interlace and weave in and out of each other, with characters coming together only to strike off in different directions. I far preferred the characterisation of Tomaaz to his sister, Ezaara, finding him less prone to making stupid and easily foreseeable errors. Despite the two characters being twins, Tomaaz is presented as a far more mature and reliable character even when thrust deeply out of his comfort zone. He doesn't trust blindly or run in half cocked and he doesn't believe everything some flattering half-wit tells him. It makes for a far more engaging read with a character you can truly empathise with. Additionally, the parents are far more fleshed out here rather than just being minor bit players who have more of a background role in the story. The interactions between parent and child make for some excellent coming of age moments.
Whilst I have quite enjoyed my forays into this world so far, this is the first book that truly engaged me, drawing me into the universe and refusing to let go. It's as though the series has grown into itself somewhat, offering more depth and varying shades of grey to the universe. The only part this really falls down is the bad guy; that does seem a tad black and white. He's bad because he's bad without any real motivation other than the standard evil dominion of the world malarkey that is thrown about. I do like the imagination shown with the tharuks though and their motivations for serving such a brutal master are perhaps more believable. All in all, a really enjoyable read and I look forward to reading on.
The three plot lines interlace and weave in and out of each other, with characters coming together only to strike off in different directions. I far preferred the characterisation of Tomaaz to his sister, Ezaara, finding him less prone to making stupid and easily foreseeable errors. Despite the two characters being twins, Tomaaz is presented as a far more mature and reliable character even when thrust deeply out of his comfort zone. He doesn't trust blindly or run in half cocked and he doesn't believe everything some flattering half-wit tells him. It makes for a far more engaging read with a character you can truly empathise with. Additionally, the parents are far more fleshed out here rather than just being minor bit players who have more of a background role in the story. The interactions between parent and child make for some excellent coming of age moments.
Whilst I have quite enjoyed my forays into this world so far, this is the first book that truly engaged me, drawing me into the universe and refusing to let go. It's as though the series has grown into itself somewhat, offering more depth and varying shades of grey to the universe. The only part this really falls down is the bad guy; that does seem a tad black and white. He's bad because he's bad without any real motivation other than the standard evil dominion of the world malarkey that is thrown about. I do like the imagination shown with the tharuks though and their motivations for serving such a brutal master are perhaps more believable. All in all, a really enjoyable read and I look forward to reading on.