Introduction:
It’s been a while since I’ve heard a story like this. Don’t think I’ve ever come across the notion of Shapeshifter dragons, but Marc Secchia does a lovely job fleshing the concept out. The story’s on the long side, but it’s got fantastic world-building, great characters, and decent descriptions. I love, love, love this narrator. I’m super picky, so that’s saying a lot.
Summary:
Aranya goes from exiled princess to shapeshifter dragon.
Additional Comments:
– Content warnings: It’s a very enjoyable story with stellar narration, but this is not for children. I’d place it in the 14+ range. I’ve never seen so many references to nudity w/o there being a sexual connotation. (It’s mixed in with the rules of being a shapeshifter.) There’s mention of harsh torture. There are also a few curses.
– I love the narrator’s voice. The performance itself wasn’t flawless, but it was very, very good. (Some spots had the sound drop off oddly. Others, I think the character accents shifted about a bit.)
– It’s long; 14 hr 22 minutes as an audiobook. I get it, most fantasy books are long, but this one definitely could have been even stronger if it weren’t prone to quite so many meandering plot pts. For example, the big, long journey at the end didn’t add much. I think it went on for about 45 minutes or more and the basic gist was “it was a long, hard journey.”
– Character development is good, though I’m guessing some may think it clichéd.
What’s not to love:
- Must every fantasy book use the word incorrigible? (It’s bothersome.)
- Did I mention it’s long? It does have some pacing issues, but in the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty mild complaint, esp in light of the fact that the narrator could make a dictionary sound awesome.
What’s to love:
- Shapeshifter dragons! (awesome concept)
- great world-building
- evil empire/outnumbered good guys
- Zip (some of her sass is hilarious)
- end battle was sweet
Conclusion:
Overall – excellent dragon tale that will delight fantasy fans.
Special Treat:
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Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Julie C. Gilbert
For a limited time, I’m offering a fantasy book to anybody who supports Audiobook Edge.
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