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Dreoteth
It was a time known as the dark ages. Cursed from birth with the ability to take the shape of a human, Dréoteth walks among the citizens of Malmsbury as one of them. He learns to subdue his instinct to kill when he acquires something he's never had: a friend. Is this the dawn of enlightenment, or will dragons and humans be drawn back into battles of blood and flame? Faced with an unexpected decision between his kind and men, Dréoteth makes a choice that changes his life forever.
310 pages, Nook
Published July 5, 2010
3 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
About the author
Danielle Bourdon
79 books768 followersBorn and raised in Corona California, Danielle now resides in Texas with her husband and two sons. She has been writing for as long as she can remember, penning works in a number of genres. To date, she has published 49 novels and nine short stories. Her interests vary wildly: reading, traveling, photography, graphic art and baking, among others.
Visit her website for updates and contests: www.daniellebourdon.com
Contact her via email at: author@daniellebourdon.com
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Visit her website for updates and contests: www.daniellebourdon.com
Contact her via email at: author@daniellebourdon.com
Follow on:
TikTok.com@AuthorDanielleBourdon
facebook.com/authordaniellebourdon
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 17, 2010
First, Danielle, congratulations for completing NaNoWriMo and getting your book between two covers and out where people can enjoy it. And I do mean that, it is an enjoyable read. You have talent for expression and should keep at it. I hope you do and I'll look forward to reading what else you write.
Now, for the review.
What, for me, was the problem is that there wasn't any character for me to care about, no one with whom I could connect. Dreoteth (Nehemiah Trimble) hates people and hunts them for food. I never came to understand him or, unfortunately, like him. He destroys a village, killing the inhabitants and his attitude seems to be that since one human man in another town angered him that somehow these people deserved his fury. Since he is the main character, it makes it very hard for me to care what happens to him, not that I wasn't saddened by the ending, I was, but I felt no empathy with him.
There are many threads trying to wedge in here. The story of the witches in the forest, the story of the survivors of the dragon attack, the story of the dragons. It takes a great deal of craft to pull together several plots and keep them all strong and even accomplished author's can't always make this work.
So, overall, this is a good achievement for a first time author.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways.
Now, for the review.
What, for me, was the problem is that there wasn't any character for me to care about, no one with whom I could connect. Dreoteth (Nehemiah Trimble) hates people and hunts them for food. I never came to understand him or, unfortunately, like him. He destroys a village, killing the inhabitants and his attitude seems to be that since one human man in another town angered him that somehow these people deserved his fury. Since he is the main character, it makes it very hard for me to care what happens to him, not that I wasn't saddened by the ending, I was, but I felt no empathy with him.
There are many threads trying to wedge in here. The story of the witches in the forest, the story of the survivors of the dragon attack, the story of the dragons. It takes a great deal of craft to pull together several plots and keep them all strong and even accomplished author's can't always make this work.
So, overall, this is a good achievement for a first time author.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2012
I really enjoyed this unique book. I liked it more than the Daughter's of Eve series. In fact I would like a Dreoteth series...
So the idea of a dragon that can transform into man, in the very creature that a dragon abhors most is quite fascinating. Somehow it reminded me of our higher selves that in a way have to learn through the "weakness" of the lower selves. Dreoteth came out of his comfort zone to test himself, to learn and we all know learning never comes without suffering.
Excellent plot with unexpected twists, surprises and well thought situations. Pity all of a sudden characters that have been slowly growing in the story all of a sudden came to a halt. Actually the whole story in a way felt it come to a hurried end.
So @Danielle Bourdon would you consider expanding this fascinating character in further installments?
So the idea of a dragon that can transform into man, in the very creature that a dragon abhors most is quite fascinating. Somehow it reminded me of our higher selves that in a way have to learn through the "weakness" of the lower selves. Dreoteth came out of his comfort zone to test himself, to learn and we all know learning never comes without suffering.
Excellent plot with unexpected twists, surprises and well thought situations. Pity all of a sudden characters that have been slowly growing in the story all of a sudden came to a halt. Actually the whole story in a way felt it come to a hurried end.
So @Danielle Bourdon would you consider expanding this fascinating character in further installments?
August 4, 2013
I came across this book purely by accident. I read the description, a few reviews and moved on. But for some reason just found myself coming back again and again until I broke down and bought it. I was not disappointed in the least. This book was so interesting I powered through it in a day, I just could not force myself to but it down. I cut phone calls short, and almost burned dinner over it (I do not recommend trying to cook and read at the same time, I've tried many times and it always ends badly).
Dreoteth was such an interesting character to follow, I felt that I shouldn't have liked him, but I was drawn into him and couldn't help but love him completely. His internal conflicts where like nothing I have ever come across in a book before. I want to say so much more about him, but I don't want to give to much of the story away so I'll stop there.
Thinking about it now this book probably should have come across as extremely boring, there was no major conflicts that needed to be fixed, no damsel in distress to be rescued, and the environment that it all took place in didn't change much through out the entire read. I claim excellent writing skills as to why it was the complete opposite of boring. Danielle did an amazing job keeping you pulled into the story.
The only thing that bothered me about it at all was that the ended was to abrupt. It felt like there could have been much more told, considering there was a little piece of interesting information added about Dreoteth a few chapters before the end, and you never find out what happened to one of the other characters. This could be because there is another book in the works to follow up on this, which I hope is true.
I would highly recommend this book to friends, family and complete strangers. You really do not want to pass it up.
http://zephyrbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Dreoteth was such an interesting character to follow, I felt that I shouldn't have liked him, but I was drawn into him and couldn't help but love him completely. His internal conflicts where like nothing I have ever come across in a book before. I want to say so much more about him, but I don't want to give to much of the story away so I'll stop there.
Thinking about it now this book probably should have come across as extremely boring, there was no major conflicts that needed to be fixed, no damsel in distress to be rescued, and the environment that it all took place in didn't change much through out the entire read. I claim excellent writing skills as to why it was the complete opposite of boring. Danielle did an amazing job keeping you pulled into the story.
The only thing that bothered me about it at all was that the ended was to abrupt. It felt like there could have been much more told, considering there was a little piece of interesting information added about Dreoteth a few chapters before the end, and you never find out what happened to one of the other characters. This could be because there is another book in the works to follow up on this, which I hope is true.
I would highly recommend this book to friends, family and complete strangers. You really do not want to pass it up.
http://zephyrbookreviews.blogspot.com/
August 22, 2011
Dreoteth, a self-published book by Danielle Bourdon, is a dark fantasy, or perhaps fantastical horror about Humans and the creatures that prey on them.
The author has a struggle from the start. Bourdon chose to have a very unlikeable main character, in that he hates humans and humanity, and most importantly, eats them. This is quite a hurdle. Most protagonists are likable or at least someone that we as the reader can identify with. This is especially important in books with fantastical settings because we need someone to help us slide into this new world.
This is where Bourdon shows us her first trick. Our main character is himself a foreigner to the strange land, so the explanations feel natural and there's no sudden information dumps. We are discovering with Dreoteth. Also, if he isn't necessarily likable, Dreoteth is at least interesting, and the way his character continues to change throughout the novel is fascinating.
It felt very fresh to me. There are so many books about the things that go bump in the night, and this one manages pull a new, vibrant thread into that tapestry. This is not a slasher flick that dwells on the perversions of the monster. This is a story about the trials of a predator, it's about the hunt and about the kill, without remorse, but also without cruelty.
There were a few editing problems, but otherwise this is a solid book and I highly recommend it. I especially recommend it to people who like deconstructions of fantasy tropes, dragons, fans of horror and anyone tired of books with political intrigue(it's nice but you need a break sometimes!). I couldn't put it down, which you could probably guess from the fact that I finished my last book yesterday!
Check out my other reviews at my blog
The author has a struggle from the start. Bourdon chose to have a very unlikeable main character, in that he hates humans and humanity, and most importantly, eats them. This is quite a hurdle. Most protagonists are likable or at least someone that we as the reader can identify with. This is especially important in books with fantastical settings because we need someone to help us slide into this new world.
This is where Bourdon shows us her first trick. Our main character is himself a foreigner to the strange land, so the explanations feel natural and there's no sudden information dumps. We are discovering with Dreoteth. Also, if he isn't necessarily likable, Dreoteth is at least interesting, and the way his character continues to change throughout the novel is fascinating.
It felt very fresh to me. There are so many books about the things that go bump in the night, and this one manages pull a new, vibrant thread into that tapestry. This is not a slasher flick that dwells on the perversions of the monster. This is a story about the trials of a predator, it's about the hunt and about the kill, without remorse, but also without cruelty.
There were a few editing problems, but otherwise this is a solid book and I highly recommend it. I especially recommend it to people who like deconstructions of fantasy tropes, dragons, fans of horror and anyone tired of books with political intrigue(it's nice but you need a break sometimes!). I couldn't put it down, which you could probably guess from the fact that I finished my last book yesterday!
Check out my other reviews at my blog
September 11, 2011
This a great fantasy, the story is something I have never read and makes it so refreshing. I loved all the characters. None of them are dull and boring, especially Dreoteth. He is an enigma and I have to say I loved how he is written. The author steers this story expertly, and weaves a tale of such imagination you can't help but be drawn into the world she has created. I highly recommend Dreoteth if you are looking for something out of the ordinary.
November 21, 2011
i loved this storu. its short but well done for a self-published book. I grew quite attached to Dreoteth's character and the way he acted worked with with a dragon masquerading as a human. I wish it was longer and some editing would probably help but other than that, well done! greet one for fans of dragons =)
February 2, 2012
A very interesting and unique novel of a Dragon that can look human living as a human amongst us.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews