Dragonfire

Dragonfire #1

by Karleen Bradford

A nameless stable boy is actually Dahl, King of Taun, whose throne was usurped, but when the day comes to rescue his homeland, Dahl has doubts about his courage and ability

Genres: Fantasy

158 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 1997

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable.

Clichés are one thing, and they are fine. However this book was nothing but predictable.

I knew the 'big reveal'. It didn't require any brain power on my part to figure it out. This 'big reveal' has happened so many times before. Plus we were given the tell-take signs that everyone uses. Done correctly this can actually be an interesting cliché. This wasn't done correctly.

When there's such a story like this that has been done a million times before characters are important. I didn't care for the characters. I didn't care for the people. It was boring. He did his, he did that. Did I care whether or not he was going to save the kingdom? No. Did I care for the torture that the people went through? No. He's made out to be the big hero, yet I don't see anything heroic.

They had their tragic back stories. I didn't care. None of the characters could I care about.

Neither was I interested in their world. It seemed rather typical fantasy world stuff. Nothing made me want to know more about this world and the creatures in it.

Simply because I couldn't care the moments of great importance were drab and boring.

This is not the first time a book by Karleen Bradford has looked interesting and then flopped. I think I'll stay away from her books for now.

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because as a junior high teacher, I'm more and more intrigued by young adult literature. What really drove me to pick this book was the fact that I had read it in my own grade 8 class. I had forgotten much of the plot but I remembered a few things (a boy and girl, a dragon, and some celtic-y style font on the cover). After meeting with friends from junior high, I was inspired to find this book again. Luckily, they remembered. Of the three of us, I remember liking it, one doesn't remember much of it, and the third really disliked the book because they disliked Catryn.

What's interesting is that I realized a lot of the stories that I gear towards now all started with this book. The reason that I held this book to a higher standard was that it was my first book that dealt with this genre. I read quite a lot of Sweet Valley Twins/High books when I was in junior high and this would of been the first time I'd read fantasy. Hence why I loved winged horses, dragons, and general hero quests.

That being said, this is a pretty mediocre book. That characters are average: I understand now why the character of Catryn would annoy my friend. She wasn't pleasant. And Dahl also was not very fun to read. They both were annoying and they didn't have many redeeming qualities in MY opinion. I felt that they brought out the worst in each other, and were poorly thought out. The plot is predictable: I pretty much knew what was going to happen next throughout the whole book. It also doesn't explain things such as dragonfire, or all the creatures they encounter which I would expect the introductory book of a series to do. I was left with questions. The writing leaves something to be desired: honestly, it does. The same metaphor and vocabulary was used repetitively, which was frustrating to read in a small novel like this. There were some shining moments but I felt the author was trapped in the stylization which affected my ability to connect to the plot and characters. The hero quest felt prescriptive: it was run of the mill and seemed unoriginal. I wouldn't necessarily pick this book to teach with even though I enjoyed it as a kid. Quite honestly, I feel these are the kinds of books that kill the love of reading.

Despite my negative opinion, I will state that the novel does provide a stronger female character. One that isn't afraid to go after what she wants, knows her strength, and has desires outside of the male characters. It just was a shame that she wasn't well-written.

[Sasha Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was what I was looking for this week on vacation. Easy to read, middle level, fantasy. There weren’t slow parts as it moves along quite quickly. It’s pretty predictable and simple, but that’s sorta what I expected from a short children’s novel. I enjoyed the creatures and overarching simple theme of the good and evil within each of us. It’d be fun to read this aloud with my kids once they’re 8-11 years old. It has some oldtimey language that would be good to experience as a young reader.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unnamed stable boy, and his friend Catryn, a servant girl, are swept through a portal and back to the boy’s home world – Taun. The boy’s name is Dahl, and he is the rightful king of Taun, hidden away on Earth until he was discovered by the emissary of the Usurper. Now Dahl, along with his Protector – a shape-shifting wizard – and Catryn must find a way to defeat the Usurper and take back his kingdom, freeing his people from the bonds of evil and slavery.

This is a highly entertaining book, written for Middle Grade children, but containing themes and meanings that can be understood by and enjoyed by anyone, no matter their age. On its surface it is a typical battle of good versus evil, but dig a little deeper and you find hidden gold – acceptance of yourself and others, understanding of what needs to be done to give people freedom and self-respect, and how to learn to fight the blackness that lurks within everyone of us. Highly recommended!

[Suzy Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

A very enjoyable story about a boy finding his strength to take back his crown.

I found the paradigm that the usurper is just his darker half, and he is the light half. That dual nature exists inside everyone. And that he realized that he needed to accept his darker traits as well as his light traits. and By accepting the usurper he was able to become a whole person who is fit to rule

It was predictable in places, moved slow and took a while to get into I did greatly enjoy it.

[Mandiann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one I really enjoyed as a child.

While the main characters are aged 17, I feel this book is written for and better suited to a 12 year old. It was an enjoyable adventure but the reading level was fairly low, the book was a bit predictable and it left me with unanswered questions. That being said, it has a very positive message about accepting yourself (faults and all) and if it were possible to obtain books two and three, I would continue the series.

[Allegra S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not usually one for fantasy novels, but this was on my school's reading list. This is a fantasy novel anyone can enjoy because the characters and their struggles are so relatable even though they are on an amazing other-world adventure. The writing is well-paced and keeps you turning the pages.

[Nikky3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

First review; The majic in this book is old and predictable. The story is well told and warm like an old friend. I will be reading it again

I started reading this book totaly forgetting that I had already read it. The predictable was not so much fun this time as it was very anoying.

[Dd]

GOOD