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Udon
A noodle shop girl's hijinks with her sassy dragon friend. (A novella, Not a full length novel.)
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2012
6 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Cruzan
6 books36 followersCatherine Cruzan grew up in Minnesota, but Southern California has been her home since she was a teenager. She currently shares quarters with a spirited yet cuddly blue celestial parrotlet named Jasmine.
After graduating from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, she has worked as a structures engineer for several major aerospace corporations in the Los Angeles area.
Catherine’s interest in books began as a child with a voracious appetite for reading. She fondly recalls piling onto her parent’s bed with her two brothers while her mother read the Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island or Black Beauty. She moved on to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as a young teenager, and Fantasy stories remain her favorite to this day.
Her writing career started with poetry and short stories published in the school newspaper. As an adult, she writes character driven Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction short stories and novels. Her writing education includes Long Beach City College creative writing courses and the UCLA Writers Program.
Some of her other many interests include Steampunk, Victorian London, motorcycles, fencing and weaponry, archery, and Tribal Style dance.
After graduating from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, she has worked as a structures engineer for several major aerospace corporations in the Los Angeles area.
Catherine’s interest in books began as a child with a voracious appetite for reading. She fondly recalls piling onto her parent’s bed with her two brothers while her mother read the Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island or Black Beauty. She moved on to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as a young teenager, and Fantasy stories remain her favorite to this day.
Her writing career started with poetry and short stories published in the school newspaper. As an adult, she writes character driven Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction short stories and novels. Her writing education includes Long Beach City College creative writing courses and the UCLA Writers Program.
Some of her other many interests include Steampunk, Victorian London, motorcycles, fencing and weaponry, archery, and Tribal Style dance.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 15, 2015
Udon is the little mischievous water dragon at the center of this fun story. He only interacts with Sakura, a high school kid whose family owns a noodle shop. This story is a day in her life.
This is my second Cruzan story and as with Shadow Box there’s plenty here to entertain and perhaps build upon, if the author chooses to. Sakura isn’t the most popular kid at school and there’s a group of boys that like to make her school day that much more unpleasant. Fortunately, she has her little water dragon, Udon, to help her make it through each day. He provides comedy and comfort, as needed.
Sadly though, Sakura’s home life has some issues as well. Her mother is not well and she receives extra teasing for this. The owner of the florist shop next door is also something of a terror, repeatedly accusing Sakura and the members of her family of thievery. Ah, no respite for Sakura! Once again, I am grateful she has her little dragon (that perhaps only she can see).
Of course, there is a young lad, Jun, that she has a little crush on. He’s a bit mysterious and we don’t learn much about him. Still, this little school crush is one more thing that helps get Sakura through the day. I enjoyed the unexpected depth to this short tale – Sakura has both minor and major things to worry her. Over all, it was a delightful little story. It definitely feels like Episode 1 to something bigger, so I hope the author continues on with another installment.
I received a copy of this audiobook at no cost from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
The Narration: Andrea Emmes was great as Sakura. She had the perfect young lady’s voice for this teen character. Also, there were several Japanese words and proper names that Emmes pronounced without flaw. Her male voices were believable and distinct. I loved her voice for Udon.
This is my second Cruzan story and as with Shadow Box there’s plenty here to entertain and perhaps build upon, if the author chooses to. Sakura isn’t the most popular kid at school and there’s a group of boys that like to make her school day that much more unpleasant. Fortunately, she has her little water dragon, Udon, to help her make it through each day. He provides comedy and comfort, as needed.
Sadly though, Sakura’s home life has some issues as well. Her mother is not well and she receives extra teasing for this. The owner of the florist shop next door is also something of a terror, repeatedly accusing Sakura and the members of her family of thievery. Ah, no respite for Sakura! Once again, I am grateful she has her little dragon (that perhaps only she can see).
Of course, there is a young lad, Jun, that she has a little crush on. He’s a bit mysterious and we don’t learn much about him. Still, this little school crush is one more thing that helps get Sakura through the day. I enjoyed the unexpected depth to this short tale – Sakura has both minor and major things to worry her. Over all, it was a delightful little story. It definitely feels like Episode 1 to something bigger, so I hope the author continues on with another installment.
I received a copy of this audiobook at no cost from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
The Narration: Andrea Emmes was great as Sakura. She had the perfect young lady’s voice for this teen character. Also, there were several Japanese words and proper names that Emmes pronounced without flaw. Her male voices were believable and distinct. I loved her voice for Udon.
September 4, 2015
"Cute Story"
Would you recommend this audio book to a friend? If so, why?
I really liked the story about a girl growing up in a noodle shop. The author tries to get across a life lesson to about kindness. I thought that was nice.
What did you like best about this story?
The noodle girl had a friend that was a dragon.
What does Andrea Emmes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She was great. I really enjoyed the voices she choose for the girl and the dragon. She really sounded like a young girl.
Any additional comments?
This was a cute story. I would be willing to listen to anything that this author has written. This is 1 of 4 books I've listened to by the narrator she does a great job with the voices. I was surprised at how young she made the noodle girl sound.
I received this audio book in exchange for a honest review.
Would you recommend this audio book to a friend? If so, why?
I really liked the story about a girl growing up in a noodle shop. The author tries to get across a life lesson to about kindness. I thought that was nice.
What did you like best about this story?
The noodle girl had a friend that was a dragon.
What does Andrea Emmes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She was great. I really enjoyed the voices she choose for the girl and the dragon. She really sounded like a young girl.
Any additional comments?
This was a cute story. I would be willing to listen to anything that this author has written. This is 1 of 4 books I've listened to by the narrator she does a great job with the voices. I was surprised at how young she made the noodle girl sound.
I received this audio book in exchange for a honest review.
August 22, 2015
"UDON is such a Terrific and Visual Novella; LOVED it!!
I listened to the Audible audio version.
Set in Japan, this a wonderful, colorful novella. I like the character of Sakura and her water dragon, Udon. This a gem of a story and would definitely recommend. I would love to see this continue as an ongoing series. I think it has all the elements. Great story by Catherine Cruzan.
Andrea Emmes performance was excellent. She's a highly skilled voice actor and her voice inflections and tone were perfect for this story. Her narration made this an awesome listen.
Audiobook received in exchange for an honest review.
August 26, 2015
This was a cute short story read by Andrea Emmes.She does a fine job of bringing to life this spirited child and her dragon friend."I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast or MalarHouse dot com"
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews