Book Review - Dragons of the Valley

 
War threatens the peaceful land of Chiril…
can one painter-turned-reluctant-swordsman really help?

With an invasion of her country imminent, Tipper Schope is drawn into a mission to keep three important statues from falling into the enemy’s clutches. Her friend, the artist Bealomondore, helps her execute the plan, and along the way he learns to brandish a sword rather than a paintbrush.

As odd disappearances and a rash of volatile behavior sweep Chiril, no one is safe. A terrible danger has made his vicious presence known: The Grawl, a hunter unlike any creature encountered before.

To restore their country, Tipper, Bealomondore, and their party must hide the statues in the Valley of the Dragons and find a way to defeat the invading army. When it falls to the artistic Bealomondore to wield his sword as powerfully and naturally as a paintbrush, will he answer Wulder’s call for a champion?

Romance:

Violence:

Fear/Horror:

Overall Opinion:



KATY'S REVIEW:

While this book was a nice read – perfect for just about any member of the family – I wasn’t too crazy about it. I am not that big into fantasy books, so that might have been half my problem when diving into this book. But on the upscale, I enjoyed my adventure into this fantasy land. Tipper was a fun character that I instantly attached myself to – both for her quick wit and loyal courage. The cautious and sensible Beolomondore was also fun to get to know as he discovered new strengths in becoming a swordsman who could help save the land of Chiril.

The land of Chiril seemed like a neat place willed with interesting beings. Donita certainly put on her creativity hat when writing this series! I don’t think there was one normal living thing in this land. One piece of advice I would give, though – read this series in order. I entered this book completely confused as to who was who and what was what! I had no idea what kinds of being ‘tumanhofer’, ‘kimen’, or ‘emerlindians’ were. I felt extremely lost as I was reading about all these creatures and trying to understand who they were. It wasn’t until I was nearly finished with the book that I discovered an appendix in the back that explained what all the beings were and who was what! :-) So, I think it’s best to read this series in order. Or, if you can’t, to know that there is a helpful guide on the land of Chiril in the back of the book. I know I wished I had found it sooner!

While, as I have stated, this is a very family-friendly read (nothing wrong that stood out to me as something a 10 year old could not read – besides maybe some violence during the war) and I had a rather interesting adventure in the land of Chiril, it didn’t grab my attention and pull me into the story. Thus the 3 stars. The beginning was pretty slow and I had to force myself to read it for the first hundred pages or so. I suppose it just wasn’t my type of book. But maybe other readers will enjoy a fun adventure story that builds slowly upon itself. If you are a fantasy reader and like a good story plot, then I’d say Dragons of the Valley is right up your alley! (Hey! That rhymed!)

I received this free book in return for an honest review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
 
~ Katy

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