Review of Zephyr's Flight
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Becca Olsson
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Review of Zephyr's Flight
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Zephyr's Flight" by Ray Strong.]
In a world with dragons and Seers, Zephyr’s Flight, by Ray Strong, is a fresh take on the fantasy genre. Astria is a fifteen-year-old girl who lives in a beautiful village where everyone has a place and a role approved by the Council. Astria yearns to be free from the rules the Council has placed on everyone. She wants to be a dragon rider, like her dad, but Astria isn’t a normal girl. She has visions of war and understands the dragons in a way that no one else does. The Council is superstitious and afraid of her communication with the dragons, so when Astria steps out of line, the Council exiles her to the Wild. Astria bravely faces this challenge with her dragon, Zephyr, and, ultimately, becomes useful to the Council in uncertain times of potential war. We follow Astria through her young, formative years, as she battles challenge after challenge, falls in love, faces enough pain for a lifetime, and remains to face the next day. The Barbarians are bringing war to her village, and Astria knows she cannot save everyone on her own. It’s a land of fantasy, but will Astria and her village survive?
There are many positive aspects to this book. First and foremost, the characters are all well-developed. The audience is shown little actions and expressions that are not necessarily seen by other characters and they show depth and thought in the way each character acts and reacts. Astria is a brave girl, and I love seeing her thought processes, especially when it comes to what she is willing to sacrifice in order to be part of the village again or to fit in.
The world the author has created is fascinating. It’s a fantasy land with dragons and Seers, but it’s different from other dragon fantasy books of this time. Life in the Wild is hard and Astria faces the reality of nearly starving. She stumbles and makes mistakes, and, at times, other characters pay for those mistakes. She tries her best to save everyone, but, every day she’s faced with impossible tasks. She’s simply a young woman who is trying her best to be true to her village and to herself.
The only drawbacks are more related to my understanding of the plot. In one moment, hallucinations make it difficult for me, for me as the reader, to tell what’s real and what’s in Astria’s head. In another moment, it’s not immediately clear how Astria inherently knows certain things like dragons’ names. The reason is later revealed, but I had to re-read the sections a couple of times to ensure I didn’t miss any part of the plot.
This was a very good story and I’m glad I had the chance to read it. I only found one typo and believe the book is professionally edited. Overall, due to the overwhelming positive aspects, I rate this book five out of five stars. There are some difficult topics, heart-wrenching moments, and a few curse words. Therefore, I recommend this book to teenagers and mature readers.
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Zephyr's Flight
View: on Bookshelves
In a world with dragons and Seers, Zephyr’s Flight, by Ray Strong, is a fresh take on the fantasy genre. Astria is a fifteen-year-old girl who lives in a beautiful village where everyone has a place and a role approved by the Council. Astria yearns to be free from the rules the Council has placed on everyone. She wants to be a dragon rider, like her dad, but Astria isn’t a normal girl. She has visions of war and understands the dragons in a way that no one else does. The Council is superstitious and afraid of her communication with the dragons, so when Astria steps out of line, the Council exiles her to the Wild. Astria bravely faces this challenge with her dragon, Zephyr, and, ultimately, becomes useful to the Council in uncertain times of potential war. We follow Astria through her young, formative years, as she battles challenge after challenge, falls in love, faces enough pain for a lifetime, and remains to face the next day. The Barbarians are bringing war to her village, and Astria knows she cannot save everyone on her own. It’s a land of fantasy, but will Astria and her village survive?
There are many positive aspects to this book. First and foremost, the characters are all well-developed. The audience is shown little actions and expressions that are not necessarily seen by other characters and they show depth and thought in the way each character acts and reacts. Astria is a brave girl, and I love seeing her thought processes, especially when it comes to what she is willing to sacrifice in order to be part of the village again or to fit in.
The world the author has created is fascinating. It’s a fantasy land with dragons and Seers, but it’s different from other dragon fantasy books of this time. Life in the Wild is hard and Astria faces the reality of nearly starving. She stumbles and makes mistakes, and, at times, other characters pay for those mistakes. She tries her best to save everyone, but, every day she’s faced with impossible tasks. She’s simply a young woman who is trying her best to be true to her village and to herself.
The only drawbacks are more related to my understanding of the plot. In one moment, hallucinations make it difficult for me, for me as the reader, to tell what’s real and what’s in Astria’s head. In another moment, it’s not immediately clear how Astria inherently knows certain things like dragons’ names. The reason is later revealed, but I had to re-read the sections a couple of times to ensure I didn’t miss any part of the plot.
This was a very good story and I’m glad I had the chance to read it. I only found one typo and believe the book is professionally edited. Overall, due to the overwhelming positive aspects, I rate this book five out of five stars. There are some difficult topics, heart-wrenching moments, and a few curse words. Therefore, I recommend this book to teenagers and mature readers.
******
Zephyr's Flight
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Elizabeth's Garden by Phillip Leighton-Daly
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NetMassimo
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This seems like a great fantasy novel that uses some classic elements of this genre in ways that go beyond the usual cliches making Astria's story rich and engaging despite the bits difficult to follow you mentioned. Thank you for your great review!
Ciao 
Massimo
Massimo
Latest Review: Chloe The Clone by William E. Mason
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André Ribeiro Moes
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Well-written fantasy stories always attract a lot of attention.
I really liked the way the main character was portrayed in the review. She seems like a very stubborn character and, even though she is a teenager, she is very mature enough to deal with all the adversities that are encountered throughout the story.
The presentation of a flawed character who makes mistakes and keeps moving forward is also a great approach and makes us connect with this type of person.
I really liked the way the main character was portrayed in the review. She seems like a very stubborn character and, even though she is a teenager, she is very mature enough to deal with all the adversities that are encountered throughout the story.
The presentation of a flawed character who makes mistakes and keeps moving forward is also a great approach and makes us connect with this type of person.
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hossein abbasi
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Hello. Fortunately, the story is well designed and written. Basically, stories whose main building is freedom from an idea, or superstitions related to religions or minorities, or for example creatures like dragons or monsters. It can be considered a good book or story, but I don't think that at the end of the story, it is mentioned whether Astria saved her city or village or not? But it was a good story. Thanks
