Official Review: Dragon Country by Melissa Robbins

[Kanda_theGreat]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dragon Country" by Melissa Robbins.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Do we really know what happens outside University lecture halls? Are religious universities safe havens for our students in contrast to secular universities? Dragon Country by Melissa Robbins answers those questions in the form of a story. The setting of this book is cast in Coram Deo University (CDU), New England. Ashley has been accepted to pursue her undergraduate degree in that University, which she describes as being "the smallest college that she had ever seen with her own eyes".

Ash, as her best friend - Jenny - called her, is the oldest student in CDU. She doubts whether her acceptance into this institution is justified. She does not have any other friend besides Jenny, with whom she can explore the pleasures of campus life. However, something about Jenny, a final year student, does not add up. Ash cannot understand why most students in their college throw weird glances at them, whenever she and Jenny are walking together along the college corridors. She realizes that her friendship is about to ruin the peace of mind that she had cherished for a long time now. Will she give up her friendship with Jenny for her own sake? What does she have to sacrifice if this friendship continues?

The thing I liked most about this book is its creative plot. Written for a young adult audience, Robbins created a plot that would resonate with young minds. Her frequent plot deviation and creation of other sub-plots in the book blends well with a youthful mind. Notably, for a novel featuring sexual perversion, drug and substance abuse, friendship and betrayal, alcohol addiction and intellectual discussions, I felt that the thematic concerns were fully addressed without negatively affecting the steady development of the plot.

The author's characterization is also commendable. She was able to create all-rounded characters, who assisted the protagonist in the main plot development without shifting attention to themselves. Their appropriateness is evident in every scene they feature in and each dialogue that the characters engage in. I, therefore, was able to forge an immediate bond with them from the beginning of the story up to the end.

The two major points of view that this story is told from is equally commendable. I found it relevant for the author to allow the narration of the story to shift from Ash to Jenny, while each of them spoke from the first-person point of view. These perspectives gave the book a holistic impression because I was able to understand what a character felt and thought about other characters.

There is nothing else that I did not like about this amazing work, apart from the glaring errors that characterize the book and which detracted from my reading experience. I found more than ten grammatical mistakes, which essentially proves that the book was not professionally edited. I unfortunately have to rate this interesting book three out of four stars. I recommend it to young adults who would like to have a glimpse of what comes with being in the university. Puritan parents may also enjoy demystifying any myths that they had about the advantages of enrolling their kids to religious institutions in contrast to secular institutions.

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Dragon Country
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[Adanna Inya]

Hmmm. Who's the problem? Her or Jenny? I'm intrigued. Beautiful review.

[Vic Chimezie]

It's a shame that such a promising book is let down by poor editing. Thank you for your detailed review and recommendation. Good job Kanda!

[Kanda_theGreat]

Hmmm. Who's the problem? Her or Jenny? I'm intrigued. Beautiful review.

Thank you for the comment.

[Kanda_theGreat]

It's a shame that such a promising book is let down by poor editing. Thank you for your detailed review and recommendation. Good job Kanda!

Thanks for passing by Vic!

[SenSen]

The name of the novel attracted me to read your review, and it sounds intriguing. And grammatical mistakes being the only downside, I think I would enjoy this book. Thank you for the review!

[LiLj]

Thank you for your review, I think I have to pass since grammatical errors have a huge affect on my view of a book.

[Kanda_theGreat]

The name of the novel attracted me to read your review, and it sounds intriguing. And grammatical mistakes being the only downside, I think I would enjoy this book. Thank you for the review!

I really appreciate your contribution on this comment section.

[Kanda_theGreat]

Thank you for your review, I think I have to pass since grammatical errors have a huge affect on my view of a book.

I really understand your concern and concur that grammatical errors are really detractive. Thank you for passing by.

[Honest-reviewer]

The book seems interesting. I liked the plot. Thanks for your wonderful review.

[Manang Muyang]

It seems the university has its plate full with adolescent concerns. How do Jenny and Ash figure in all these? Too bad the errors affect the reading experience.

[Prisallen]

This sounds like a unique plot that I think I would enjoy. I want to know why they are getting wierd looks. It's too bad about the errors, though. Great review!

[Mollylovesliteracy]

I really like the title of this book. After reading the description, I was pleasantly surprised by the title choice for this topic explored. The book sounds like it addresses some interesting and discussion-worthy issues about students choosing private universities over public ones. I would not have thought to introduce such a book, but I'm glad someone else has thought of it!

[Kanda_theGreat]

The book seems interesting. I liked the plot. Thanks for your wonderful review.

Thank you for the comment.

[Kanda_theGreat]

It seems the university has its plate full with adolescent concerns. How do Jenny and Ash figure in all these? Too bad the errors affect the reading experience.

Thank you for commenting.