Official Review: Sword of Dragonblood by L. S. Goulet

[Insomniac07]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sword of Dragonblood" by L. S. Goulet.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Sword of Dragonblood by L.S. Goulet is the first volume in 'The Down Dreamer' trilogy. It is a children’s fantasy novel following the story of Darrel Sak who suffers from horrible nightmares every night. Only his dad, Anath, tries to help him through it, but the man is always on a business trip. Lately, he's been away for three months. Though his mother reassures him that his father is just on a business trip, Darrel suspects that there is something she is keeping from him. After all, Anath never lost touch with his family, but he hasn’t even called once this time. So he struggles alone with anxiety about his dad, the increasingly vivid night terrors, a stern mother, and bullies at school who scoff at his superstitious ways. Only his classmate Maisy sympathizes with him, and as it turns out, she may be able to help him find his father as well.

The book is a hybrid fantasy novel with the first half of the story set in our contemporary world, and then in Shaemaaie for the latter parts. Shaemaaie is one of the many realms that exist alongside Earth. Myriad creatures live here, but the most important ones are the shape-shifting warrior owls. The author hints at a more complex universe surrounding the two realms, but it is never adequately explained within the story. Shaemaaie is also never clearly described and hence I could only imagine it as a generic Tolkien-esque medieval kingdom.

As for the plot, the chapters set in Earth were filled with mystery and had an eerie vibe. It kept me engaged to the story. However, the plot which was mysterious at first later took very predictable turns. The scenes set in Earth also felt much more vivid, real and well paced as compared to those in Shaemaaie. They almost read like two different books because the story lost the mysterious feel. It turns into a quest/adventure type narrative. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but with this change, things started to fall into place a little too conveniently. Also, the main antagonist was hyped up throughout the story as a badass evil overlord, but he failed to be much of a challenge in the end.

Despite all its flaws, the story has a heart to it. The author paints a beautiful picture of the bond between a father and son. Darrel and Maisy were well-developed characters. I only wish that the world and some of the other characters were further fleshed out. There is a compelling story here, but it just needs a bit more editing to make it better.

Accordingly, I’d give the novel 2 out of 4 stars. Since the language used here is kept very simple, this can be a good book to transition kids from reading picture books to novels. I'd recommend it for 8 to 12-year-olds.

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Sword of Dragonblood
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Like Insomniac07's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Manang Muyang]

I think children will find this book entertaining, especially with a protagonist of their age. But Shaemaaie seems to be such a complicated name for another world (I hope the author gave a pronunciation key for it!) that isn't even completely described, let alone made captivating.

Also, there was no mention of the sword anywhere.

Thanks for the review, Insomniac07. Did you lose sleep over this book?

[Insomniac07]

I think children will find this book entertaining, especially with a protagonist of their age. But Shaemaaie seems to be such a complicated name for another world (I hope the author gave a pronunciation key for it!) that isn't even completely described, let alone made captivating.

Also, there was no mention of the sword anywhere.

Thanks for the review, Insomniac07. Did you lose sleep over this book?

Mentioning the sword might have been a spoiler, so I had to avoid talking too much about it. Also, I did have trouble deciding how to talk about certain plot points without spoiling the story. Otherwise, it was a breezy read.

Thanks for leaving such a lovely comment.

[PeterRabitt20]

Hopefully, there will be a new edition. The title sounds mysterious. Thanks for your honest review.