Official Review: Dragon Land: Two Dragon Brothers # 1
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GertrudeH
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Official Review: Dragon Land: Two Dragon Brothers # 1
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dragon Land: Two Dragon Brothers # 1" by Elizabeth Westphal.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Dragon Land: Two Dragon Brothers #1 by Elizabeth Westphal is a short, entertaining novel whose title pretty much tells you all you need to know. It sets up the classic tale of two brothers, one good and one evil. The book is focused on dragons, specifically the ‘hatchlinghood’ of the two brothers.
The focus of Dragon Land is a world of dragons. No other mythological or fantasy creatures appear. It is written from the perspective of dragon hatchlings barely a year old. The two brothers are Waveripple and Whiteswirl. Whiteswirl, is captured as an egg by a ‘Vampire’ dragon called Redclaws, and turned into a vampire dragon before he is born. The vampire dragons feed on other dragons, which pits Whiteswirl against the other kinds of dragons; including his brother. Because neither dragon was hatched when Whiteswirl was taken neither are aware that they are brothers. Most of the book describes how each dragon is raised, Waveripple by his parents (who are Amphibian dragons), and Whiteswirl by Redclaws. While Waveripple makes friends with other dragon hatchlings, Whiteswirl spends his time killing other dragons with Redclaws. The chapters are divided between the two, and sometimes overlap as the two occasionally cross each others path. It is not until the climax of the book that they truly meet. In one chapter the book may show Whiteswirl killing another dragon in the forest and hiding the body. In the next chapter it will show Waveripple’s friends telling him that a dragon has gone missing. These events eventually lead to Waveripple joining a group of dragons to hunt down the vampires, unaware that one of these vampires is his brother.
The book’s style is simple and easy; in fact the way it is written reminds me of the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. The plot does seem to repeat itself a bit, with Waveripple and his friends playing games or with Whiteswirl either hunting or admiring a cave he has found. Only the climax at the end seems to affect the characters at all.
The other issue is a strange quirk when describing these dragons. For example, we are told in detail about the physiology of an Amphibian dragons. They change shape from an aquatic form with gills and fins in the water, but lose their fins and gain wings and fire breath on land. I would prefer a little more description such as do they look like the Loch Ness monster, or more like an Asian dragon? Are their snouts long or short? What color are they? I know one of Waveripple’s friends is black, but I didn’t get the sense that Whiteswirl is supposed to be black until the end. The thing about dragons is that since they are mostly mythological they can look however the author wants. This means that care must be taken in describing them. Even at the most basic of legends a European dragon looks different from an Asian one.
The book is well written, and easy to understand. I give Dragon Land a 4 out of 4. I believe that most people who pick this book up will enjoy it for what it is. The book does a good job of stirring the reader’s interest. I am curious to see what happens next.
******
Dragon Land: Two Dragon Brothers # 1
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4 out of 4 stars
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Dragon Land: Two Dragon Brothers #1 by Elizabeth Westphal is a short, entertaining novel whose title pretty much tells you all you need to know. It sets up the classic tale of two brothers, one good and one evil. The book is focused on dragons, specifically the ‘hatchlinghood’ of the two brothers.
The focus of Dragon Land is a world of dragons. No other mythological or fantasy creatures appear. It is written from the perspective of dragon hatchlings barely a year old. The two brothers are Waveripple and Whiteswirl. Whiteswirl, is captured as an egg by a ‘Vampire’ dragon called Redclaws, and turned into a vampire dragon before he is born. The vampire dragons feed on other dragons, which pits Whiteswirl against the other kinds of dragons; including his brother. Because neither dragon was hatched when Whiteswirl was taken neither are aware that they are brothers. Most of the book describes how each dragon is raised, Waveripple by his parents (who are Amphibian dragons), and Whiteswirl by Redclaws. While Waveripple makes friends with other dragon hatchlings, Whiteswirl spends his time killing other dragons with Redclaws. The chapters are divided between the two, and sometimes overlap as the two occasionally cross each others path. It is not until the climax of the book that they truly meet. In one chapter the book may show Whiteswirl killing another dragon in the forest and hiding the body. In the next chapter it will show Waveripple’s friends telling him that a dragon has gone missing. These events eventually lead to Waveripple joining a group of dragons to hunt down the vampires, unaware that one of these vampires is his brother.
The book’s style is simple and easy; in fact the way it is written reminds me of the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. The plot does seem to repeat itself a bit, with Waveripple and his friends playing games or with Whiteswirl either hunting or admiring a cave he has found. Only the climax at the end seems to affect the characters at all.
The other issue is a strange quirk when describing these dragons. For example, we are told in detail about the physiology of an Amphibian dragons. They change shape from an aquatic form with gills and fins in the water, but lose their fins and gain wings and fire breath on land. I would prefer a little more description such as do they look like the Loch Ness monster, or more like an Asian dragon? Are their snouts long or short? What color are they? I know one of Waveripple’s friends is black, but I didn’t get the sense that Whiteswirl is supposed to be black until the end. The thing about dragons is that since they are mostly mythological they can look however the author wants. This means that care must be taken in describing them. Even at the most basic of legends a European dragon looks different from an Asian one.
The book is well written, and easy to understand. I give Dragon Land a 4 out of 4. I believe that most people who pick this book up will enjoy it for what it is. The book does a good job of stirring the reader’s interest. I am curious to see what happens next.
******
Dragon Land: Two Dragon Brothers # 1
View: on Bookshelves | on Smashwords
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Latest Review: "Dreamvision" by S. L. Bynum
