The Unborn Hero of Dragon Village

De: Ronesa Aveela

Narrado por: Mark Sanderlin

Everything changed forever for 12-year-old Theo the day fire and ice erupt from the sky. He discovers that dragons are real when Lamia, a three-headed monster, kidnaps his sister. A witch and a talking magpie help him open the portal to Dragon Village, a land he knows only from myth and a place filled with terrifying creatures. A young woodland nymph befriends him when he arrives.

He must learn to trust his instincts as he searches for a way to defeat Lamia before the dragon sacrifices his sister. In his journey, he uncovers secrets that reveal that only he can save the mystical land.

In this audiobook, you will discover some of the terrifying creatures from Bulgarian and Slavic mythology. Some you may know by other names: Samodivi are Veelas from Harry Potter fame, but in this audiobook they're depicted as supernatural creatures of the forest. Baba Yaga, harpies, and other creatures find their way into these pages, as well as, the dreaded lamia.

©2018 Bendideia Publishing (P)2018 Bendideia Publishing

Attention Grabbing from the Start

What a great journey for this kid and what a world he lives in. The author did an amazing job with the development of new parts of the world, integration of old folk lore, and character development right away. This really drew me in and it was a ride I was not expecting. The monsters are so much fun and terrifying at the same time. The story really is a lot of fun to listen to and the story gets better and better and the ride, to me at least, is for a large group of ages and so many will enjoy all of the fantasy.

Typical MG Fantasy plot / Atypical Myth base

I got this Audiobook for free. My opinions are my own. / Real rating 3.5*

While I enjoyed listening to this, I was not as impressed as some other reviewers. I read (listen to) a lot of fantasy, so many of the creatures were already familiar to me from a few other books. That said, it was nice to read about a less common area of the world and their stories.

Other than the less common creatures & customs, this was a standard middle grade fantasy. There was a boy, with just one parent and lots of doubts about his worthiness; his best friend, an inventor who gets a crush on a girl; plus a girl with supernatural abilities. There was a prophecy and a quest.

CONTENTS: More Grimm than Disney (example - we are told that the bodies of tortured children are fed to monsters)

NARRATION (4*): Sound quality = Good / Speed = Good, my usual 1.25 was fine / Emoting = Good / Voices = Some distinction between characters

What an excellent story

I loved all the characters & the story was well written. Once I started it I could not put it down. I was so happy when the arrow struck the queen. I really liked Boo, he was awesome. I highly recommend this story if you like dragons, adventure & friendship.

Awesome

I was engrossed in this fantastic tale from the very start. It has a classic fantasy feel with a lot of whimsy reminding me of a more in-depth Alice in Wonderland. I wasn't familiar with the Bulgarian/Slavic myths so it was fresh and original and magical and just wonderful.

Theo is a great hero who both adults and younger readers will find easy to connect with and cheer for. His friend Pavel, along with Diva, and Boo made a great party as they navigated through more challenging parts of the quest to save Nia and slay the dragon.

The word building was excellent, as the layers of the story unfolded and the quest became more complex I sank deeper in the magical spell of the words. It was a truly beautiful experience to read this story. The mix of edge of your set tension and fantasy was perfect. The messages were strong. The storytelling superb. I highly recommend this to fans of fantasy of all ages.

Captivating story!

Such a great book! I love the mythology that's incorporated into it, and there are a bunch of twists and turns to the story that kept surprising me. The narrator is great as well and does some really fun characters. I hope there's a sequel!

Good Fantasy for Young Audiences

The author created an interesting world filled with paranormal beings, both known ones and unusual ones, but her characterizations of the individuals portrayed in the story lacked depth. She spent too much time stating how the characters felt rather than showing how they felt while the story unfolded. I recommend this story for younger audiences as it is full of unusual beings with lots of action; however, for more mature audiences, I thought it lacked a well-rounded portrayal in order to connect with the characters depicted in the story. Mark Sanderlin does a good job during the narration. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

Creative

This is a very creatively written story and the the characters are very diverse. I am saddened by his loss of all he held dear, but, the journey has to be taken. Great creativity.

Great blending of different myths and folklore

I will say I wasn't fully sure what to expect with this story as the synopsis appears to make it seem like it is full fantasy, but the author brings a modern twist to the story. They blend together a tale of a child from modern times entering into a fantasy realm filled with characters from different cultures myths, folklore, and legends; bringing about a grand adventure that keeps you wanting to find out what happens next, even at the end as you will want to find out what happens to the characters after the story is over.

Interesting

This was an entertaining tale, definitely would be enjoyed by young adults. The narration is really well executed on all counts. The story is good but gets a bit repetitive in terms of challenges. I wish there had been less obvious twists as things felt a touch convenient to me. Again, young adults would LOVE this book I simply prefer something a touch more complex.


—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good YA Story, based on Russian Mythology

This is a good Young Adult story with characters from Russian Mythology, Babayaga and such.
Even though I'm older (in my 60s) it was still a good story to listen to and colorful characters to keep it interesting.