Dragon Stones - Book One of the Dragon Stone Saga by Kristian Alva

I'm not usually one to gravitate toward the fantasy genre. Nor do I read much YA (Young Adult). But I seem to be reading a little of both as of late. See here and here, respectively. Recently I finished a book that encompasses both genres: Dragon Stones - Book One of the Dragon Stone Saga by Kristian Alva.

Dragon Stones centers on the story of Elias, a boy of around 15 years old who lives with his grandmother in a land called Durn. Elias and his grandmother are both healers (a kind of herbal medicine doctor) as well as Mages (wizards).

In recent years, there was some political upheaval in Durn in which the reigning monarchy was overthrown by an evil usurper name Emperor Vosper. On a side note, for some reason every time I read the name "Emperor Vosper" I always pictured the following in my head:


Flash!  Ahhh Ahhh!

Anyway, Emperor Vosper has taken over control of Durn and is generally up to no good. The citizens are suffering and short of food. There's threat of retaliation if anyone says the wrong thing. It's your run of the mill despotism. But most notably, he's having all the dragons exterminated.

One day, while searching for herbs and such in the forest, Elias comes across a long hidden dragon stone. The dragon's magical power is all derived from a large gem-like stone located at it's throat. There are also dragon riders. These human dragon riders form an intense and life-long bond with their dragons. When a dragon accepts a rider, the dragon stone at its throat is divided in two. The dragon keeps half, naturally, and the rider takes the other half. Most riders wear the stone around their necks but some have the stones permanently implanted in their chests to symbolize the strength of their bond to the dragon. Once bonded, the dragon and rider are a kind of super hero duo, roaming the land righting wrongs and defeating evil.  Oh and the stones allow the dragon and rider to communicate telepathically. Sweet!

The stone Elias finds is a riders stone. Despite warnings from his grandmother, Elias is desperate to better their situation and takes the stone to a local merchant to sell. The merchant alerts the Emperor's goons and soon Elias is on the run.

Unlike other fantasy or YA books I've read, this one is heavy on both fronts. This is not fantasy light like A Game of Thrones. There's magic and dragons and elves, oh my. It's got it all. And the writing and themes are more in line with what I would expect from a YA novel, unlike The Hunger Games or The Book Thief.  Simple writing, nothing fancy, easy for younger readers to grasp.  And nothing too heavy in the way of violence or adult themes.

All in all, Dragon Stones it is a good solid YA fantasy novel.  You root for the good guys (Elias), and you root against the bad guys (Emperor Vosper - even though we don't officially meet him).  There are some plot turns regarding Elias' lineage that will keep you interested.  One gripe however:  the book is quite short and ends abruptly.  I know this is the first book in a forthcoming multi-book saga.  I know there is more to come.  Perhaps the first book could have been longer to better establish the plot and characters.  And perhaps the first book could have ended after more had happened, for lack of a better word.  It cuts off without anything all that significant occurring, which is good for future sales but leaves me feeling cheated on this book. 

That being said, I am going to give Dragon Stones by Kristian Alva three and half bows.  It was good, and as far as my limited knowledge of YA fantasy goes, unique.  But you all know how I hate a cliffhanger and this was the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.  That's all for now.  Until next time, fellow book nerds, happy reading!

*In accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for a review posted here on my blog.

Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas

This book sounded really promising.  The title alone made me chuckle - Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas.  Heh.  Douchebag.  One of my favorite words, in all it's variations.  The book was billed as a compilation of humor essays with mature humor and some sexual content.  Awesome!  Count me in!  I'm a big fan of the humor essay genre (see my much published love for David Sedaris) and I don't shy away from the raunchy.  I am no blushing schoolgirl.

The book arrived and much to my dismay, it was only 60 pages.  That's little more than a pamphlet.  There were a mere 11 essays included.  Some were as short as 2 pages long.  So my first thought was, "Why bother?"  Why bother with publishing such a small compilation?  Why not wait until you have more material to fill out the book?  But what do I know?  I'm not a published author.

And then I began reading the essays and I realized it wasn't just the book that wasn't fully developed.  None of the essays were fully fleshed out.  It was like the author had the bare bones of a story but never elaborated or created the depth needed to draw a reader in completely.  In my humble opinion, I feel she really could have benefited from a good writers workshop to bounce the stories off throughout the writing process.  (For those of you who may not be authors or English majors, writers workshops are groups of peers and/or writing professors to whom you read your work and they comment, criticize and suggest revisions as needed.)

As for the humor, some of the essays were mildly funny.  Some weren't funny at all.  Simas just appeared to be trying way too hard to be edgy or shocking.  Oooo, she's talking about one night stands and recreational drug use.  Shocking!  Oh no, she's had weird sexual encounters.  Appalling!  Meh.  It all just felt superficial and a bit disingenuous.  A post-Sex and the City tell-all that wasn't really telling anything all that interesting.

One story - the last story - called "Dirty Wal Mart Bingo" was the exception to the rest.  Genuinely funny with a heart warming final twist, the story almost redeemed the entire collection.  It left me with a positive outlook on the book but feeling cheated that the other stories weren't more like the last.

I'm going to give Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas two bows.  It wasn't quite unreadable but it also wasn't good.  And at only 60 pages, I would be pissed if I had paid for it.  Which leads me to the following:   in accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review published on my blog.  That's all for tonight, fellow book nerds.  Until next time, happy reading!