The Land Of Dragor: Book 1 - The Gift Of Charms

The Land of Dragor -
The Gift Of Charms

Title: The Land Of Dragor: Book 1 - The Gift Of Charms

Author: Julia Suzuki

Year: 2014

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Children's

For this week's book, I am hugely excited to be giving you my opinion of the first ever review copy I have been given of a novel - The Gift Of Charms, the first novel in The Land Of Dragor series and also the debut novel of Julia Suzuki.

Plot

The novel is set in a mystical land called Dragor where dragons continue to exist away from humans. We learn that Dragor is protected by The Fire Which Must Never Go Out which protects the dragons from the humans they fear after they enslaved the dragons many years ago.

At the beginning of the novel a dragon called Kiara has just given birth and is awaiting the hatching of her baby dragon with the Nephan Hudrah, Yula. However, when the egg hatches the Hudrah quickly discerns that it is no ordinary dragon egg as it is multi-coloured so the baby dragon should be taken away - Kiara and Ketu manage to convince her otherwise and they get to keep the baby, who they call Yoshiko.

10 years later, Yoshiko is about to start Fire School where he is to learn crucial dragon skills such as flying and breathing fire. He quickly attracts the attention of a dragon in the Alana clan called Igorr, who starts to bully him due to his initial lack of ability.

After his first day he visits the marketplace with his father where he encounters The Ageless Ones - a twin pair of dragons who are know for being uncommunicative but they give Yoshiko an unusual charm and offer him a strange vision.

In subsequent chapters, Yoshiko is targeted by Igorr for the fact that it was not just his egg that was multi-coloured but he possesses a strange ability to change his colour to any of the dragon clans -from Nephan Red to Alana Purple to Mida Orange.

Yoshiko tries initially to surpress the colour changes but is curious to know why he is different. One day, in trying to hide a colour change from his classmates he flies to Cattlewick Cave, an area strictly forbidden for dragons to go to as an old dragon called Guya lives there. Guya then offers to explain Yoshiko's colour changes if he completes three impossible tasks. It may just be the case Yoshiko's colour changes are more than just coincidence...

Thoughts

The Gift Of Charms is, put quite simply, a wondrous introduction to a series which has the potential to become one of the greatest children's fantasy novels in recent years.

The most appropriate place to start though is probably with some naysayers who may upon first reading compare it to the likes of existing fantasy novels, in particular the Harry Potter series and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. There are some similarities to both novels - with the school drama in the opening chapters reminiscent of Harry's adventures at Hogwarts and the Land of Dragor itself can draw comparisons with other "fantasy worlds" such as Middle Earth and Narnia. However, Suzuki has managed to combine the best of both of these novels into something that feels completely new.

Now that that issue is cleared up, let's continue.....

The Gift Of Charms begins as stated above very much in the vein of a school drama with the 10 year old Yoshiko taking his first steps into Fire School. It is pretty clear the novel is aimed at young children of around Yoshiko's age from the beginning and many of them will relate to Yoshiko's trials and tribulations such as his initial frustration at his own lack of ability in some areas and (though hopefully not) the feeling of being bullied by fellow classmates.

This appeal to children can also be felt in the novel's length. The entire novel is just under 200 pages long so is a very short novel and some of the chapters are only a few pages long, perfect for a young reader not used to long books and also great for parents for bedtime reading sessions. 

Therefore, the novel moves at a fast pace with a lot of events occurring (my plot overview above only covers half of the plot line because as you know, I am a bit of a tease who doesn't like spoiling novels for people who haven't read them!).  Usually a novel that moves at such a fast pace, and especially a fantasy novel, I often do not enjoy as the world seems to be secondary to exciting events. However, Suzuki creates an amazing world in this novel with some fantastically vivid descriptions of the dragons, the clans and Dragor which I can definitely see catching many a young child's imagination with some of the descriptions being the best I've ever read in a children's fantasy novel.

Also the novel's themes are extremely positive ones for children with Yoshiko's initial curiosity and perseverance being admirable and then as he grows and learns to accept himself for who he is which can only be a good thing in a world where children are taught to live up to unrealistic stereotypes.

My only slight criticism (though it isn't one really as I have said the book is for kids) comes from the novel's length in that it left me hungry for more so thankfully this is only the beginning of the series.

Verdict:

An amazing debut kicking off what could be the start of an amazing children's fantasy series.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

The Hunger Games - Mockingjay

Name: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Year: 2010

Genre: Adventure, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Thriller

Here is my review of the third and final novel in The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

Plot

(Note: This review does contain some spoilers - you have been warned).

The novel begins a few weeks after the events of Catching Fire, with Katniss visiting the wreckage of what was once District Twelve. We soon learn that after Katniss destroyed the arena the Capitol sent firebombs to destroy the entire district. Those that did manage to survive are now living in District Thirteen, a district which up until now was considered destroyed by the Capitol.

We also learn that the rebels managed to collect her from the wreckage of the arena but did not get the time to rescue any of the other tributes, who are now in Capitol custody, including Peeta.

However, Katniss was not just plucked out of the arena for nothing and District Thirteen now want her to become the face of the rebellion - the titular Mockingjay.

As the novel progresses we follow Katniss's journey from initially uniting the districts to taking on the Capitol and facing her biggest battle and greatest personal tragedy to date...

Thoughts

Out of the three books in The Hunger Games trilogy, I personally found this final novel to be the most hard-hitting and enjoyable of the three as Collins uses all of the ideas laid out in the previous two novels to create a riveting final novel.

One of the overarching themes in the novel is that of war, devastation and loss and Collins presents and uses this theme constantly. The sense of devastation is delivered right at the start when Katniss visits the remains of District Twelve which can only be described as an horrific moment showing the brutal reality of what she is going through. This then continues throughout the novel when Katniss begins to enter combat in the districts and again in the final chapters in the Capitol.

Also the book throws up more complex and morally ambiguous issues than the previous novels such as the underlying tension between Katniss and President Coin, the leader of District Thirteen where Katniss suspects she may be helping someone to take power who has her own dark political motives and throughout the novel Katniss is seen to constantly evaluate her actions, usually believing herself to be at blame.

The events in District Two also serve to create a moral dilemma where Katniss and Gale disagree on whether it is right to blow up a mountain base, trapping everyone inside and not giving them a chance to surrender.

My final point though I do not want to reveal too much is the ending of the trilogy (which happily I had forgotten about after I previously read the trilogy a few years ago) is exhilarating, pulse-pounding and definitely has the shock factor.

Verdict:

An exquisite final novel which manages to surpass the two before it to create a complex and thrilling conclusion to the trilogy.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Name: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Year: 2009

Genre: Adventure, Dystopia, Science Fiction

After last weeks review of the first novel in The Hunger Games trilogy, here is my review of the second novel in the trilogy. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Plot

(Note: This review contains spoilers for the first novel - you have been warned!)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire begins six months after the events of the first novel. Katniss and Peeta have managed, against all of the odds, to survive The Hunger Games together (after Katniss's trick of attempting to take a few poisoned berries rather than kill Peeta which meant the Games were cut short and they were both declared victors).

Now, she and Peeta both must go on a Victory Tour to visit all of the districts they managed to defeat in The Hunger Games. The stakes are much higher for Katniss however when President Snow visits her in District Twelve and informs her that her actions in The Hunger Games may have started the first sparks of rebellion and she must convince both the President and the entirety of Panem that what she did was the act of a girl madly in love with Peeta and ultimately prevent a rebellion before it starts. If she fails, the cost would be unbearable, especially with the 75th Anniversary of The Hunger Games looming around the corner...

Thoughts

Overall, this novel has massive improvements on the first novel in the trilogy.

From the beginning the book has a much more sinister and dark undertone than the first novel managed with Katniss debating whether her actions in the games were the right thing to do, especially with her feelings of guilt over Gale and the early visit from President Snow at the beginning of the novel serves to make this tone all the more prominent.

Also one of my criticisms of the first novel was that the other characters in some ways barely got a mention and as such the novel's events seem a bit inconsequential. In this second novel however Collins completely changes this with the Victory Tour allowing us to see all of the other districts and the shocking events in District Eleven in particular prove how tyrannous the Capitol's control of Panem really is. The fact Katniss's actions in the first novel have such consequences make this novel a more richer experience than the first one.

Also the novel allows us to see more of the Capitol's ways within the Victory Tour which helps in particular to make the villain more visible and more of a physical presence whereas in the first novel the Capitol is a bit of an unknown entity in the same way as the districts. Also the twist in the middle of the novel revolving around the 75th Hunger Games leaves you in no doubt of the Capitol's evil core and will make you want to read on though I do not want to go too in depth into the novel's second half as I am a bit of a tease and I would like you to read it....

Verdict:

Overall, a fantastic second novel in the trilogy which ups the ante on the previous novel's foundation.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Name: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Date of Publication: 2008

Genre: Adventure, Dystopia, Science Fiction





With all of the excitement recently about the release of the third movie in The Hunger Games saga, I thought it was an apt time to re-read this trilogy in it's entirety, kicking off with the first novel, The Hunger Games.

Plot

The Hunger Games is set in a futuristic North America now known as Panem, where 12 districts are ruled by a totalitarian government in a city called the Capitol, following an earlier rebellion of the districts. Each year, to remind the districts of the rebellion, the Capitol forces every district to send a boy and a girl to compete in The Hunger Games, a twisted annual reality show where all of the tributes have to fight to the death until there is one person left standing.

The main protagonist in the story is Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen year old girl from District Twelve who, as luck would have it, ends up volunteering to compete in The Hunger Games in her sister's place.

We then follow her story as she prepares for and competes in The Hunger Games and we discover though she is from District Twelve, the poorest district where in previous years the tributes are easy pickings, she is definitely someone who can and will do anything to survive....

Thoughts

The Hunger Games is a book which I enjoyed hugely the first time I read it a few years ago and on revisiting it I can still say it is a brilliant book to read.

The book rattles along at a fantastic pace, with Collins beginning the novel in District Twelve, where the people are suffering abject poverty and living miserable and worthless lives. Then, once Katniss's name is drawn the book sweeps to her arrival at the Capitol where things could not be more different and the characters we meet are almost universally greedy, vain and shallow. This striking contrast cannot help but draw you in to Katniss's situation as she tries to adjust to the Capitol whilst at the same time preparing for the Hunger Games.

Katniss indeed is a very intriguing and complex character who on the one hand appears passive and even cold in places but on the other is following her own moral code to ensure she survives the Hunger Games to return home to District Twelve and to her mother and sister.

However, when the Hunger Games start it is here where the action and violence increase dramatically as all of the characters we meet start to be killed off in gruesome and violent scenes which do grip you and kept me up for far too late at night. These are also interspersed with the friendship developed between Katniss and a girl called Rue from District Eleven which comes to a tragic end and the complicated relationship she develops with the male tribute from her district, Peeta Mellark, which provide welcome breaks from the violence.

There are however some problems I did find with the novel. The plot is very simple to the point of being wafer-thin and with such a location as dramatically realized as Panem, you can't help but think Collins could have done more with the basic material she gave herself. For example, the other eleven districts barely get a mention in the novel so it can seem a little inconsequential when these characters are killed off in The Hunger Games.

Also, the novel does include a love triangle between Katniss, the male tribute, Peeta Mellark and her friend and hunting partner Gale which is completely predictable. saps the novel and makes it seem like another teen franchise. Personally the friendship between Rue and Katniss I think would have been more unusual and interesting for the novel but is over all too briefly. Furthermore, the emphasis on action in the novel as opposed to emotion also produces similar thoughts for me that the novel is trapped by the teen novel cliche's and highlights how much further Collins could have taken the idea had she focused on emotion a little more.

Verdict:

Though it does have some of the usual trappings of the teen genre, the Hunger Games is still a fantastic novel with fascinating characters and a dramatic, thought-provoking plot which will stick in your mind for a very long time.