Friday, October 6, 2017

Friday Fiction Fix: "Raising Dragons"

The Short:

Raising Dragons
Dragons in Our Midst, Book 1

By: Bryan Davis

5/5 Stars

What: A boy finds out that he has dragon blood—but he has no idea the trouble it will bring him.

Recommended to those who like: Christian, fantasy, middle grade

The Long:

I had a harder time reviewing this book than I thought I would. This is the book that was responsible for getting me hooked on dragons—a momentous happening, considering probably about ¼ of the books on my shelf involve the mythical creatures.  I read it close to 10 times between middle school and high school. The pages are dog-eared, and my friends and I discussed it in spurts over our lunch breaks. It was one of my favorite stories I had ever read, but I hadn’t read it since probably a year or so before I went off to college.

I approached it with a load of excitement, expecting to dive into one of my favorite stories and come out with a new, fresh perspective on it, the same way that I have with A Wrinkle in Time or The Lord of the Rings.

That didn’t happen.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the book—it was still a good story. It just…isn’t one of my all-time favorites anymore. That hurt a bit. I can’t relate to Billy and Bonnie the way that I used to, my inner editor found some storytelling styles that are perfectly fine for the middle grade audience (but not appealing to my current self), and I left feeling happy that I’d reread it, but oddly discontent.

Alright, enough of me being nostalgic. Let’s get on with the actual review.

Billy Bannister is your normal young man. He attends school, goofs off with his best friend, and seems to always get up too late for breakfast. That all changes in one shocking week, when he accidently sets off a fire alarm with nothing but his breath. The resulting chain of events reveals secrets that nearly everyone has been keeping—from his principal and parents to the mysterious orphan who sits next to him in history class. Everyone has their inner dragons, whether figuratively or startlingly literally. Can he and his friends escape those who will stop at nothing to destroy him?

The resulting tale is likely to resonate most strongly with middle-grade readers, but people of all ages can easily enjoy this fantasy story. The characters are quite vibrant and likable and the premise of the story is intriguing.

The Christian element to this story is definitely strong, but certainly not overwhelming.


The Bottom Line: This Christian, middle-grade story has great characters and an intriguing premise, making it a worthy pick for fantasy fans of all ages.                                                                                         

2 comments:

  1. Dude I so totally read this when I was younger! I don't remember much of the plot to be honest. It's too bad it wasn't how you remembered it, that's always upsetting to a certain degree.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I mean, I still enjoyed it, but...it just wasn't the same. I have a few more books left to read in one of the companion series, so I'm going back and refreshing myself on some of the smaller plot points.

      Thanks for the comment!

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