A Fantastic Children's Book!

I received a complimentary copy of this story in audio format from the author.

This is the first book in the Dragon Keeper series for young readers aged 8 to 15. I loved it!

Merlin is a young boy with an important mission - to become a Dragon Keeper and learn to be a wizard. He has the important responsibility to train a new born Dragon called Dracon. I liked this character a lot. He is eager, inquisitive and determined to succeed.

This is a fantastic fantasy novel for children. There is adventure with Dragons and Elfins, but there is also danger in the form of Lady Oer. She is a very powerful witch, but she wants more power and is determined to get it from the dragons. She is not a very nice lady, and has become very adept at using the black arts to get what she wants.
This story is narrated by Aaron Holbrook. I found I liked the different voices used to dramatize the different characters, but felt that the narrator read the story too quickly, and this gave it a rushed feeling. I had a hard time keeping up, and felt like shouting at the narrator to take a breath! It is hard reading out loud and keeping the story exciting enough for young readers (I should know, as I have read lots of stories to my nephews over the years). However, rushing through it without taking a pause for a breath, or even for an effect, doesn't give the listener a chance to absorb the story properly. The story itself was exciting, so I would consider reading this in print format at my own pace. Luckily, the author very kindly gave me a print copy to read at my leisure too, and I will do so when I have a chance to. The ending of the story has a surprising twist that left me wanting to know what's going to happen next!

Bruce Goldwell has written a fabulous fantasy with some amazing characters, including my all time favourites - dragons. He has a vivid imagination and his writing style (narrator not withstanding) was fast paced enough to keep me engaged. I am looking forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.

I highly recommend this book to both boys and girls between the ages of 5 to 7 as a bedtime story, 8 to 15 year old's (depending on reading ability) on their own and adults who love reading younger adult novels or fantasy stories with dragons. - Lynn Worton

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