Eragon is a young farm boy who lives in a small town, cut off from most of the rest of the world. He lives on a small farm outside of town with his uncle and cousin. He has no idea who his father might be, and his mother died shortly after he was born. One day, while hunting in The Spine, a range of dangerous mountains that most avoid, he finds a mysterious, smooth, blue stone. Unable to get any deer meat to help his family through the long winter, Eragon decides to bring the stone home in the hopes that it might have enough value to trade it for some meat. The news of this stone quickly travels outside of the small town, and before he knows it, others are hunting for him in search of the stone. There is only one problem: the stone wasn’t a stone at all; it was an egg. A dragon’s egg. And it has hatched. I first read this book back in middle school, and I quickly fell in love with it. Since then, I have read it multiple times, and these books hold a special place in my heart because they are the ones that first got me interested in fantasy as a genre. So, I will admit, I am biased. I love the character of Eragon. Some people, I know, have had issues with him in the past, but my opinion is that he is rather well written. In a lot of other stories that I have read, the young characters do not have the same kinds of thoughts and struggles that a young teenager would have. I find it great that Eragon struggles with a lot of the thoughts and feelings that would be a part of a teenager's life. I find that he struggles with some of the best parts of his life like any normal teen would. Even if it seems like it is not helpful to the story, it shows that he is human and that he has the same limitations that the readers have themselves. Saphira is another character all together, where, despite her young age, she seems much older at times than she actually is. I feel that the author addressed this issue in a pretty decent way. It does bother me from time to time, but I also find that this is a great way of helping the characters grow and become the heroes that they are meant to be. I also like that, despite all this, there are times when she makes mistakes. This allows the readers to remember that she is still very young. The world-building is well thought out and described throughout the book. It also works well with the map featured at the front of the book. I like that this is a part of the story and that you can go back and look at the map to see where they are. I love the way that the different landscapes are described, which allows the reader to visualize the area, the land, the sky, and the cities. I also like that the land and the people change as you go through the country, something I find doesn’t always happen in the fantasy novels that I have read. It is a great thing to see that the more you travel, the more the land might or does change, instead of only changing in the “big bad place,” becoming dark and sinister. I love these books and, of course, would recommend them to readers in middle school and older. I add this because there are moments when there is a lot of violence, and some are described in great detail. I gave this book another five stars. I thought that, as I am older this time, I might not enjoy it as much, but I did, and I will still give it five stars. I was gifted my copy of this book many years ago after my first copy fell apart. I have had this copy for many years now and plan to read the other books in the series this year so that I can read his newest release in the series. Razo is surprised when his captain chooses him to be part of an elite team to travel with and protect the ambassador as she travels to Tira to try and secure peace between their two nations. He’s not very impressive with a sword, his demeanor isn’t sophisticated, and his best weapon is a hunting sling. Ultimately, he cannot think of a single reason as to why he was chosen. When they arrive in Tira, Razo is the one who finds that dead, burned, body left to incite hatred for the Bayern. His ability to make friends makes him the perfect person to try and befriend those allies that would help to ensure their mission is successful. But with someone trying to cast suspicion onto their party, can Razo tap into his unique skill set and make sure everyone can make it home safely. This is the third book in the Books of Bayern series by Shannon Hale. Razo was introduced in the first book and was another player in book two, so I am glad that he has his own book now. Out of the three books, this one is by far less action-packed, however, it allows for a better understanding of the politics between the two warring countries, as well as the less aggressive and defensive sides of the characters. Thereby allowing us to see three-dimensional characters. I also enjoyed seeing the nation of Tira after the war in the second book. By doing this the author allowed us to humanize the people of Tira in a way we were unable to in the second novel. I enjoyed getting to know Razo better. His unique set of skills and personality traits. I loved this book, though it was not my favorite of the three so far. I cannot wait to see how it all plays out in the final book. I bought my copy of this book from bookoutlet.com and would recommend this book to fans of Jodi Meadows “The Orphan Queen” and books like it. I gave this book four out of five stars and will read the fourth book in the series soon. |
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