The Dragon's Prophecy
I really wanted to enjoy this book and I tried very hard to stick with it, but the truth is that it simply was not my cup of tea. I was approached by Noel for a review and felt really excited to get my hands on a copy because Christian fantasy is my all-time favorite genre. The premise offered dragons, adventure, and strange talents—I really didn’t need much convincing to pick this up so I was a little disappointed when I started losing interest in the book.
The first issue I had was the writing. Dragon’s Prophecy is edited pretty well and has an even pace, but the writing is amateurish and almost dated. I found it really awkward how Noel referred to most of the younger characters as a “youth” or a “youngster.” I could tell right away that he was an older author, haha.
Most of the characters had little development and seemed to be portrayals of character traits rather than developed personalities. Right off the bat, I thought Brendan was a very typical protagonist. In fact, the opening to the story was so classic I almost thought I’d read this book before. It’s the strangest thing … why do so many YA fantasy novels begin with a chase scene? Why are most protagonists a struggling, angsty teenager with a sour attitude?
I also thought the way Noel incorporated Christianity into the book was odd. It felt like something that was just kind of added to the story, rather than worked into the culture and way of life of the world he created. Most of the Christians were overly humbled, in a way that was borderline disturbing. Every time something bad happened, they just wanted to pray for the person’s soul. As a Christian, I understand the concept behind that notion but as a reader I felt like having almost every single character react to a bad situation that way felt forced and unnatural—especially when you consider the predicaments they faced throughout the book.
If I get raped, I am not going to stop my brother from beating up my attacker so I can dress my own rapist’s wounds and pray for his soul. I’ll send a prayer after he’s locked up in prison. This exaggerated humility made some parts of the book unenjoyable and I didn’t like that many of the Christian characters were portrayed that way. YES, it is important to emphasize loving our enemies, but I think it is also important to remember that meekness is not the same as weakness. Jesus prayed for his persecutors while He was on the Cross, but that same Jesus also made a whip and drove people out of His father’s house.
All that aside, what I did like about the book was the dragons. I LOVE dragons and reading from their perspective was a unique experience! The preface to the book pulled me in right away; even though I didn’t like the chapter that followed, I thought the way the book opened was very dark and mysterious and left me wanting more of that part of the story. You don’t really get into the dragons and the magic of the book until later but if you make it there it is quite an adventure.
I know I was a little harsh in this review, but at the end of the day, the book wasn’t bad—it just wasn’t my cup of tea. So, even though I didn’t personally enjoy it, I would recommend it to other readers. This will be most appreciated by Christians who enjoy fantasy, adventure, and action.
*I received a free copy of this book on behalf of The Rebel Christian Publishing in exchange for an honest review*