A Fun Dragon Epic Fantasy Book with Dragons (Andy Smithson 1)

My son thoroughly enjoyed reading Dragon's Fury and he blew thru it in just a few days. The reading level was perfect for him in 5th grade and the content was perfect for shaping a middle school aged child into a better reader.

My son thoroughly enjoyed reading Dragon's Fury and he blew thru it in just a few days. The reading level was perfect for him in 5th grade and the content was perfect for shaping a middle school aged child into a better reader.

This story was great for a certain age group. It was a good read and kept the interest well. However, it seemed so much like so many other books I have read lately that it just wasn't great for me. Hope you like it better.

Author needs to get a better grasp of the literary range of words. It's a pretty fair rendition of on old story. All in all..pretty darn good. But then, who am i to judge? The author paints a realistic, fantasy world where birds are not the only things that fill the sky

This book failed to hold my interest for more than a few lines at a time. The protagonist finds himself in another time/ world . The story doesn't seem to have any purpose except to tie odd incidents together, Andy, the main character is not believable, nor are the other characters. Couldn't even finish the book.

Much goes on in this middle grade fantasy adventure novel and yet the tale is quite simple. L. R. W. Lee's uncomplicated prose and style make the story accessible for fifth and sixth graders. Yet there's enough action in the novel to interest older readers. Not only is there action and adventure, there's quite a bit of humor. A story about a ten-year-old boy has to have at least one fart joke.

In addition to being an entertaining story, Lee has worked in some principles to help guide readers to think of new ways to consider problems that surface in life. Not all of us will have to battle a red dragon, but there will be obstacles. She invites readers to "try on" uncommon ways to work through the problems you experience, and transform your life." Her series for children demonstrates ways to overcome impatience, fear, jealousy, prejudice, and frustrations. Many children will be able to relate to Andy and learn from his trials and tribulations. Lee's desire is for children to not only be entertained by the series but to learn ways to cope with life. Don't fret, readers won't feel like they are getting hit over the head with lessons. Her way of teaching adds to the story and doesn't detract.

At times it would behoove Lee to incorporate more advanced words to aid her descriptions. At this age, children should be exposed to a wide variety of words to enhance their vocabulary. Aside from this minor criticism, I give Andy Smithson: Blast of the Dragon's Fury 4 out of 5 stars.

Check out my full review at my blog: Escaping Reality -- One Book at a Time.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. I really did! It took ages for me to get around to reading it, but literally from the first page, I was hooked. This is one of those books where the second you start to read it you get completely transported to a world of ghosts in the afterlife submitting revenge plans to companies and getting authorization from the afterlife government to bring a modern ten year old into a medieval world to break an ancient curse. Crazy, huh? But you kinda fall in love with it immediately.

Characters: I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical about a ten-year-old protagonist. Most books I read nowadays are YA, where the protagonist is 12 at the very youngest, but usually 16. Often, young characters suffer from a severe lack of realism when they suddenly become master swordsman and battle strategists overnight. But that’s not quite what happened with this book. Yeah, you kinda have to suspend disbelief when dealing with a character this young, but I say go out and hang out with some ten year olds for a while, and maybe it won’t seem quite as unbelievable to you. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. Now that I have totally derailed this paragraph, I’ll suffice it to say that ALL of these characters were complex, layered, and emotionally engaging.

Plot: Wow, did I love this book or what? It was like going home to the MG books of my childhood. But I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that even as an adult (still haven’t fully accepted the fact that I’m 19 now) the plot of this MG novel was still wild, fun, and unpredictable. This book was more than just a fun read, though. It was a tale of friendship, of forgiveness, and of redemption. It was an adventure unlike any other.

Do you know a ten year old? If yes, absolutely read this book with them, they will love it! If no, read this book yourself, you will love it! I highly recommend this book for readers 6 and up.

From a 13-year-old's perspective, I really enjoyed "Blast of the Dragon's Fury." It was fun, exciting, and mysterious. I enjoyed everything from the ominous vulture men, to the foggy, cursed land of Oomaldee (maybe it's just me, but I love cool names for places and things, and this book is full of great names!). The characters were interesting, and the plot intriguing. The beginning was a bit slow, but after a little while, I felt like it really took off. I also loved the dragons, as these mythical creatures are a personal favorite of mine. The plot was thick, the characters great, and I really enjoyed reading this book!

Do you like to play dragon-slaying video games? Ten-year-old Andrew Farrin Smithson does. Andy, a fifth-grader, lives in the United States with his parents Fred and Emily Smithson, who are both CEOs of large companies, and his older sister Madison. What Andy doesn't know is that 500 years before, in the land of Oomaldee, one of his ancestors, Prince Kaysan, killed his older sister Princess Imogenia who joined her already dead mother in the afterlife. Shortly after that her father, King Heraclon IV, also died, and Kaysan became King Heraclon V. However, to punish her brother Imogenia has placed a curse upon Oomaldee which involves a perpetual heavy fog. Part of the curse also makes the new King immortal so that he can continue to see the desolation of his land.

However, the dead King and Queen eventually decide that the curse should no longer continue. One evening, while washing dishes, Andy is magically pulled into Oomaldee, which is very similar to early medieval England of King Arthur's time, to break the curse. With the help of the lisping wizard Mermin, who is a brother to Merlin and a cousin twice removed of mermen; Alden, a boy his own age who is the son of a castle servant; Merodach, a crusty old dragon trainer; and a sword named Methuseleh, Andy is sent on his mission by Heraclon to the Dragon's Lair to find the scale of an elusive red dragon which is needed to break the curse, and also hopefully to protect Oomaldee from invasion by the evil King Abbadon of the neighboring land of Hadession, who is himself a fierce dragon. Will Andy and Alden be successful in their search? Will the curse ever be lifted? Or will Abbadon be victorious?

The exciting and humorous plot, with several unexpected twists, is well devised to grab the reader's attention from the very beginning and hold one's interest throughout. Some parents might want to know the following items ahead of time. The euphemistic words "crap" and "darn" are used. References to "farting," both by cows and people, and to dancing occur. Andy remembers times when he had to get up and go "pee" in the night. Someone is said to have "scratched his big butt." And someone else is called a "butt head." However, a lot of parents will have no problem with these things, and there is no cursing or profanity. From a positive standpoint, Andy learns some important lessons about overcoming fear and selfishness while learning patience and responsibility. Andy's adventures in the Land of Oomaldee will continue with book two of the series, Andy Smithson: Venom of the Serpent's Cunning.

This book was a very interesting one. Despite the rocky beginning, in my opinion once you fully enter into this fantastic story it is one that you will enjoy immensely.
Andy Smithson, or Andy Son of Smith has been transported into the whimsical land of oomaldee where he finds himself quickly enjoying his new surroundings. Finding the kind of support and love that was absent from his own family. That is until he has to go on a quest to find a red dragons scale to try and break the curse that the land suffers under.
Entrancing and intriguing this fantasy series is one that I am looking forward to reading.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion of the book.

I really enjoyed Blast of the Dragon's Fury. From the moment I first looked over the map in the front (you know what I'm talking about; every high fantasy novel has one) to the very end of the book, it kept me alternately giggling, facepalming, and struggling not to cheer Andy on out loud.

Andy, our main character, is a 10-year-old boy who can't seem to stay out of trouble. He is always getting calls home at school and can't seem to relate to his parents or his too-perfect sister. Both Andy's parents own large companies and never seem to have time for him except to lecture him about what he's doing wrong.

Then one day Andy suddenly finds himself mysteriously transported to a mysterious land where he meets a king and his wizard who tell him they think he is destined to break a curse that has plagued their land for over 500 years. The curse takes the form of a fog that blankets the land of Oomaldee, making travel slow and seeing more than a few feet in front of you impossible. I want to take a moment here and say that all of the place names on the map in the front cracked me up. Most of them start with O and are things like Oohhh or Ooggy, which amused me to no end.

Andy stays in the castle where the king lives for a few weeks. During his stay he meets Alden, a servant boy who many people seem to dislike because he is not from Oomaldee. Andy makes friends with Alden, along with many of the other castle residents, and learns some important lessons about being honest and a good friend. I really liked how Andy learned and grew as he discovered the true meaning of friendship.

During his stay at the castle, Andy receives a riddle from an unknown source which cryptically instructs him that that first item he needs in order to break the curse of the fog is a red dragon scale. So Andy and Alden set out to find a colony of red dragons and get a scale. The rest of the book covers their adventures in trying to locate the dragons and obtain one of their scales. And it is quite the adventure, because there are several people who do not want them to succeed: Imogenia, the ghost who originally cast the fog curse; plus Abbadon, an enemy of Oomaldee who would love nothing more than for Oomaldee to be forever shrouded in fog.

Another thing about Blast of the Dragon's Fury that made me laugh was the wizard, Mermin. He has some sort of speech impediment that makes him sound like Elmer Fudd or the bishop in the movie The Princess Bride. You know, "Mawwiage" and "wascawwy wabbits" and all that. His dialogue kept me chuckling.

The only negative comment I really have about this book is that I noticed a few minor typos and grammar mistakes, but I notice those in a lot of books, and these were not so bad as to detract from my enjoyment of the story. It really was quite a fun, quick read, and I certainly intend to read the next one in the series.

Andy Smithson: Blast of the Dragon's Fury had going back and forth over what I thought of it. However, I thought it was more of a three-point-five. I'll get the cons out of the way first so I have room below to fangirl.

Cons:
The villain of the story. Any part of the book that showcased her, especially the bits where she pops in after something bad happens were flat out cheesey and the worst parts of the book. Hinting that the events were her fault could have been done much better. I thought more character development could have been done with his friend, but that's more of a quibble than anything. Might have liked a bit more action with the dragon scene, but again, that's a personal quibble.

Pros:
First off, before I go anywhere else, I have never seen so much author improvement in one book. I have seen an author get markedly better over a series (Eragon, Tres Navarre, anyone?) but never this much in one book. The first chapter's quality was just ok...but by chapter three thing were picking up fast. By chapter six I was thoroughly enjoying the story and by the three-fourths mark Lee's tone, description, pace and ease with the voices of her characters raised my opinion considerably. I love finding books like that, because you know any following books will keep on improving, and if Lee keeps improving at the rate she did, Lee could be on the fast track to becoming a force to reckon with in middle-grade/upper elementary books. It;s great to find an author who hasn't hit their peak yet, so you know you are going to keep getting better things in the future.
I am a HUGE King Arthur nut, so when the references to the King Arthur legends started piling in, I was a very happy person. I'm not sure where Lee is going with that, but I will be happy happy happy if she builds on that. It makes me wonder if the dragon angle will mean something in the future..you know with the whole "Pendragon thing."
The Values. It's sad to see so many authors selling out to what teens want, i.e paranormal romance, justified gray characters, and sex scenes. In books that were labeled to be marketed to twelve year olds. Lee stays away from all of that, and managed to create a likable protagonist that actually has morals. The values presented were present and obvious but not obnoxious. I would definitely clear it for the classroom and for kids and not worry about content in it.
The Characters were improved upon the book..soo good there. I felt like there could have been more of a villain, but I didn't have any characters I despised, except for the one mentioned earlier.
Also,I don't know if it was coincidence with the whole "Next time you hear it, ask what it wants" scene, if it just happened to be written that way or if the author purposefully wrote it like that..trust me, you will know what I'm talking about when you see it..if she wrote it like that on purpose, brownie points.
Altogether, I liked it enough to read it all in two settings and to commit to reading the second one when it comes out,and I would recommend this to kids third grade to seventh grade. It was an easy read, but a good pace and had a few shout-outs for fans of the genre. For a thirteen year old? I would say it was a pretty good read.

A cute story taking a sidestep from the King Arthur & Merlin stories that we know, with a modern twist and loads of fart jokes.

I have finally finished this with my 8-year-old son and his rating is a 4 star. He loved the fart jokes/references, the silly names of towns and Mermin's funny speech.
He did have trouble with references to people and things that were not familiar with his age group, more of an older age group reference.

My review:
I have finshed reading this after being given a free copy. To be honest I really struggled to finish it as it was not holding my attention. However, this does not mean it was a bad book. It could possibly just be the fact that it is a little too early Middle Grade for my tastes. So before I finalise this rating I am going to go through it again with my 8 year old reading it, who is right into the Beast Quest stories and I will get him to rate it. :) His rating is above. Due to the silliness & life lessons preached instead of hinted, I think it would mainly suit early Middle Grade readers.

Thanks for the cute read.

Andy Smithson:Blast of the Dragon's Furyis a wonderful story for kids from middle grade to the tween years to read on their own. It is great for younger children who have an adult who will read it to them.

Andy is a modern boy. He loves to play video games. He has parents who work and don't have time to spend with him. He is expected to do his best in all things without a lot of supervision.

He finds himself pulled into a parallel dimension. Here the King needs help to break a curse that was placed by a vengeful ghost five hundred years ago. Andy is chosen because he is a descendant of the King's father, living outside the land of Oomaldee.

This story has many elements of fantasy. There are dragons, Pegasus, a wizard with a speech impediment, castles, birds that change into men, etc. It is sure to capture the interest and imagination of the reader.

I liked also that Andy is a boy who does his best. He's a good kid with a good heart. He starts to run around with a servant boy who is looked down upon because he is of a different race. He has green hair and that sets him apart from the others of the kingdom. Andy doesn't care. He sees the good in his friends and don't let insults and jeers from insensitive people get to him. I love that example for kids.

This is a cute book. The book ends on a cliff hanger that will encourage kids to read more. I received an electronic copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

I am an avid reader of juvenile fiction, and have come to believe that the word "juvenile" should not be applied to all books out there written for younger readers. I find that most juvenile fiction is anything but juvenile. The characters are usually well developed and face real problems...not just school and friends and popularity; they also face their own inner demons when those demons are just rearing their ugly heads: respect, self-importance, bravery, honesty, loyalty, etc.

Reading Andy Smithson should have taken less time to read than it did, and I feel that is because I was not really interested in the characters or the plot. The storyline is good, and there are some creative concepts, such as a business-minded ghost world. But the characters were cookie-cutter goodness-seekers. The bad guys were constantly referred to as "vulture-men" though maybe they should have had their own "breed" so to speak. Maybe something like Volturians? Something a little less generic.

The contrast between Andy's home life and the one he is thrown into in Oomaldee is almost comedic, though I don't believe that was the intent. The castle cook just about adopts him and makes chocolate chip cookies and goodies, plus gives him hugs and kisses, even though she just met him...As if this woman has no squabbles over touching and feeling a complete stranger, and a child one at that. I understand that the motherly attention that Andy craves at home is not given, and here the Cook, Marta, gives it. What I don't understand is how so much emphasis is placed on making Andy's favorite foods (and not just the cook does this; the King also requests his faves, and does a woman in the Giants Forest). It seems that Andy equates getting his favorite foods with how a good and dutiful parent should be.

A lot of the dialogue was wooden and expected. I also had a hard time reading Mermin's dialogue because, if any of the readers watch the Big Bang Theory, kept me thinking that I was listening to arch-nemesis Barry Kripke. I also didn't feel that Mermin was that big of a bungler. Though not as famous (or probably not even as adept as his brother Merlin), I don't think he deserved a lisp. It made possible serious scenes comical.

I know that this possible series is written for middle-school kids, and that their take on things are a bit different than mine (having not been in middle school for 20 years), but I do believe that the age range might be lower given the type of dialogue, the funny way of Mermin's talk, and the want for young children to eat their favorite things and be constantly cuddled, instead of the middle-ager who usually wants to be left alone by parents and have their own independence.

Overall, an enjoyable read, but nothing too thought-provoking. I would enjoy reading the next book in the series to see how the characters (and the author) develop after the initial writing.

I read this book thinking it would appeal just to pre-teen/early teen readers. However, once I began reading, I couldn't put it down. All the twists and turns in the plot were not the way I predicted and I found I couldn't put the book down. The moral and ethical dilemmas in which Andy Smithson found himself are applicable to everyone, regardless of age. In our present day's society where the "victim" mentality is so prevalent, this book was like a breath of fresh air, breathing new life into the fact that each and every one of us can change the way we think about things--no one has to be a victim -- it's a choice we each make. Change is possible for each and every one of us. For the kids today who face a barrage of situations which offer them no hope, this book is the voice of encouragement that lets them know they can turn life's events into catalysts for change -- positive change. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I can hardly wait for the sequel to come out.

I truly enjoyed this manuscript. Young adult readers will love the plot, the action and drama, as well as the charatcers. This author seems to understand what the target audience wants. The plot is fast paced with smooth transitions. The readers will be entertained completely as the tone of the entire manuscript is in line with today's youth, even with the older time period included within these pages.The characters are believable which will encourage readers to want to read more of this story. The ending is fabulous ensuring that the readers WILL want more. They will demand to know how the conflict is solved.
I recommend this book whole heartily.

This book was a fun quick read. Although I liked the overall book and genre there were things in the book that I did not like. The fact that Andy was only 10 years old seemed a little too young for me to be believable when he is expected to end a curse, combat dragons and wield a sword. The ending was a cliffhanger and I personally like a defined ending. The story line was very much like Beyonders where someone is pulled out of their world/reality by a force not their own, they fight for the new land/friends, sent back unwillingly to their own time and BAM! the book ends. Another little pet peeve was when Andy found the gray dragon (really a young red dragon) and promised the gray dragon they would find more red dragons for him to live with since the evil king killed all his family.... then two pages later, Andy is KILLING a red dragon! Granted Andy and the good king's life is in danger, but I kept thinking the gray dragon was going to show up and either think Andy was a liar and try to kill Andy, or "explain" in dragon tongue to the red dragon that Andy is really nice and to stop fighting. lol neither one happened, but that's what I kept thinking.

I think anyone from ages 8-12 would enjoy this book, since it's all about fantasy intertwined with real life.

I am a sucker for dragons and fantasy and misunderstood kids. It is almost always a great combination.

I began to read this book with anticipation and a little bit of trepidation. Anticipation for the possibility that the book seemed to promise. The trepidation came because I had just finished a book that utterly disappointed me by not living up to the promise of the jacket blurb.

I am relieved to say that this book was not a disappointment.

It was a joy.

L.R.W. Lee writes a delightful story for a younger audience.

Our newly minted hero, Andy, is relate-able. He is an imaginative kid who feels constantly misunderstood by his family. So it is with more excitement than fear that he finds himself transported to a magical land called Oomaldee. On arrival he is tasked with helping to break a curse for a centuries old king while being thwarted by a spiteful ghost. He makes new friends and grows as an individual while discovering secrets and battling dragons.

The intro to the book and the history of the curse is nicely done. A funny and fresh take on what awaits those who have passed on.

This book is intended for a younger reader than most of the YA fiction I review. As such it seemed at times to over simplify some situations and maybe underestimate the intended reader. I think that even the younger 8-11 year olds this seems geared towards could understand and appreciate a little more nuance.

The story is well crafted and enjoyable. As an adult I still found the story interesting. It was whimsically quirky without being patronizing or obvious. A very hard combination to achieve. I wanted to know more about this land.

I am hoping that some of the questions I had will be answered in the next book in the series. (How is Andy a descendant being the main one.)

I think this would be an excellent book for a parent and child to read together as both will enjoy it.

My advice to the author would be to trust the young reader and to fully explore the vivid world she is creating.

I was provided a gratis copy of this book for review.

The author generously let me read her book by sending me a free copy and I thank her very much.
While this book is written in a simpler way for middle grade reading (not sure if that is the correct term for it) it kept my interest the whole time. The premise of the story is very clever and enjoyable to someone in their 20's and I would love to show this to a young reader because I think it would be perfect for them.

I really liked how this is not the average fantasy story with dragons, our world is linked to another and Andy gets pulled into this world with dragons to help break a curse. I love how things from our world are translated over to theirs, that just makes this book for me (example: why the king chooses to dress the way he does(you'll know when you read it)).

I'd say the only thing I didn't like about it was that it seemed to go too fast, but that's just because it wasn't really intended for a more mature audience who are used to authors taking a page to tell how the character feels before he does something as simple as opening a door (which is not a bad thing since the younger readers would probably lose interest).

I will definitely be looking forward to book two. Again I'd like to thank L.R.W. Lee for letting read this book for free. Good luck with the series!

This review is originally posted on Goodreads, but as I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a review posted here and on Goodreads, I will do so. I would like to comment that I rate the book as "I like it" which is 4 stars on the store and 3 stars on Goodreads, hence the differences.

The author of this book was generous enough to provide me with a free (kindle) copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I think this book is a pretty great book for middle grade readers, especially boys. The main character, Andy, has been selected to save an old kingdom from its curse. He is transported from his home in what we know as the real world to the kingdom of Oomaldee. Andy is sent on a quest by the king to help save the kingdom from its 500 year long curse, which is being covered in an endless fog. The curse was cast by the king's dead sister, whom he killed to get the throne. The king is immortal until the curse is lifted.

I think the pacing of the book is done very well for younger readers. It moves pretty quickly, but younger readers tend to have shorter attention spans and want events to happen quickly. My overall issue with the book is that it really isn't that much of an original plotline, but the author is somewhat witty with the characters and kingdom, so it evens out in ability to actually read and care about events/characters.

This book may be fun to read out loud to children given the way some characters speak.

Overall I give it 3 stars for liking it. I will perhaps considering borrowing a copy of the sequel to continue reading.

Confession time: I readily agreed to review this book, as the promoter had referred a number of very good books to me before. I got the book, and was happily reading along, and I began to think: at whom is this book aimed? It has a relatively solid vocabulary, some complex interactions, and yet subject matter that would clearly delight the pre-teen crowd.

In a separate moment, I was talking with a little girl who just completed first grade, and she and her mom are planning to read her first "chapter book" together over the summer - a real landmark for a young reader - and a great opportunity for parents and children to discuss ideas, relationships, challenges, and so on.

So the objective is: find the perfect book. And this is it.

Of course, it can be read by any child who like swords and sorcery, dragons and mystic worlds, nothing too scary but a few close calls. But this is an ideal read-together book for a young reader graduating into more challenging reading, because it is full of opportunities for parents to talk to their kids about values, friendships, biases, "doing your best," and trusting your better instincts.

Young Andy Smithson, computer gamer extraordinaire, is in trouble with his mom and in his attic exploring a strange sound when he is transported to an amazing world where dragons and Pegasus' exist; where there is a King who has lived under a curse for 500 years; where there are evil vulture people who can morph into birds that spy from the evil neighboring kingdom; and where Andy is challenged with making everything right again.

Here, Andy finds a best friend in a neon-haired boy from a "lower class," demonstrating that people who don't look like us can still have great and lasting value. His friend enters a contest to ride a winged horse, and his guiding instruction is simply to "do his best." Andy is adopted into his friend Alden's family, where his "mom" is the kind we all want: loving, doting, accepting yet expecting us to always "do our best." Andy and Alden attend a festival where they're free to eat anything and everything that they want and like and nobody says "that's enough, now!" And Andy is set a challenge: to find a red dragon and obtain a scale from it so that the King, who "screwed up" as a boy and lowered a curse on his country, can finally lift the curse (which shows itself in the form of a perennial fog) and his people can live happily in the sun again.

We aren't quite sure if the King is good or bad; he has a Magician at his side, Mermin, who speaks with an amusing "woss of wetters," and seems to perhaps be keeping secrets. He sends the boys on a mission with more than a little to scare them: giants, and bogs, and an impenetrable castle wall, not to mention the fearsome many-headed dragon itself!

The book ends on an "oh no I can't wait to find out what happens next!" note, so children (and yes, this reader!) will be anxious for the next book in the series to come out.

The writer clearly has the pulse of children's fancy, and while the hero is a boy and there are dragons and magical swords, this book will equally appeal to girls. I'm happy to report also that while there are values galore to share with a child, or that a child him or herself will absorb, they are the kind that any parent will be happy to have a child exposed to.

As noted, the vocabulary is rich, so younger readers many need some help. But I see that as a plus, as the writer is clearly not writing down to her readers, a real bonus in this reviewer's opinion!

Oh yes - the chapters are just the right size for a before-bed reading session, and older readers will be able to easily read the book in a few sittings - and I'm sure they will, as Lee keeps the action moving and keeps us wanting to know what's next.

And while I do say that this book is aimed at kids, don't let that stop you. I loved the Harry Potter series, and was always aware of when the next book would publish so I could grab my copy. I will no doubt be looking for the next book in this series as well - Winter, 2013!

The electronic version was given to me to review.

Over all I give it a 3 1/2 stars between what my 7 year olf daugher & my opionion of the book.

This is a great book for kids moving on from early chapter books to more full length books. My daughter really enjoyed the book but wished that there would have been a strong female hero in the story.

As for me while reading it felt like I was reading an unfinished manuscript. The story line and plot are interesting but it doesn't come off as polished. Some parts lagged and seemed unecessary. I can't help but feel that this book was released a little too soon and would have benifited from additional story editing.

Over all, young kids will enjoys the book but older reads may find it lacking.