brenana's review
5.0
so I got this for free and finished it in a day
It's been years since I spent hours with a book like this
amazing amazing amazing
beautiful style, lovely characterization, exciting plot.
it has a very Black Beauty vibe crossed with Dreamwork's Spirit. The story of a dragon and his dealings with men, both good and bad, and the lifelong battle for freedom. It was incredible, the style was perfect for being inside the mind of a dragon, and by the end I was crying both happy and sad tears.
There is nothing I'm unhappy with, nothing I want to know more about.
There's a feeling of contentedness by the end that mirrors Stormfall's.
I know this is something I'll read again and again
It's been years since I spent hours with a book like this
amazing amazing amazing
beautiful style, lovely characterization, exciting plot.
it has a very Black Beauty vibe crossed with Dreamwork's Spirit. The story of a dragon and his dealings with men, both good and bad, and the lifelong battle for freedom. It was incredible, the style was perfect for being inside the mind of a dragon, and by the end I was crying both happy and sad tears.
There is nothing I'm unhappy with, nothing I want to know more about.
There's a feeling of contentedness by the end that mirrors Stormfall's.
I know this is something I'll read again and again
keduff's review against another edition
5.0
This book was truly everything I never knew that I needed. The story is really very similar to Black Beauty; the author has created a world where dragons are slaves to men, pulling carts or catching fish or fighting for their amusement. Stormfall goes by many names, and experiences many things. The book is written from the point of view of Stormfall, a night dragon, and his voice as a narrator is poetic and lyrical, almost like a song. It amazes me that the author managed to create such a rich world, despite the main character’s (somewhat) limited point of view. This book is absolutely worth the read. Fair warning, however: it is incredibly sad at many points. The story follows a dragon and his experiences with both the kindest and cruelest of humans, and it made me cry on several occasions.
My only complaint was that, at some points, the writing was a little redundant. There were also some very minor grammatical errors that could have been solved with another proofread.
That said, those are very minor issues, and I highly recommend you take the time to read this book.
My only complaint was that, at some points, the writing was a little redundant. There were also some very minor grammatical errors that could have been solved with another proofread.
That said, those are very minor issues, and I highly recommend you take the time to read this book.
brianpipa's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I'd probably give it a 4.5. I didn't care for the ending, but overall, a great read. There were a handful of spelling/grammar mistakes but not enough to detract.
thistlechaser's review
3.0
This book seemed like two in one. The first 50% of it was very much like White Fang. In a world where dragons are both intelligent creatures and used as domestic animals by humans, wild dragon is caught as a baby and tamed to work for humans. The first 50% of the book follows his first three years of life, as he's sold from owner to owner, and through him we experience how cruel humans can be -- even kind owners were cruel without meaning to be, because they were part of the system using and abusing an intelligent species.
While it was so much like White Fang, I really loved the first half of the book. I snuck in as much reading time as I could -- I couldn't put it down.
The second half was like a completely different book. No longer a young dragon, the main character (who gets a new name with each owner), experiences life in the wild, goes back to humanity, then becomes free once more. Unfortunately there was way too much stuff that just happened to go perfectly right for him, allowing him to free many captive dragons and other not so believable things.
The second half of the book wasn't awful, but I considered DNFing a few times. It's odd and interesting how different the two halves were.
While it was so much like White Fang, I really loved the first half of the book. I snuck in as much reading time as I could -- I couldn't put it down.
The second half was like a completely different book. No longer a young dragon, the main character (who gets a new name with each owner), experiences life in the wild, goes back to humanity, then becomes free once more. Unfortunately there was way too much stuff that just happened to go perfectly right for him, allowing him to free many captive dragons and other not so believable things.
The second half of the book wasn't awful, but I considered DNFing a few times. It's odd and interesting how different the two halves were.
carrieclothwright's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A wonderful adventure story told from the perspective of a dragon.
lottpoet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hannahmae91's review
5.0
Easily in the top 5 Dragon books I've ever read. Bonus: if I had the time and energy, I could sit down with this book and write a huge academic paper on the themes of names, allusions to Greek vs. Roman civilization, the use of a dragon's voice to explore humanity and humanism, the writing of history...
Alas. I'm lazy and busy.
It's a bit of a bummer how few reviews this book has since it deserves a LOT more.
beebliobibuli's review
5.0
The reason I picked up this book is me misreading the title, "knight dragon instead of night dragon.
It's the story of a black dragon, born free to a strong mother. A young and proud dragon who left the aerie when he thought himself strong and invincible.
Through the diffrents parts of his tale, the night dragon will have many names and many lives, moments of sorrow, depression, guilt, trust and confidence.
Storm fall / Snake , when he got caught for the first time by the sticks (humans), he became a fishing dragon, the battle for his freedom starts
Nightshade when he was assigned to pulling a cart in farm, where he made the "connaissance" of other dragons.
Warblood the gladiator, taking lives to save his, just for the sake of sticks entertainment.
Hallowdown the finest funeral dragon ever seen.
Don't worry, his stroty doesn't end here, he will become a mixture of all these names and characters, the fact that the dragon was telling his own memoir was awesome and what I loved the most was the "read between the lines hints" in every part of the book.
This tale was strong, authentic, heartbreaking and most of all, really really captivating.
It's the story of a black dragon, born free to a strong mother. A young and proud dragon who left the aerie when he thought himself strong and invincible.
Through the diffrents parts of his tale, the night dragon will have many names and many lives, moments of sorrow, depression, guilt, trust and confidence.
Storm fall / Snake , when he got caught for the first time by the sticks (humans), he became a fishing dragon, the battle for his freedom starts
Nightshade when he was assigned to pulling a cart in farm, where he made the "connaissance" of other dragons.
Warblood the gladiator, taking lives to save his, just for the sake of sticks entertainment.
Hallowdown the finest funeral dragon ever seen.
Don't worry, his stroty doesn't end here, he will become a mixture of all these names and characters, the fact that the dragon was telling his own memoir was awesome and what I loved the most was the "read between the lines hints" in every part of the book.
This tale was strong, authentic, heartbreaking and most of all, really really captivating.
bookkitty27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
cavalary's review against another edition
4.0
I’ll just say it right away: Great book, constantly growing alongside its protagonist and narrator, who’s quite a character himself and whose “voice” and style fit almost perfectly and significantly add to the experience. The perhaps simple and humble beginnings are followed by ever more captivating and impactful stages, each relevant, each with a purpose, each leading into the next until the reader may find it difficult to contain the effects of what they see and experience. I know I did, at least, and you may think you know what I mean once you reach the Night of Dragonsong & Fire… But you may wish to take that as a warning to prepare for what’s to come, because it merely marks the beginning of a series of truly powerful scenes.
I once again find myself wishing for half-star ratings, because I may have wanted to add one here. Then again, considering the very end, maybe not, as it didn’t need to go where it did and shouldn’t have done so. Other than that, it may need a little more editing, as there are a handful of things that slipped through, perhaps including the fact that the hundred keeps being added to and yet remains a hundred. Much more notably, the world of sticks and the few sticks that appear as characters may be said to be more of a sketch, or stick figures if you will, but the fact that it’s all presented from the point of view of a dragon helps with that, as it’s understandable that he neither knows nor cares much about such matters unless they directly affect him and it’d be quite out of character if he did. The fact that this also applies to the notable other dragons is somewhat more troubling, however.
I once again find myself wishing for half-star ratings, because I may have wanted to add one here. Then again, considering the very end, maybe not, as it didn’t need to go where it did and shouldn’t have done so. Other than that, it may need a little more editing, as there are a handful of things that slipped through, perhaps including the fact that the hundred keeps being added to and yet remains a hundred. Much more notably, the world of sticks and the few sticks that appear as characters may be said to be more of a sketch, or stick figures if you will, but the fact that it’s all presented from the point of view of a dragon helps with that, as it’s understandable that he neither knows nor cares much about such matters unless they directly affect him and it’d be quite out of character if he did. The fact that this also applies to the notable other dragons is somewhat more troubling, however.