This review is based on the first five chapters thus far.

This was actually surprisingly good, I say this because I've read the previous works by the author and they haven't drawn me in. However, this story has given me new hope and really shows they've made a lot of progress in style and authenticity.

This definitely needs some touchup, but that's not that big of an issue.

The story probably works better on me, due to being a big Dungeons & Dragons nerd and this reads like a crazy backstory that actually makes some sense for a character without any powers.



There are some parts I had issues with, namely the speed at which the character reacts to changes in their life. But it's not that unfeasible and definitely doesn't stop me from coming back for more.

I somehow enjoy the take on dragons, who've mostly been shown as ancient, regal and wise in other mediums, to be depicted as slightly mischevious and possibly even naive. With great power comes ample opportunity to just have fun.

The setting of the world itself seems interesting, it's written in a way that doesn't come off as an infodump. Perhaps the speed at which the main character is first thrown about the world could show more of the scale of it, but that is a personal preference of mine and doesn't subtract from the overall story.

I'd like the readers to pay attention to the names of the chapters, I think this is an amusing way to summarize the plight of the main protagonist and certainly goes well with the style of the story.

Currently I'm giving it an overall of 4, mainly because of the grammar and the slightly confusing beginning.





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Update: after reading Act I

After finishing the first act, the world seemed slightly more understandable and so far worth the time investment.

There are still a fair number of grammatical issues and it hasn't improved enough to warrant a score increase.



Since I usually consume my books in audio format, I haven't built up a good base on how a good book should be written, but I feel I should be slightly more critical about the style.

There were multiple points in almost all chapters/parts where the flow was broken due to strange wording.

Now, this is most definitely due to the authors imperfect grasp on the language, which can definitely improve in the future. To go further than that currently would be pushing it, as my literary skills are limited to a barely passable high-school level.



The way the characters voice their thoughts leaves something to be desired. The most troubling part was chapter 9 part 4 with the inner monologue. I understand the idea behind it, but reading it was quite difficult. I've listened to such things in audiobooks and they've worked fairly well, but I can't put my finger on any clear reason why it seemed so off here.



Still, perhaps there's too much negativity. I could definitely not write something like this myself and all-in-all it is a promising storyline. At many points I could see parts of this playing out like adventures and there may be small pieces I would steal for my future D&D groups.



I've probably been a bit too lenient on the scoring, so I will lower them slightly, based on my comments here.



Still looking forward to reading Act II.