Here are mini reviews for some of the books I read from September to October 2022. Give them a shot if they sound interesting.

The links lead to the book page on goodreads, from where I've also copied a portion of the blurbs for this post.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

Blurb

A dragon. A boy. A journey. Firedrake, a brave young dragon, his loyal brownie friend Sorrel and a lonely boy called Ben are united as if by destiny. Together, they embark on a magical journey to find the legendary place where silver dragons can live in peace for ever. With only a curious map and the whispered memories of an old dragon to guide them, they fly across moonlit lands and seas to reach the highest mountains in the world.

Review

The characters (especially the quirky magical creatures) and the adventure around the world were all wonderful. However, for some reason, I found it difficult to read more than a handful of pages at a time. It just wasn't as engaging as I had expected.

The Pharaoh's Cat by Maria Luisa Lang

Blurb

The Pharaoh’s Cat, a tragicomic fantasy narrated in the present tense by the cat himself, tells of a free-spirited, wise-cracking stray in ancient Egypt who suddenly acquires human powers and immediately captivates the young Pharaoh, making him laugh for the first time since his parents’ death.

Review

I was looking for something different to read, and this one was indeed off the beaten path. Being primarily set in Egypt was another plus point, since I have only read a few books that use African mythology. Humor was okayish for me, otherwise it would've been a much better read. I liked the second half better (after that dramatic escape).

Vainqueur the Dragon by Maxime J. Durand

Blurb

Vainqueur's only pleasure in life is to watch his treasure get bigger, one coin at a time. So when a would-be thief turned unwilling minion tells him about "classes," "levels," and "quests," Vainqueur wonders if maybe, just maybe, he should consider a career change. After all, why bother hunting monsters for free when you can get paid for it?

Review

I almost DNF this based on the first few chapters. But the humor and exploiting the system had me laughing often as I got used to the tone and the setting. The twists at the end were a pleasant surprise. There were still things that I didn't like, otherwise this would've been a five-star read.

Book 2: The Year of the Rogues — Unfortunately, a lot of the charm from the first book was lost in this book. The stuff I didn't like grew worse and I only barely managed to finish this one thanks to some of the side-plots like the slimes.

Novice Dragoneer by E.E. Knight

Blurb

Fourteen-year-old Ileth grew up in an orphanage, and thanks to her stutter was never thought to be destined for much beyond kitchen work and cleaning. But she's dreamed of serving with the dragons ever since a childhood meeting with a glittering silver dragon and its female dragoneer. For years she waits, and as soon as she is old enough to join, Ileth runs away to become a novice dragoneer at the ancient human-dragon fortress of the Serpentine.

Review

Epic slice-of-life probably best describes this book. There's a larger threat in the background (which only becomes significant around the half-way mark), but everything that actually happens on page is low stakes. And I found all of these a compelling read right from the first chapter. Character work and worldbuilding were top-notch.

The writing style was a challenge for me, not much in terms of words I didn't know but in the presentation and descriptions. Compared to so many easy-to-read light-hearted fantasy books that I usually read these days, you can't skim read this one.

Dragon Bourne by T.J. Reynolds

Blurb

Kai was the least likely young man to ascend. Raised on his uncle’s potato farm, he began his career as an adventurer with empty pockets and little skill.

Rhona is a battle-scarred soldier who’s as likely to toss a quip as she is to throw a punch.

When Bancroft the Earth Core awakens, he can’t wait to clean up his dungeon and begin building things anew.

Review

It took a few chapters for the plot to get interesting for me. Once it did, I found the rest of the book to be nicely paced and easy to read. I liked all the three major POV characters (Kai, Rhona and Ban). Having already read a ton of progression fantasy series, the magic system didn't catch my attention much, except for the dungeon core bonding and Rhona's path. It also didn't help that after Kai met Ban, the progression seemed really sped up.

I liked that the stat sheets were presented only when relevant. Overall, I'd say the book would appeal to most progression fantasy fans.