Sunday, December 23, 2012

Book Review: Rise of the Red Dragon (Tales of the Lorekeepers, #1) by Martin Rouillard








Rise of the Red Dragon (Tales of the Lorekeepers, #1)

Author: Martin Rouillard

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Synopsis: When Samuel Osmond sees two pairs of mysterious dice in a store for role-playing games, he thinks they’d be fun to show off at a cosplay event. He buys the white pair, leaving their black companions in the case. But when he casts the dice in his room that evening, he suddenly finds himself transported to a strange landscape, surrounded by scarred men in leather armor.

Samuel soon realizes that the dice have carried him back to ancient Britain, where the Briton army is at war with the Saxons. In this place, he has uncanny gifts, which he must use to put the rightful king on his throne. But darker forces are at work: back in his home world, someone has bought the black dice. Samuel must find the hidden enemy and undo his evil work before he unleashes a force from an even more ancient time.
Brought to you by TeamNerd reviewer Annabell Cadiz

Review: I have always been in love with a good mythological story. There are just so many that are dark and twisted and enchanting. Rise of the Red Dragon, the first installment in the Tales of the Lorekeepers, explores storytelling of myths and legends in a fun and exciting way.

Samuel has just turned fourteen years old and as a gift his parents take him to his favorite store to go on a shopping spree worth two hundred dollars. Samuel happens upon a set of white dice he likes the look of and decides to buy them. He soon discovers the dice are not simply for decoration, they hold powerful and ancient magic, throwing Samuel back into a world of myth. Samuel has to navigate the world he travels to with the help of a fata, or fairy, named Angeline who quickly informs to Samuel that he is a Lorekeeper and his job is protect the mythological stories he loves so much. But it won’t be an easy task. Samuel has to not only survive an impending war, keep his identity hidden and somehow find a way back home; he also has to find a way to take down an evil sorcerer determined to destroy the mythological story and the power behind it. Let the sword fighting begin!

Samuel was a sweet and charming hero. He starts off as a fumbling fourteen year old boy who manages to survive more on luck than actual talent and grows into a strong, courageous young man. He fights hard to protect the new friends he has come to love, especially when he finds out the truth as to why protecting the mythological story he was sent to is so important! He has a kind heart and is a such a nerd, it’s cute.

Angeline, the fata or fairy, was pretty funny and absentminded at times. Uther, Ambrosius, and Kaleb were great characters. Each noble, brave, and strong. Malloy was my favorite character out of the book. He is wise, rough around the edges, and loyal. He carries himself with strength and stands for what is right even if it means he has to sacrifice his life. I enjoyed his bond with Samuel. They grew from mistrusting soldiers to brothers.

There are only a few things that bothered me about the book. There were , at times, where the dialogue switched between being formal and elegant to casual and ‘present time’. It made the pacing come off choppy at times. The narration was also rough at times because it came off too ‘grown up’ throughout the progression of the story which also happened with the dialogue. There were many instances where Samuel sounded much older than fourteen which took away from the young adult feel to his character.

Rise of the Red Dragon starts off at a steady pace gradually building into intense action with swords, lethal dragons, and evil sorcerers.

If you’re a person who enjoys a good take on an aged old myth, then you will have fun reading, Rise of the Red Dragon!


About the Author: Martin Rouillard is an entrepreneur and writer. His short stories have consistently been among the most downloaded at online retailers. Rise of the Red Dragon, Tome 1 of the Tales of the Lorekeepers series, is his first novel. Martin's interests include travel and mythology. He lives in Boischatel, Quebec.

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