Book Review: The Awakening – Dragon Knight Chronicles by Andrew Wichland

*I received a complimentary copy of this book, and I’m leaving a voluntary review*

Plot: Alec-Ryuu Jun Yamamoto learns the hard way that he’s the chosen one, and has to prove himself.

Alec-Ryuu, or Ryuu, as he prefers to go by, is not a normal teenager. He’s taller, stronger, and faster than most. But the differences aren’t all good. His eyesight and hearing is different, making him have to wear earplugs and lenses to cope with the world like the rest of us. But he copes, and he has friends. Four of them to be exact, and they’ve all trained just as hard as Ryuu has, for their examination at the the Academy. When they’re done (and hopefully pass), the dream on moving out into the world, defending people and keep fighting the fight against the Black Dragon as soldiers, not just kids.

But they end up becoming so much more than that.

This was a great, fun little book that had me hooked from the beginning. It’s well-written, easily read, and always entertaining. It kept reminding me of lots of different things through, a bit like Warcraft, a bit like Star Wars, a hint of Power Rangers, and lots of Japanese culture. In one sense, it reads like watching an anime series. And the whole story of Ryuu and the, boy-finds-his-place-in-the-world, reminded me of Harry Potter more than once.

I really liked the blending of ancient culture, modern technology, and a dab of magic. Yes it’s heavily inspired by ancient Japanese culture, and at the same time, there’s hover cars. And holographic mirror, and sky surfers! (you won’t know what that is yet). I loved the mixing of old and new technology, it’s so fun to see what people come up with, what kind of worlds people create.

This classifies as YA I imagine, and I’d absolutely recommend it to by younger self. Lots of recognizable inspirations, a fun and exciting theme, and a well written story. It’s not too long either, which is always a plus with me. It’s concise and to the point, never getting boring, and never droning on.

There were some typical errors, the odd spelling mistakes, a missing word her and there, but none of that bothered me. There was a page where a section of text repeated itself, and it confused me for a sec, but without that, it’s perfect.

Absolutely recommend The Awakening, Dragon Knight Chronicles Book 1, by Andrew Wichland.