I think middle readers will easily be able to overlook the disjointed parts and the annoying dialect of Mermin, but as an adult, it just was missing something. ( )

This book was given to me by the author in exchange of an honest review. My opinion is solely based on what I have read and nothing more.
I thought the book had an unusual start. Usually you can guess where a story is headed however I wasn't able to in the case of this book. Every time I thought I knew where it was headed the author surprised me with another plot twist, min you the twists weren't at all just for the sake of twists (unlike many other books I have read). I finished this book and proceeded to the next one without even realizing that's what I had done.
It full of adventure and its written very well. I sometimes put the auto read mode on and listen to it while working and even in that monotonous tone the story is very exciting.
One thing I did not like about the book was naming of the characters in Oomaldee, such as mermin. And Mermin being related to Merlin was just cheesy. since this revelation occurred at the beginning of the book, the imprint of this remained with me and I still think it could have been avoided. Apart from this, the characters were well developed and the relationship of the characters grew nicely. Scenes were nicely described and never over done, while keeping the balance of saying just enough about everything.
All in all I give this book 4 stars,(which I wouldn't have had I not read the 2nd book before writing this review--about which I will be writing too) because of the well developed characters, nice story balanced with good use of language (unlike even many well known authors) and magic. ( )

This book was given to me by the author in exchange of an honest review. My opinion is solely based on what I have read and nothing more.
I thought the book had an unusual start. Usually you can guess where a story is headed however I wasn't able to in the case of this book. Every time I thought I knew where it was headed the author surprised me with another plot twist, min you the twists weren't at all just for the sake of twists (unlike many other books I have read). I finished this book and proceeded to the next one without even realizing that's what I had done.
It full of adventure and its written very well. I sometimes put the auto read mode on and listen to it while working and even in that monotonous tone the story is very exciting.
One thing I did not like about the book was naming of the characters in Oomaldee, such as mermin. And Mermin being related to Merlin was just cheesy. since this revelation occurred at the beginning of the book, the imprint of this remained with me and I still think it could have been avoided. Apart from this, the characters were well developed and the relationship of the characters grew nicely. Scenes were nicely described and never over done, while keeping the balance of saying just enough about everything.
All in all I give this book 4 stars,(which I wouldn't have had I not read the 2nd book before writing this review--about which I will be writing too) because of the well developed characters, nice story balanced with good use of language (unlike even many well known authors) and magic. ( )

I freely chose to review this ARC, so glad I did as the first chapter intrigued me and the first book was over before I knew it! Now can't wait to read the other two books. Andy Smithson, a ten year old got in trouble at the drop of a pin, but lately it was not his fault and he believe that he had day time nightmares. From dinosaur bones knitting together and racing to eat a school bus with the driver inside to seeing tiny people in his mailbox, to being taken to a fall away land called Oomaldee where a real king and castled existed and where he met Merlin's brother, Merrim a surprize is just around every corner. ( )

Andy Smithson Blast of the Dragon's Fury (Andy Smithson #1) by L.R.W. Lee is a middle grade fantasy book and it was sheer delight. Sometimes it is hard for me to read a middle grade book without pulling my hair out. There are exceptions, like Harry Potter and many other good ones and I am adding this to that list. Although the only complaint I have is it ends in a cliff hanger, all else is great. Not really Harry Potter level but really good for kids and VERY tolerable for adults. I got the audible version and listened to it and it was awesome. The many different voices was terrific. It was from the Colonial Radio Theatre and it was low cost so win-win. I think this really tells the story better than reading it myself since it also had sound effects. How cool is that? This is a great book for young boys since the lead characters are two boys about 10 yrs old on a quest to stop a curse on a kingdom. Lots of twists, enemies, dragons (friendly and not), puzzles, giants, and so much more that would make reading (or listening) to this fun. The only reason I gave it a 4 star and not a 5 star is that I have a pet peeve about cliff hangers. Sorry, just me I guess. ( )