Review: Dragonsoul by Kayl Karadjian

Published: October 2016

Pages: 277

Synopsis: “Littlehorn is the last dragon, born into a world that wants him dead.

The dragon's blue scales and orange eyes are a stark contrast to the dull gray around him. The sky is gray. The ground is gray. Everything is gray, even the skin, eyes, and hair of every other living creature, including humans.

When Denyth, a simple farmer dreaming of a world of color beyond the gray encounters Littlehorn, the two set out on a journey to find the truth of where Littlehorn came from and if there truly is a world of color beyond the gray.

But Denyth isn't the only human who knows of Littlehorn's existence. A dragon-hunter named Zero, who has dedicated his entire life to purging anything of color, is coming after Littlehorn to finish the job.

Dragon and human flee together to the colorful land called Evenar, coming across a host of odd, colorful creatures, including a cat-like shapeshifter who can hear the land, a pacifist troll who wields a club the size of a tree trunk, and even a group of walruses who can talk.

Just as they think that they have found paradise, they discover a terrible secret: humanity wasn't responsible for the fall of dragons after all.”

Rating: ****

I received a free copy of Dragonsoul in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised at how similar to Eragon this felt! An orphaned farm boy find an egg, out of which hatches a dragon, a species of creature that aren't thought to exist anymore and are hunted by the King. I was quite disappointed by these similarities, as it almost felt as though I had read the book before. These similarities disappeared by chapter 7, as more species of creature were introduced and the plot started to veer off in a completely different direction to Eragon.

Dragonsoul was very well written, with well thought out descriptions and authentic dialogue. I particularly enjoyed Denyth's relationship with his Grandparents, which felt completely natural and authentic. I thought the quotes/feelings at the beginning of each chapter from the point of view of one of the main characters was a really nice touch and was a really good way of the reader being able to get a feel for the

While reading, I got the distinct feeling that the author was aiming for Dragonsoul to be the first installment in a fantasy epic, but for me it didn't quite have that epic feel about it. I can't quite put my finger on what was lacking but it just wasn't quite there for me. If there are sequels to be written, Dragonsoul was a brilliant starting point and maybe any future books will enable the series as a whole to become a true epic.

I would definitely read more by Kayl Karadjian, as Dragonsoul was easy to read and follow despite containing so many characters, species and ulterior motives.