The Dragon of Dire Verses Series: The Trials of Bradly Whitsend #1 on June 8, 2024
Pages: 276
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Format: eBook
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Bardly Whitsend narrowly avoids being whacked by an irritated Sir Cedric at The Tipsy Troll Tavern when he inadvertently invokes a terrible curse. Drakkar, the dragon Poet Laureate of Jestoria, has placed a magical copyright protection spell over the kingdom, and the curse has spilled Sir Cedric's mug of Dragonsbite Ale on his lap! But just when Bardly thinks his ticket's been punched, he is saved at the last moment by the timely interference of the faerie Elphyra, and beats a hasty retreat.
Bardly can't believe his luck. Despite being the size of an ordinary garden carrot, she gets him out of there, and fast! To top it all off, she's a standup comic, and their traveling act is sure to win them top prize at the Big Fancy Jestorian Jamboree, the annual festival that starts tomorrow! But unbeknownst to Bardly, the dragon Drakkar is used to winning top prize every year - and he won't take second place lying down!
Unfortunately for Bardly, first place this year wins the title of 'Royal Dragon Slayer'! And in order to stop Drakkar's curse, he'll have to fetch the mystical Plot Armor, to keep him alive so that the plot can happen, and retrieve the Dragon's high school poetry book before the Dragon's curse plunges Jestoria into a cruel fate of wilted cabbage leaves and curdled milk!
Read this book today, or Drakkar will burn down your village.
Review:
The Dragon of Dire Verses reminds me of my journey into Terry Pratchett books, on the short side but with a fun, humourous plot that keeps me guessing what will happen next. We take the classic trope of a dragon terrorizing a kingdom, demanding his way, and tossing in an unsuspecting character who is the unlikely hero. It’s a fun cast of characters, and I love that the character rescuing our unlikely hero is a tiny fairy you need a magnifying glass to see. The antics keep coming to the very end of the story, and the ending is the perfect twist to crack you up laughing and give you the momentum to pick up the next book, which is aptly called Demons and Griffons and Grizzlies, Oh, My! I am sure it will be a delightful read.
About Kevin Hess
Kevin Hess has lived in Wroclaw, Poland ever since leaving the United States in 2015. A fan of gothic and industrial rock, he is also a rock singer in his musical projects, and the roommate of three very photogenic cats.
I was thinking it sounded humorous from the synopsis. Glad you enjoyed this one!