Customer Reviews

Dragon Prince

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I guess I should keep this short. I don't have time to write the in depth review the book deserves. From the first page I was captivated, entranced, enchanted. By the time I'd finished the first two chapters I'd gotten a good look at the main characters, their traits and quirks and individual personalities - and with every page I read, the people and their interactions grew more complex and interesting. The thing I loved best about this novel was the people - they were real. They lived and breathed and brought the story to life. The romance between Rohan and Sioned was both poignant and amusing in the beginning, but as the story went on it acquired depth, as they suffered and were made stronger by the pain, by staying together. The extensive cast of supporting characters was engaging and ominous by turns, and the narrative throughout most of the story flowed easily. But apart from all that, perhaps the most important thing about the novel is that the people changed. They were three-dimensional, alive - there are certain stretches of narrative where I still have to pause, because I'll realize that my breathing has stopped and I'm suffering with the characters in the book. The author takes you so deep into the characters' minds that you will live the story with them, feel their pain and burn with their passions - an incredible experience. When I finally reached the end, I found myself gripping the book, willing it to become just a litle longer ...

Well, that was longer than I thought it would be. I encourage anyone who has any interest in people to read the book, because that was what it was about - people. Thanx for reading this, and enjoy the book!

Of all the many books I have read (with perhaps the exception of _A Game of Thrones_ by George R.R. Martin), _Dragon Prince_ captivated me the most. In my opinion it is the best of Melanie's books, and one of the most intricate. The characters are _not_ one-dimensional (as some have declared so loudly) and the world she creates is extremely detailed. I never actually intended to write a review of this book, because I feel that there are plenty of representative reviews here. But I have to take unction with one or two reviewers who claim Roelstra was a wimpy, one-dimensional villain. I thought Roelstra was one of the best crafted villains I've seen in quite a while. He is not obvious; his plotting is done quite deviously. And to anyone who claims he wasn't wicked enough (don't read further if you don't want the plot spoiled!), I think that a person willing to hold back dranath to ensure the deaths of his enemies (as well as untold innocents), or someone who has no problem permanently laying waste to the land to slow down an army is a pretty villainous person.

I also ask those who rate books with one star to give detailed reasons for their decision. In most cases, it seemed these reviewers probably hadn't read the book.

Magic, strong female characters, multi-faceted characters that are well developed, a character you can relate too no matter who you are, dragons, princely politics at it's best, love, family, heartache, struggles, war, fantasy, sunrunners...if you like any or all of that...you must read Ms. Rawn's book, and continue with the series. Ms Rawn isn't an author to turn out books like other famous authors (Lackey, Eddings) that are short with no substance. Her books have thought and content that will grip ahold of you and not let your heart and mind go. These thick books will hold your attention for a while, not for someone looking for simple, no plot reading. How you could NOT read these books, I don't know. No, she isn't perfect, I won't give her that, you wouldn't trust my review if I did. But trust me in this- give Ms. Rawn a chance, you won't regret it.

To address the past negative comments:

One sided characters? These characters are the best developed people I've seen- logical, realistic, thought provoking, multi-sided. I dont' see how you could think otherwise!

Another facet of this book...it states perfectly my definition of love. (And no, the book isn't a romance novel by any means.) I often find myself quoting the book to find the correct heartening words!

And the politics being the downfall of the book? Not even...they add to it's plot and thickness ten fold!

The characters being just good or bad? NO! Look at Pandasala, read more on Rohan, see Sioned's reactions in later books, take a second glimpse at Andry...and Pol, good and bad in one person has never been so interesting!

And to you Ms. Rawn...thank you for writing a series that I could get into and look forward to reading. Thank you also for your definition of Love...you have brought me my husband because of it and your books! (Seriously!) Keep up the great work, continue improving, and thank you for your personal treatment of your fans!

Had this been the very first epic fantasy that I had ever read, I would likely be telling you the following, if you had not already been inundated with it: "this kicks ass, buy this book, best I've ever read, etc". That's probably what someone would tell you - if it were the only fantasy that they'd ever read. However, this is not my case. As I glance from my monitor to my immediate left, I would estimate 200 fantasy novels stare back at me. I'm not a fantasy "beast" - I'm only 18, in college, etc. But my fair bit of experience qualifies me to point out a few things to a potential reader - because really, you don't want to trust someone for whom this was their first.

"Dragon Prince" has a ton going for it. The characters act like real people might for the most part (unlike Terry Goodkind, where everything is meant to enrage or appall us), and the magic system of Sunrunners is about as original as it can be considering the voluminous amount of stuff that has preceded it. Political stuff is here too, and just at the right quantity and complication (though I do wish there were less passing mentions of unnecesarry and never-to-be-seen-again nobles and such. On the flip side, there is the occasional cheese-convo, for example Rohan trying to come to grips with his power in the last stages of the book, in a conversation with his brother Chay. Rohan's been the strongest personality up until this point, and then just starts whining about what he's going to do, he's not fit to rule, yadda yadda, and you can't help but roll your eyes at the contrivance of it all. Furthermore, I was a bit confused as to the size of the world. It really didn't seem to make intuitive sense. Battles in a "war" that involved nearly the entire world had mentions of soldiers in the "hundreds", never mention was ever made of a thousand people, for example. Rohan's battle against Roelstra at the end was about 600 on 900 respectively. Such figures irk me, because in a world where kingdoms are important and are ruled by lords, etc., and travel across this world takes quite a while, the popluation seems to be unrealistically low. Nitpicking perhaps, but these are points where reality and fantasy do have to be somewhat parallel, or so I would argue.

All in all though - still an enjoyable read. It's not the best (though I have not proceeded to the next 5 books), that honor I would bestow upon Mr. Robert Jordan. Although his series is excrutiatingly long, you have to admit: you want to know how that puppy ends perhaps more than any ending to any story in any form ever. This series was fun, but let's say I could never find a copy of any subsequent book in the series. I would be disappointed for a few moments, but I get over it. The Wheel of Time in that situation - it would bother me for a long long time. For me, that is the mark of truly great and involving fantasy.

I read this book years ago, and only by accident discovered that it was one in a series. I have read a lot of the criticisms and can say that I see the point of many of the harshest. The romance is definitely based on lust, but I think that you can see it grows and becomes much more--although maybe you can't see that as much in this book. The good characters are definitely heading towards sainthood, although they become less so as the series progresses, and the bad characters are definitely very bad, with a few exceptions (Pandsala). So if those are your main critiques, then I would strongly urge you to read on. The line between "good" and "bad" people definitely becomes very very blurred.

However, Melanie Rawn spends a lot of time developing the world and developing people (in the first of the dragon star series, she tells a short life story of a couple only to kill them off). Some people hate that, they feel it's too much fluff. If that's how you feel, then definitely the series is not for you. For me, I love it. I felt more sorrow at the wastes of war. I feel as if I watched some of these characters grow up and some ofthem, I just want to smack and ask what their parents would think of them! There is a lot of romance and beautiful peoplein these books, but so what? As someone else so aptly stated, "it's a fantasy!" The world is well-developed, the description of magic and riding the sunlight, etc. is beautiful (I sort of think it would be neat to see it as a movie) and most of all, the people are very hauntingly human. Issues dealing with power, manipulation, fanaticism, obsession, hatred, etc. are well dealt with in this book. I agree with other people that as frustrating as it is that she kills her main characters off, it makes the story more real and the suspense that much greater. The only reason I am giving it four stars instead of five is because the characters have a tad less depth than they did in the following books. It is still high on my list of favorites however.

I've owned all these books since they were first published and they are a series I have reread numerous times. I am currently rereading them in fact.
The characters are excellently crafted with depth and feeling. The really good characters have good and bad sides, they make mistakes and they THINK!
There are some sterotyped characters but they still are facinating and not so sterotyped that they are boring or iritating!
Melanie Rawn is a marvelous writer and before you read about how she hasn't crafted her world correctly let me point out it is HER world! It shouldn't matter to you if there are seige engines or other historicals issues that relate to our EARTH's history. For the simple reason that this is not Earth but Rawn's own creation and she can do or not do whatever the heck she wants with it's hitory and tecnology.
If you are the type to get fussy over that or you do not like romance in you fanatsy then these books are not for you. However, I would like to see you try the first book anyway just to see what you think!
Got for it, I think you'll like it! :-)

i read this book in the Summer Holidays and spent the rest of it pretty much reading the rest of the series. Fantasy is called fantasy for exactly that reason: it's not real! Hence you can't expect the characters to act in ways that you would yourself, at best, it's a reflection. I loved the dream-like, lyrical language used in the novel and i also loved the lavish descriptions of characters and setting. I loved the idea of Sunrunners vs. Sorcerers and the romantic aspect of the novel was both poignant and uplifting at times. Being Ms. Rawn's first novel, it is not her best, but amazingly, it is still incredibly absorbing and well-written! FIVE STARS!

This is a book that i had sitting on my shelf for years before i even bothered to read it. I don't know what i waited for!
Yes, it's a very long book, but it reads quickly. The characters are realistic: they think, they act in their own (or their family's) interest, they change sides/opinions, they sometimes use their emotions to make decisions for them...and so on. THe plot was engrossing enough, with enough aspects of the fantasy, action and romance genres mixed in to keep a reader's interest piqued.
Read this if you: like epic fantasy with multi-faceted characters, have an appreciation for creative concepts within books, have a lot of time to read (it's a long book, but good), have patience to figure out good vs. bad guys.
Don't read if you: Need fairly straightforward characters, get frustrated with too many characters appearing and disappearing, have difficultly with long books and meandering (though not boring) storylines.
Great example of what the fantasy genre CAN produce.

I recommend this series to anyone who is looking for something meaty, rich, and engaging in the genre. While the dragon references in the titles may put many off, the novels are actually filled with political intrigue, romance, and full bodied characters. Settings are varied and interesting, and the storyline clips along surprisingly in novels of this size.
Read it! One of my favorite series. I go back to it often in between new releases.

This book is, no doubt, great. The magical ideas are fresh and original, not reverting to old, cliche' ideas. The characters are real people... Of course, they are mostly handsome aristocrats, however, that's what the story is about, that is who rules. There are no stereotypes here, the hero and heroine succumb to almost tragic character flaws, the villains are not wholly bent on evil and are respected in their own right. The only flaws I can think is the reliance on predestination. The sunrunners (basically magicians)are born with it, no choices, all of the love interests are inevitable, they're fated to be with one another-yawn. And throughout, especially at the begginning, the the book has a large emphasis on sexuality. Not to say it doesn't exist in large parts, it's just too much. The princes with their petty claims, and seeking of pairings for marriage alliances is real, and believable. The beautiful writing style that pervades this book is a delight, and you will find yourself addicted to the book, unable to put the book down for fear the magic will end. In truth, Dragon Prince is unable to completely seperate itself from the stereotypical fantasy genere, but it does in enough ways to make it a fresh, enjoyable, and addicting read