Henrietta The Dragon Slayer (a young adult epic fantasy adventure) (The Five Kingdoms) [Kindle Edition]

Beth Barany (Author)

Book Description

**2012 Grand prize winner at the California Fiction Writers Book Contest!**

**2011 Finalist at the Hollywood Book Festival!**

If your daughter or niece liked The Hunger Games, then she'll enjoy this.

Henrietta The Dragon Slayer is book #1 in the Five Kingdom series. Book #2, Henrietta and The Dragon Stone will be out Spring 2013. Book #3, The Volcano Witch, will arrive early 2013.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Henrietta, the legendary Dragon Slayer of the Kingdom of Bleuve, can't stomach the thought of one more kill. Yet, in order to save her dying mentor, she must go on one last quest. But will misfit companions, seasickness, and an ego maniacal king derail the quest for the healing stone? And will she be able to cut past her conscience and kill the dragon?

HENRIETTA THE DRAGON SLAYER

EXCERPT -- Chapter 1

Battle-hardened and brave

Ready for the fight
Henrietta the Dragon Slayer
Swings with all her might
--From the chorus of the Song of the Dragon Slayer

Henrietta strode away from the tavern, fists clenched so hard they hurt. At two paces from the forest edge, the ground crunched in the black night behind her. Even with her ale-fogged brain, she sensed the presence of a man, smelled on him soot, leather and metal, and knew he was armed, but wore no armor.

She didn't have time for this.

"What do you want?" Henrietta whirled to face the thrill seeker, her long sword drawn, her long red hair whipping across her chilled cheeks. Above her head, the bitter wind keened through the forest trees.

The man hovered five feet-lengths away from her, out of sword reach, his face shadowed by the light of the tavern behind him. "I heard your story back there." His voice, thick with a foreign accent she couldn't place, held no compliment. "I hear you're looking for a new quest."

Editorial Reviews

Review

As far as young adult fantasies go, Henrietta, The Dragon Slayer is a good read that I think any age, teen to adult, would enjoy. I only hope a sequel is in the works!
--LunaMoth

The witty dialogue and good story line makes this book hard to put down. I really could not stop reading it and was really tired the next day. It's also very satisfying to read about a girl heroine fighting the good fight. --Jeri

Beth, best known for strong heroines in her stories, this story is no exception. It is a tale of righteousness and overcoming adversity including magic. --Robert Mendak "RJ"

The book is a beautiful story about friendship, a heroine, and a quest to kill a dragon. Who wouldn't be excited? The entire concept sounded interesting and I was not at all disappointed. --Brittany, from Goodreads

Beth Barany has made a world where unlikely friendships rule and being a friend means more than you can know. --Tami, from goodreadG

From the Author

I was inspired to write Henrietta the Dragon Slayer (Book 1 of the Five Kingdom series) because all the fairy tales I read as a kid were always about boys as heroes: Jack the Giant Killer this, Jack and the Seven-Headed Giant that, and of course, Jack and the Beanstalk. 

Hey! I wanted to know what about Jill! Where's the girl hero? 

That is why I wrote Henrietta The Dragon Slayer. I wanted, and still want, to have my girl heroine fight the good fight and have adventures, and save the day. 

Even today I was researching heroic fantasy on Goodreads and found only stories by men written about men and boys. 

Again, I ask, "Where are the women and girls who are tough and can lead, and have to make the hard decisions, and yes, still be women?" (Whatever that means!)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 348 KB
• Print Length: 238 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Firewolf Books (February 24, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004P8K292
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,063 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Henrietta, The Dragon Slayer February 25, 2011

By LunaMoth

Format:Kindle Edition

Henrietta the dragon slayer is a charming book set in a fantasy world. Henrietta has slayed many dragons in her short life and has resigned not to take any more jobs, but when a pushy knight named Franc implores her to follow him to his lands and slay Mimoto the dragon she hesitates, until she learns her mentor, Master Chen is sick and only the Dragonitas from Mimoto can save him does she embark on her quest.

The cast of Henrietta, The dragon slayer consists of Henrietta, the firey warrior woman with a sharp tongue and stubborn attitude. The stoic and harsh knight Framc, Jaxter the jester and a witch-girl Paulette. Unlikely traveling companions, they mesh well and no personalities comflict with anothers. Each person has a distinct personality and I found myself really likeing them all.

As far as writing goes, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer is fluid, easy to read and reads well. There is no swearing and no sexual content, there is a little action but no bloodfests. Though it says 'dragon slayer' in the title, you wont see Henrietta fighting any, we hear of her exploits in Jaxters tales only. The world in which they reside is not explained in great detail but I did not mind this so much, Barany did not hamper the writing with telling about every single rock and tree the companions come across.

As far as young adult fantasies go, Henrietta, The Dragon Slayer is a good read that I think any age, teen to adult, would enjoy. I only hope a sequel is in the works!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Reading March 7, 2011

By Jeri

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Henrietta the Dragon Slayer is a magical fantasy novel with complex, well-rounded characters having adventures while dealing with their real life personality issues. Even though Henrietta has a great reputation as a great Dragon Slayer, she discovers a pacifist streak that makes her previous lifestyle difficult to continue. The witty dialogue and good story line makes this book hard to put down. I really could not stop reading it and was really tired the next day. (I never read fiction during the week - oops!) It's also very satisfying to read about a girl heroine fighting the good fight.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant find: YA will appeal to readers of all ages January 16, 2012

By Laura Dobbins

Format:Paperback

When I first starting reading this book I didn't believe it would hold my interest but the copy was beautifully proofed, the story well laid out and the writing a zestful pleasure. I would suggest you give this book a try even if YA or fantasy fiction isn't your taste. The story will hold your interest and you'll find yourself drawn to the characters.
The tale is about Henrietta, the legendary Dragon Slayer of the Kingdom of Bleuve, who can't stomach the thought of one more kill. Yet, in order to save her dying mentor, she must go on one last quest. Will her encounter with misfit companions and an egomaniacal king prevent her from reaching the end of her journey?
Read to find out, you'll be delightfully pleased.Henrietta The Dragon Slayer

More About the Author

Author and speaker, Beth Barany is the award-winning author HENRIETTA THE DRAGON SLAYER, a young adult fantasy novel, and book 1 of the Five Kingdom series. Book 2 is coming in Spring 2013.

A certified Creativity Coach, Beth Barany is also the bestselling author of The Writer's Adventure Guide: 12 Stages to Writing Your Book, and Overcome Writer's Block. She's recently released Twitter For Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers, the subject of her national and international talks.

She's been a columnist and editor at The National Networker, and a contributing author to several anthologies, including Writing Romance, a bestseller, and Creativity Coaching Success Stories.

She was the editor of When I Was There, the bestselling anthology of stories about life at UC Berkeley, 1960-2010, and is also the editor for the bestseller, Honest Medicine: Effective, Time-Tested, Inexpensive Treatments for Life-Threatening Diseases by Julia Schopick.

Beth Barany is now the editor and publisher of the Author Entrepreneurship Magazine, to help authors build and maintain successful careers.

Beth speaks to groups and conferences all over the San Francisco Bay Area, across the United States, and internationally. Typically who she works with are authors who ready to get their books completed and out into the world. She leads trainings to groups and associations to help authors get it done!

On her off hours, Beth enjoys gardening, training for a 5K, capoiera, playing with her two cats, Leo and Kitty, and watching movies with her husband, award-winning and bestselling author and singer/song writer, Ezra Barany.

While she speaks fluent French, all of her titles are currently in English.

More about Beth at www.bethbarany.com.