Thursday, June 21, 2012

Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

My Rating: 5/5


Synopsis from Goodreads: 


When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands….


Characters: 


I absolutely, positively LOVED Eragon. He's got this stubborn and determined demeanor that gave me chills throughout the story. Not at one point of the novel was he the type of hero to sit back and say, "Well okay, let's see how things turn out." What I adored about Eragon was his constant take charge attitude which could become quite annoying in some characters but the characteristic just worked for him. Sometimes, a story with even the greatest plot can fall short without a strong main character; something you won't have to worry about while reading this book. 


Review: 


I've never really been a huge Fantasy fan. Sure, Harry Potter is amazing and all but I was never so sure about reading others, believing that all fantastical plots were essentially the same in one way or another. Hence, I was pretty biased when I began this book, ready to not take it seriously and be disappointed. 














Oh boy, was I wrong! The story began immediately, with Eragon finding the egg and embarking on an adventure that had me literally on the edge of my seat throughout the course of reading this story. It all felt so real. Each emotion, each word, and each character nestled their way into my heart (yup, totally not being completely cheesy here Sidra). But seriously, that's how I felt. I felt so attached to Eragon. And the best part about the book? The connection between Eragon and his dragon! 






As strange as this sounds, it reminded me much of the connection between a child and his mother- which Eragon essentially is. The scenes between Eragon and his dragon literally had me going "Aw!" throughout the novel. So overall, I was never a huge Fantasy fan but this book completely changed the way I look at the genre of Fantasy not consisting Harry Potter. If there's anything that I didn't completely love about the book, it was probably the random page or two of (somewhat useless) details and description. But Paolini's magic with his words makes these few instances trivial. If you haven't read it yet, definitely do try it out! It's worth your time and effort, I can promise that! 


Find it on Goodreads

2 comments:

  1. I agree with you 100% I also really enjoyed this novel and it gets better as the novels continue on! Great blog :)
    Alex @ Possession of Books

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    1. Thank you SO much Alex! Yah, my brother just finished the series and keeps throwing me unwanted spoilers. So unfair! I can't wait to read the next installments though. Eragon's probably my second favorite YA Fantasy after Harry Potter!

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