Dragon Fire

by Pedro L. Alvarez

A tyrant, a dreamer, a warrior princess... and a dragon. Dragon Fire is the story of a farm boy yearning for something more out of life; a rebellious princess who wants to be seen as more than just a girl; and a wizard who is determined to change the course of a kingdom ruled by a ruthless king. Throw in secret pasts, power hungry knights, and a little romance and you find yourself in the middle of a coming-of-age tale set in a world where the young have no hope and the old no longer believe in magic. With compelling characters and vivid language, it is an action-packed story of romance, hope, sacrifice, and the most unlikely of heroes. * Finalist - 2018 UNO Press Publishing Lab Prize

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Pedro L. Alvarez is a Cuban-born writer who immigrated with his parents to the United States at the age of 8. He grew up in West New York, NJ where he first discovered the joys of reading and writing short stories.

His highly anticipated first book, "Dragon Fire," was published in January, 2012.


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Reviews

[Midu Hadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book for free, in exchange of an honest review, from Making Connections. Get your copy here.

What I liked:

The book wasn't too long and the story was fast paced.


What I didn't like:

I couldn't connect with any of the characters throughout the book.

the last battle between the rebels and the king's forces-it should have been so much better.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written prose but a few problems for me. Then again, I tend towards YA which is about 180 from this epic style of fantasy.

[Jen Rattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a true fantasy novel in a couple of years so when I got the chance to review one I jumped at it. Dragon Fire is a truly a good story. The author is a definite word smith and can create a picture in your head very vividly. It has the making of a true adventure story. A wizard, a simple farm boy and a rebellious princess find themselves smack-dab in the center of a old prophecy. Boy(Declan) wants more from his life- to win a contest and become a squire, girl(Aria) wants to be seen as more than just a girl and the wizard (Galyan) who determined that the boy fulfill his destiny. Throw in secret pasts, power hungry knights and a little romance (between Declan and Aria) and you will be hooked. I finished the book in a day and a half, mostly in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. For a first time novelist Pedro did a fantastic job and I will definitely be reading anything else he writes!

[Jade Varden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pedro Alvarez is proof that some indie authors are the real deal. His writing is perfect, his formatting beautiful and his words well-chosen. For these reasons alone, I'd recommended Dragon Fire, but the truth is this story would be strong even with bad grammar and misplaced punctuation.

I fell in love right away with Alvarez's fictional kingdom and empathized with the plight of the main characters. He seamlessly blends together elements of magic, mystery, romance, action and adventure into one perfect tapestry to create a story that went places I didn't expect. I laughed, cheered, gasped and teared up at different points throughout the story. Even as a reader who doesn't reach for the fantasy shelf often, I loved Dragon Fire from beginning to end.

[Flowbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure, the author is a good friend of mine.

Pedro gave me the first few chapters of this book several years ago. Since then I have relentlessly pestered him to finish the book. After numerous rewrites and quite a number of years, I was thrilled that the book was published. (Particularly because it meant I could FINALLY read past chapter 35).

The story started off straight forward enough, and you can almost see the end in chapter 1... Two young men embark on a journey to save the world. But that's not quite how the story plays out. I enjoyed being surprised by the little twist Pedro put on the typical fantasy novel.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delcan wants nothing more than win the Flarian Festival and earn a place as a squire. His world suddenly gets turned upside down when he discovers his father’s secret past. To top it off he falls in love with the princess, Aria.

This is a coming of age story with a little romance, some adventure, lots of fantasy (what a great new world Mr. Alvarez creates), action, magic and mystery. There are some interesting twists and in the end Dragon Fire is a fun fantasy read.

This copy of Dragon Fire was given to me by Goodreads Making Connections Group and Pedro L. Alvarez in exchange for an honest review.

[Bonnie Colvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute wonder! In the company of Christopher Paolini and Terry Brooks. I loved this story of Kings, dragons, squires, knights, wizards and of course a prophecy. "Can a foolish squire, a dreaming princess and an old knight" reclaim a kingdom? Declan is a farmer's son who lives far away from the kindgom of Paraysia, but dreams of becoming a squire. So Declan and his best friend Sandrion start a journey to the kingdom for a competition that would allow them to become a "squire in training" under a powerful seasoned knight. Along comes the princess Aria and things begin to change. Deceite, rebellion, prophecy coming true? Wonderful story I really didn't want it to end.

[Rafael · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you put it down mid-way - there is something wrong with your imagination. Fantastic read !

[Martha Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, lovely fantasy story.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

🚨Spoiler Alert🚨

This is a cookie cutter, coming of age, fantasy novel. The peasant hero becomes a knight, is saved by a dragon, falls in love with the princess, saves the kingdom from the evil king, and lives happily ever after.

This is a quick enjoyable read with a fairy tale ending. There are no surprises or any real depth. A fine example of a traditional fantasy.

[Lisa Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is wonderful. The author's imagination is fresh and vibrant. The characters are done well. The plot and action are also done well with a few places that are truly fresh and surprising. I would never use the word "formula" to describe this fantasy book.

There are some passages that are truly beautifully written, but then there are lots of others that make my teeth grind, especially when the word choice is just plain discordant. That's when I put the book down and go read something else for a while. It's a beautiful story that would benefit from some general cleaning up that an editor's eye could bring to it.

I find myself very conflicted about my opinion of the book. On the one hand, I couldn't wait for it to be over so I would cease to come across those messed up passages, but on the other hand, I couldn't just stop reading because I had come to care about the characters and the land of Paraysia enough that I had to know how it ended.

All in all, it wasn't as enjoyable a reading experience as I wanted, but the imagery and ideas were impressive.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the author's first book and I hope to read more. Great characters, action, and story. Has all the aspects of a good fantasy book. To make it a 5 star book, there needed more world building and a little more depth but still a great fantasy read.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well worth reading I'd give it 3 1/2 . Would have liked a little more content.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this free kindle book.

Content:
It was a clean read with a little adventure, a little fantasy, and a little romance. I do admit that I skipped over most of the fight scenes.

[Cindy Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a quick and entertaining book.