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Dragon Slayer of Trondheim

(The Story of Owen #1)

E.K. Johnston (Goodreads Author)

3.74 · Rating details · 2,791 ratings · 594 reviews

Listen! For I sing of Owen Thorskard: valiant of heart, hopeless at algebra, last in a long line of legendary dragon slayers. Though he had few years and was not built for football, he stood between the town of Trondheim and creatures that threatened its survival. There have always been dragons. As far back as history is told, men and women have fought them, loyally defend ...more

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Hardcover, 312 pages

Published March 1st 2014 by Carolrhoda Books

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Start your review of Dragon Slayer of Trondheim (The Story of Owen, #1)

Nov 17, 2013 paula rated it it was amazing

Shelves: great-books-for-middle-grade, great-books-for-teens, favorites, young-adult

I will write more about this book closer to its pub date, (full review on Pink Me http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...) but here is the quick version - SO GREAT. Unusually, spectacularly great. Very assured for a first novel. Full of banter and heart and imagination, but also terrifically grounded in the real world.

I will give it to my 12-year-old son, I will give it to my friend's 14-year-old daughter, it will be perfect for a large large number of teens, especially those who think romance ...more

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Sep 14, 2014 Beth rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed

Weirdly, I like the idea of this a lot more than I like the actual book.

Here's my main problem with this book: the plotting is a mess. It hinges on a pretty ridiculous supposition, it's got dangling threads all over the place, and two fairly central characters apparently are allergic to each other.

It hinges on the idea that our protagonist, the girl Owen coincidentally meets, not only has the musical talent to be a bard, but also the people skills - and the will to commit to it. A month after s Weirdly, I like the idea of this a lot more than I like the actual book.

Here's my main problem with this book: the plotting is a mess. It hinges on a pretty ridiculous supposition, it's got dangling threads all over the place, and two fairly central characters apparently are allergic to each other.

It hinges on the idea that our protagonist, the girl Owen coincidentally meets, not only has the musical talent to be a bard, but also the people skills - and the will to commit to it. A month after she meets him. I didn't buy that.

The story also has dangling threads, which is partly a plot problem and partly a narration problem. Short break to talk about the narration: it's one thing to reframe the narrative for the media; I suppose the constant backtracking is a clever way to illustrate Siobhan's job. But there's no real reason to do that for the reader, and it creates a distance that ultimately harms the book. (A few parts of this book are clever. When clever is distancing, though, it doesn't serve the story.) It also creates those dangling threads, mostly when Siobhan teases events that never happen - which is something that happens oddly frequently.

Also:

Mother and I have been rather like figures in those toy houses that indicate the weather. You know, one person comes out when it's fine and the other when it's wet, but never both at the same time.

That's from Gemma Alone by Noel Streatfield, but it can be applied just as easily to Sadie and Emily, who switch places as Owen and Siobhan's third wheel often and with no explanation for their absences. It's awkward.

I suppose another big way this book didn't work for me can be gleaned from the title, which is perfect for a bard telling a story. This is not supposed to be about Siobhan, but it is, and while that might be a telling referendum on teenagers, I mostly find it indicative of the book's confused approach. Is she a bard, or isn't she? Shouldn't her point of view perspective - narrating from the future, retelling the past - show her mastery of her job? Why doesn't it?

And I have to say, I am not a fan of the conclusion. (view spoiler)

Ultimately, in execution, The Story of Owen had too many problems for me to enjoy. ...more

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Feb 11, 2016 Pinky rated it liked it

I really wish I could have liked this book more because the idea of it was so interesting and I loved the world. But I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. I had a hard time rating this book because it was unique, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. I mean, I feel like I would have liked it better if I was comfortable with the writing style.

If someone were to ask me what I thought of this book, this would be my reaction:

“There was, apparently, no honor in driver's ed.”

This book is ...more

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May 08, 2014 Melissa McShane rated it really liked it

Shelves: action-adventure, own, fantasy, young-adult-fantasy

It took me a really, really long time to get through this, probably longer than was warranted by the quality of the story. Much as I admired it (hence the four stars) I never really felt connected to it; it was a beautiful story, with a beautiful sense of place and history and intriguing characters, but I think it's Siobhan's telling of the story, and her frequent insertion of historical detail, that kept it at a remove from me. Or it was a result of taking so long to read it. In any case, I fou It took me a really, really long time to get through this, probably longer than was warranted by the quality of the story. Much as I admired it (hence the four stars) I never really felt connected to it; it was a beautiful story, with a beautiful sense of place and history and intriguing characters, but I think it's Siobhan's telling of the story, and her frequent insertion of historical detail, that kept it at a remove from me. Or it was a result of taking so long to read it. In any case, I found myself looking at it more critically than I think was really warranted, and I regretted not just falling into it more completely.

The thing is, I don't think this is The Story of Owen at all.

I loved the history of a world populated by dragons, non-sapient monsters with a lust for carbon coexisting with humans. Johnston's rewriting of history to explain certain events as involving dragons was really good. I wasn't as fond of how Siobhan kept interrupting the story to put in these historical details, some of which didn't function to advance the main story at all. I got the feeling that Johnston wanted to be sure readers were aware of how much worldbuilding she'd done. I can see why she did it that way; those sections were definitely bardic tales, and that's Siobhan's job, to be the bard, I just don't think they were as well integrated as they should have been. The end result is that the book becomes The Story of the Draconic World--here's the history of how dragons and humans have interacted over time. Yes, it's very interesting, but what it has to do with Owen is rather tangential, in the sense that he is here and has the role he does because of that history. So there's one way in which the book isn't his story.

In fact, I think you could arguably say this is The Story of Siobhan, who is the primary mover in the book. For someone who's meant to record and dramatize the actions of her dragon slayer, she's not at all passive, and from the beginning when she takes charge of the battle re-creation in their history class, she's shown to be more than just a follower. And in the climax of the story, it's Siobhan and not Owen who makes the greatest sacrifice.

Which all sounds extremely negative and critical, I know. But what makes all this interesting is that the book ends up being not the story of anyone in particular (though it is that, too) but the story of myth and how it's made. There's a strong recurring theme of the need for storytellers as something more than just P.R. hacks, of story and myth as power rather than a way of shaping truth to be what you want it to be. Some of the most effective scenes are when Siobhan tells the story of some event and then says "but that's not what happened at all." We get to see the difference between how she "creates" the event and the facts of the event, but more importantly, why she shaped the myth the way she did and how that myth makes Owen a better dragon slayer than if the simple facts were known. This gives a framework to the book that lets all those lesser stories, of Owen and Siobhan and Lottie and even Sadie (I like Sadie) coexist.

I like how much the teens sound like teenagers who are caught in a dangerous world--still teens, but forced into a state of greater responsibility. I like Owen's relationship with his bard and how there's no romance there. I like the emphasis on family and how different Owen's family is from Siobhan's, and how each of them has been shaped by their respective families. I didn't get the sense that there was more story to be told here, but I wouldn't mind a sequel, given how much work Johnston has put into the worldbuilding and how much I would like to feel more emotionally connected to it. It's an excellent story, with a depth that overcomes some of its flaws (like occasional rough spots in the prose and sentences that seem disconnected from the rest of the story) and I enjoyed reading it. ...more

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Feb 18, 2014 Hallie rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, fantasy

I think, to answer the question posed by the review form, that I really want to see the discussion when friends have read this one. That desire is not the only reason I'm hoping lots of friends do read it, because I think it's unusual and interesting and not perfect but mostly in ways that make me eager to discuss, rather than frustrated and bored. In no particular order, some thoughts: (Oh, but first - if you are like me, you will be confused by the subtitle "Dragon Slayer of Trondheim", or ope I think, to answer the question posed by the review form, that I really want to see the discussion when friends have read this one. That desire is not the only reason I'm hoping lots of friends do read it, because I think it's unusual and interesting and not perfect but mostly in ways that make me eager to discuss, rather than frustrated and bored. In no particular order, some thoughts: (Oh, but first - if you are like me, you will be confused by the subtitle "Dragon Slayer of Trondheim", or opening line: "before the Thorskards came to Trondheim..." because you'll think Norway. It's not set in Norway, but in rural Canada!)

1) It's a gorgeous book. Beautiful cover - really, for the cover alone I'd say do anything you can to read print book rather than ebook - and cool little ink drawings of dragons for new chapters. That gorgeous hardcover book aspect has a drawback, though, as I'm afraid it made the number of typos and grammatical errors and the like stand out more glaringly. (I feel especially mean saying this, as I saw that there was to be a sequel and went to check the author's page here, which led to Twitter, where the first thing I saw was her cringing about having spotted a typo. I'm sorry - will happily blame publishers rather than author, or whatever, but it is a bit of a problem.) As well as that, Siobhan, the narrator, draws attention to correct prose in the very beginning, when her teacher says "At least you've nowhere to go but up" and she thinks that she can't fault him for giving her detention "regardless of how I felt about an English teacher abusing prepositions." Unfortunately, 2 pages later her history teacher says "You're him, then?" to Owen, which passes unremarked. The number of mistakes and typos isn't huge, but there are more than a few.

2) It's different! Really - betcha most friends would think YA fantasy - high school -> romance. If not love-triangle, high-school angst, friendship drama. Of course, I love a good bit of romance in a YA fantasy, when there's plenty of story and none of the usual annoyances, and expected to enjoy it here, to be surprised at the lack. There's absolutely a good resolution to the story at the end of the book, so I want that to be very clear when I say that I'm very intrigued to see whether Siobhan remains -- uninvolved in any romantic relationship in the next book. Only a little more behind the spoiler, but just being careful. (view spoiler)

3) The things I loved, aside from the above, include the main two characters themselves, Siobhan and Owen, and the bond of loyalty that grows between them. They're likeable and funny and talented in their different ways, without ever feeling unrealistically good. I loved the way that Siobhan is the one telling (occasionally with musical accompaniment, but not as much as you might expect) the story of Owen, and figuring out how she can do what she needs to do to help him, while the whole story is hers as well. Especially at the end, and that kind of quiet heroism gets me every time. Between them, Owen and Siobhan have six parents (and not a step among them - you'll have to read to find out!) and they're all great too, and again, it's believable. In fact, there really aren't any horrible people, though various individuals and groups do oppose what the Thorskard clan is trying to do - there are dragons of course, so there's plenty of threat.

4) Just as I felt that the book needed another proofreading pass for prose, I also think it could occasionally have done with another pass for tightening up some underlying history and concepts. This is a little harder to explain, and impossible without some degree of spoiling, but one example I can kind of give. Throughout the book there are sections in which Siobhan tells us the history of the world (which is our world plus dragons, from early times) and sometimes it's just fantastic - Queen Victoria's having made Britain's dragon-slayers work together to clear a breeding grounds that blocked the route to Scotland, for example. I really liked the book's version of the story of Eloise (a young dragon slayer of prominent bloodline) and Abelard (hired by her family to train her, as was the custom of the time). The story, according to Siobhan, missed the important fact that neither of them had done anything wrong - they were married and when Eloise got pregnant, they'd have produced another dragon slayer for France, so should have been a good thing. Anyway, by the 1950s, the approved norm was that dragon slayers should only marry after they've retired, and of course, the obvious cost of this model to the world's pool of dragon slayers had followed. Until Lottie - whose fame made her "nearly untouchable" - and her marriage and raising of a child while still young helped to "rewrite perceptions [...] of what it meant to be a modern Canadian dragon slayer." Which was making me so happy as I was reading this section - it's just cool on many levels. Except what comes next kind of spoiled the coolness and makes no sense - it says that "Lottie was not the only person pushing for change. Like Alexander the Great or Caesar, her voice was simply singing in the right place at the right time. Those before her had paved the way, and those who followed would pay for what changes she fought to make." ... uh, no? Next paragraph (following on from "no one could stop her): "What they could do, of course, was set up obstacles for those of us who came after. I escaped the worst of it, but the same cannot be said of (view spoiler)." Not only does it not make sense, but also seems as if maybe it was left over from an earlier draft of the book, because that part of the line behind the spoiler isn't at all resolved/explained/finished in this one, and it's such a pity.

5. Back to the cool side, there's the way we have both a comic-book superhero feel to the dragon slayers, especially Lottie in her famous last fight, and the older "I sing of ..." bardic tradition. I loved that aspect hard, but underlying it, there's a more disturbing level of the story which is about how narrative can shape belief and behaviour patterns. Siobhan isn't just supposed to be at Owen's side for good PR to make him more famous, but is supposed to manipulate the stories of his dragon encounters to help Lottie (primarily, although the others are firmly behind her views) change society in ways that she thinks will be beneficial. There's nothing at all of greed for personal power in these goals, as she's utterly without the desire for power in the forms in which it usually presents. Still. Small aside here for anyone who's read the book already. (view spoiler) Still, I'll be very interested to see how it plays out.

6. Finally, in the acknowledgments the author thanks her editor, who said "You've kind of written a Socialist Tract", which I found utterly baffling. Possibly neither of them has read a tract of any flavour in a while, as this has nothing of the didactic nature most people think of when they call something a tract. But, still flummoxed at the idea that people choosing to serve others in a way that's deeply needed, and doing so with the knowledge that they could achieve much more money and social standing by going to the big cities -- looks like socialism? Maybe it looks more like it if you have no feeling for rural traditions that kind of parallel this one? Or just people who choose a way of life for any reason other than the amount of money they'll make, I guess. Would appreciate explanation of this, if anyone has one, but the statement certainly didn't change my appreciation or enjoyment of the book, so it's just curiosity that made me mention it! ...more

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May 23, 2016 First Second Books added it

Shelves: gina

In an alternate reality that's full of dragons (think Naomi Novik's Temeraire, but all the dragons are wild and it's the current day), almost no one thinks it's time for a teen girl bard to swoop in and save the day. But -- they'd all be wrong, and this YA novel is amazing because of it. ...more

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Aug 06, 2014 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: youngadult, dragons

So FUN!

Such an interesting premise! It's an alternate history in which dragons regularly ravage the world, and are fought off by trained dragon slayers. Dragon slaying has become sort of a paramilitary job, and one family in Canada wants to break free and sort of bring back the glory days. They do this by pairing up their young dragon slayer in training, Owen, with a schoolmate, the musically gifted Siobhan. Siobhan will be Owen's bard, and will tell stories and write songs about his deeds and t ...more

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Oct 15, 2014 Patricia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2014, ya-books, book-group-selection, good-modern-fiction, mock-printz

4/1/18
Read for Family Book Group
While my second reading of this book was just as delightful as the first, the Family Book Group discussion was very polarized with about half of the group disliking the story intensely. Reasons for their disinterested: nothing happens (so not true!) and the dragon slayers are the bad people (missing the dragons=climate change connection, and actively rejecting it when presented with it). Our ratings were siloed at the zero level and at the 9-10 level, with only o ...more

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Aug 31, 2013 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-fantasy

This book is just so funny, warm, and just lovable in every way. Dragon-slayers in modern Canada! And the wry, deadpan voice of the narrator, Siobhan (Owen's bard, a wonderfully geeky, music- and history-obsessed girl whom I - surprise, surprise! - adore) is my favorite part of the whole book. (In different ways, the writing style reminds me a bit of Connie Willis and a bit of Robin McKinley in her contemporary, SUNSHINE/SHADOWS mode, but really, it's just original and heartfelt and funny and pe ...more

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Oct 11, 2016 Joseph Pickell rated it liked it

As a general rule, I do not enjoy fantasy that takes place in the contemporary world. However, the author did a better job than most making it believable. Her short rewrites of historical events to include dragons were the most interesting part of the book for me.

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Dec 15, 2014 Lesley rated it liked it

I know it's not cool to "review" a book you didn't finish, so please take this with a huge grain of salt. I wish Goodreads had a separate category for DNF and categories for why you couldn't keep going so they could be separate from the actual reviews.

I was intrigued by what I'd read about the narrator telling different versions of the story, but just couldn't get past a logic obstacle. At first, I was thrown by the question of why people don't just blow dragons up with missiles, but I read som ...more

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Dec 03, 2014 Laina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, fantasy, high-school, morris-award, lgbtq, alternate-history, 2015-books

I really, really enjoyed this book.

First and foremost, this is a really unique take on dragons and dragon tales. Owen, Siobhan, and their families live in the real world, as it is today, in rural Canada. Nothing has changed. History has all still occurred exactly as it really did. Except that there are dragons. So sometimes the history occurred in a slightly different way or for a slightly different reason. It's a very cool idea. Because of this, Owen and Siobhan are basically normal high schoo I really, really enjoyed this book.

First and foremost, this is a really unique take on dragons and dragon tales. Owen, Siobhan, and their families live in the real world, as it is today, in rural Canada. Nothing has changed. History has all still occurred exactly as it really did. Except that there are dragons. So sometimes the history occurred in a slightly different way or for a slightly different reason. It's a very cool idea. Because of this, Owen and Siobhan are basically normal high school students by day. They meet because they are both late to first period on the first day of school. Owen sucks at math. Siobhan spends most of her day in the music room rather than in the cafeteria because...well cafeterias sucks. For real. Siobhan doesn't understand what's happening when she is suddenly more popular than before. It's just generally a really great premise for a story. Normal high school students have to deal with dragons.

Because of the very real-life setting, Johnston manages to skip the sort of thing where the dragons are basically symbols for all the obstacles teenagers have to deal with. I'm totally fine with symbolism, but it's nice (and again, unique) that the characters actually have real-life obstacles, and the dragons are just extra. Siobhan actually addresses this near the beginning: "Even as I thought it, though, I realized that I wasn't sure if I had meant actual dragons or the more pernicious, high school cafeteria kind."

Equally important to the setting, I think, is the friendship between Owen and Siobhan. And I do mean friendship. They are friends, nothing more, and with nothing to suggest that it ever will be or should be more. FINALLY. They 100%, absolutely need each other, but not in a romantic way. It's basically the archetypal hero and soulmate; Owen and Siobhan need what the other one knows or has in order to be successful. But they are also hero and sidekick, and there is an argument to be made here that Siobhan is sometimes the hero and the Owen the sidekick, depending on what's happening. It's a really beautiful back and forth that they have going on. I've been talking about the rise of romance in YA books recently, and how many of the characters love each other romantically in a way that feels like they are doing it because they don't know that they're allowed to just be friends. They're hero and soulmate, and therefore it has to be romantic. Both this and The Rithmatist did a really amazing job on the friendships between the main characters.

Actually, one of my favorite moments from this book is near the end, when, while on their way to fight a dragon, Owen asks Siobhan whether she thinks it would be okay for him to ask Sadie out. It's a very real moment; the heroes are heading straight into danger but Owen has a very real-life problem going on and wants to talk about it. Siobhan even asks "Really? Now?" But the best part is her internal reaction: "I was profoundly relieved that he wasn't harboring unspoken feelings for me. I really didn't know what I would have done with that, and we were about to face extreme danger together, which, as fiction has shown me, often brings out inconvenient feelings in even the most levelheaded of people." YES. SO MUCH YES. Thank you, E.K. Johnston, for letting your awesome character call out your fellow authors so subtly.

Sidebar: Along those lines of subtly calling people out, it took me til around page 100 to realize there was a gay character. It's beautifully done.

This next thing is sort of a spoiler, so I will block it out. It actually doesn't give anything away as far as what happens, but how I felt about it is sort of a spoiler. (view spoiler)

Overall, this whole book is very well done and I completely understand why it's been shortlisted for the Morris award. I'd read the second one right now.

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed." -G.K. Chesterton ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 Jana at ThatArtsyReaderGirl.com rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-for-mlis

This book was a required read for my Young Adult Literature class as part of my MLIS program.

So… I’m not going to write a formal review of The Story of Owen. I’m just going to post my thoughts that I wrote for a couple assignments in my class. Unfortunately, this book was not my favorite. Its had its moments, but overall I had some complaints I could not reconcile.

1. It started out very slowly for me, and never really picked up very much. Maybe things were a bit slow going because the author too ...more

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Dec 15, 2013 Chandra Rooney rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2013

I received an ARC through NetGalley after the author told me she'd written a CanLit Pacific Rim but without the robots. Of course, I'm going to be all over that like a dragon on a smoke stack.

The Story of Owen is CanLit in its sensibilities and its humour and its completely illustrated view of what it's like to grow up in rural Canada. Also it has dragons, and swordplay, and a cast of characters you will love.

If you enjoyed The Curse Workers by Holly Black or The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton then y ...more

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Jan 19, 2016 Renata rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, ya

This book is definitely unique. I've never read anything quite like it. The matter-of-fact blend of industrial history and dragons (who love to eat carbon and thus their population has blossomed with industrialization) is pretty cool.

I picked this up to potentially booktalk to 7th/8th graders and I'm just not sure... content-wise it's fine, no sex, some dragon violence, very Canadian language... but it's very sophisticated and I feel like a lot of kids that age might not quite pick up the alter ...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Amanda rated it did not like it

Shelves: oh-my-teen-book-group

Interesting concept, but D-U-L-L. Notice any exclamation points? T'was that bored. ...more

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Feb 16, 2015 Becky rated it it was amazing

Okay, hang on...

Good to go now. That was really stressful, and no small amount of heartbreaking.

This is an amazing book. If it was murder horses instead of dragons it would be 100% my aesthetic, because DAMN. It's got diversity, Canadian pride, music and folklore, rural small towns... Everything I could want!
It's basically a book about my childhood and youth, right down to the mention of Junior Farmers (although I did 4-H instead) and using broken hockey sticks as swords. While I did not grow ...more

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Jun 27, 2014 Kathy rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, fantasy

I liked the adventure and the exploration of how true (or not, or incompletely) storytelling can be. I also liked that unusually there was no romantic element: The female narrator makes it clear that neither she nor Owen are interested in such a relationship on top of their friendship. The convoluted narrative line was confusing after a while, though, and the insertion of dragons and their dangers into our world's history worked as a metaphor for pollution (dragons are attracted to carbon emissi ...more

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Aug 06, 2014 Miss Clark rated it really liked it

Recommended to Miss Clark by: R. J. Anderson

Shelves: modern-presentday, adventure, au-alternate-timeline

3.5 stars

Inventive and original, I enjoyed the story and the characters. A lot. Owen and Siobhan were wonderful and their friendship was a delight to watch develop. I thoroughly liked the premise of a modern dragonslayer and all the changes that would bring to our world should dragons be roaming the earth.

I wondered what it would be like - to lose something you love so much and have to live surrounded by constant reminders of it. I hoped that I would never find out.

Foreshadowing, much? As soon ...more

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Nov 18, 2013 Monica Edinger rated it really liked it

Witty, clever, and all in all, delightful. Excellent world-building. Enjoyed it very much.

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Dec 15, 2020 Katie Hanna rated it really liked it

Okay ummmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

I genuinely enjoyed most of this book, but was vaguely disquieted & disappointed by the ending. I thought it was a standalone, which felt weird because the final chapters were so unsatisfying?? Turns out, The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim is the first book in a duology, and there's a REASON the ending feels disturbing, because it's setting up for Book 2, which (according to a brief internet search) promises to be EVEN MORE DISTURBING.

Knowing that, I don't ha ...more

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May 08, 2014 Andree rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014

I seem to be having an issue with endings lately. It's annoying.

I was going to leave a much longer review to this book, but I'm probably not now, because I'm vaguely sad. I absolutely adored 99% of this review. To the extent that I was sure that this review was going to start with "I LOVE THIS."

You will have no doubt noticed that this review did not start that way.

It's not even a bad ending. It's probably the most appropriate ending there could have been, given the themes of the book, the way it I seem to be having an issue with endings lately. It's annoying.

I was going to leave a much longer review to this book, but I'm probably not now, because I'm vaguely sad. I absolutely adored 99% of this review. To the extent that I was sure that this review was going to start with "I LOVE THIS."

You will have no doubt noticed that this review did not start that way.

It's not even a bad ending. It's probably the most appropriate ending there could have been, given the themes of the book, the way it deals with narrative, and the role of "truth" in the stories we tell.

I really love the concept of this book. I love the idea of bard and dragonslayer in rural Ontario. For most of the book I was sitting there geeking out over the setting, because this book is so very Canadian and it gets it so right. The references to Hamilton are hilarious to someone who knows the city (note to all non-Canadians: Hamilton is not generally considered a very glamourous place to live, though the city really does have some lovely parts to it). I love all the details of the history. I love that Queen Victoria chose the site of Ottawa because she hoped the dragon hatching grounds of Eastern Ontario (does that mean no Kingston???) might protect it from the U.S. what with the war of 1812 and such (there is a reason Ottawa is one of the few Canadian cities of reasonable size that does not hug the American border). I love that the UN apparently becomes the Pearson Oil Watch. I love that in this book the threat of increased carbon emissions as a result of the industrial revolution isn't climate change, but DRAGONS. I think it's super clever that Michigan is apparently a wasteland.

I just love the world.

And the whole thing really is so very Canadian, to the extent that I'm wondering how funny non-Canadians would find it. I could not stop laughing at the fact that apparently "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is apparently a song about a lost oil tanker in Lake Superior. HEE. (Although, I'm curious as to the reference to "13 provinces and 3 territories." Since none of the new provinces were mentioned, I'm assuming that's an error and it was mean to read "13 provinces an territories.") It's so very, very small-town Ontario. (At first I thought "Trondheim" might be Owen Sound, but it's not actually in the right place.)

I think everything about the world is clever. And the characters are so much fun. Hooray for competent teachers! And semi-antisocial characters who feel no need to apologize for it and aren't shamed for it on every second page. Also yay for female friendships that are refreshingly non-annoying!

I did find Siobhan as Owen's bard was a little rushed. There was no explanation as to how everyone knew it would work. It just did. And I was okay with that, but in hidnsight, now that my little bubble of joy that I lived in while reading this has been shattered, I'm noticing it.

And the ending... (view spoiler)

I'm going to have to stop thinking about this, because the more I do, the less I like it. And that's the most irritating part.

Look, I said it before and I'll say it again, objectively it probably is a good ending. But I think I hate it. ...more

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Aug 17, 2014 Brandy Painter rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, contemporary-fiction, young-adult

Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

I waited too long to read this book. Seriously. When it came out back in March, I was intrigued. Many people I trust said read this. It's good. Why did I wait so long? The Story of Owen by E.K. Johnston is a perfect blend of myth, reality, sly humor, and exhilarating action-adventure.

As the title implies, this is the story of Owen, a teenage dragon-slayer-in-training who helps guard the small town of Trondheim from dragons while trying to Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

I waited too long to read this book. Seriously. When it came out back in March, I was intrigued. Many people I trust said read this. It's good. Why did I wait so long? The Story of Owen by E.K. Johnston is a perfect blend of myth, reality, sly humor, and exhilarating action-adventure.

As the title implies, this is the story of Owen, a teenage dragon-slayer-in-training who helps guard the small town of Trondheim from dragons while trying to pass Algebra. Yet this isn't just the story of Owen. In fact, it isn't even mostly the story of Owen. It is really the story of Siobhan, the gifted musician who Owen encounters on his first day at his new school when they are both late for English. Like it was fated. Except not that kind of fated. Siobhan's talent makes her the perfect partner for Owen. Even though the tradition has long since died, every good dragon-slayer needs a good bard and Owen and Siobhan are about to resurrect the art. Siobhan is the one telling this story, in a voice that is both straightforward and trickily slides away from the telling the whole truth at the same time. The Siobhan telling the story is telling it from somewhere in the future. The writing is well done and has a dry wry wit that is subversive and oh so well balanced. I like both Siobhan and Owen, but I really like their partnership and how we see it unfold and grow. Their loyalty towards each grows in a natural way as the book progresses as does the strength of their companionship. And I love that is all their relationship is. I hope it stays that way in the future volumes. I love romance and am hopeful that there will be some eventually, but not between the two of them. One other thing I appreciated about both of them is that they are not super-heroes. They are kids who are talented yes, but who work at what they are good at to make themselves even better. And they work hard. I also really liked the supporting cast of characters, particularly Owen's aunts, Lottie and Hannah. I do feel that Siobhan is lacking in emotional depth enough that she kept me too removed from the story. I think that is probably due to the device of her being a bard and telling the story from the future, carrying we only know what baggage, wounds, and heartache. But it felt as though she didn't feel strongly enough about anything or anyone. Even the descriptions of her music have a vaguely detached air (which makes a bit more sense at the end), but the effect of all that was I wanted to know everyone and feel this story more deeply than I did. That is my one and only complaint though.

The world-builiding here is excellent. It is our world set in modern times with all our modern gadgets and technology. The difference? Dragons. Dragons have been a scourge on humanity in this alternate world for all of history but with the beginning of the age of modern industrialization they became an even bigger scourge. Dragons, you see, crave carbon fuels. It's like candy for them and they instinctively seek out anywhere they can find it. Cities with factories, roads with cars, water with boats, if you are anywhere these things are chances are you will be attacked by a dragon. The political ramifications of this are so well done, and Johnston raises so many provocative questions about our own world and how things are managed through them. Siobhan, Owen, his family, and some of their friends are trying to change the way the world works, but change does not come easy or free. I enjoyed how the world-building was so detailed throwing in so much history, not only maintaining my interest as a reader, but heightening it. It is also through the world-building that the major themes are developed. One thing that is highlighted is how easy media and history are to manipulate and I appreciated that aspect particularly. Siobhan is not just there to be a cheerleader for Owen, she is in charge of shaping perception not just about him, but dragon-slayers in general, and advancing the political and social causes their group deem important. It's fascinating stuff.

The writing brings this world to vivid life. What I felt it was lacking in character emotion, it more than made up for in terms of top rate plotting. The humor in the book is dry and tongue-in-cheek, something else I truly appreciated.

I highly recommend this for all fans of fantasy, particularly if you enjoy a good Nordic tale retold. It has all the feel of Beowulf, while being set in the present time. Truly excellent. ...more

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Nov 12, 2015 Adriyanna Zimmermann rated it really liked it

The Story of Owen by E.K. Johnston has a really interesting dynamic: dragons and dragon slayers in modern-day Ontario (Canada). I don’t think I originally read the summary quite right because I expected medieval times so it was fantastic being introduced to this alternate timeline. Johnston gets bonus points for setting her story in Ontario and somewhat near (give or take) to where I live. I found the main character, Siobhan very likeable and Johnston’s book has that feel-good ending to it.

The b The Story of Owen by E.K. Johnston has a really interesting dynamic: dragons and dragon slayers in modern-day Ontario (Canada). I don’t think I originally read the summary quite right because I expected medieval times so it was fantastic being introduced to this alternate timeline. Johnston gets bonus points for setting her story in Ontario and somewhat near (give or take) to where I live. I found the main character, Siobhan very likeable and Johnston’s book has that feel-good ending to it.

The book for the most part takes place in a small town called Trondheim, and having grown up in a small town, it was really easy to imagine. I’d actually imagine Siobhan and Owen in my old high school, so Johnston’s book had that extra interactive element to it, at least for me. The first couple chapters mentioned Toronto, and how the city fit into the dragon slayer dynamic. I loved hearing about something I’m familiar with combined with dragons. My favourite part was reading about Lottie, Owen’s aunt, going to the top of the CN tower to watch for dragons. I also loved that the author didn’t info dump. Being an alternate timeline, the author mentions historical events and how they’ve been changed by dragons, but only when relevant to the plot.

I loved reading Siobhan’s commentary throughout the book. Her humour was one of the things I instantly liked about her, and I could also see her as a normal teenager – well, as normal as can be when there’s dragons involved. I connected with Siobhan a lot and felt we had very similar personalities. Sometimes I did drift off, but I think mainly because the voice is better suited for someone a couple years younger than me.

Owen was an intriguing character to get to know. His father and aunt are dragon slaying legacies and he has a lot of expectations from other people – will he become a dragon slayer, will he be good at it, etc. Moving to a small town and meeting Siobhan was exactly the thing he needed. I loved how the two grew together and it’s through each other they find things like friendship and confidence. I actually half-expected romance to happen between the two and was pleasantly surprised when that didn’t happen. I wouldn’t have minded if romance had happened, but it was a surprise. Owen and Siobhan have a really endearing friendship; the two come together to break each other out of their shells and discover new things about themselves and the people around them. This was that feel-good ending – I was completely satisfied with the ending.

The Story of Owen is about Siobhan, a music lover, becoming Owen’s bard and telling his story as a dragon slayer – as well as going on dragon slaying adventures and figuring out a few mysteries. This book is the complete version of Owen’s tale and I loved that Siobhan is honest to the reader, letting him/her know how she originally started Owen’s tale and what parts she left out. This book has it all: friendship and bonds to last a lifetime, humour and heart, and most importantly, dragons – if you’re a fantasy lover like me. Johnston is talented and I recommend you pick up this book and others. I’m currently reading A Thousand Nights and am impatiently waiting for her next book Exit, Pursued by a Bear to be released. ...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Corinne added it

This was fabulously fun! I love how grounded this book was--family dinners, schoolwork, music practice, all those things that end up painting such a vivid, relateable picture of Siobhan and Owen's daily lives and how the existence of dragons does and doesn't affect their world.

I particularly adored:
- Siobhan's love of music
- Owen's aunts, and the way their relationship was simultaneously not a big deal and still affected them and their histories
- Siobhan and Owen's totally platonic friendship-- ...more

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May 04, 2015 Chelsey rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, ya-teen, fiction, 2015-hub-reading-challenge

Hear ye, hear ye, the story of Owen, a teenager in rural Canada who has descended from a long line of dragon slayers and is in training himself to pick up the dragon-slaying mantle. Told in sequential episodic structure, 16-year-old composer Siobhan tells how she becomes Owen's bard, working to destroy dragons (which are overrunning the world) and reform corporate dragon-slaying culture.

The truly wonderful thing about this book was that there was no romance involved - it was so refreshing! It wa ...more

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Jan 06, 2016 Jessica Rackley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gs-reading-challenge

Wow! Shakespeare wrote of a fictional land where dragons were myth, Vlad the Impaler was really a dragon slayer, Queen Victoria banished dragons from Scotland. Those are all parts of this book. I am loving it so far!

I absolutely loved this book! It is part of my Girl Scout reading challenge. I know that sounds funny, but I am reading books that the author has the same name as the girls in my troop.
I loved the idea of a book taking place in Canada (first for me), dragons taking over entire state ...more

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Dec 10, 2015 Cassandra rated it liked it

**3-3.5 stars**

I enjoyed this waaay more than the first white pine book I read.
For one, I really like how the story is an alternate universe with drAGONS!! I love how the author incorporated our worlds history with dragons. Another thing I enjoyed was the two main characters relationship -- it was just friendship, no romance there's also an LGBT+ element, always a plus.
The pacing was meh and the plot was sort of predicable. Some characters were annoying.
(I'm just writing a quick review to rememb ...more

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Feb 20, 2014 katayoun Masoodi rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, fantasy, ebook

4 1/5 and really loved it! thanks hallie

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Nov 13, 2014 Frezanda rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, youngadult

I want to like this book, really. The idea is unique and the premise is interesting. The problem is I found the book was written like textbook. It's dry. The small fonts didn't help either. ...more

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About E.K. Johnston

E.K. Johnston

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E.K. Johnston had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it’s about a pairing she likes.

You can follow Kate on Twitter (@ek_johnston) to learn more about Alderaanian political theory than you really ...more

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