Friday 56: Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past

Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.  Click here to join in on the fun.

Rules: Grab a book, any book.

Turn to page 56, or 56% in your eReader.

Find a sentence, or a few, and post it.

This week I'm spotlighting a book I received from the author in exchange for an honest review:

Bentwhistle the Dragon in A Threat from the Part is an adventure story children and adults alike will love, about the present day world in which dragons disguised as humans have infiltrated the human race at almost every level, to guide and protect them. Three young dragons in their human guises become caught up in an evil plot to steal a precious commodity, vital to the dragon community. How will the reluctant hero and his friends fare against an enemy of his race from far in the past? Fascinating insights into the dragon world are interspersed throughout the book. Ever wondered how dragons travel below ground at almost the speed of sound? Or how they use magical mantras to transform their giant bodies into convincing human shapes? In an action packed adventure that features both human and dragon sports, you'll get a dragon-like perspective on human social issues and insight into what to do if you meet a giant spider grinning at you when you're wearing nothing but your smile! You'd be flamin' mad to miss it.

From page 56 of Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past:

"Before you take another step, child, you can take that thing off," the dragon boomed, pointing at Peter's body. "We do not tolerate those in this shop, EVER!"

Peter stood fixed to the spot, lost for words.  The dragon just continued what he was doing below the counter.  It might have been reading or writing; he was too far away to tell.  Peter quickly considered his options.  After a few seconds he realized that the only real choice he had was to take off his clothes.

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Book Review: Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past (Bentwhistle the Dragon, #1)

Author: Paul Cude

Website, Facebook, Twitter

Edition: Received from the author

Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Link

Rating: 3.75 Stars

I received a copy of Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredibly hard book to rate, and I'm not sure exactly why.  I struggled over picking a star rating, which is why it ended up with a fraction of a fraction.  It wasn't quite a four star read, but it also wasn't a three star.  I decided on 3.75 over 3.5 because I enjoyed it more than I did with several 3.5's I've read.  But, yeah, it's somewhere in that area.

A Threat from the Past is about Peter Bentwhistle, a regular dragon who happily works in the human world everyday, has good friends, and loves his sport- Hockey.  Then, everything changes when his boss starts acting strange, and a villainous character named Manson seems to be behind it.  The problem?  No one believes Peter when he says something's wrong, not even his best friends.  So Peter must, with the help of an old, and somewhat strange, dragon named Gee Tee, help his boss and discover what Manson really wants.

The beginning of the novel sets everything up really well with a retelling of the classic St. George and the Dragon.  It cements the most important parts of the world building: that dragons have lived among humans for a long time and protect and aid them in their ventures.  Also, that some dragons hate humans, and seek to ruin them, which explains many bad things that have happened in human history.  Throughout the novel Cude does a great job at growing the dragon world and explaining interesting tidbits about their culture.

Characters, too, were well done.  I knew who each person was quickly, since they were easily defined, and I connected, at least in some way, with each of them.  I don't mean to make it sound like they were two-dimensional, though, because each was fully fleshed out.  Besides characters and world-building, I generally liked the plot, though this is where I had problems.

First of all, I thought going into this that it was an epic fantasy.  It's actually an urban fantasy- another genre I love- which didn't bother me so much as surprise me and catch me off guard.  My expectations had to change quickly.  It was a bit of a rock, though nothing that really affected my pleasure of it once I got used to the change.  However, about midway through the plot seemed to stop all together, spending a bunch of time on sports.  I don't have a problem with sports in general, but it felt more like a sub-plot when it was taking the spot of the main plot.  It dragged the story for me, though it wasn't completely uninteresting.

Overall, it was this plot slowing down that took it's toll.  The novel did wrap up nicely, and I liked the last scenes, they were very full circle, and it left room for the next book in the series.  I plan to pick that one up shortly.  On a side note, as I read I found some similarities to Harry Potter, in strange ways I've never connected similarities before.  It wasn't really a problem, but it made me laugh a little at these strange occurrences.

December Wrap Up

Wow, can you believe the year is over?  It's kinda mind-boggling to realize that 2016 is practically upon us.  I feel like I'm still waiting for 2015, which was a big year for me.  Well, 2016 looks to be a good year, too, full of tons of new books that I'm eager to read.  This month I had a rather moderate goal to read five books, and I far surpassed it.  The first half of this month was some of the best reading I've done all year, and while I did hit a lull in the middle, I managed to pick myself back up just in time for January.

Of all the books on my December TBR the only one I haven't managed to read is White Night by Jim Butcher.  I love the Dresden Files, but this one just seems to be committed to not getting read.  I want to finish/catch up on the Dresden Files in the new year, so I will certainly be reading this, it's just a matter of when.  The rest of the books on my TBR have been read, which is awesome!

1. Cress

Cress was a  fantastic read, and I feel like I've talked this one up quite a bit lately, since it made such an impact.  My review for this has been published, so if you're curious to see all my thoughts, go check that out.

2. Shadow and Bone

I wasn't completely stunned by this one upon finishing, but I did think it was a very good book.  However, the more time that passes since finishing, the more I find myself thinking about it.  Shadow and Bone made an impact and really was a fantastic read.  I'll be finishing this series in the new year, hopefully, and also, hopefully, be reading Six of Crows.  If you're curious, my review has been published.

3. The Golden Braid

This was an ARC I really wanted to get to this month, and I'm so glad I finally did get to it.  It had a slow start, but by the end I was so wrapped up in it that I couldn't put it down.  It's the final (I think) book in a series I haven't read the rest in, but you can read them in any order, and I plan to at least read the first book in this series in the new year.  My review is here, if you want more in-depth thoughts.

4. Soundless

I love Richelle Mead, she's easily one of my favorite authors.  She was one of the first YA authors I ever read, actually, and I still love Vampire Academy to death (though I haven't finished Bloodlines...).  I picked this up, and while it's not her best work, it's also not a bad book.  I'd recommend it once all the hype/hate dies down.  My review is here.

5. Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past

This was a book I received from the author in exchange for an honest review.  He was actually kind enough to send me the whole trilogy, which I plan to read over the course of the next few months.  I rather enjoyed this one, though there were some flaws (particularly where the plot dragged in the middle).  Also, it should be noted that this is not epic fantasy, but urban fantasy, something I didn't realize until I started.  My review for this will be up on Tuesday.

6. Snow Like Ashes

This is the poor book that got caught up in my slow-down of reading in the middle of the month.  It wasn't a bad book, but I did have some problems with it that I addressed in my review (which will be up next Friday).  I do plan to read the sequel at some point in the new year, because overall, it was a good book.

7. Shadows Edge

Okay, so as of writing this post, I haven't finished this book.  But I'm practically done with it (100 pages left) and won't let myself go to sleep tonight before I finish.  So far, I absolutely love it, it's so much better than the first book, and there are so many awesome characters, and scenes, and moments.  Basically, this could be a five star book (it'll depend on the ending) but will for sure be a 4.5 star book.

I also managed to read quite a few graphic novels and manga this month, all of which I rather enjoyed.  I read volumes 8 & 9 of Noragami and volumes 1 & 2 of Blue Exorcist.  I also read volumes 4 & 5 of Hawkeye (volume 4 blew my mind) and volume 1 of Star Wars, which was also really, really good.

I tried to catch up on all the shows I was behind, but it just didn't happen, sadly.  I did manage to finally finish the fourth season of Once Upon a Time, and will start catching up on season five once I've caught up on Doctor Who (I have ten episodes left, or something like that).

How was your month?  What was your best read?  Can you believe 2016 is tomorrow?  Let me know in the comments!

December TBR

Wow, it's December already!  That's so crazy, it only feels like January.  Okay, maybe it doesn't feel like January, but I still can't believe how quickly the year has passed.  Well, now I'm on break for a month (yay for me!) and it's really great to be in my own bed, surrounded by all (or at least most) of my books.  And the food.  Man, I missed the food so much.  The books on my TBR shouldn't change too much this month, but the order might.

1. Cress

Okay, quick confession.  When I wrote up my TBR on a list, and started the month early this morning, this book was totally part of my TBR pile.  And, well, I had already started it last month, but still.  Well, I finished it.  So it's not really to-be-read anymore.  But guys, it was so good!  Why did it take me so long to read this one!!  I'm absolutely breathless!!!  I just thought I would include it on this list in case you were wondering where it disappeared to in between my November Wrap-Up and this post.

2. Soundless

Surprised to see this one on here?  I actually am a little.  But it was black Friday, and while I hadn't exactly planned to pick this one up for a while, I just couldn't prevent my fingers from clicking buy when I was perusing Barnes and Noble.  But I used a coupon, so hey, not a bad choice.  This should arrive tomorrow (fingers crossed) and I'll be starting it ASAP.  I know it's a bit of a shorter book so I don't think it will take me very long to read at all.

3. The Golden Braid

Yes, this is another Rapunzel retelling.  I'm behind on the ARCs I need to read, and I thought this would be a good fit for the month.  This is another shorter one, so I'm hoping it doesn't take long at all to get through.  I'm looking forward to reading it, since when I requested it I was super stoked.

4. Shadow's Edge

This is the biggest book on my TBR, but if it's half as good as the first in this series (which I read last month) I should be able to fly through it.  I've had plenty of time to read, and that won't be changing.  My roommate, who recommended the series, promises it's even better, though, which makes me unbelievably excited to start it.

5. White Night

Harry, I have missed you so much.  Can you believe it's been since June when I picked up a book in this series?  I can't!  I don't really know why I haven't picked it up sooner, since I've probably had it since then as well.  The Dresden Files are one of my favorite series and every book is just so enjoyable.  This one won't take me long to read at all- they never do.

6. Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past

I received copies of the first three books in this series from the author, Paul Cude, and I plan to get to at least the first one this month.  I'm really excited to explore these!  I peeked at some reviews on Goodreads (which I rarely do, since I try to stay unbiased in my reading and bad reviews can really screw with my mind) and found mostly positive reviews.  It sounds like a fun ride, and is a rather moderate size, so it shouldn't take me super long.

I have a few other books I might read if I finish all of these (which actually seems sort of likely right now), including Iron Warrior, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, and The Death of Dulgath.

Manga's I'm looking to read: Noragami volumes 8 and 9 (which releases later this month) and Noragami: Stray Stories.  I also want to read volumes 4 and 5 of Hawkeye.  If there's still time, I'll be picking up the first two volumes of Pandora Hearts and the first two volumes of Blue Exorcist.  I'm eager to read them all, but I must pace myself.

TV wise, I need to catch up on Flash and watch the crossover events for both Flash and Arrow.  I also want to catch up on SHIELD, Once Upon a Time, and Doctor Who.  Besides these shows I don't know what I'll be watching.

What books are you guys planning to read this month?  Any the same as me?  Let me know in the comments and thanks for stopping by!