Today, I'm thrilled to be on THE OLD DRAGON'S HEAD by Justin Newland's book blog tour sponsored by iRead Book Tours. Please find my review below as well as enter the giveaway!
My Review:
I give THE OLD DRAGON'S HEAD ⭐⭐⭐1/2!
Set in the Ming Dynasty, THE OLD DRAGON'S HEAD follows the son of a fisherman, Bolin, who works on the Great Wall of China. The wall is the resting place of Laolong the mystical dragon of legend who helped them defeat the Mongols. For the last twenty years, the dragon is gone and the old dragon Master Wing along with the dragon pearl is gone, too. The prince is wanting to resurrect Laolong and use the dragon's powers to give his people prosperity as well as give him ultimate power. But something isn't quite right as the local Magistrate Park is murdered by poison on accident in an attempt to take the Princes' life. Soon the plot thickens with conspiracy and betrayal.
The author does a wonderful job with the setting and descriptions of the wall and ancient China. I could picture the landscape, the clothing, the market, and Great Wall. Each character is well thought out and used strategically to further the plot. You wonder with each page turn what will happen next and the author does a wonderful job leaving nuggets of information as to why and how this scene and/or character is important to the overall plot.
My only complaint is how the story is told through the narrator. I wish to be side-by-side with characters and immersed in the story seeing and feeling what they see or feel. While the narrator does a beautiful job telling the story, at times it felt cold and removed from some of the more tragic events, such as the murder and rape. But, I could see that this wouldn't be an issue for many, since it's the normal practice of fictional military-type novels and the story is still well-written and beautifully executed.
Therefore, if you love history with the mythical then THE OLD DRAGON'S HEAD is the book for you.