Oct 27, 2021
A Review and a Case for “Heir of the Dragon”
“Heir of the Dragon” by FuzzyRabidUsagi is an epic fantasy of high caliber, entered into the “My New Life as a…” prompt. A short synopsis is quite frankly, impossible to do, if I wanted to encapsulate the scope of Fuzzy’s work, but I will try my best. “Heir of the Dragon” has an all-star cast, with many characters receiving some amount of page-time and the story being told from multiple perspectives. Principal among these characters is Blake Harker, a cold and short-tempered boy whose sole purpose throughout the majority of the novel is to protect five precious dragon eggs and avenge his family. There are other characters important to the plot, but overall, this story is an amazing read, but not for the faint of heart. Hopefully, this review will encourage you to consider taking on this novel, because it will reward you. Overall, I would give this story a 9/10 for it’s amazing prose and world-building, as well as the character dynamics and general plot itself. Here are the reasons why!
[Minor spoilers ahead]
“Heir of the Dragon” sets us off with a rustic setting and a gentle background that is already able to convey a sense of wonder in its descriptions and world-building in its exposition. Then tragedy strikes, and Blake is carted off by a mysterious girl in white, who we never see again (though I’m fairly certain we will in future volumes). We are then introduced to Elly, full name Elaindra, a half-elf who is full of insecurities about starting life at Rem Magic Academy. She meets Blake on the train there and she eventually makes an acquaintance with him, where they have a somewhat distant relationship throughout the novel, but both Blake and Elly still take care of each other. Two other main characters are Reed Rivers and Trevan. Reed Rivers is a third year Sky Crest (a prestigious title for exceptional performance) and proficient in dimensional rift (portal) magic, who takes a particular interest in Blake’s dragon eggs, and does senpai things. She’s pretty amazing. Trevan is of Estval, and is similar to Blake in many aspects, and has his own few spotlight chapters.
Other characters, while not focused on explicitly, also have their chance to shine. We are introduced to is Sabine, a red-headed hot-head high on her nobility (and an initial tormenter of Elly); Lancelus (Lance), a prince of Saekoria who has a mysterious interest in Elly and a bone to pick with Blake; Eve Moonshadow, who appears to be watching over Blake; And Damien Darkflame, a somewhat aloof professor at Rem Magic Academy who still tries to understand his peer, Rio Saleigh, a fellow professor.
With many scenes focusing on interactions between characters and the growth of Blake and Elly as characters, there is little wonder that the first third of the novel is focused on getting to know these characters, as well as the world that revolves around them. Intimidating it may be, Fuzzy does a spectacular job juggling these many characters throughout the novel, and it is very sweet to see the character progression both go through; especially Elly. Blake eventually grows as well, a gradual arc that takes the majority of the novel to do, but with characters like Reed Rivers and Elly, it is as entertaining as it is fantastic to experience.
Another key player to the novel is the nation of Estval, the Estvalians, and Trevan himself, seen as the “antagonists” of this novel. Estval in general, as they were the ones to burn down the legacy of House Harker, and because throughout the novel, themes of oppression and resentment echo, but the same themes visit Trevan as he speaks of and against Saekoria, where Blake resides. They treasure their sacred tree, Eldrasil, and also hold anger against Saekoria for their maltreatment and their lack of concern for their lands, or their people.
All these things come together in a spectacular hot-pot of amazing world-building that leaves you wanting more. With its own version of a sports festival arc, and tons of action in the later chapters of the novel, Fuzzy sweetly wraps up most of the novel’s events in a neat series of epilogues featuring each of the main characters and many other students we are introduced to, and leaves room for more. In general, this novel is an amazing show of dedication and love, and I am grateful that I was able to read such an amazing work of fiction from a great author. The only thing I would say is holding this novel back is a few syntax errors, and if Fuzzy were able to polish this further than what he was able to do for this contest, it would be a 10/10 for me. As it stands, a 9/10 is still fantastic, and I hope you are all able to read it!
[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD]
I loved this novel. Fuzzy, you did amazing with this. Coming from Love Bites (I know you don’t like it but it’s good all the same), I can definitely see the difference in passion, the level of effort, and care that was put into “Heir of the Dragon.” While I’m sad it didn’t make it into the roster, this was an amazing read. Speaking of reading, I believe Reed Rivers is the standout character of this novel; The third main character that we never get the perspective of, but who gets all the screen time, and has you guessing her true motives the entire time, what with Blake’s own distrust and Eve Moonshadow’s suspicions. I especially love her bubbly nature (who doesn’t love a bubbly character?) and am grateful and pleasantly surpised (insert Senator Palpatine meme) at the level of depth she has as a recurring character. Reed, in general, is also just a character we all live vicariously though as she enjoys her time with Blake and Elly and tries her best to win over Blake with her dragon enthusiasm, which she does.
Elly herself is just precious and we need to protect her at all costs. Her progression from skittish, insecure, and meek, to a more brave, resolved, and courageous persona is gratifying to read, and the fact that she eventually is able to make a cordial relationship with Sabine is icing on the cake. Though she is brutally bullied for a majority of the first half of the novel, experiencing a heavy beatdown and her face being burned off and starting a relationship with hospital bed-kun, she is somehow able to bounce back stronger and better than ever; And the fact that she becomes best friends with Reed, reconciles with Lance, and realizes her own potential, is amazing.
Sabine is a truly interesting character that explores the mindset of a bully very well, as she herself is being bullied into submission by her family and takes out her own anger and lack of self-worth on Elly. Eventually, she is traumatized by the actual hatred of another student who destroys Elly, and she ends up ignoring Elly as she realizes what she has been doing, and when Elly tries to save her (and proceeds to save her again even after being injured), I was smiling so hard. Lance, while not explored very much (though I’m interested to see where his story will go), is also interesting in his true intentions as Elly’s brother, wanting to protect Elly and just be a good brother.
Blake himself is not to be outdone by any of these other characters. When we next see him, he is cold, uncaring, and aloof, but this is because he never wants to experience what he experienced again: Losing all of his loved ones, and everything he ever had. I love how Fuzzy is consistent with how Blake takes care of his own, his eggs, and even his new friends (though he doesn’t consider them as such), Elly and Reed. His progression throughout the novel is mirrored by Trevan, their hatred for the other side too, and I LOVE how he eventually is able to see his eggs hatch, have a closer relationship with Reed and Elly, and has the strength to question his own anger and hatred when he is faced with the reality of Estval.
Gotta say, I knew something was sus with Rio but the whammy Fuzzy pulled is insane. I didn’t see it coming at all!
I also love the reality of the action scenes present within this novel. They are students, they are still learning, and while some stand out, they aren’t OP, and Fuzzy writes this brilliantly. With the Chess Games they both win and lose, and when the final fight happens, there is no clear winner; In fact, it seems as though Treyvan and co. has all the right cards and would have no problem beating our protagonists. The fact that Fuzzy was able to keep us guessing even throughout the action is a feat indeed.
The world-building itself is fantastic. I loved the magic system Fuzzy came up with, and Eve’s own specialty of Real Illusion Magic is such an amazing concept. That Reed was able to shrug it off was just as impressive, and honestly very very hot (haha, read the novel to get why this is funny)! Fuzzy doesn’t hold back with giving us everything we need to see a bigger world, and the scope he attempts to portray. It isn’t overbearing and it isn’t all exposition; Fuzzy is able to build the world through the way the characters move through it, and is something that takes skill to do, something Fuzzy executes very well.
In conclusion, “Heir of the Dragon” is a read that is worthy to be its own full-fledged novel series (in my humble opinion). It’s impressive enough as is, written for a contest, but also impressive in that Fuzzy was able to write this in two months. If any of you were able to slog through this review and enjoy it through my eyes, READ THE NOVEL. This is a read you do not want to pass up! If you have the time, savour it, love it, and get invested, because I can’t say enough of how much I actually enjoyed this book. There is so much more I want to say, with so little space to say it, and I hope you enjoyed reading my review of your book, Fuzzy! Keep writing!
