Your classic teenage boy coming of age story...with a dragon

The following book was kindly sent to me by the author, Alexander F. Patterson, who requested a review.


Choices is a fantasy novel that takes place in Northern Europe during the 5th century (or thereabouts). This is the story of Richard Orlendr and his dragon, Aiden. This is a slightly different spin on dragon lore in that Richard and Aiden can communicate telepathically. The book is written from Richard's POV and he considers it more Aiden's story than his own. I suggest that you make sure that you are in the mood for an epic fantasy before starting this book because it is very detail oriented especially in regards to the mythology of the Norns and the gods. (This is touted as alternative history as much of the world building is taken from real historical events.) This book is also very dialogue heavy especially in regards to the communication between Richard and Aiden who have a very unique/close relationship. For the most part, I enjoyed this book but I don't think I'll be continuing the series (the ending was slightly ambiguous leading me to believe that a follow-up is possible). I enjoyed the historical references but I wasn't really invested in the characters or their journey. Also, the references to magic and its casting were dubious and unrealistic (think Harry Potter and how 'realistic' the magic is to the reader). This is a 4/10 for me.


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