Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin Review

Becoming The Dragon is the first book in a series that follows a 16 year old boy on the adventure of a life time. Alex Sapegin is a sci-fi and fantasy author living in Khabarovsk, Russia with his wife and kids. While working as an electrical engineer, Sapegin spends his time writing and creating stories. Becoming The Dragon is his first epic fantasy novel. 

An interesting 16 year boy, Andy already has enough trouble after being struck by lightning. While running an errand for his father, Andy finds himself in a whole different world where nothing is the same. In a world where dragons and elves exist, Andy has to find his way home or except the challenges this strange, new world have in store for him. Nothing ever prepared him for what he is about to experience.

The book started out very promising as I began to read it. The setting up  of Andy's background story had me really interested in what I was about to read. As I got further into the story, though, I found it harder and harder to focus. Many things were far too detailed and the explanations felt longer than they should've been. There were many times where I felt things were explained well enough and I wanted to be back to the main story. Instead, there were more details I had to read.

What I did love was the characters. Not just Andy and his family, but all the other characters who filled Sapegin's world. Karegar the black dragon, and Jagirra had to be my favorites. Many of the background characters had such personality, I wish I could know more about them. I would even be willing to read a book all about them. There were a few too many characters to keep track of, though, even though they weren't around for long. Alex Sapegin is a very promising author who has a knack for creating complex and interesting characters. His fantasy world and the being that inhabit it drew me in to the story and kept me reading.

I gave this book 2 out of 4 stars for not having enough of the main story line and too many detailed explanations. Becoming the Dragon could have been a favorite book for me if I had felt that certain, unnecessary details weren't dragged out. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and doesn't mind having to read a few extra pieces of story.