Dragon's Curse

3.5* - charming story, okay narration

Any additional comments?

I liked this story - it was written for an audience considerably younger than myself, but I found it charming nevertheless. It's the first book in a series, but it's not written with a suspenseful cliffhanger that can sometimes frustrate readers.

I'm less enthusiastic about the narration. It's a personal, very subjective opinion - but I really, really, really don't enjoy when narrators exaggerate their voices for characters of opposite genders. It turns a flowing story into a melodramatic farce when those characters are voiced. I'm not actually as grumpy as that sounds, but it's a serious peeve. I liked the story but I will not go out and purchase an audiobook where the narration of the other gender sounds fake and ridiculous. I like the story enough that I'd be willing to read a written copy of the next installment, but the narration simply isn't compelling when voices are exaggerated. It's much more effective (in my opinion) to change the tone of voice a little bit and change the texture or timbre to make the voice sound less feminine. I'm sure that I don't speak for all audiobook listeners! But I think that there may be one or two other audiobook fans who maybe feel like I do about this particular peeve.

I provided this review in exchange for a complimentary copy of the audiobook fro the author, narrator, or publisher.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

great for all Ages

I was gifted this audio ARC from the author/ Narrator for a honest and unbiased review
This is my first novel by H L BURKE and it was extreamly well written.
Mary Ann Weathers did an ok job, unfortunately there were a few times I felt the Voice didn't match what "I" perceived what it should of been.
This great little story of an enchanted dragon and a very unique friendship between a women and the dragon and magic. Clean no language issues or sex.
I highly recommend this book to anyone young to

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A clean Fantasy book for all.

Any additional comments?

I was drawn into the book from the beginning and as the story progressed I thought this is really good. However, I found the characters to be slow to figure things out especially when all the evidence was right in front of them. I figured it out earlier on in the book so I expected them to solve it quite quickly since magic is the thing they studied. Shannon didn't even solve it when the culprit screamed something that incriminated them. She had to say it a few times before it finally clicked. That is why I gave it three stars. There were plenty of times where clues were given into who it could have been yet they did not think of this person. I found this really frustrating since I really liked the story and the characters.

I would still recommend the book/audio book and I am looking forward to book 2.


I was voluntarily provided this audio book by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A breath of fresh air.

Audio version
This was the first time I've read/listened to H. L. Burke but it won't be the last.
Wonderful narration, she really brought the story to life. I couldn't stop listening. I can see myself listening to this over and over.
This Audio book was given to me for free at my request from the publisher or author and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Funny, Great world building, Romantic, Tear-jerker, Whimsical, Witty, Wonderful characters.

YA Fantasy

This story pulled me in very quickly. It was a nice, easy listen that I truly enjoyed. There was no sexual scenes or graphic language.
This book's target audience is YA and the language and speed of the writing reflects that. It was easy to surmise the ending but still a fun listen!

I provided this review in exchange for a complimentary copy of the audiobook from the author, narrator, or publisher.

Interesting story

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not really

What did you like best about this story?

I like a bit of everything

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

it was a bit slow, but after a few chapters you don't notice it so much

Was Dragon's Curse worth the listening time?

for a long car ride, it was.

Any additional comments?

I was given this free copy, in return for my unbiased review

Pleasant Fairy Tale

This is a pleasant fairy tale fantasy story. It's fairly predictable, and I figured out who the villain was and the major plot twists early on, but the progress of the story and interactions between the characters made it a very enjoyable listen. The ending was not what I expected, and I was a little disappointed, but this is titled as Volume 1, so maybe there is more on the way before the story is really "over". I hope so.

The narration was great, and Ms. Weathers did a wonderful job providing a distinct and unique voice for every character.

There is no sex or graphic violence, so this is an appropriate listen for most ages. There is some element of danger to the heroes, so parental guidance would be appropriate for very young children.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

Fun Clean Fantasy

Any additional comments?

What a wonderful story! Listeners of all ages will enjoy Gnaw the dragon and the young healer Shannon. Throw in a curse, magic and a little romance - fun stuff! This looks like the start to a great series. The narration was good and I can't wait to see what happens next. I would recommend Dragon's Curse.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator. This review is my honest opinion.

Awesome Fantasy

A lot different from some of the others I have read and listened to. The action started right away which was good. The story and characters were both well developed. Looking forward to listening to the next one. Got this free for honest review.

Wonderful love story

Loved this story. A dragon, a maiden, a curse. What's not to love? Well produced and easy to listen to and follow.