Richard: The Dragon's Curse takes place in a universe where dragons, who were once the rulers of the Milky Way, have been exiled into a world where it's dark and lonely. Askook is the main dragon, an emperor with a past filled with battles. To Askook, he believes things are changing, and the time for revenge may finally be coming. On the other hand, King Richard tries to keep the peace with his enemies, but somehow ends up betraying his own rival, Antonius.
However, he gets imprisoned, and his family; Amber and their adopted son, Andreas, have to run for safety. But Andreas has a rare condition, and his family is desperate to find a way to save him. As the story continues, Richard faces the weight of being king, a confusing relationship with his wife, and even a mysterious figure called AAL who helps save Andreas. With dragons preparing to return to the Milky Way, can Richard save his kingdom without losing himself?
This is a great story that introduces us to a universe where the real domination of the storyline shifted between exile, vengeance, memory, and rebirth. The book's pace is balanced with bursts of action, like assassination and battles, which I enjoyed. The first few chapters laid the foundation of the exile of dragons, the betrayal of the king, and the mystery surrounding Andreas. With a steady pacing, the author deepens the narrative in the second arc, where the narrative starts to raise some moral questions, in my opinion. I found that these questions mostly revolved around identity, resurrection, and kingship.
Secondly, the story progression is non-linear but well-controlled, which kept me on my toes. The story moved fluidly between planets, timelines, and memories. However, it was done in such a way that confusion between each transition was kept at a minimum. It was nice to read between these transitions and how it added some sort of cinematic depth to the book. Each subplot, like a character's vengeance, mission, and sacrifice, contributes meaningfully to the overarching journey.
Furthermore, the narration has an epic and poetic feel to it. It has a combination of elevated language backed with switches of writing style. Sometimes the narration feels like I'm floating above everything, seeing the bigger picture of the plot (third-person omniscient). Other times, it feels like I'm right inside a character's head, hearing their personal thoughts and struggles (intimate third-person limited). This mix allowed me to understand the huge, external battles and the internal ones. Also, the character development was amazing. I noticed a pattern; the characters grow, break down, get back up, and surprise you.
In addition, this book was a great read. I don't find any aspects of it objectionable. It's complete with actions and great themes; all of which make a great book. I recognize characters being kicked out or locked away, and I loved that deep down, everyone was trying to find their way back. Characters were trying to find their way back home, back to peace, or back to who they used to be. Still on that note, I also didn't find any errors while reading. It's evident that this book was well edited.
$5.99 with 54 percent savings
Print List Price: $12.95 
The Print List Price is the lowest suggested retail price provided by a publisher for a print book format of this title, available on Amazon (e.g. hardcover, paperback, mass market paperback).
Learn more
Learn more
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now
From the Publisher
About the author
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2025
