Dragon's Curse

The Dragon and the Scholar, Volume 1

By: H. L. Burke

Narrated by: Mary Ann Weathers

On her first assignment out of the Academy, young healer and scholar Shannon Macaulay is summoned to the struggling kingdom of Regone to see to the wounds of a young but crippled king. When the unwanted attentions of an aggressive knight and the sudden appearance of a hated dragon turn her world upside down, she decides to take matters into her own hands even if doing so proves dangerous. Finding herself strangely drawn to the company of the dragon, Gnaw, Shannon must force herself out of her safe world of books and botany to come to the aid of her unexpected ally in a strange kingdom, cursed by a fateful encounter with a dragon and the loss of a beloved prince. Can she learn to put aside her fears, and perhaps sacrifice her deepest desires, to help a friend and restore a family?

©2012 H. L. Burke (P)2016 H. L. Burke

Fabulous story narrated well

It took me a little while to get into the story and get used to the narrator, but once I did I was finding every possible excuse to listen to this audiobook! In the car, while doing chores, while just sitting on the couch...you get the idea :) Shannon was a fun protagonist with a touch of awkwardness and tons of heart. I especially enjoyed her interactions with the dragon, and it was interesting to see how the mystery and curse unfolded, though there were a few times I was frustrated with the characters for not figuring things out sooner. I didn't feel particularly satisfied with the ending until I found out there are more books in the series - now I can't wait to read them!

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook.*

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

Fun, escapist read

I enjoyed the story greatly. While I guessed many of the later reveals, it was actually satisfying to reach the moments when they were confirmed. A minor criticism is that the romantic feelings could have been supported better before they were confessed in the narrative. There were a few word choice errors.

The performance was good, no complaints. The voices fit my impressions of the characters.

I'll be reading the rest of the series as soon as possible.

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.

Dragon's Curse

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters seemed a little immature for my taste, but the story was good.

Enjoyable story!

My husband and I recently finished the BBC Merlin series...again...and I've since been hunting for stories to satiate my appetite for dragons and fantastical tales. This book was just the thing! Clean, well-paced, and interesting enough that I listen to the entirety of it in one sitting! I highly recommend if you're in the mood for a fun, fantasy escape.

OMG I'm hooked! I want more!

I loved this book! I was hooked right from the start and now I want the next book, although I’ll settle for re-listening to this one if it’s not available yet.

The world the book is based in is interesting, it’s got a medieval feel with kingdoms (and kings) as well as scholars and magic added for good measure. One of the first characters’ you’ll meet is a dragon, a talking intelligent dragon, now that’s now something you come across very often.

The book has plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting and when you look back at it you can see the clues that have been built into the story.

Overall, it’s very engaging and a great set-up for a series of equally fabulous books.

Mary did a fab job with the narration. Excellent character voices and a smooth delivery. It definitely helped to draw me into the book and made this a story I couldn’t put down.

Note: This book was provided free by the author/narrator/publisher in exchange for an 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.

A fun beginning to a series

~Disclaimer: I received a free audiobook code for this book~

I enjoyed this book so much that my first step after reading/listening to it was to borrow the sequel from kindle unlimited.

The main character is decently characterized and likeable. She has her own motivations and drives and while she does have some damsel in distress moments....they aren't a huge part of the story.

I honestly have liked pretty much everything I've read/listened to by this author. They create interesting worlds and likeable characters.

The narrator did a solid job giving emotion to the writing. Would listen to this narrator again. :)

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