The Dragonslayer's Sword

The Dragonslayer Series, Book One of Four

By: Resa Nelson

Narrated by: Resa Nelson

Astrid assumed all dragons should be killed – until she met one that changed her mind.

In the medieval Northlands, a dangerous family seeks power. They slaughter all who get in their way.

Children’s rhymes hint at what’s to come, but no one recognizes the danger at hand.

Astrid doesn’t know she holds the key to this power. She’s just a blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers.

But Astrid has a dark secret....

A dragon once chewed her up and spit her out.

She hides the old scars covering her body through shapeshifting.

But the time for hiding is over.

Author's Note: This YA Epic Sword & Sorcery Fantasy series is written for adults but appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Book 1 – The Dragonslayer’s Sword

Book 2 – The Iron Maiden

Book 3 – The Sword of Darkness

Book 4 – The Dragon’s Egg

©2016 Resa Nelson (P)2020 Resa Nelson

This was a strange story

Astrid sure had a hard life. Being almost eaten but then spit out by a dragon was a heck of a way to start out. I was so glad the blacksmith bought her from the child seller at least that gave her a chance. She had a long road to travel until she found the answers she sought. A story full of despair, lies and truth. Well written.

DNF but respect for the effort that went into this

I'm actually giving this book a 2.5 but rounded up because it's easier. First, I didn't finish (I'll explain why in a minute), but I also appreciate all the hard work the author put into this. The story itself has a lot of potential. Sadly, it reads more like a first draft than a polished novel. Second, I was listening to it on audio and the narrator sounded like a robot. She didn't do the story any favors. I made it 3.5 hours in before I decided to stop wasting my time.

Let's dig into the issues.
1. World building--lots of potential here, but I felt like things were half described or overly described. For instance, all the blacksmithing was too much for me. I didn't pick this book up to learn how to make a sword. But I feel like I could fake it now because it was talked about so much.
2. Character building--After three hours I still didn't like or care what happened to Astrid. I had such high hopes in the first chapter or two, but then we skipped years with no explanation of what happened in between. I wasn't even clear on how far we skipped. In the beginning, Astrid is young, scared, and fearing death if the guy who bought her couldn't sell her. It also bothered me that she kept referring to the place she came from as "the bad place" but we don't know what was so bad about it. I tried to chalk that up to her being really young, but when the violet-eyed guy finds her as an adult, she still refers to it as the "bad place" with no further explanation.
3. Everything felt emotionally distant, and I don't think that was just because of the narrator. I was being told what the author wanted me to know. I never felt like I was being shown anything but expected to just accept that Astrid was upset because the author told me she was.
4. Repetition--I had a hard time settling into the story because of all the repetitive words. I never relaxed and forgot I was reading/listening to a book. I read to escape, and all I wanted was to escape from the constant repetition of words and thought processes that didn't make any sense.
5. The narrator sounded like when you have your computer read your paper to you. There was no emotion, no excitement or fear. She was very articulate, making sure to enunciate every consonant. Several times I just wanted to scream, "Are you alive at all?"

I could go on, but I won't. Giving a rating was hard even though I didn't enjoy the book and felt it was riddled with very fixable problems. It should be a 1 because I didn't finish it. It could have been a 2 because I was very glad I got a free copy through StoryOrigin to review. It could have been a 3 because my biggest issue with it was that it was missing things that could have easily been addressed and added. In the end, I settled on the 2.5 out of respect for the effort put into it. Of course, we don't have the ability to give half stars--so the marked 3.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Awesome Listen

Awesome! I enjoyed this book very much. You have dragons and lizards and all sorts of creatures. There is lots of adventure and mystery which keeps you guessing. The narrator did a good job for the younger audience members. I found it a little slow but still enjoyed the whole performance. The story progresses from a young girl being taken by a child seller, finding someone who bought her. That someone gave her a good trade in blacksmithing. She had friends from a young age and comes to find one of them is a traitor to her. I am looking forward to the story continuing in the next book.

I received a free copy of this audio book from Story Origin for an honest review.

Astrid's journey of self discovery begins!

The best description of The Dragonslayer’s Sword would be all is not what it seems. Following Astrid’s journey as a child sold to a child seller and as a blacksmith’s apprentice and finally to a full-fledged blacksmith is not only entertaining, the world Resa Nelson has created where this all occurs is fraught with danger and intrigue. Having read Resa’s Demon Queller series, I had to give this series a look and I’m glad I did. Being able to listen to the story narrated by the author was awesome.

The Dragonslayer's Sword

Okay, this was a really good story. It's kind of heartbreaking, but it's not too bad. So much happens in this story. Idk what to say. But you guys have to read/listen to it. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

Love it

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Wow so many mysteries. The scars, the shape-shifting, dragons and monsters and more. I never would have predicted what brought Astrid to gwell. Such an addictive story. I’m almost done with book two then I have to find a way to get book 3.
I recommend this book to dragon lovers, artisan appreciators, and adventurers.

Good series starter

I thoroughly enjoyed The Dragonslayer's Sword, the first in this series. The story was very rich, with several twists and quite a bit of complexity. It was a bit difficult to listen to the audio version, since the author/narrator has a somewhat mechanical, slightly monotone voice and does not change her voice when changing characters.

1st story - well done.

I liked it. A different take on dragons and those who slay them. The author does a fine job of narrating her own work.

I was given this audiobook by the author for free and have voluntarily left this review.

More than a blacksmith

This is a book of dragons, swords, slaves, magic and alchemy. It's a good story but mysterious from that viewpoint. What the book really is: a story of a person's inner struggle to see who they are. A story that tells a person they can be what they want and need to be. A story that asks us to think about the people and world around us. A story that says we are a community and we can make it better.

Read this story more deeply than just the world the author has created. As she stated in the book: He'd taught her that the real magic is how you let yourself be shaped by others, the same way a solid hammer blow shapes iron into something more beautiful than it could ever hope to be on its own.

why we need editors

it is so hard to read books about fighting and survival from people who have never been off the pavement or outside a video game. you throw two hammers in someone's face and hit them with a third, they duck none of them and you only damage their nose? if you have any life experience beyond middleschool, don't waste your money on this.