The Dragon's Eye

Written by Kaza Kingsley

Narrated by Simon Jones

Life is not easy for twelve-year-old Erec Rex. His single mother can barely support her six adopted kids. And they've moved into an apartment so tiny that Erec sleeps with the washing machine. Worse, there is a strange force within Erec that is making him do odd things. His urge to obey these thoughts grows -- until it becomes impossible to resist them.

Then one morning, Erec's mother is missing. The force inside Erec commands him to find her, leading him on an adventure that will change him forever. When he arrives in Alypium, a hidden world where old knowledge of magic is kept, Erec learns that his mother and the entire kingdom are in peril. And he might be the only one who can save them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Apr 7, 2009
• ISBN: 9780743581400

Kaza Kingsley

Kaza Kingsley is a writer, artist, and singer who loves travel and adventure, especially in dangerous and mystical realms. Kaza is also a movie buff and reads constantly when she’s not writing books. When she is not off exploring, she can be found in Cincinnati with her loving family...although she may be dreaming of the stars.

Reviews for The Dragon's Eye

[lilst1997 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have to say the cover caught my eye, plus the little summary I read on the back. It's a nice touch that they gave Erec a dragon eye, that's really cool. I've read all the books in this series and wish the author had continued writing them. I rate this book a four stars for it's details, style, and the overall story!

[inky_fingers · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Too bad. There is some fun and original material, but it's buried in all the borrowing from Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

[chibimajo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Erec gets 'cloudy thoughts' that make him do things sometimes, and one tells him to go find his mother. Searching for her leads him into another, magical world where he enters a contest to determine the next kings and queens!

[catya77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very fun book! There is mystery, magic, danger, adventure, friendship, and family. It is geared slightly more towards younger readers; however, I found this a rather enjoyable read with the promise of fun future adventures.

[perpetualrevision · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I tend to give every book I enjoyed a four star rating and am stingy with the five stars, saving them for my very favorite series. This book is really more of a 4.5 for me, in part because it was so much better than the cover (and some Audible reviews) had led me to expect.

I absolutely adore the young adult fantasy worlds of Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, and Septimus Heap, as well as those created by Diana Wynne Jones, but many of the "just like ..." books I've read fall short of evoking a similar kind of charming and whimsical world that is nonetheless distinctly original to the series.

The first book in the Erec Rex series surprised me by being charming and whimsical right off the bat -- and the author isn't even British! (Although the publishers wisely decided on a British narrator for the audiobook version.) I'm sure critics can find parallels between the world of Erec Rex and other popular young adult fantasy worlds, and sure some aspects of the "hero's journey" are familiar. But that's less of a case of "ripping off" Harry Potter than it is a case of tapping into fantasy and epic paradigms that existed long before JK Rowling took pen to napkin.

I was thoroughly charmed and immediately bought the next book in the series. I wasn't able to find the audio version through my Scribd subscription, but here's hoping they add it soon!

[clarasayre · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I've made it almost to the end and I don't really care if I finish it or not. It's such a copy of Harry Potter, it's ridiculous.

I mean, an orphan (whose eyes are commented on by various characters) raised in the non-magical world who goes back to the magical world via the subway and participates in a multi-part contest (one part is an underwater contest where all the contestants can swim and breathe underwater and another part is a maze with deadly mythical creatures in it), while living in a castle with his brainy female friend (who has a pet cat that is more than what she seems to be) who sneaks around the castle with him using their invisibility caps and avoids a Snape-esque character and a Draco-esque character bent on getting them kicked out?

I'm sure I'm forgetting other similar aspects, but that's enough for me. I wish this book had a bit more originality to it because it has the potential to be really good.