The Search for Synergy by Brett Salter Review

I was gifted The Search for Synergy in exchange for an honest review. So let’s get to it.

Middle school boys, Rome and Julian, aren’t your average boys. Rome discovers that he is a fire breathing dragon placed under a spell to hide his true form. Julian is a knight in training. An ancient pact intertwines their heart and soul. Local librarian Mr. Jones will be their guide to this new world.

My Thoughts on The Search for Synergy

Let me start by saying that The Search for Synergy is middle grade. I’m not the target audience, and I didn’t read a lot of middle grade fantasy in school. I’m not super familiar with this category, but I’m still going to give the thoughts that came to mind when I read this.

Now that we’ve cleared that up let’s jump in. I love the idea of this story. I’m here for ancient pacts and shape shifting dragons. The writing style is straight forward. There is no fluff and the action begins immediately. And I can appreciate that.

However, there is a lot of info dumping. Rome is given all of this new information in one big chunk and in the next few pages he’s fighting an enemy. There could have been more training. It would have added more depth to the story. He was new to this world and I think seeing his knowledge base grow would be beneficial to that age group. If there had been a little more world building I think I would have loved this one.

That being said, I’m a reviewer. I’m supposed to read and dissect a book more thoroughly than the target audience. That’s the nature of the beast. I don’t think a middle schooler reading this for fun would ever bat an eye at the limited world building. Because I wouldn’t have at the age. However, I think they would love the unique, action packed story about a cool shape-shifting dragon. Above all, enjoyment is what matters.

My Rating: 3/5

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