Review: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Cover Source: GoodReads

Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
Series: The Inheritance Cycle #1
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
Version Reviewed: Finished, Audiobook
Website: www.paolini.net

I borrowed this audiobook from my local library.

GoodReads Synopsis:

One boy... One dragon... A world of adventure.
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.
Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands....

Review:
Oh, Eragon. This book has been on my list since 2009 when I first met my husband. Both being huge readers, we talked about books that we were both into and shared our favorite titles. I was a Twihard through and through at that time but my husband was and still is obsessed with Eragon. From that very first conversation about books, he made it a mission of his to get me to read it.

Fantasy, other than Harry Potter, isn't really my thing so I struggle through books like this. I finally pushed that aside, however, and decided to give in and placate him. I watched the movie when it first came out and, according to my husband, this was my first mistake. He hates the movie with a fiery passion. But since I did enjoy the movie, I thought why not? Maybe I'll enjoy the book.

I was wrong. Just like usual, I struggled so hard through this book. I first gave it a try with my husband's tattered old paperback copy. I couldn't finish it. It just didn't hold my attention long enough for me to get into the story. I barely made it past the first chapter. Not long after, I fell down the rabbit hole of audiobooks and found myself speeding through books quicker than I've ever been able to (slow reader, here). So I thought, hey, maybe if I'm listening to someone read it, maybe I can do it.

And I did, but just like before, I struggled through it. I was doing great for the first half of the book. I was into the story and enjoying it. Then the constant over-description of every little thing got to me. The decently slow pace and wordiness of the book just completely lost my attention and I couldn't stay focused on it. I found myself wanting to listen to something else.

So, unfortunately for my husband, I didn't enjoy Eragon.

Rating: 1 Star.