Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

This was an interesting short story. Good concept, and was cool to "see" what happens inside our bodies.

i really liked the concept and I liked getting to know Nathan, it was a really interesting read that really makes you think.

A really interesting concept that I actually would have liked to see more of, maybe stretched out to novel length. But lovely, if with some formatting issues.

This short story straddles the boundary of science fiction and fantasy. A lab researcher searching for a cure for his daughter's illness is visited in his lab by spiraling dragons who say they are his DNA. They take him on a journey inside his body, where he sees huge white and red blood cells, an RNA virus, and a cancer cell. The surprising interactions of these cells give him new ideas to pursue in curing his daughter. The author uses interesting imagery to describe the researcher's journey and his susceptibility to attack by hostile cells. I thought it would have made more sense to have the dragons appear in a dream than in the lab. But I liked the idea that we know very little about how our genome works and that inspiration can come from unlikely sources.

What a strange story. And this is coming from someone who is majoring in Biology and finds science at a molecular level fascinating. I think the concept was definitely unique, it surprised me and made me laugh. It honestly sounded like a dream that me or any of my friends with the same major as me might have had haha. I enjoyed the writing, I think it helped that I knew of the certain viruses and cellular components that were being mentioned in the story. It was a super quick read. I honestly recommend for the enjoyment of a really wacky story. I didn't really understand the significance of the dragon, but very interesting concept and execution. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it. 


Writing: 7/10
Characters: 5/10
Plot: 7/10
Ending: 6/10
Originality: 9/10
Overall: 34/50
Cover: 6/10

The interesting concept and well written blurb drew my attention to this title. However, the early promise of the concept wasn't executed in an especially memorable way. There are several clunky turns of phrase, and it's very difficult to readily accept that the main character is able to converse with his DNA. I felt this aspect should have been given more development, with more time spent showing Nathan's initial incredulity. The dragons themselves have an almost obnoxiously wholesome message for Nathan, and it felt like much of the story was aimed at quite a young audience. If it hadn't been for the occasional cursing, as well as the jarring and quite dry depictions of how viruses function, I probably would have assumed this had been put in the wrong category. The depictions of blood cells frolicking and fighting off diseases were very reminiscent of school science documentaries, and the miniaturized person exploring the body trope is an extremely difficult one to put a unique spin on by this point.

With all this being said, and despite my rating, I do think there is something of note here. The concept itself is lighthearted and interesting, and with a little humour and less heavy scientific explanation, this could be more memorable and fun. I would also suggest pitching it at a younger audience, as it felt to me almost as if it had been written with them in mind but then been given a shot of adult content in the form of the aforementioned cursing and jargon.

Nathan Wu is a scientist that is dedicating his life to finding a cure for the rare disease that is afflicting his daughter. After another failed experiment, all seems lost to him but voices in his head start speaking to him and he starts to see the magic of the DNA. This could be the solution to save his daughter’s life!

The concept on which this short story is based is really cool! Imagine having the ability to extrapolate some magical healing power directly from the DNA… this seemed a really awesome idea to base a story on and it was what made me read this book. Unfortunately the concept was good but the execution was lacking.

I think that limiting it to a short story was an error as a concept like “discovering the possibility to apply magic to anatomy and microbiology” could really lead to an awesome and interesting series of books; but giving it so little space stopped it from evolving in what could have been a bestseller.

I would also have preferred if the story would have focused more on the “real world”, with more interactions between the characters; by having the majority of it set inside the body it felt a lot like an episode of “Once Upon a Time… Life” or “Cells at Work”… and personally it wasn’t what I was looking for.

The finale I would also have preferred if it was more linked to the main topic of magic & medicine.

This short story is trying to deliver a really good message: “Sometimes could be good to not focus only on rationality, but we should not being blocked by our fears and try going with out instinct.”
However this message isn’t clearly delivered and could be found ambiguous by some readers.

I was really bitter after finishing reading it. I was having some expectation and I was anticipating a really breathtaking story but I didn’t find it and I felt like it ended up wasting a really good idea.

The main character is a scientist battleing for the life of his daughter, sick with an unknown disease. One night, he is visited by his DNA which helps him finding another approach.
I recommend some basic knowledge of DNA, RNA, replication of viruses and the immune system before reading this.
The conclusion is battling poison with poison, and does not have much to do with some of the revelations the main character has. There were some sections that basically said you are the master of your DNA and can heal yourself by just really wanting it, which left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

I think the story has a solid foundation, but I am not sure I like the message I get from it.

Intriguing short story that marries science with the fantastical.

I loved the concept of the dragons, DNA, exploring the human body and anatomy in a way that was both rational and magical - but for me the execution didn't quite manage to unfold it to its true potential.
The writing just wasn't quite there to reach the level of engagement and understanding that I was hoping for. It wasn't the smoothest read, leading me to not quite connect with the feelings it was clearly trying to evoke. On the other hand, I could still tell what it was trying to make me feel, so there was that.
I also felt like it could have been a bit slower paced.
Since it was a short story, these drawbacks were only minor distractions.

The concept was just so cool, combining anatomy, microbiology, immunology and epidemiology with the mythical and abstraction, which was amazing.
However, I couldn't quite follow how the final conclusion was reached and was honestly a bit worried by it.

The connection to current global events added an intriguing factor.

On the one hand, it's an optimistic short story with a positive message. It tries to convince the reader that letting go of fear, trusting their intuition and focusing their intention will help to overcome all obstacles, coronavirus included. On the other hand, the message is served in a way I found naive and lacking in terms of strong storytelling. It tells rather than shows the protagonist's state of mind and emotions. The journey through the bloodstream, while interesting, offered a rather cartoonish vision of the bad virus.

In all, I guess I'm just the wrong reader for this sort of story. I hope others will enjoy it much more than me..