I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Title: The Dragon of the Month Club
Author: Iain Reading
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: December 18, 2014
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Length: 236 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: the publisher
Source: the publisher
On the thirteenth of every month a new dragon conjuring spell is revealed and the two friends attempt to summon the latest Dragon of the Month. The varieties are almost endless: Air Dragons, Paper Dragons, Fog Dragons, Waterfall Dragons, Rock Dragons, Tree Dragons - not to mention special bonus dragons for all the major holidays, including a particularly prickly Holly Dragon for Christmas.
But one day when a conjuring spell somehow goes wrong, Ayana and Tyler find themselves unexpectedly drawn into a fantastical world of adventure based on the various books scattered all across Tyler's messy bedroom. Traveling from one book-inspired world to the next with nothing to rely on but their wits and a cast of strange and exotic dragons at their disposal they must try to somehow find their way home again.
Drawing inspiration from some of literature's most memorable stories--from 19th century German folktales to the streets of Sherlock Holmes's London--the adventures of Ayana and Tyler bring these classic stories to life in delightfully strange and unexpected ways. Filled with fascinating detail and non-stop action these books will spark the imaginations of readers of all ages to inspire a life-long love of reading and seeking out books that are just a little bit off the beaten track.
Drawing inspiration from some of literature's most memorable stories--from 19th century German folktales to the streets of Sherlock Holmes's London--the adventures of Ayana and Tyler bring these classic stories to life in delightfully strange and unexpected ways. Filled with fascinating detail and non-stop action these books will spark the imaginations of readers of all ages to inspire a life-long love of reading and seeking out books that are just a little bit off the beaten track.
My Thoughts:
Ayana and Tyler meet for the first time in the dusty stacks of the local library. Though they attend separate schools, they quickly become best friends and end up discovering an extraordinary book that teaches them how to conjure dragons from everyday elements like water, earth, and steam. After joining the mysterious 'Dragon of the Month Club', they start conjuring different types of dragons in their spare time. But when one of their conjuring experiments goes terribly wrong, they end up inside a storybook. Or many storybooks, to be exact.
This was a really fun and unique adventure that is perfect for middle-grade readers. I always gravitate towards books with dragons and this one had tons! I loved that the characters could conjure a specific dragon to help them with whatever hurdle they needed to cross but at the same time they really needed to use their wits to get out of each predicament.
Tyler and Ayana were great characters. Ayana is dealing with being bullied as well as a missing parent and Tyler is such a kind, intelligent young man who has a bit of a crush on Ayana despite that they are best friends. Their interactions together were more friendly than anything but they interact so well together. Their friendship was such a huge part of this story and so well written.
Beyond all of the different dragons, Tyler and Ayana end up in so many different literary settings, from the endless desert sands of Dune, to Sherlock's Victorian London. Because of this, I think this book would be perfect for weathered readers but also a great starting point to get young readers interested in these older novels. I, for one, am much more interested in reading Frank Herbert's Dune now.
Overall this was a fantastic adventure. I did find some of the dialogue to be a bit repetitive but it had good pacing and kept me interested with all the new dragons and the different books that they found themselves cast into.
This was a really fun and unique adventure that is perfect for middle-grade readers. I always gravitate towards books with dragons and this one had tons! I loved that the characters could conjure a specific dragon to help them with whatever hurdle they needed to cross but at the same time they really needed to use their wits to get out of each predicament.
Tyler and Ayana were great characters. Ayana is dealing with being bullied as well as a missing parent and Tyler is such a kind, intelligent young man who has a bit of a crush on Ayana despite that they are best friends. Their interactions together were more friendly than anything but they interact so well together. Their friendship was such a huge part of this story and so well written.
Beyond all of the different dragons, Tyler and Ayana end up in so many different literary settings, from the endless desert sands of Dune, to Sherlock's Victorian London. Because of this, I think this book would be perfect for weathered readers but also a great starting point to get young readers interested in these older novels. I, for one, am much more interested in reading Frank Herbert's Dune now.
Overall this was a fantastic adventure. I did find some of the dialogue to be a bit repetitive but it had good pacing and kept me interested with all the new dragons and the different books that they found themselves cast into.
My Rating: 4 stars
I love the sound of this especially as a way for young readers to get into older novels! It sounds like so much fun!
ReplyDeleteIt really is! Thanks so much for commenting! :)
DeleteI like that cover, really cute. Reminds me of the game Dragonvale too where you can always kinds of different dragons. :) And I love the premise! From Sherlock to Dune- wow.
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of Dragonvale a bit as well! :D
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