Hi friends, I’m back for another blog tour today! I’m excited to share my thoughts and a ‘book look’ as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours for The Dragon’s Apprentice by James Riley.

Thanks to Labyrinth Road for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!

TL;DR: The Dragon’s Apprentice is a fantastical and magical adventure-filled tale. With a feisty and exuberant leading character fighting for justice against evil rulers and trying to uncover what happened to the most powerful mage in the land alongside a grumpy dragon to teach her all about magic, I think this is a story that many middle-grade readers will enjoy!

I was hooked from the moment the story started. The voice of the first pov we encounter leaped off the pages and immediately had me eager to keep reading to see what happened next. The “mystery” element of the story was particularly intriguing, and I couldn’t wait to learn how the present-day situation came about following the events of the first chapter. I will say that I found the world-building and explanation of the use of dragon magic a bit cumbersome… The magic in particular was explained in such a roundabout way that, when combined with the liberal use of humour, it didn’t entirely work for me. I think it will be okay for young readers who may not pay particular attention to these aspects, but I would’ve liked for it to have been sharper. That said, there is still clearly much of this world left to explore, so I hope that it’s done so in a simpler way in future books!

There are two main POVs with this other “side” pov interwoven throughout, but the author did a great job in creating vibrant character voices that keep the reader engaged. I also think the author did a great job in capturing the naive and precocious nature of childhood through the children in the story, but especially through Ciara, our human main character’s perspective.

Ciara is feisty and hard-headed, but she’s fiercely loyal and has a hunger for adventure and justice that I think many young readers will enjoy. Of course, she makes some horrible and thoughtless decisions at times, but the naiveté of youth is that they think they know better than the adults in their lives, so I think that was realistically captured. 😂 There were other characters that I wished we got to see more of, especially Meg, her father and Ciara’s mum, but at 240 pages, there’s only so much that can be fit in. I hope they will play a more prominent role in the sequel(s)!

I loved how The Book within this book felt like a character on its own, and of course, I highly appreciated Scorch, the talking dragon! There was a somewhat childish quality to this grumpy dragon and reluctant taker-on of apprentices that reminded me very much of Mushu from Mulan. Much like Mushu, Scorch also had the same wisdom to impart when it came down to more serious business. Scorch tended to err on the side of caution more than necessary, which made the struggle between him and Ciara more pronounced. However, I appreciated his growth and acceptance as much as I appreciated Ciara’s in the end.

Unfortunately, this does end on a cliffhanger, and I’m very curious to see where the author will take the story next! Hopefully, we don’t have to wait too long for the next book to come out. 😃

Have you read The Dragon’s Apprentice or is it on your TBR? Does it sound like something you or your kiddos would enjoy?

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