Scan barcode
coffeedragon's review against another edition
5.0
At this point terms like Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer have been terms I’ve heard many times, but Aromantic and Asexual were new concepts for me. We had some discussions and looked at how media portrayed these characters and I realized I didn’t know any characters that would fall into this category. Which is why I decided to pick this book up. I wanted to read the story (dragons!) but also meet new characters
In The Dragon of Ynys we have Sir Violet, the only knight at the small village of Ynys. The people of Ynys have lived peacefully for many years until one day a gold necklace is stolen. Everyone believes that Heath, the newcomer of the village has stolen it, but Sir Violet holds off on punishment, deciding to investigate first. And his investigations lead him to a Dragon that lives in the mountains near Ynys. He goes to retrieve the necklace and finds that the Dragon is well mannered, returning the necklace immediately
This pattern continues until a person goes missing and that’s where Sir Violet draws the line!
Aside from a kleptomaniac Dragon and a knight visiting this dragon, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the story. One thing I didn’t expect was opening this on my phone and finding that it was only 70 pages long! I was a bit worried of the pacing but as I started reading, EVERYTHING just felt Right. We’re introduced to the village of Ynys and our main character, Sir Violet. We’re thrown almost immediately into the theft of the necklace and the discovery of the Dragon. The story gave us enough information about everything, not going too quick or too slow. But the best part was that it was very rhythmic and fairytale-esque. I could really picture myself reading this aloud to people
While the story wasn’t amazing (it was simple), the message of the story really came through. It really hammered down that it’s OK to be different (in fact, it’s Awesome) and that not all fairytales should end with a knight and the princess living happily ever after. I really feel it’s a story that can be read to children to introduce a lot of topics and create discussions. For example, not only do we see a positive portrayal of a married lesbian couple but one of the wives is trans. A very optimistic and great read
I have no complaints, give this short story a solid 5/5
In The Dragon of Ynys we have Sir Violet, the only knight at the small village of Ynys. The people of Ynys have lived peacefully for many years until one day a gold necklace is stolen. Everyone believes that Heath, the newcomer of the village has stolen it, but Sir Violet holds off on punishment, deciding to investigate first. And his investigations lead him to a Dragon that lives in the mountains near Ynys. He goes to retrieve the necklace and finds that the Dragon is well mannered, returning the necklace immediately
This pattern continues until a person goes missing and that’s where Sir Violet draws the line!
Aside from a kleptomaniac Dragon and a knight visiting this dragon, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the story. One thing I didn’t expect was opening this on my phone and finding that it was only 70 pages long! I was a bit worried of the pacing but as I started reading, EVERYTHING just felt Right. We’re introduced to the village of Ynys and our main character, Sir Violet. We’re thrown almost immediately into the theft of the necklace and the discovery of the Dragon. The story gave us enough information about everything, not going too quick or too slow. But the best part was that it was very rhythmic and fairytale-esque. I could really picture myself reading this aloud to people
While the story wasn’t amazing (it was simple), the message of the story really came through. It really hammered down that it’s OK to be different (in fact, it’s Awesome) and that not all fairytales should end with a knight and the princess living happily ever after. I really feel it’s a story that can be read to children to introduce a lot of topics and create discussions. For example, not only do we see a positive portrayal of a married lesbian couple but one of the wives is trans. A very optimistic and great read
I have no complaints, give this short story a solid 5/5
thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
bookcub's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
saracat's review against another edition
4.0
First, I want to thank NetGalley and Atthis Arts for giving me free and early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.
I give this title 4.5 stars. It was a delightful, fun short story that is full of great, diverse characters and dollop of snark. The main reason I didn't give it 5 stars is becomes some things seemed to work out too well or just a bit too easily. Which, is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think I'm a bit too cynical about things to full enjoy that aspect of this story.
While there are some elements that on there own sound like troupes from a fairy tale or fantasy story, there is almost nothing in this story that follows the 'norms' or expectations that many readers may have when picking up a book that says it has a dragon and knight as two of the characters.
I definitely recommend this book to readers of all ages.
I give this title 4.5 stars. It was a delightful, fun short story that is full of great, diverse characters and dollop of snark. The main reason I didn't give it 5 stars is becomes some things seemed to work out too well or just a bit too easily. Which, is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think I'm a bit too cynical about things to full enjoy that aspect of this story.
While there are some elements that on there own sound like troupes from a fairy tale or fantasy story, there is almost nothing in this story that follows the 'norms' or expectations that many readers may have when picking up a book that says it has a dragon and knight as two of the characters.
I definitely recommend this book to readers of all ages.
dustea's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
jadejuniiper's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 *
What a sweet and pleasant surprise this novella was!
There is so much to like about the story, the characters, and the overarching themes and morals that you expect of a children’s fairytale. This story was truly about acceptance, inclusivity, and covered topics having to do with both gender and sexuality. Our MC is aro/ace (as is the author) and a lesbian couple, one of the women being trans, played a major supporting role. Pronouns were spoken about candidly.
While the book is listed for all ages, and I believe on Goodreads for adults, I would definitely put this in the children’s section as I found the tone and writing style, and approach of subject matter more on the juvenile side. I believe this book could make a huge difference in a child’s life due to this wonderful representation from an own voices author.
The dragon Snap was definitely my favorite character, though I did grow very fond of our knight Sir Violet, you really just couldn’t beat all of Snap's witty remarks and one-liners. It really made for a joyful read.
My reasons for lowering my rating has to do with technical errors such as an overly large amount of ellipses use (about once per page and on one page I found *four*), and quite a few awkward dialogue moments that I had to take note of as I feel at times it distracted from the story. (Characters making oddball remarks that didn’t make sense with the moment, or an overly large exposition, etc).
I would like to make note that I am reading the 2020 edition of this book and that a rewrite was written after sensitivity beta readers found the book not up to an acceptable standard. I’m happy to report I feel the story was much improved based on the reviews I had previously read and I would happily put this on my shelves.
I received this ARC via net galley in exchange for an honest review.
What a sweet and pleasant surprise this novella was!
There is so much to like about the story, the characters, and the overarching themes and morals that you expect of a children’s fairytale. This story was truly about acceptance, inclusivity, and covered topics having to do with both gender and sexuality. Our MC is aro/ace (as is the author) and a lesbian couple, one of the women being trans, played a major supporting role. Pronouns were spoken about candidly.
While the book is listed for all ages, and I believe on Goodreads for adults, I would definitely put this in the children’s section as I found the tone and writing style, and approach of subject matter more on the juvenile side. I believe this book could make a huge difference in a child’s life due to this wonderful representation from an own voices author.
The dragon Snap was definitely my favorite character, though I did grow very fond of our knight Sir Violet, you really just couldn’t beat all of Snap's witty remarks and one-liners. It really made for a joyful read.
My reasons for lowering my rating has to do with technical errors such as an overly large amount of ellipses use (about once per page and on one page I found *four*), and quite a few awkward dialogue moments that I had to take note of as I feel at times it distracted from the story. (Characters making oddball remarks that didn’t make sense with the moment, or an overly large exposition, etc).
I would like to make note that I am reading the 2020 edition of this book and that a rewrite was written after sensitivity beta readers found the book not up to an acceptable standard. I’m happy to report I feel the story was much improved based on the reviews I had previously read and I would happily put this on my shelves.
I received this ARC via net galley in exchange for an honest review.
danibanani's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
derek13's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jugglingpup's review against another edition
2.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I am not a fantasy person, but I am a queer person (are my puns getting funnier yet?). So I thought I would give this a chance. My book nerd partner found it and told me there was trans and aroace, which of course sold it. So I was ready. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I read the entire book while grumpy that I was not going to have a good day today.
The book itself is short. The cover doesn’t really match the feel of the book. Yes, there is a dragon, but this cover is more fantasy than the book really delivers on. There are dragons and some talking spiders, that is pretty much the extent of the fantasy. Except for the constant need to travel and over explain everything in dialogue. This is one of the reasons I don’t like fantasy.
This book wasn’t the greatest thing out there. I can see why it can appeal, but it just felt like Cerridwen tried too hard to make something inclusive and that be a part of the plot. This is an issue I have with a lot of queer plots. The trans character should just be allowed to exist without their plot being they are trans. The aroace character should be allowed to exist without having to explain their sexuality all the time. I am really annoyed at the plot being the aroace character was hit on. Great. The character was already pretty annoying, but then his identity being reduced to not wanting to be hit on just felt shallow and disappointing. Add in the tone kept me from actually getting to know any character. There was such a fairy tale feel, that I didn’t get to know any characters. I just read the book a few hours ago and I couldn’t tell you the names of the main characters.
I read some reviews of the first edition and read the afterword by the author. I am really glad there was an effort to fix things and figure out where things went wrong. The trans plots read much more about the trans character being supported and there was a lot less transphobia from what I can tell from reviews. That being said, I am still let down by this book. It has improved from awful to cute I guess. It was just a miss for me.
I know others who will really enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me.
I got an ARC of this book.
I am not a fantasy person, but I am a queer person (are my puns getting funnier yet?). So I thought I would give this a chance. My book nerd partner found it and told me there was trans and aroace, which of course sold it. So I was ready. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I read the entire book while grumpy that I was not going to have a good day today.
The book itself is short. The cover doesn’t really match the feel of the book. Yes, there is a dragon, but this cover is more fantasy than the book really delivers on. There are dragons and some talking spiders, that is pretty much the extent of the fantasy. Except for the constant need to travel and over explain everything in dialogue. This is one of the reasons I don’t like fantasy.
This book wasn’t the greatest thing out there. I can see why it can appeal, but it just felt like Cerridwen tried too hard to make something inclusive and that be a part of the plot. This is an issue I have with a lot of queer plots. The trans character should just be allowed to exist without their plot being they are trans. The aroace character should be allowed to exist without having to explain their sexuality all the time. I am really annoyed at the plot being the aroace character was hit on. Great. The character was already pretty annoying, but then his identity being reduced to not wanting to be hit on just felt shallow and disappointing. Add in the tone kept me from actually getting to know any character. There was such a fairy tale feel, that I didn’t get to know any characters. I just read the book a few hours ago and I couldn’t tell you the names of the main characters.
I read some reviews of the first edition and read the afterword by the author. I am really glad there was an effort to fix things and figure out where things went wrong. The trans plots read much more about the trans character being supported and there was a lot less transphobia from what I can tell from reviews. That being said, I am still let down by this book. It has improved from awful to cute I guess. It was just a miss for me.
I know others who will really enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me.