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sarrie's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Heroes of Havensong: Dragonboy is the kickoff to a new fantasy middle grade series and boy does it kick. The story is fast paced, throws you into a deeply magical world and just says ‘GO!’. From dragons, to sentient magic dust clouds, and evil tyrants this book covers all the fantasy basics. There is even a prophecy foretelling of the Heroes!
Our story is told in alternating points of view, and in the begining in alternating timelines. We meet Blue, our Dragonboy, when he begins his journey. This is where things got a little confusing for me, and honestly I wonder if it won’t for a young reader. This starts ten years before the bulk of the rest of the novel. In fact the following 4 or 5 chapters all bounce between years leading up to the ‘The Fourth War’. You have to pay close attention to the chapter headings because otherwise you’re lost. From their we meet River, Wren, and Shenli. Each grows up somewhere different and has different views, gifts, and roles in the upcoming war.
The greatest strength in this for me was the believability of the characters. They felt the appropriate age and I can really see a lot of middle grade kids resonating with one or more of these characters. Did that mean that I didn’t feel like punching one in particular every time they made a choice? No. That kid drove me NUTS. But he made choices that I feel like a kid would make, mistakes a kid would make and that is going to work for it’s audience.
The world is complicated (maybe a bit too much) but full of wonder and magic that really kept me reading when I wanted to shake a child. For a middle grade reader I’d really recommend this. I loved the ideas and how well the characters read, and honestly - the magic dust cloud? Amazing idea.
The greatest strength in this for me was the believability of the characters. They felt the appropriate age and I can really see a lot of middle grade kids resonating with one or more of these characters. Did that mean that I didn’t feel like punching one in particular every time they made a choice? No. That kid drove me NUTS. But he made choices that I feel like a kid would make, mistakes a kid would make and that is going to work for it’s audience.
The world is complicated (maybe a bit too much) but full of wonder and magic that really kept me reading when I wanted to shake a child. For a middle grade reader I’d really recommend this. I loved the ideas and how well the characters read, and honestly - the magic dust cloud? Amazing idea.
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, Abandonment, Racism, Colonisation, and War
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