4 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank Curiosity Quills Press for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.
Move over Ms MacAlister and her Wyverns – there’s a new type of dragon in town! Well, half-dragon… and not just one town, a few towns… and other places.
I loved this book! Being a huge fan of Urban Fantasy and world’s within our own that have a good dash of reality, a large sprinkle of humour and a dollop of sarcasm – how could I NOT love this book?
And thank goodness for a book that contains teens, supernatural creatures and NO SPARKLY VAMPIRES! Hoorah! I do love it when you get writers who know how to write a great book and break free of those horrible cookie cutter moulds that seemed to restrain the Urban Fantasy genre for so long. We need more books like this! So glad it appears to be the first in a series. Please put me down for the next one!
Okay, so now I try and talk to you about the book without giving away the plotline… as, seriously, you want to know about the story, you need to read it. 😉
But basically Allyson is your typical teen outcast with no true place to call home, always on the move and with more than the usual pimples of puberty to deal with. She meets someone she really connects with, finds out there is more to her life than what she thought and is then thrown into an adventure that introduces both our protagonist and the reader to the world of the Kin and all that is going on. Seriously, read it. My blurb does it no justice.
Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. Lovers of the Wyvern series by Katie MacAlister, or Other Worldly book like the Hollows by Kim Harrison or even Mary Janice Davidson will enjoy this book. Though it is more of a YA genre than they are as the main characters are teens and not the twenty somethings of the series I’ve mentioned. Still, ‘Acne, Asthma, and other signs you might be half dragon’ is not your typical teen Urban Fantasy (see my comments about the lack of pretty fanged wonders) and so really is worth a read.
Would I buy this book for myself? Yes I would. And I look forward to the next in the series. Ms Rocford’s style is light, refreshing and she sets a good fast-paced scene that keeps you reading and kept my ‘One more chapter’ mantra going. So this book, series and author are definitely ones I will keep on my list of things to remember.
In summary: A well written, fast-paced YA Urban Fantasy where reality will still make even the supposedly graceful and wise dragon’s bunny hop from time to time. Well thought out, highly entertaining and a fantastic first book in what looks to be a great new series. Well worth you checking out tomorrow!
Until next time,
Janis. XXOO
Janis's Journal 