On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm…
The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.
Because the dragon knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit—and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.
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I really enjoyed this! Patrick Ness always has plots and characters that keep you thinking about them long after finishing, and this was no exception! The inclusion of historical events was brilliantly done, and the ending was tasteful while still making you wish there was more.
I loved the creativity and I think Ness is a master with execution for the most part. What I wanted was more character development but the story is really interesting.
I gave this novel three and a half stars!
This was a nice fantasy read.
In this book, we follow a young girl Sarah and her dad as they hire a dragon to tend to their farm to get by. Dragons are shunned by human society, and it isn’t long before people start judging them for hiring a blue dragon. However, this dragon seems to have taken an interest in her and claims to have secrets. What are those secrets, and will they put her in more danger than she’s already been in?
I didn’t quite love this story, but I did enjoy it.
I think what really drew me in was the concept. I mean, hello! Dragons are awesome, and if you don’t think they are then I don’t think we can be friends. I also liked the alternate history timeline that I got to see. It was distinct and while a bit depressing, still vivid.
This book has two parts. The first half differed a lot from the later half, and I have to say I have mixed feelings about it. I liked the mystery aspect of the first half. This ‘prophecy’ and what it means, the characters’ interactions, the sensitive time element. All good things. Something happens (no spoilers, promise!), and the other half is very different. A lot of it I can’t really talk about because it would give things away, but I kind of felt that by the end of the book, a certain character or two accepted what happened in the first half and were a little too okay with the results. Like … how in the hell are you okay with that? Do you even understand … I can’t.
While I enjoyed the characters in this book, I have to say that they didn’t have a ton of progression, especially for the main character. She just kind of fell a bit flat for me. I get that she’s not the most vibrant character, but she felt vanilla. She didn’t really stand up enough for herself until a certain point, and I didn’t feel too attached to her. Kazimir was entertaining, he was probably my favorite.
And Malcolm … well, I’m a bit confused by Malcolm’s narrative parts. This book seems to be young adult until we get to his viewpoint. When I read certain sections I just kind of tilted my head and said “Well, that’s not YA, that’s adult.” I think his narrative confused the genre this book should be rightfully placed in, but his character easily had the most progression overall.
Having read this book, I can’t say it’s perfect, but I can definitely say that it’s entertaining and fun. If you like dragons and fantasy, this may be the book for you!