A disabled teen, an empathetic dragon, and a bond that will save the world.A new story from USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah K. L. WilsonSixteen-year-old Amel arrived at Dragon School just like everyone else – with a dream to ride dragons and join the Dominion Dragon Riders.But Amel has a crippled leg and Dragon School training is grueling. Before she can even become an initiate, she must … she can even become an initiate, she must complete her First Flight on a dragon.
Can Amel survive First Flight and become a Dragon School initiate or will her dreams dash on the rocks below?
Fans of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern and Christopher Paolini’s Eragon will love Dragon School.
FIRST FLIGHT is episode one of Dragon School. Expect a new episode every eighteen days!
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I enjoyed the shorter episode-like format of the first in this series. Beautifully written and engaging all the way through. I’m looking forward to reading the rest.
I was rooting for Amel every limp of the way!
I thought that this book was amazing! It was full of amazing characters, plots, and cliffhangers!
This was my first book I’ve read of Wilson’s and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a good intro to the Dragon School world. I wish some more of Amel’s back story had been explained, but it was still an interesting take on dragons and their riders. The side-characters kind of fluctuate between liking and hating Amel which makes your head spin, but it’s somewhat understandable since they’re trying to like her though society deems she’ll never be worthy of anything due to her disability. I’m intrigued in what will happen next, so I’ll definitely be continuing the journey.
Written for YA, short novellas create a longer story. Personally, I’d prefer fewer volumes.
Amel Leafbrought is a 16 year old girl with a crippled leg and who comes from a poor family, but all her life she’s dreamed of becoming something more – someone important. No longer wanting to be a finacial burden to her family, and being fed up as only being seen as nothing more than a girl with a disability, Amel makes a life changing decision.
The grim thought of never even trying brings her to dragon school. What is there to lose when she already has no one and no money? Sure, she could lose her life, but it’d be better to lose her life trying to become something than to waste it by playing safe and always wondering “what if”.
She had always imagined what becoming a dragon rider and living her days with purpose might be like, but never thought the day could ever come. But here she is now, in dragon school, along side her wave of new dragon rider trainees. Each one eager to pass every task and become a member of the Dominion Dragon Riders, to live their lives according to their chosen dragon color.
Dragon school is not for the weak. The work is grueling, and the tests could very well kill you if, of course, the untamed dragons don’t do it first. Besides that, the teachers and students are all reluctant to become attached to any of the new trainees for fear of losing them to a brutal death before any of them can even reach the next stage. Though all the students struggle with their lessons, Amel struggles most of all because of her disability, and everyone around her believes she’ll be dead before they take their first flight. However, she does make one friend, though, who seems to believe in her, and she refuses to give up and let her disadvantages stop her from doing what she set out to do.
When an urgent letter arrives to the school from the Dominion Capital, the teachers have to cut their students training time short. Though they were supposed to have weeks more to prepare themselves for their first flight, trainees only have until the next morning to either pass or… not.
What reason does the capital have to rush the dragon school to test their students so prematurely? Will Amel pass her test in time and move on to be an initiate or will she be one of the unfortunate failures who die trying?
First Flight by Sarah K. L. Wilson is a YA fantasy story about a girl with a crippled leg who wants to become a dragon rider and find her place in this world. This is the first novella in a series of twenty.
From start to finish this novella is packed full of action and suspense! The characters all have their own voice and unique personalities. I love Amel – she’s strong willed, thick skinned and kind hearted. She has a disability and the author treats it realistically and makes it believable. Roalcan is another favorite of mine, I love his friendship with Amel and his attitude in general. I do wish that we could’ve gone a little deeper in these characters’ backgrounds, as they’re only really just touched on, but I found myself getting attached to certain ones despite that, anyway.
The world building was good. I would have liked a little more detail on the surroundings and much more detail on how the wild dragons live, the deal between the dragon queen and the Dominion people, the magic used in keeping the dragons/ bonding them and what the symbols represent/ etc, and the laws of the world they live in. However, this is the first novella of many, so I’m sure more of that information will come soon enough (I hope). I really enjoyed learning the differences between the dragon types, and what their colors represent. Purple is my most favorite color, and the fact that the main dragon of this story is purple makes me enjoy it even more.
Overall, this is a YA fantasy, fast paced short story / novella that’s full of danger, suspense and overcoming nearly impossible challenges despite being at a disadvantage. If you have a love for dragons, strong female leads and fantasy worlds then this is for you! This doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but it will leave you reaching for the next book as soon as you finish! Sarah K. L. Wilson’s Dragon School serial is on KU – so read it for free, if you can!
Loved this book!! Highly recommend. Short but there are a lot so it’s ok. I’m on shirt shirt right #15 and they just get better and better!
I loved reading Amel’s story. She is strong willed and determined, despite everyone expecting her to fail because of her disability. And well I am a sucker for dragons, so I couldn’t not love Raolcan. My major complaint is that it is really short. I didn’t feel like it is a full book with a conclusion. I am anxious to read the next part, but I feel like whatever the second book holds, it should have been all in one book
I loved, loved, love it. Can’t wait to read the next one. A crippled girl and a dragon that can communicate with her by mental telepathy. Gives me goosebumps. Everyone is waiting for her to fail but by sheer determination, courage and perseverance she keeps surprising them all.
This was the first book that I have read by this author and I was extremely happy that I did read this book. I love how the MC has a physical disability and is able to still do what she wants to do no matter what. There was several times I had emotional outburst because of the treatment that others did to Amel, but was happy to see that no matter what she stuck to her own strengths.
I have seen this series compared to Anne McCaffrey. Okay, I may not go that far, but I have found a new author. These are more of a novelette, so a shorter read.
This book was provided to me free of charge. I am voluntarily reviewing it.
Dragon School: First Flight is a quick and easy read. The author is creative with interesting characters. It would be fun to be a Dragon Rider. I really enjoy these characters and can’t wait to read more about them.
This was so much better than I was expecting! Amel is a disabled teen with high ambitions of being a dragon rider, but of course, there are obstacles in her way, such as social class and mobility issues. As you suspect, the other trainees aren’t very nice to her. But hey! Who needs nice trainees when you get to choose the dragon you’re going to bond with… or in Amel’s case… her dragon chose her. Meet Raolcan, a purple and sleek dragon who has bonded with Amel before their first flight.
What I loved about this story is the number of issues it touched on. I think it is well covered and conveyed while being entertaining. Amel is adorable and I love Raolcan. He has such a calming presence to him. The interactions between the two are great. It does end in a bit of a cliff-hanger, but not an “edge of your seat” cliff-hanger. I look forward to the next installment!
This book is so good I’m really loving the plot and characters. Amel and her Purple Dragon Raolcan I just love them. I don’t know what to think about Savette yet ,with her Crimson Dragon Eeamdor, such a contradiction. Leng, and his Purple Dragon Ahlskibi, is being really nice to Amel, I’m wondering if he is going to be Amel’s love interest. Grandis, servents, Dragon Riders, the Colors, the Initiates. Then all the tests. I love all the different sectors decribed. I really can’t wait for part 2
A daring read!
Join Dragon School…
Learn to fly…
Can Amel survive First Flight?
Or will she fall to her death?
Or choose to be a servant instead of death and dragons?
I feel sorry for the heroine, not because of her disability, but because of the hateful words people say about her because of her disability. I cannot wait for her to prove these people wrong. I love reading main characters that have disabilities because it shows how people in the real world suffer not only from their disability but from people who insult them. This book brought that into light and I loved how the heroine proved them wrong.
This book was an amazing start for this series. Loved meeting the main character and her dragon, loved getting to know the school and reading about the flights – loved the explanations/descriptions of it. Made it surreal.
I am officially hooked on this book, especially after that ending. Looking forward to the next book.
Full of dragons, dragon riders, decisions, uncertainty, magic, choices or lack thereof, courage, trust and bravery.
Perfect for readers of fantasy reads.
Audiobook
At first, I was not to sure of the narrator but, in the end, she won me over. So excited to listen to more of these books because of the narrator!
This a great novella to get you introduced to Dragon School. How cool would it be to be a Dragon Rider?! I really enjoy these characters and can’t wait to read more about them.
Very good start to a new series by Sarah K. L. Wilson. Short but very good and keeps you wanting more. Alem has a disability as she was injured as a child. But that just makes her stronger . Her purple dragon got to love, can’t wait to read book 2.
Amel Leafbrought makes a delightful, novice student at Dragon School: conflicted emotionally, an outcast due to being crippled. The other students treat her poorly. She has more to overcome than most. Raolcan is her chosen dragon. Will Amel and Raolcan overcome the odds?
I was provided this book as an ARC by the author; however, the review is my honest opinion.
This book was provided to me free of charge. I am voluntarily reviewing it.
Dragon School: First Ride is quick and easy read at just over 100 pages. Despite the brevity, the author does a good job of creating a complex and well fleshed out main character in Amel. She is determined and brave, refusing to give up on her dream despite the negativity that is aimed her way. I would recommend this book to any fantasy reader who enjoys a heroine that doesn’t shy away from difficulty.