I never actually added this book to Mount TBR when I saw Ana’s review on The Book Smugglers, but I did mentally make a note of it. And spotted it and ordered it for work. And it came in last week. And I saw it, so I borrowed it.
And I loved it
The dragon of the title is Aventurine, the fiercest creature there is! or so she says. Her mother says she isn’t allowed outside at all until her wings can carry her and her scales have hardened. But Aventurine is a dragon who loves adventure, she isn’t going to sit at home for another thirty or so years, she wants to get out. So she finds a secret way out, and sets off hunting. But her mother’s warning was not in vain, and Aventurine finds herself transformed into a puny human girl! Outrageous.
This book is really excellent. I loved it. Aventurine is a great character, she’s young and naive and her lack of judgement shows. But she’s also passionate and smart and quick to learn, once she sets her mind to it.
And especially where chocolate is concerned.
In some ways this book reminded me of some Georgette Heyer books, not because there is any romance in it, but because the author really manages to make the characters come alive and you feel with them. Plus there are mix-ups and misunderstandings which are the staple of any good romance novel.
I loved it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun light-hearted read, especially one focusing on girls and friendships, and finding your way in the world.
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[…] As for my favourite book of the year… Let’s see I really enjoyed The Secret Horses of Briar Hill with its wonderfull fairy tale feel and winged horses. I also reread Good Omens and I adore that book. Then there was Keeping the world away which was a wonderful tale about women and women’s lives through the story of a painting. H is for Hawk is a definite contender, a book about grief and depression that is so beautifully written. And of course there is Guards! Guards! which is just a fantastic book. I also loved Gnomon, which was another big book,700 pages of alternating stories woven together to talk about politics and society, surveillance and democracy. The high mountains of Portugal was a real surprise, another collection of tales about life and people and the nature of humanity. And then there was The Power, which reimagined a society where women had the physical power and how that changed everything, but nothing all at the same time. All systems red was another book with a great narrator, who doesn’t love a murderbot who wants to do nothing but watch the soaps. And for something utterly different there was the wonderful River of Teeth which took for its starting inspiration a plan to introduce hippos to the US. I also reread Sunshine in 2017, one of the greatest urban fantasy books I think. How do you compare that to the violent, visceral sci-fi that is The Stars are Legion? or that to the wonderfully good-hearted, character driven children’s book that is The Dragon with a chocolate heart? […]