I found this at a used bookstore, and since I read and enjoyed Funke’s Inkheart series, I decided to give this book a try.

Read: May 20 – May 25, 2024

Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Children’s, Middle-grade
Book contains: dragon hunting dragons

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

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Fun Quest Across the World

When the threat of humans demolishing their valley is on the horizon, a young dragon named Firedrake sets off on a journey with his brownie friend to find the Rim of Heavan, a legendary mountain range that is said to be the home of dragons, where humans will never find them.

A funny story about this book is when I opened it and started reading I recognized the characters and plot, though I was sure I’d never read this book before. As it turns out, I unknowingly watched the movie based on this book from Netflix (with a different name) a few years ago. I couldn’t quite remember everything about the movie, but I definitely liked the book better.

This book is told in third-person limited POV, though at times I found some head-jumping, in which the POV focus shifts to a completely different character in the middle of a scene for a sentence or two. It was a bit distracting, but luckily didn’t happen often.

I read this book slowly but, with a little assistance, got through it only one day behind schedule. It wasn’t one of those books that I couldn’t set down, which made it a bit difficult to get through, along with the fact that I’d already watched the movie.

The cast of characters is diverse, and I liked the dynamic that one character in the group was always the peacekeeper for the other two. At first, it was Firedrake for Sorrel and Ben, then it was Ben for Sorrel and Twigleg. Sorrel was a fun character because she’s so argumentative—with everyone.

They meet many allies along the way, and since it’s a Children’s book, most of the time things go well, with the single, obviously evil villain chasing after them. The plot was simplistic in that regard, as were the relationships which, for the most part, were surface-level but still interesting.

Overall, the story was okay. It was a quest that took our heroes halfway across the world as they faced the dangers of getting lost and being attacked, but there were many coincidences that solved problems for them. In writing, I prefer coincidences to get characters in to trouble rather than out of it, and the resolutions seemed too easy—if a bit disappointing. Still, the climax of the book was clever and well-earned.

The pacing, as well, was pretty good. Despite the fact that they were on a journey, each encounter felt fresh. Oftentimes, things that prevent the characters from moving forward can feel repetitive or boring, but they didn’t in this book. Their journey also kept bringing them closer to their goals, and some of their accidental diversions provided vital information they otherwise wouldn’t have gotten.

This book is good for kids who like dragons and magic, so I’d recommend giving it a try, but it was nothing mind-blowing. Just a fun little tale. I also just found out it’s the first of a trilogy, though I am unsure if I’ll continue to the next two books.

Related Reviews:

The Last Dragon Chronicles Book 1: The Fire Within by Chris D’Lacey
The Tale of Despereaux, a Junior Novelization by Jamie Michalak
How to Train Your Dragon Book 1: How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell