So... If you've ever wanted to read a Fantasy Western (Western Fantasy???), set in Texas, with a focus on animal rescue and conservation, and themes of the underdog vs. Big Bad Corporate America, you've come to the right book.

DRAGONS IN TEXAS!! It's just so fun!

I was lucky enough to read this early through NetGalley, and dang… I feel like I just got the inside scoop on a big future phenomenon. The adventure of Cassidy and her dragon Ranga is heartfelt, entirely original, and instantly iconic. Young readers will immediately connect with the drive and charm of Cassidy and her Texas dragon-ranching family, and they won't be able to put the book down once the grand adventure of the race itself begins. The action kicks in delightfully soon, even as the author rolls out the expansive and entirely credible world of an alternate 21st century. The world-building is so solid that, as an adult reader, my suspension of disbelief never wavered once. Not only is this story fun and fast paced, but it’s also woven through with thoughtful modern themes of economic inequality and abusive corporate behavior. This is a beautifully written story with a satisfying conclusion, and yet everything about it screams multi-part series in the best possible way. Hopefully one day we’ll get a box set for our libraries and a big budget series for our Netflix lists!

this was a really great young adult novel, I loved the use of dragons going on and loved the characters within the story. I was invested in what was happening and thought the plot worked really well together. Kacy Ritter does a great job in telling the story and keeping the read engaged.

"There’s enough tension in his jaw that I know he’s lying. I imagine the next few months: lingering by Gran’s bed as her hospital bills are sent to collections; helping around the farm like an obedient Texas girl while our dragons are sold off one by one. It stokes a burning desire to help deep in my stomach. The worn Great Texas Dragon Race application, with the promise of its sweet $250,000 prize, burns in my back pocket."

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Cassidy Drake comes from a family of dragon ranchers and riders. While major companies like FireCorp exploit dragons for their uses in oil extraction, and race dragons as an advertising technique, Cassidy and her family rescue abused dragons and rehabilitate them.

Cassidy's mother won the great Texas Dragon race, and Cassidy wants nothing more to step into her boots. And the money would save the ranch. But can she do it?

Hitting many of the traditional horse tropes, with Texas as a backdrop, this is an enjoyable book which will appeal both to fans of fantasy books like the Wings of Fire series and horse books like the Black Stallion series. It is appropriate for middle grade readers, with some minor violence.