An okay story about family and loss with a dash of dragon. I received this book long ago via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Dnf at 55%. I tried, I really did. But it's all just a little too farfetched for me. I can't deal with the talking dragon (not unless it's gonna be an epic fantasy or a children's book) and other events have been pretty boring. It did look promising in the beginning but I have to move on now to something that is hopefully better.

I didn't know I'd actually be dnf'ing a lot of these ebooks I've received :/ not a good sign.

This story takes you on a magical and emotional ride. It's filled with sadness, hope, and longing. I connected with Di from the start and could understand why she longs for magic and freedom. Her attempts to find the strange creature living in the mountain had me cheering her on.

This is not just a story about a dragon, it's a bitter sweet tale about family and roots - the ties that bind - about letting go or holding on, and what price you are wiling (and able) to pay for either choice.

I was gripped and drawn in, and couldn't put this book down until I finished it. You bet I'll be rereading this. and I'm hoping it will become available in print, so I can add it to my shelf of favorites.

A nice story but a different title would have been better as I felt it was very misleading.
The story leaves quite a lot of unanswered questions about different people.
Don't question the story too closely and you will find it a easy read.

Well, I’m going to be one of “those” and review a book that I did not finish. Say what?! Yep, I know, some of you book bloggers are going to be throwing rotten tomatoes at me for days. Oh well, I’ll survive.

I picked this book up because of the cover. My daughter is a violinist and we both love dragons. This book sounds like a win-win, right?

Wrong. Okay, I’m going to admit first and foremost why I did not finish. Some of you will eye roll and think I’m a prude but there are certain curse words that make me lay a book down. Well, one is more like it. I have a zero tolerance for a certain word that I find offensive to my Christian faith. Call me a prude all you like but I wouldn’t use a curse word involving ANY deity because I feel it is disrespectful.

Having said that, once this word was dropped, I kind of sighed in relief that I could stop reading. This book was so cliché. The hippies all smelled like pot, hugged trees and were barefoot. The new age shop owner also fit a stereotype. As did the just out of high school expectant mom and the crotchety old grandpa.

There were other oddities, like the mom complaining that her husband couldn’t see a doctor because he didn’t have accident or life insurance. (I think someone is confused as to what life insurance is)

Most of all, this read heavy on the contemporary and light on the fantasy. I can read urban and contemporary fantasy but it needs to be fairly heavy-handed with fantasy. I didn’t get that from this book. It read like your average angsty modern woman who needs to grow the heck up. Those types of characters grate on my nerves. Sorry, they just do.

This book just wasn’t for me. Like I said, yes, the word in question was my excuse to drop the book but I was having a hard time getting through it before hand.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.

There is something in the mountains... something not human. What is it? Can it be trusted and who's side will you take in this engaging novel from Laura Bickle.

A slow-burn story that builds until you finally meet the book's namesake. It is well worth the wait, the magnificent creature trundling into your imagination spectacularly.

Will you side with the creature living in the mountain? The miners who have worked in the mountain? Or the environmental protestors? I urge you to find out!

Three Stars/Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dragon's Playlist was a surprising delight! I loved the way that magical elements and creatures were interwoven with contemporary reality. I especially liked the themes of goals and dreaming. The resolution was very inspiring because it wasn't an instant happily ever after ending but instead felt very realistic, though hopeful. This is a wonderful addition to any fantasy collection.

So... I really like Bickle's writing, but I was hesitant to read this book- because I live in West Virginia, and debates about mining are everyday life for me. I read for fun, not for more of what I deal with everyday. However, this was a truely enjoyable read. The background of a need to make enough money to survive and the desire to not completely ruin the environment was realistic without being preachy or defensive. The main character's struggles were relatable. And the conflict was completely believable.

This was a great, heartwarming book! I think frequently authors fail at explaining "both sides" of an issue, but Laura Bickle did a great job of portraying the coal miners as sympathetic and the environmental activist students as well-intentioned. I think the resolution was also satisfying and a complete story, while also allowing room for expansion with these fun characters.

(I will be posting a longer, more comprehensive review to Goodreads and Amazon, but I haven't finalized it yet, I hope this is ok!)

As with her other books, Laura Buckle draws you into her characters. She paces the book in a way that you feel for the characters. It is not a totally happy ending for all, but you will leave feeling that justice and magic won out.

I will start by saying the Dragon’s Playlist is possibly one of the best books I’ve read this year. The characters are well developed and captivating, the story moves at a brisk pace and keeps the engrossed even when the story deals with mundane things and elicited real feelings from me as a reader. And considering I read a lot of books to review and have honestly grown a bit jaded when a novel tries to tug at my heart strings, that’s saying something.

This book blends the real everyday world with a fantasy element, a style that has worked well over the years. If you think too hard about the fantasy elements, it can come a bit undone, but that applies to most of these types of books. And the book is written skillfully enough that it’s easy to ignore the cracks in the premises when they do show up.

While the book has magical elements to the story, including the titular Dragon, it’s really about the going back home and seeing your old life through adult eyes. Seeing the people, you once knew and how they’ve changed, and how relationships change with parents when you are no longer a child.

The mystical elements are fine and weaved in well enough that, not only doesn’t it disrupt the story of homecoming that’s the real treasure of the book, but it adds to it. Afakos, the Dragon, isn’t some otherworldly separate plot but feels like an extension of it. Admittedly, he’s supposed to be the main plot, and the homecoming angle seems to be the B plot, but it’s told with such care and empathy that, for me at least, the two flipped.

While some of the characters are a little two dimensional, you can’t help but become attached to Di. She is a fantastic character, and when she dyes her blue hair brown, I found myself feeling sad for her, as she left part of her independent life behind so she could help her family. She evolves through the book in a masterfully told character arc that kept me glued to the page.

I could continue gushing on all the details of the book, but I’ll leave it with this: The Dragon’s Playlist is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and is a must read. It’s not action packed, although there’s action. It’s not a magical ride into fantasy, although there’s plenty of fantasy and magic in it.

It is, however, one of the most honest and captivating tale about growing up I’ve ever read. Get this book and read it. You won’t be sorry.

A brilliant and have to say, despite the sordid selfishness of a company, a sweet novel. Diamond is called home from college due to dad being injured in a mine collapse. I'm sure she never thought that love would be also waiting g for her and also a very unusual relationship. A great read for young adults.