julie abe happens to be my new fav middle grade author. my niece and i had a blast bonding over this book and a few others under her name! a definite throwback to my wonderment as a child, like dipping my toes into a studio ghibli film

I read almost nothing these past two months due to moving, settling down in a new country, finding a place, and all the jazz. But Alliana, Girl of Dragons by @julieabebooks became the game changer!

Set in the same world as Eva Evergreen, Alliana, Girl of Dragon is a Middle-Grade fantasy standalone inspired by a Japanese Cinderella story. If you have read Abe's work before, you know how whimsical and magical the worldbuilding of her book and this book is no exception. She has the talent to describe everything vividly and make you feel that you are inside her book and witness every moment with your own eyes. However, beyond that what I adore more in this book is her words. There are so many great quotes that even as an adult I could resonate with. This is the kind of book that is worth gifting to your lovely young one 💕

One of my favorite quotes:
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠. 𝑊𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑤𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠. 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑗𝑜𝑦.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

A retelling of the Japanese Cinderella, Alliana suffers daily mistreatment by her stepmother, but she doesn’t want to leave her sickly grandmother without a caring person, so she stays and endures the abuse. But when her grandmother dies, Alliana makes her own magic and destiny when she finds and befriends a baby dragon in the dreaded and dangerous abyss and helps a young witch. An enchanting story of a kind-hearted girl!

☘️ This new middle grade fantasy from @julieabebooks is a Japanese Cinderella retelling set in the same world of Eva Evergreen. Alliana was forced to live with her wicked stepmother and her children and has to tire herself out everyday working for the inn. Her only way out of this situation is by attending this ball, until she met a magical creature.

☘️ Eva Evergreen is a favorite middle grade book and I had high expectations on this new release. Needless to say, I enjoyed some parts and hoped for some factors to be a bit different. And although it didn't charm me the same way as Eva Evergreen, I thought this story will still offer warmth and joy to some of its readers. Plus the gorgeous cover!

verdict: worth a shot ☕

Julie Abe’s Alliana Girl of Dragons, the prequel to her debut Eva Evergreen Semi-Magical Witch, is a magical fantasy tale inspired by the Japanese version of Cinderella. Instead of fairy godmothers, pumpkins, and mice, however, Alliana is surrounded by magical friends, her dreams and even dragons.

While reading the book, it's not immediately evident that it is a fairytale retelling. However, once the story really gets started, you can see the elements of Cinderella at its heart with the various twists the author implemented to make it a unique tale. Similar to Cinderella, Alliana is an orphan who’s forced to work for her cruel stepmother and stepsiblings like a slave. She’s always loved fairy tales, but instead of dreaming of a Prince Charming to take her away from her situation, she’s been dreaming of joining the Royal Academy. That dream has seemed just out of reach for most of her life. Things change, however, once she meets her new magical witch friend Nela and a night dragon.

Alliana is a kind-hearted gentle girl, and it was hard as a reader to see how cruel her step-family were. Grandmother Mari was a shining light in Alliana’s life, and after reading the author note it was touching to see that the character was inspired by the author’s own Grandmother. Alliana’s friends Nela and Isao were also instrumental in giving her the nudge and the resources to allow her to chase her dream. I just love the incorporation of a dragon in the book. In my opinion, dragons make every book better (without fail) and Kabo is awesome. I hope the author writes more books in this world and incorporates him into more stories in the future.

I did want to note that, as opposed to the Disney retelling of Cinderella, I appreciated how Alliana’s step-family were punished at the end of the book for their treatment of her. Instead of just throwing them in a hole and tossing the key away, their punishments were designed to make them understand why what they did was wrong. I don’t think blanket forgiveness is the best message for the audience level this book is aimed at.

If a fairy tale retelling that features found family, friendship, and perseverance at its core sounds like something you would enjoy, then you should check out Alliana Girl of Dragons. Readers who are familiar with Eva Evergreen should know that this is set in the same universe, but it's an entirely different storyline and set before Eva is born. As a nice treat, there are some characters that appear in both books (you’ll have to read the books to figure out which ones).

Thank you to the author, the publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, NetGalley and the team at TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Alliana Girl of Dragons immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

I did not enjoy this book in the slightest, unfortunately. Not only did the dialogue feel stilted - all of the writing felt stilted. Parts of it just really don’t make any sense at all, even for kids. Much more editing!

A girl , a dragon and a witch is a great combination for an adventure. The story was slow and the action was little but still an enjoyable story. The time jumps left the story hallow somehow. It left me wanting to know what happened during those times.

Alliana, Girl of Dragons was a fun fantasy story that is a retelling of Cinderella for young readers. I love a good Cinderella type retelling so to me this was very enjoyable even if I thought the begining was a bit slow.

Alliana's father died in the Abyss, a place were dragons roam. Alliana once had dreams but now she is doomed to work for her stepmother at her father's inn. She doesn't mind spending her time with her grandmother (who isn't really her grandmother, but her step siblings grandmother), they spend a lot of time mending cloths for her stepmother and step siblings, plus any guest at the inn.

Then one day the grandmother dies and things get a little harder on her and she goes walking out by the abyss where she sees a baby dragon about to get eaten by a larger dragon and she rescues it and has to keep it hidden. Then she meets a young witch Nela Evergreen and they become friends. These two things will change her life going forward.

The story spans a few years and there is a ball she has been wanting to go to as it's there that if you get picked you could go to the royal academy which could be the life changing thing she needs but it's not that simple and a lot of things happen but it was about the half way more in this story where a lot of the similarities to cinderella start to really ramp up a bit.

I really liked Alliana, I thought she was a great character and I also loved Nela and Isao and also the nightdragon! The stepmother and stepbrother were horrible while the stepsister wasn't as bad she was just really different.

I think if you like middle grade fantasy and a bit of cinderella retelling then I think you would enjoy this book.

Alliana, Girl of Dragons is the sweetest boost of serotonin I didn't expect to read and was the perfect balance of magic, adventure, and family. Alliana is slowly saving up to join the Royal Academy and leave behind her cruel stepmother and her father's inn. But for every bit she saves, another strike goes on her long list of dues. Her only highlights are spending time with Grandmother Mari and her stories which tell of the adventures of Queen Natsumi. However, adventure is just around the corner when Alliana meets Nela and her nightdragon and is enlisted to help them explore the abyss. From its first line, Julia Abe creates a world that's full of stories and it's reminiscent of Studio Ghibli.

This story had absolutely everything I adored in middle grade from its themes to the sense of wonder that comes with self-identity. Alliana's journey is more than just the physical adventure with Nela and the other witches but also follows the exploration of finding herself after spending years of conforming with her stepmother's demands. Her friendship with the witches and their support of her dreams and ambitions allow her to take agency of her own story.

Alliana's adventure is my first foray into Julia Abe's work and it definitely won't be my last. This novel has left me with all the warm feelings of friendship and a sense of hope for the future.

3.5/5 stars, rounded up because I just love dragons.

If you're a fan of middle-grade books with fairytale vibes and are a firm believer (as I am) that we need more books with dragons, this may be a strong contender for your TBR.

This was a sweet story, and I especially loved its emphasis on found family and surrounding yourself with people who support and love you, regardless of whether you are blood relations. Fans of Eva Evergreen may recognize Alliana as a historical figure who was mentioned in Eva's books, and will certainly recognize Nela's full name: Nelalithimus Evergreen. Of course, I am a sucker for dragons, and I loved seeing a story where dragons were both good and evil, where they could bond with humans or attack them. The book certainly had enough fairytale vibes and the happy ending you would expect, but it also went into some darker and more complex places. The casual inclusion of Japanese culture, art, and foods was refreshing, knowing that the author is also Japanese and writing from personal knowledge. And the illustrations by Shan Jiang at the start of each chapter were a lovely touch.

That's not to say the book was perfect; I do have some criticisms. It was a bit heavy-handed in some places, and while the exaggeration of characters and actions is par for the course in fairytale land, it sometimes felt like you were being bludgeoned over the head with how awful Alliana's family was and how much she wanted to leave. I know MG is sometimes less delicate than fiction for older ages, this felt like a bit much even for that age demographic. There were also some side characters who weren't very well-defined but kept showing up, and I wasn't really sure what to think of them. Some of the plot elements made little sense to me, like Alliana being fine with sneaking away from the inn all day constantly even though her stepfamily monitors her so closely and she is reluctant to leave them. And without spoilers, there is a sort-of antagonist who seemed different from the other antagonists, less evil, but this character was punished similarly to the "really bad" ones when they got their comeuppance. That piece of the ending didn't quite sit right with me.

Now, don't let my criticisms dissuade you. All told, this is a solid MG fantasy for anyone who wants more non-western fairytale retellings and dragons, with a dash of whimsy and a lot of heart.

This was a great MG fantasy novel from Julie Abe! The characters were all great, and I really enjoyed the plot. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Content warnings: Childhood emotional abuse/neglect (not intense/graphic; sort of what you’d expect from a middle grade Cinderella story); parental and other family death and grieving.

This is a wonderful read, just exactly the kind of middle grade that I like. Like the Eva Evergreen books before it, it’s a story that balances bravery and kindness, magic and hard work, friendship and self-belief. I really loved how the Cinderella elements were woven into the story in a way that felt natural and believable – yes, it’s a familiar story, but the way that it’s done is so deft that it feels like a plot that’s unique to these specific characters. Just as with Eva’s story, this still feels like a big, intricate world in which hundreds of stories could be told, so it was fun to see a new slice of life – but if you loved Eva’s fiery kindness and the dreamy Ghibli-esque world, you’ll love this too.

Alliana is an incredibly likeable heroine, and it’s easy to fall in love with her early on as she struggles through life with her awful stepfamily. Her relationship with her grandmother is lovely, and brings a lot of heart to the early part of the book, as it gives a speck of light that allows the good parts of Alliana’s character to shine; it also provides a really great answer as to why she doesn’t just run away from the abuse she suffers. The heartbreaking thing about Alliana’s situation is that she has known love, so the neglect she suffers from her stepmother and stepsiblings is so much more crushing in comparison. The book never lingers on the darkness or misery of the story – in part thanks to Alliana’s indomitable spirit – and though there are some surprisingly dark parts, this feels incredibly cosy to read. The focus on friendship, and how friends can become family, was lovely, and well-textured – I particularly liked that side characters had their own relationships between themselves, rather than a secondary cast being only identified by their interactions with Alliana.

I knew this book was set in the same world as the Eva Evergreen books, and I remembered Alliana’s name as being familiar, but I actually hadn’t paid much attention to the blurb because I knew from the moment it was announced that I wanted to read it, so I was caught off-guard when Nela popped up, and when I realised who she was I was just beaming! I really wasn’t expecting there to be so many actual links back to Eva’s story throughout the book – this was completely delightful. We get to see multiple characters from the Eva books at a different time in their lives, and I loved getting to know them from a different angle. That being said, there is absolutely nothing in this book that would require you to have read the Eva series first – it’s more like an extra layer of enjoyment for existing fans, but Alliana itself stands completely alone as a readable story. You could read either first (as long as you do read them!).

I really hope that there will be a sequel to this book, because I think that Alliana and her friends have a lot more adventures in them, and there seems to be space for them in the world! I certainly want to know a lot more about the nightdragons in particular, and about where Alliana’s friendship with Kabo, her dragon friend, will take her next. But then, I’d read anything Julie Abe wants to write – just more wonderful cosy magical MG like this, please! Five out of five cats!

Thank you tbrbeyondtours for letting me join the tour and Little Brown Young Readers for sending me a physical copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastical middle grade standalone, a wondrous Cinderella retelling with a glimmer of Japanese culture. Diving back into the world of Eva Evergreen, with gorgeous storytelling filled with fairytale and tapestry descriptions, readers will be introduced to Alliana, a courageous heroine forging her own path to her dreams with the help of supportive (and familiar) allies while struggling as an orphan working at her cruel stepmother's inn.

Sharp and strict dialogue from her stepmother leaves readers feeling Alliana's despair, while contrasting with the genuine and heartfelt dialogue with her grandmother and her friends that keep Alliana hopeful for the future. The strong bonds Alliana forms remind her she is not alone as she discovers her ability to communicate with night dragons and overcoming fierce beasts and mysterious worlds unlike any other.

Alliana is an orphan, living with her stepmother and step siblings. Just like Cinderella, she is forced to clean and cook all day, and never gets the love or care she deserves. The one bright spot is her grandmother Mari, who isn't related by blood. Then her grandmother dies and Alliana feels alone in the world.

By accident, Alliana stumbles on a baby night dragon and learns she can talk to him. Her new dragon friend, and a witch named Nela she befriends, give her some purpose and hope for her life. Alliana fights to overcome her position in life and seeks more - more adventure, love and friendship.

I was totally enchanted by this story and really enjoyed reading it. At the beginning of the story, Alliana is meek and downtrodden but as the story goes on, she starts to find strength within herself and you see her self-confidence grow. I do wish there was more about the dragons in the story. They play a bigger role at the end but I would have liked more dragons throughout. I definitely recommend this read and it would be great as a read aloud with middle school kids ❤️. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Little Brown Books publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

It was a nice retelling and I liked the rendition it did with Cinderella! Also I love dragons so this hooked me in right away.

Alliana, Girl of Dragons

By: Julie Abe

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Publish Date: August 2, 2022

Children’s Fiction

#AllianaGirlofDragons#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Little Brown Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Once upon a time, Alliana believed in dreams and fairy tales as sweet as spun-sugar clouds. Alliana wished on shooting stars, sure that someday she and her grandmother would be able to travel to the capital city to see the queen. Then her grandmother passed away—and those dreams disappeared in a disenchanted puff.

Now Alliana’s forced to attend to the whims of her wicked stepmother—with long days of cleaning her stepfamily’s inn as her skin burns raw or staying up until the crack of dawn to embroider her stepsister’s ball gowns. Until she meets two beings who change her life forever—the first is a young nightdragon who Alliana discovers she can magically talk to. And the second is Nela, a young witch.

Nela needs Alliana’s help navigating the mysterious abyss, filled with dangerous beasts, a place Alliana knows by heart. Alliana sees Nela’s request as a chance to break free of her stepmother’s shadow and to seize a chance at a life she’s barely dared to hope for—but there’s a risk. If caught, Alliana will be stuck working for her stepmother for the rest of her life. Can Alliana truly make wisps of dreams into her own, better-than-a-fairy tale happily ever after?

Book Review:

I enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. It is a quick read.

This is a Cinderella retelling. You have an evil stepmother and instead of two ugly stepsisters you have instead an evil stepbrother and a stepsister who isn’t so bad.

Alliana is an orphan and is being raised by her stepfamily. She is treated poorly and has to do all the chores and most of the cooking. When she has spare time, she tries to sale off some herbs she gathers to pay off the debt she owes her stepfamily.

One day while gathering herbs she witnesses an event with three-night dragons. Two of them are fighting over the third baby one. Alliana goes and rescues the baby, and she is able to communicate with it through thought. She tells the little dragon to hide, and she will try to see him as soon as possible and will leave it some food if she can.

As time goes on the night dragon grows and Alliana isn’t able to see him but is able to leave a little bit of food for him. During this time Alliana also meets up with a witch. This witch needs her help with some problems that the town they live in is having. Alliana isn’t sure what she can do but she is willing to help out.

As the year continues on things are happening both in her life and the town. Alliana tries really hard with her stepfamily, but it is not easy. Eventually she finds out somethings and this makes her angry.

This is her story and how she handles things.

This story will also make you have some strong feelings toward the stepmother and stepbrother.

→ 3.5 stars

Alliana, Girl of Dragons wasn't initially on my radar but Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch has been on my to-buy list for a while so when I saw this tour was happening, I definitely wanted to get myself on it. This book is a middle grade, Japanese Cinderella retelling with a fantasy twist. Alliana is trapped working for her stepmother in the family inn to pay off her so called debts but dreams of escaping her stifling town for a better life somewhere else. By making friends with a nightdragon and a witch, she begins to see she is more then just a simple servant and instead may hold the key to keeping her land safe.

This was an incredibly charming fairy tale inspired story. I didn't initially know it was based on a version of Cinderella so this was extra points as I love anything fairy tale related. I loved Alliana's character, she had so much resilience and kindness to her and she always strived to do the right thing especially when it came to putting others ahead of herself. I enjoyed reading about the burgeoning friendship between Alliana and Nela, the novice witch. I thought their bond was really sweet and it was clear they'd found a true friend in each other.

Julie Abe's writing is lovely. It's perfect for a middle grade audience as it's an easy read but still beautifully descriptive. I liked the delves into Japanese culture with mentions of different food and customs. I particularly liked the tapestries that are woven by Alliana and her grandmother and the stories that are told through them.

The story mainly centers around Alliana and her endless chores and her desperation to leave her step-family until she becomes entangled with the abyss near her home, home to dragons and other creatures. Considering that dragons feature in the title, I really did want them to be a much bigger part of the story and feature more overall. Alliana befriends a hatchling she calls Kabo and it's cute to see how they've come to consider each other family and the lengths they go to protect each other. I just don't feel like we got much of them bonding or even really spending any time together due to time jumps.

I also felt like the characters of the stepmother and stepsiblings was overdone a bit much. It felt like the author was trying to make them as awful as possible to build sympathy for Alliana but in the end it was overkill and too stereotypical. It played too much into the tale of Cinderella at times where it perhaps wasn't needed and therefore the fantasy elements got a bit lost.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it and it was definitely a fun, magical time. I just needed less chores and more dragons. I'm definitely going to be picking up the Eva Evergreen books in the future as well as checking out Julie Abe's YA debut.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Alliana, Girl of Dragons

Author: Julie Abe and Shan Jiang

Book Series: part of the Eva Evergreen series

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Japanese MC and characters

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, high fantasy, fantasy, dragons, Cinderella, Japanese Cinderella, fairy tales

Publication Date: August 2, 2022

Genre: MG High Fantasy

Age Relevance: 12+ (child abuse, death of parents, grief, slavery, animal harm, murder, violence)

Explanation of Above: There is a lot of showing of child abuse, allusions to slavery, slight violence, and mentions of murder (murder by omission and sabatoge). The book heavily revolves around grief and loneliness and shows the deaths of the MC’s parents and parental figures. There is also a dragon fight and some harm to a dragon.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 336

Synopsis: Once upon a time, Alliana believed in dreams and fairy tales as sweet as spun-sugar clouds. Alliana wished on shooting stars, sure that someday she and her grandmother would be able to travel to the capital city to see the queen. Then her grandmother passed away—and those dreams disappeared in a disenchanted puff.

Now Alliana’s forced to attend to the whims of her wicked stepmother—with long days of cleaning her stepfamily’s inn as her skin burns raw or staying up until the crack of dawn to embroider her stepsister’s ball gowns. Until she meets two beings who change her life forever—the first is a young nightdragon who Alliana discovers she can magically talk to. And the second is Nela, a young witch.

Nela needs Alliana’s help navigating the mysterious abyss, filled with dangerous beasts, a place Alliana knows by heart. Alliana sees Nela’s request as a chance to break free of her stepmother’s shadow and to seize a chance at a life she’s barely dared to hope for—but there’s a risk. If caught, Alliana will be stuck working for her stepmother for the rest of her life. Can Alliana truly make wisps of dreams into her own, better-than-a-fairy-tale happily ever after?

Inspired by the Japanese Cinderella story and set in the same world as the Eva Evergreen series, this story can be read as a standalone.

Review: I really liked this book! I thought this was a great read that is a callback to other great fairytales like Cinderella and Repunzel (it is inspired by the Japanese Cinderella story after all), except with a dragon-y twist! The book is a great HP replacement and has a lot of Eragon vibes, so this would be perfect to help get your little one ready for Eragon. The book is also kinda a side story from the Eva Evergreen series! I loved the characters and thought they were well developed. I also thought the world building was good and I really thought the book was well written.

The only issue I had with the book is that I thought it was a bit slow, but overall I loved it and I hope to see more of Alliana in future books.

Verdict: I loved it so much! Highly recommend!

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours for a physical copy and eARC in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.

This was a lovely prequel! I hope it gets a sequel.

Alliana, Girl of Dragons takes place in the same world as Abe's debut, Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch. However, this one takes place before Eva is born. In it we follow Alliana, a human girl who used to love fairytales and always had imaginative dreams. All of that came crashing down after her father died. Now she's forced to do menial labor for her stepmother through all her waking hours.

But when Alliana meets Nela, a young witch, and a nightdragon that can talk to her, she finds her life changing in unexpected ways. Nela needs Alliana's help to navigate the abyss, but Alliana must sneak around her stepfamily in order to help Nela. Everything balances on a precipice and Alliana must decide whether the risk is worth it to achieve her dreams.

So this is a Cinderella retelling. I didn't realize that at first, but when you start reading it, it's very obvious. I love that it's set in the same world as Eva Evergreen! I loved that world so much and it was so cool to dive into the more non-magical side of it.

Alliana is an adventurous girl who's tamed her desires to conform to what he stepmother wants. I loved seeing Nela and the other witches help bring Alliana back out of her shell. I also really loved seeing them form such a strong friendship. Friendship and following your heart is a big part of this novel. I loved Alliana's growth and seeing her figure out what she really wants.

Alliana's friendship with her dragon was so awesome. I loved seeing them become close and how they protected each other. Someone else said there wasn't enough dragon in this, but I felt like the dragon was plenty present. Though I'd never say no to even more, but he is a big player in the novel.

The ending was so hopeful and it really step up for the start of a new series. I am very hopeful there will be one. I'd love to see Alliana's journey continue.