A breathtaking fantasy book that I couldn’t put down.

Hanalei is saved when her father steals a dragonfruit for her, as only the egg from a seadragon can cure her. The dragonfruit wasn’t meant for her, it was meant for the princess. Exiled for her father’s treason, Hana survives by studying the seadragons. Years pass, until one day Hana spots a seadragon that might see her exile lifted.

Samahti is the last prince on his island and he has two options – marry or find a dragonfruit to cure his mother, the princess. When an old friend returns to the island after ten years of exile with hopeful news, Sam can’t believe his luck. But he is warned what this hope might cost him, as every wish demands a price…

As my tagline said, I struggled to put this book down. I ended up starting and finishing this in a couple of hours. The writing was excellent – it was so easy to read and understand, everything just flowed perfectly. The world building, the characters, the scenery – I thought they were great.

The world was so interesting. I liked the politics and the matriarchal society. The markings some characters bore – the bat for example, I loved it and thought it added another layer to the fantasy. The seadragons… I NEED a seadragon. They were so beautiful and mystical. The scenes Lucier wrote were equally beautiful, I really found myself stood on sandy beaches, swimming in crystal blue waters, and walking through busy villages.

I thought that the characters were equally as well written and I found myself liking the supporting characters just as much as the main ones – Rosamie was one of my favourite characters by the end of my read. I liked the FMC a lot. She had stuff to do and she just got on with it. She was never once bitter or cruel, even when that might’ve been warranted.

My biggest grievance with this book - were was the romance? It is a shame that this was marketed as a romantic fantasy when the romance was only a tiny amount. To be honest, this book was so good that it didn’t really need the little romance it did have. Or at least don’t market it as such as I was let down with that.

If you’re looking for a fantasy read steeped in Pacific Island mythology, adventure, and dragons – I recommend this book!


Thank you Harper360, Netgalley, and Makiia for the book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this to be a little slow, but I'm really impressed with the world and the Pacific Islander representation. I think it's a great pick for younger teens.

i don't even know where to begin because this book was phenomenal! it kept me hooked from beginning to end like i read half of the book in one sitting and it was torture putting it down.

Hanalei, our FMC, is an exile from her island because her father had stolen a seadragon egg from the queen to save her.
Sam, our MMC, is the last remaining prince of said island, and he can never inherit the throne because it's a matriarchal society. his mother is ill and with his grandmother's reign coming to an end, he can either find a cure for his mother or marry.
Hanalei and Sam cross paths and reunite finally after ten years, and they can help each other find the dragonfruit so save Sam's mother, but they aren't the only ones searching for it and that means trouble.

i just LOVED learning about the dragons and the dragonfruits. it truly felt magical learning about the world itself, getting immersed in the descriptions of the islands, and the mythology around these dragons. i also love me a good quest and this one definitely did not disappoint!

I absolutely adored Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier! Lucier has quickly become an autobuy author for me and this book did not disappoint. Loved the characters, the world, and the magic so much. The two main characters had wonderful stories that I know I'll go back to again in the future. I love Lucier's prose - it's so easy to get lost in!

This was ok, but I think I built it up more in my head than it was. I wanted more world building and lore. It felt really telly vs showy. Especially for it to be an audiobook. I think I wanted it to be more immersive. But even still, I thought it was still good. I even mentioned it to my library for our tournament.

Ok so the plot for this was steady and I enjoyed learning about the different islands and things. But I can’t lie, I wanted LESS people and more sea dragons. I wanted to know if there were more. How they got there, etc. It seemed like the cool part about this book was barely in it, and when they were, it was mostly them being killed and their babies stolen from them. Idk it felt weird.

But on the other hand, I think I finished it because it was fantasy light? I’m not actually a huge fan of fantasy because it’s a little harder for me to be able to listen to at such a fast pace if I have the audio, but this one was easy. It seemed to be set in a real world, just with fantastical elements like the sea dragons. But even this one seemed to be missing something. I really do think I just wanted more sea dragon myth and folklore. Well more than just the bad stuff we learned about them.

The characters were good tho. I didn’t really have any complaints about them. The Captain was a grade a asshole tho. I HATED him. He didn’t seem to have any remorse and cared about no one. I know that makes a good villain, but damn. He was ruthless lol The FMC was bad ass, but the MC seemed like oblivious to everything that was happening. It was weird.

This book came up a little short for me, but again, that’s me as someone who isn’t a usual fan of fantasy. A lot of times I think my imagination gets too big because I want to know every single detail of a world without making it like 3000 pages lol But this one was good enough for me to recommend to my ToB group and that’s good enough for me.


Real rating 3.5

I got lost in the world-building of this book– in only the best ways. The author perfectly balances the politics, traditions, and historical information of the setting, offering enough information to anchor the story in a specific, memorable place without distracting from the characters or plot of the story.

The chapters (and sometimes scenes within a chapter) alternate between Hanalei’s and Sam’s points of view. Both characters have distinct voices, so I never lost track of whose point of view I was in. I loved both characters pretty quickly. She has a complicated past and a lot of shame and grief, but she also has a pure love for seadragons. Sam feels the pressure of his position as a prince in a matriarchal society (a refreshing plight for a young male character), knowing a marital alliance would strengthen and protect his people, but holding out hope that he could marry for love instead of politics.

I like that the minor characters also have key roles, and in those, the author also demonstrates some pretty great balancing skills. I had no trouble keeping track of who each character was (not always easy with as many named characters as there are in DRAGONFRUIT), and these secondary characters contributed without stealing the scene or pulling the reader away from the central part of the story.

So much happens in this book. Adventures at sea with a dangerous dragon-hunting captain and his crew. Rescue attempts for a princess trapped in a poisoned sleep. Magic, mythology, and a splash of romance. DRAGONFRUIT has a lot to offer fantasy readers.

Readers who enjoyed SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo, or FOREST OF SOULS by Lori M. Lee will want to put this one on their reading lists immediately.

Dragonfruit is a Pacific Island mythology inspired tale. It has dragons, pirates, magic, and mystery. I absolutely enjoyed reading this story. The description says romance, it has a little romance which to me was not the focus and that made it great. It is so much more. This is such a great story about family, friendship, belonging, forgiveness, and strength.
The main characters were likeable. I wanted them to succeed. The word building beautiful and lush
It is a clean read. Great for YA and Teens also.
Description:
From acclaimed author Makiia Lucier, a dazzling, romantic fantasy inspired by Pacific Island mythology.

In the old tales, it is written that the egg of a seadragon, dragonfruit, holds within it the power to undo a person's greatest sorrow. An unwanted marriage, a painful illness, and unpaid debt...gone. But as with all things that promise the moon and the stars and offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning.

Every wish demands a price.

Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers her what she desires most. A chance to return home, and to right a terrible wrong.

Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind. But he can never inherit the throne, for Tamarind is a matriarchal society. With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign, Sam is left with two choices: to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time-hope.

But Hanalei and Sam are not the only ones searching for the dragonfruit. And as they battle enemies both near and far, there is another danger they cannot escape...that of the dragonfruit itself.


Thank you NetGalley and Clarion books for this galley. All opinions are my own, I was not expected to give a review.

I've never read a book inspired by Pacific Island Mythology but was instantly captured by the cover when I saw it available as an arc through Harper360YA.

Hanalei is exiled from her home of Tamarind after her father steals a Seadragon's egg which poses magical properties. 10 years later and a chance encounter sees her return home.

There were some lovely elements to the book such as the magic which came in the form of the tattoo markings which boasted different animals. (This reminded me so much of Moana)

I feel in places the books pacing was a bit off and with a vast array of characters it was hard to keep up with who's who.

I preferred the second half of the book to the first and loved the relationship blossoming between Hanalei and Sam.

If you like dragons, sea adventures and mythology then I would recommend checking out this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper360YA for the arc.

I finally read my most anticipated (yeah my MOST) reads of the year, and I’m so glad I did. Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier is a YA fantasy inspired by the Pacific Islands written by a Pacific Islander. And you know, as a PI girl myself I was so excited for this release.

On the island of Tamarind there is a legend of the seadragon egg, that it holds the power to undo one’s greatest sorrow. But every wish comes with a price.

We follow Hanalei, a young woman from one of the old island’s families. At a young age, Hanalei and the princess of Tamarind, Princess Olliana fall to a mysterious illness that the two can’t seem to wake up from. A seadragon egg is found to wake princess Olliana, except Hanalei’s father steals the egg to use for his own daughter, forcing the two to flee from their home on Tamarind.

A decade later, Hanalei returns to Tamarind for the first time, where she runs into Prince Sam, the only son of Princess Olliana. Upon reuniting with a long lost friend, the two go on a journey to retrieve a seadragon egg to wake up Princess Oliana.

Dragonfruit felt like such a unique story, in the way that not many people are writing second world pacific islander stories. We get some lush world building with elements of actual things you would find on the Pacific Islands. From the lathi stones that represent CHamoru latte stones, Ti leaves, and guava cakes.

The plot line also felt refreshingly new. The sea dragons in this story act as just another wild animal in this world. They themselves are not inherently magical, they would be like us seeing a shark in the ocean or lion in Africa. There’s even some commentary on the ethics involved in the capturing and hunting of sea dragons for material purposes outside of searching for an egg.

The characters of Hanalei and Samahti were both complex enough to keep me engaged throughout the story, but also concise enough that there weren’t any unanswered questions. That’s not necessarily true for the side characters but I enjoyed the feeling of them having their own story outside of this book. And this is a standalone so I wouldn’t describe this as a fault of characterization but rather idea that the world still turns once this particular story is over.

There is also a romance between Hanalei and Sam. This is where I remind you that this is not a romantasy by any means. The romance isn’t the most heart-aching, whirlwind romance. I think this story chooses to focus more on the adventure of finding the egg and friendship between the two. It lacked a lot of the tension we have been seeing lately in YA fantasy, especially ones where the characters are in their late teens. But I think that this book was fairly short and a more in-depth romance could have distracted from the plot than add to it.

Overall, I had such a fun time reading this book. I think Makiia Lucier is an amazing writer and I would also love to see her branch out into a series in the future.

Hanalei has a connection to the seadragons and when she reunites with her childhood friend Sam, they embark on a search to find the dragonfruit and hopefully avoid its curse. Overall, an engaging fantasy read inspired by Pacific Island mythology. The idea of the markings/tattoos was very well done and made for a magical element to the story.

This was an enjoyable read and a wonderful standalone fantasy. It is tricky these days to find a standalone fantasy that is still a satisfying read, but Dragonfruit achieves it. The setting was beautiful and the story was interesting. I really liked the idea of magic marks and the moral dilemmas that the characters face. overall, a great read.

If you enjoy Moana and Dragons then this book is for you.

As a reader of many myth retellings and not being familiar with any myths from the Pacific islands it was a very enjoyable read

It's a quit coming of age. story where will discover everything about the dragons but also the power of being yourself in a world where it sometimes is hard to be.

The story is about Hanalei and she has left her home island 10 years ago but not by choice and now she needs to find her place again with her people while caring a heavy burden.
This story was very compelling and I just wanted to continue it. It almost felt like a smal cozy fantasy because of the setting but the stakes where to high for it to be a cozy fantasy. I really nice story I will look forward what this author may write more

Thank you the author, their publisher, and Netgalley for providing the e-copy of "Dragonfruit"

"Dragonfruit" is a story rich with vivid detail of Pacific Island mythology, and one I believe YA Fantasy readers will very much be interested in, especially teens who love books about dragons. I personally am new to Pacific Islander mythology, but by reading this book, it has encouraged me to find more books and resources in this area of mythology.
Personally, the pace of the plot was somewhat slow for me, but the character development, the vivid descriptions and world building, and the plot itself is what helped keep me interested in this beautiful story!
I do believe I have patrons, both teens and adult readers, who would be very interested in reading this book in my library system.

Well done, Makiia Lucier, and thank you again for making this e-book available !

Absolutely amazing writing and characterization, and the pacing was also really good.

There's a very sweet side character who dies though, I don't really see myself recovering from that blow.

TWs - organized hunting of sea animals, moderate violence and gore

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

4.5 stars
What a refreshing fantasy YA story with dragons, romance, adventure, spectacular tangling of Polynesian culture, symbology, and mythology with fantasy themes. I was in love with the cover, and it doesn't disappoint.

It's fast-paced in some parts. I wish we had more time to develop the relationships between the many characters because it's heavily plot-driven

I loved Sam. The prince is my favorite character, then, of course, the main female character. This was an expected fun read and my first contact with the author's work. It had an anime vibe for me (but that is a personal perspective).

Makiia Lucier is one of the few YA authors now that I go into her books knowing that they'll be good. Dragonfruit is, happily, no exception to that rule. From page one it sucks you in and keeps you engaged. The world that Lucier builds is vibrant and fascinating and the characters are no less so. While I have to admit that it wasn't quite as exciting to me as Year of the Reaper (it lacked the kind of twist at the end that was done so well there), it was still a book I devoured. So, if you're looking for your next fantasy adventure read, this one should be it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion Books for the eARC of Dragonfruit by Malika Lucier.

Dragonfruit is a short and sweet YA fantasy that mostly benefits from quick pacing, but occasionally feels rushed and underdeveloped. Still, a fresh setting and conflict elevate this above standard YA fare.

The setting is the star of the show here. The Pacific Islander-inspired culture and Lucier’s sea-themed spin on dragon’s feel fresh. In particular I loved the descriptions of the clothes and the pavilions and the matriarchal culture because they felt different from most fantasy worlds. The tattoo was very cool as well.

Hana and Sam are likeable enough as main characters, though I wish they had had more depth and their own character arcs. Hana has a fantastic backstory that totally hooked me. But it doesn’t really pay off in her growth and development, so those cool moments of connection to Hana trailed off into nothing, for me.

That generally sums up a lot of what I think could have been stronger about Dragonfruit: the resolution of many of the arcs and characters felt anticlimactic. Lucier introduces a great villain who proves his cruelty in a dramatic way early on. But the final confrontation with him is short and has little drama. Sam and Hana’s first reunion feels electric, but the payoff of their romance feels overdue and humdrum once it happens. The beginning of the novel is strong and has great momentum that I only wish had continued through the end.

Even so, Lucier is a capable writer who for the most part ties up all the loose threads and delivers on her promises, even if the delivery isn’t always as thrilling as I would have liked. Dragonfruit is worth a read for the wonderful, fresh setting, dragons, and MC backstory.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I ADORED this book! It was one of the most unique, captivating YA fantasies I've read in a long time. I loved Hanalei from the very first page. She was such an easy character to root for. I loved the marks/tattoos, as well as, of course, the sea dragons. I've seen this described as Moana x How to Train Your Dragon, which is accurate on the surface level, but IMO doesn't do this beautiful, multi-layered story justice.

“But as with all things that promise the moon and the stars and offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning. Every wish demands a price.”

No one knows the consequences of wishes better than Hanalei of Tamarind. Forced to flee her homeland at eight years old, she spent much of her life alone in unfamiliar places, paying the price for her father’s wish to save her life. Despite years of isolation, Hanalei remains spirited and hopeful, constantly seeking more information about the mysterious seadragons that populate the surrounding waters. After being taken hostage on a dragon-hunting ship, Hanalei must abandon her plans and return to her homeland. There, she reunites with her childhood friend Samahtitamahenele (Sam), prince of Tamarind. Sam is also on a mission to uncover the secrets of the seadragons, as he hopes to find one of their wish-granting dragonfruits and use it to revive his ailing mother. The two join forces, sharing knowledge and resources, but will their newly restored relationship be able to survive the curse of the dragonfruit?

Pirates, dragons, magical tattoos, oh my! In a literary landscape where it feels like every book utilizes some mixture of the same popular tropes, Dragonfruit is completely different from every YA fantasy novel I’ve ever encountered. Lucier is not afraid to make readers grapple with difficult questions about power, humanity, and the risks we are willing to take for what we love. The pacing kept me engaged throughout the entire novel; every page drove the plot forward in new and innovative ways. Even with a large cast of characters, each was distinct and memorable. A few minor characters were less fleshed out, but the key figures were so dynamic that they compensated for it. Many female YA protagonists have similar personalities, but Hanalei is a fresh and exciting lead. I loved seeing her passion and compassion for dragons, as well as how other characters acknowledged and embraced her devotion to these creatures. The way Hanalei and Sam’s relationship was both helped and hindered by her love for seadragons was endlessly entertaining. I appreciated that the romance did not take over the adventure, but it felt a little underwhelming since the book was marketed as a fantasy romance. The adventure aspects are what make this book so striking! It rarely felt like the author took the easy route; the characters all had to endure a plethora of obstacles and experience significant growth to achieve their goals. Dragonfruit is a perfect example of a story that is just as breathtaking as its cover.

Look, I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but almost every book that I have read in the past two-ish weeks has been incredible. Literally, I have had so many five star reads and I am so pleased to be continuing that with Dragonfruit . I've never read a book by Makiia Lucier before and I was really intrigued by the premise of this. After reading this, I honestly am glad that I requested this because oh my god, I loved it.

I had no idea how much I would enjoy this, but by the time I was on chapter 3, I knew. I just knew this would end up becoming a five star read. Makiia Lucier has crafted an intricate well-designed world, inspired by the mythology of the Pacific Islands. The world-building feels complex, yet easy to understand and honestly I found it to be really immersive. With the way things were described, it was very easy for me to ground myself into this world and experience its magic.

The pacing of this was just right. Because it is a standalone, things do move slightly quickly but when your read them, they make perfect sense. I'm a sucker for childhood friends to lovers, even more so in a fantasy context, and this book delivers on that. I loved that we got to see the relationship between Hanalei and Samahtitamahenele as friends first, before it became something more. I also loved how we got to see their characters grow and develop through the story. I am in awe, with the way we get a complete story arc with both of them in the pages of this standalone.

Dragonfruit was honestly more fun than I had expected and now I am so eager to read more of Makiia Lucier's works.