𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🐉 love snarky talking dragons
🪄 would learn magic to save your mother
🛌 have ever slept for 1000 years
📒 keep a journal

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book, and the Emperor has forbidden anyone from learning magic, because it’s way too dangerous! If you try one of the spells, any number of terrible things might happen (or so the Emperor says). 

Don’t be like Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl living in the tiny village of Skael. When she used a spell from within this book, she ended up summoning a dragon. A DRAGON! Those things breathe fire! From their mouths! She’s obviously doomed. 

And don’t listen if Ciara tells you that dragons won’t hurt humans, and that they even once taught us magic, a thousand years ago. Definitely don’t pay any attention to the fact that the dragon she summoned, Scorch, might be willing to help rescue Ciara’s mother and free her village from the Emperor and his Warden, because it’s all obviously a big lie. So put this book down, and forget about it. Magic is just way too dangerous. After all, you wouldn’t want to summon your own dragon, would you?

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a fun read! While it’s certainly meant for preteens and teenagers, it had a lot of funny moments, and I found myself laughing at the crazy antics that Ciara and Scorch got up to. The magic that she learns was a lot of fun, and the way she does them, by tracing magical runes, really added to the story and helped me to visualize everything a bit more. I loved the plot development. It was quick, but so entertaining. Definitely a fun one to pick up if you love dragons and magic!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of The Dragon’s Apprentice!

I think that the voice in this book is just stunning. Ciara and Scorch are perfectly portrayed in a way that kids will just love. Their voices and personalities shine throughout this book. I left the book wanting more. Ciara character is strong and dynamic, and I love that her intentions with summoning a dragon are to learn magic to save her mother. Everything about this book will appeal to the young reader and I am so excited to get it into their hands soon.
Thank you to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Twelve-year-old Ciara lives with her mother in the village of Skael. Magic is forbidden in the Draconic Empire, but five years ago Ciara found a magical journal that belonged to Bianca, an apprentice to the Great Dragon Mage. She has kept the book hidden ever since but can’t resist reading it and trying out some of the magic.

Ciara is stunned when she summons a dragon named Scorch. Together these two are like a bickering comedy team. What Ciara needs help with is to cure her mother of the deadly Skael Cough, the same illness that took her father’s life. There’s a mean protagonist in the town’s leader who wants Bianca’s book returned. He is good at lying and making himself richer at the expense of the citizens.

Ciara comes to believe she not only can heal her mother (who is now imprisoned), but can also can save the whole town from this terrible man. Not so fast as she is just beginning to learn magic, leading her to frequently being exhausted and falling asleep.

The third person narration keeps the story flowing at just the right speed. Ciara and Scorch bring differing viewpoints on how to make things right and their interactions are the highlight of the story. The climatic, suspenseful ending will keep you on the edge of your seat. But wait, turns out this is a series and an epilogue hints at what’s in store next.

Fantasy and dragon lovers have a new best friend in THE DRAGON’S APPRENTICE.

I was so excited to know that James Riley had a new book coming out and I jumped to the opportunity to review it. My first book by Riley was The Revenge of Magic and absolutely loved it. This time around we have even more magic and of course dragons.

Our protagonist Ciara, a twelve year old ordinary girl finds a magical book and uses its power to try and save her mother and herself from the evil Emperor’s army. In doing so, she unleashes an ancient dragon. But the dragon named Scorch is very grumpy and doesn’t want to listen to her. Ciara will have to prove to him that she is worthy of leaning magic and hence begins an epic adventure to save her mother and the kingdom. Ciara was such a fun character to read and love seeing her fight evil with her dragon. Now I’ll be patiently waiting for book two.

A solid midde grade read for young fantasy readers. This was obviously the first installment in an extended series of books. It stands on its own, but the last chapters prepare you for turns that will appear in the next book. Students will get a kick out of Cara and Scorch. The story didn't flow as easily as I woul dhave preferred and was confusing to follow at times. I think it was trying really hart to be tongue-in-cheek, but that's an adult perspective on a book that is aimed at 10 year olds.

12-year old Ciara finds an ancient journal/spellbook belonging to Bianca, a disciple of the legendary Dragon Mage, in an abandoned tower, but refuses to hand it over to the local Warden, who has pillaged the local town with his relentless greed. She summons a dragon named Scorch, who has been asleep for 1,000 years; he realizes that Ciara is a descendant of Bianca and knows the Dragon Mage wanted magic to be accessible to all people. Instead, her evil disciple (Cillian) has misrepresented her wishes, claiming only living descendants can wield magic or monster Revenants will return. Scorch reluctantly begins to teach Ciara magic from the spellbook (a hoot itself) so she can rescue her mother from the Warden and cure her mother of the deadly Skael Cough that killed her father. Sadly, too much magic drains Ciara of all her energy. With the help of the Captain of the Guard's daughter, they launch a daring rescue attempt, which falters when Ciara's energy wanes, requiring outside intervention.

I want to thank NetGalley and Labyrinth Road for allowing me to read and provide my honest feedback to "The Dragon's Apprentice" by James Riley.

We follow Ciara, a girl from a small village, who finds a mysterious book. The book is highly sought after by the Warden, but Ciara keeps it hidden. She learns it's a journal of an apprentice who lived long before her time, who was learning magic from a dragon. Ciara encounters some challenges along her story, yet she discovers more about the book, the apprentice Bianca and her Magister dragon. As a new apprentice herself, she wants to serve her village and save her mom.

The magical system in this book is not like one I have seen before. It is fun and not complicated, a perfect combination for the middle grade audience. Ciara goes through some challenges as an apprentice, but she is determined to learn and help her village.

I found the writing style lighthearted and simple, yet fun for an adult fantasy reader. Throughout the book, I am reminded of a popular adulty fantasy book that does not suit the readers of this audience. Because of this, I found this is a perfect read for the children of those parents who enjoy adult fantasy. A great book for parents/guardians to connect over with their middle grade reader.

Finally, I would recommend this book to my future students, family and friends! An easy 5 star for me!

If you are looking for a middle-grade book with a snarky dragon and a young girl determined to save her mom and magic, then you've come to a good book to try. It has vibes of Pete's Dragon mixed with bit of medieval atmosphere.

Ciara is a spunky 12 year old who found a book the whole territory seems to be looking for. She knows they are looking for it, but she's been doing her best to keep it hidden until word is leaked to the warden that she has the book. She and her mother are thrown under the bus (so to speak) and Ciara takes off running into the woods with the book while her is imprisoned. Things take an adventurous turn when Ciara traces a symbol inside her book and sudden finds herself in the presence of a dragon she has only read about in her book. From that moment on, Scorch and Ciara must hide from the drakes, which are like a empirical law enforcement, and learning bits of magic along the way.

It's a cute book and an easy read as well. It's not perfect but I can imagine any middle-grader would enjoy the premise of this book and it's contents. I do think some of the dialogue is a bit childish and I am not sure it works well with the setting the author has established. It feels a a bit casual and a bit too modern, but I still think the story was entertaining and fantastical.

This book is ridiculously fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to accidentally summon a cranky, fire-breathing dragon and demand they teach you forbidden magic? Ciara is hilarious, stubborn, and just the right amount of reckless, and Scorch is the kind of dragon who’d rather nap than deal with human nonsense but somehow, they make the perfect (AKA chaotic) team.

Also, the Emperor would probably hate it if you read this book, which is an excellent reason to do so immediately. Highly recommend for anyone who loves magic, mischief, and the idea that dragons might just be the best (or worst?) teachers ever.

This book started out really cute and good. I wasn't enjoying myself, but then I couldn't get passed her talking about the cough everyone had in her town. And when she brought the dragon out and we jumped from her point of view and the dragons I think it wasn't enough.

This was a fun fantasy book. I like the interaction between Scorch (the reluctant dragon) and Ciara, the young want-to-be apprentice. I enjoyed the fact that the magic wasn't easy and it came with a price. I also appreciated the lessons showing that things go wrong even with magic and that when you are careless or rush in without knowing what you're doing you can create unintentional and unwanted consequences. Good lessons showing growth, patience, and sacrifice.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to the following the story in future books.

The Dragon’s Apprentice is a fun and adventurous read with plenty of magic, humor, and excitement. James Riley brings his usual playful storytelling, making it easy to get lost in the world of dragons and daring quests. While the story has some great moments, a few parts feel a little rushed or not as surprising as expected. The characters are likable, and there’s plenty of action to keep young readers entertained, even if it doesn’t stand out as the best in the series the author has. Overall, it’s an enjoyable book that fans will have fun with, but it might not be the most memorable adventure.

Ciara and her friend live in the village of Skael, ruled by the evil and greedy Warden by order of the Emperor (also evil and greedy). One day the girls are exploring an ancient tower and Ciara finds a journal belonging to Bianca, who was apparently an apprentice to the highly revered Dragon Mage. When she accidentally uses the book to cast a spell, a dragon named Scorch who’s been sleeping for a thousand years suddenly appears. But, oh no, (I mean in addition to waking a cranky dragon) by the Emperor’s decree, no one is allowed to perform magic.
With humor and loads of action, this first book in a new series will have you looking for the sequel.

This is a cute, wholesome, middle-grade novel about a girl who discovers a mysterious spell book in an abandoned tower. She somehow manages to summon a dragon from the past and convinces him to teach her magic to save her village and mother. The dragon is grumpy, and she is very bubbly, which makes for some fun conversation. Super quick, action packed read! Read in basically a day!

This was hands down hilarious and fun book to read! This will surely capture middle grade readers and would be a really fun read aloud in the classroom or at home. I loved every moment of this book and would buy it for middle grade readers.

I received a free copy of, The Dragon's Apprentice, by James Riley, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ciara is a 12 year old girl who summoned a dragon. Ciara and her dragon Scorch are a great team. This is an enjoyable read.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Dragon's Apprentice by James Riley is a mixed third and first person multi-POV Middle Grade fantasy. Ciara’s home village has been invaded by the emperor’s men on a quest to find the journal of one of the original apprentices of the Dragon Mage. Ciara has not only found it, but unlocked a bit of its magic, a forbidden act to anyone who isn’t a descendant of the apprentices. When she’s betrayed and runs away, she learns the secrets of the journal and awakens Scorch, the first dragon seen in centuries.

The story opens with a very voice-y prologue from the POV of Bianca, one of the six apprentices and then we get epigraphs in every chapter from her journal that gives glimpses into her relationship with Scorch. Scorch’s POV chapters add another layer to this and imply a very complex relationship that was built on respect but also teasing and frustration and an initial struggle as Scorch originally didn't want to teach humans magic. I would have loved for the whole book to have followed the style of the prologue, but I did enjoy Ciara and Scorch’s POVs as well.

The new spins on magic and dragon lore is pretty fun. Ciara has to learn Draconic runes in order to practice magic, including learning the hard way to be careful when lines are curved vs straight, and she calls Bianca’s journal a spelling book or a spellbook for short. It’s the little things like that that give new origins to common phrases that add a sense of charm. Dragons teaching young children magic isn’t a new concept, but them being compelled by a mage to do so and the students in turn will teach the rest of the world magic is something I haven’t seen before.

A decent portion of the story is fairly claustrophobic and only Ciara and Scorch are on the page. Their dynamic pushes forward a lot of the character moments which pushes forward the plot, but there is a grander plot that exists independent of Scorch teaching Ciara. Ciara’s village is suffering from a plague and the Warder, who works for the emperor, is refusing to give medicine to anyone until he gets Bianca’s journal. This sets the stage for strong themes of the inherent good in caring for others and not blindly following orders as well as ‘following orders’ not being an excuse when you take joy in harming the people around you.

I would recommend this to fans of MG fantasy with dragon characters and mentor-mentee relationships and readers who love magical school stories but want something more claustrophobic

I really liked the overall concept of the story, I loved how Scorch and Ciara interacted, the magic system seemed fun and engaging for a childrens story. I would have liked the story to move past the tower a bit more but overall I think it works really well and am very excited for how the story will progress in subsequent books.

**This book comes out April 1, and it is no joke that you should pre-order!**
Thank you so much for this eARC from Netgalley and the Publisher!!
It has been a little while since I have been able to gush about an ARC.
I definitely recommend this Middle Grade to every Library, Teacher and Parent to a 8-12 year old.
Also, to any adult like me as a child at heart.
This book was pure fun. I found myself smiling and chuckling out loud a lot.
I would say if you are an adult reader, this does read younger because its from the perspective of a 12-year old, Ciara. Your adult perception will lead to being bothered by a child making childish decisions if you take this book too seriously.
This book is mostly humorous, but has deeper themes of friendship, sacrificing for good, forgiveness, correcting mistakes made, and also not being afraid to apologize when you do something wrong.
As an Adult Epic Fantasy reader, I was impressed by the world-building of this younger age range fantasy series. We were told how the world is now plus what it was in the past and what it was supposed to be but isn't. All woven throughout the story without being a boring info dump. I am so intrigued to find out what happens, because this book is definitely a big setup to the world and characters.
Scorch, he is a wonderful mythical creature companion. For all you dragon lovers, this is the sassiest dragon and I love him. Plus, as an adult reader you side with him a lot when it comes to Ciara's childish choices. I don't want to spoil too much, but one of my favorite moments is when he has to disguise himself as a black cat.
I have pre-ordered a physical copy of this if that tells you anything. The publishers are on point with the trends of sprayed edges...the paperback is beautiful. I originally loved the cover illustration on its own, so the spredges just add that cherry on top!
So happy to finally have a book and series I am excited about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. While I usually love James Riley’s books, this one didn’t really thrill me. The pacing was very slow, and the book seemed to drag on. I just did not connect with the story even though I love a good dragon story. The ending is a cliffhanger for the next book, but it just didn’t make me want to read on in this series. I also think the fact that the codex is written in elaborate curling script will be a big issue with the target audience. Most kids do not learn cursive anymore. I would rate it a 3.5, decent, but not great.