Dragonborn out now from Dutton Books for Young Readers; 336 pages
Content Warning: Violence
About the Author: “Struan Murray is Scottish and grew up in Edinburgh, the youngest of a large, rowdy family of redheads. His debut novel, Orphans of the Tide, won the prestigious Branford Boase Award, and was included in the Guardian‘s ‘Best children’s books of 2020’. When he’s not writing, Struan is a lecturer at the University of Oxford” (Bio from Penguin Random House’s website).
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On Alex Evans’ twelfth birthday, her life gets turned upside down when she’s told she’s a dragon. Now, she must leave her old life with her austere mother and follow Oliphos, a Skarren-Har (or World Walker), to Skralla, a safe haven for young dragons who have recently awoken. Life on Skralla is completely different from life with her mum—going from strict schedules and relative isolation to sudden freedom and chaotic young dragons at every turn. Along the way, Alex discovers she can communicate with the dead—an ability unique to her. To complicate things, rumors spread that Drak Midna, the most evil of dragons, is close to bringing his plan to end all of humanity to fruition. Most confusing of all, though, is why everyone is instead focusing on whether or not she’ll be able to change into her dragon form. Is she too stuck in the past, chasing the ghost of her father, or can she really never fully transform?
I loved this book. I read it over the course of about three days—I just couldn’t put it down. Immediately grabbing my attention were the dual perspectives: the snippets from Dr. Archibald P. Puppinsworth’s letters to the reader, which served as a source of exposition, and Alex’s point of view. Both storylines complemented each other, and while the letters were used as a chance to explain characters or the world in ways Alex wouldn’t naturally know, they felt more natural after meeting Puppinsworth. Alex herself was a fantastic protagonist because she was always questioning things, but the reason she questioned things was always tied back to ways she could learn about—or feel closer to—her deceased father. At every turn, people were telling Alex not to get involved with the Phylactery, an ancient treasure Drak Midna had been searching for over centuries, but she was determined to find out more about her father. The pacing was very quick for most of the book, as new information was being thrown at Alex at almost every turn. At times it felt overwhelming, and there were moments that felt drawn out, like people were intentionally being obtuse. However, in the last quarter of the book, this paid off in spades with how many plot twists were thrown in so naturally. I had to set the book down and pace my room just to process everything! I already wish the second book was out, because now I’m itching for answers.
Grace McCool, Pine Reads Writer & Editor