Celebrate the release of WHEN SHE REIGNS by Jodi Meadows with A List of Books for Dragon Lovers -- and enter to win an enamel pin + $25 Amazon GC!
One of my favorite YA authors, Jodi Meadows, has a new book dropping tomorrow entitled WHEN SHE REIGNS. It is the final book in the Fallen Isles trilogy, which began with BEFORE SHE IGNITES and continued with AS SHE ASCENDS.
Today, I'm closing out the blog tour and thought it would be fun to talk about some dragon books I like. (Also, at the bottom of this post is information about a cool pre-order campaign if you like bookish swag. It's the last day to take advantage of the offer!)
I'm honored to be participating on the tour for the third time, beginning with a guest post from Jodi Meadows about the world when BEFORE SHE IGNITES launched and then creating a travel guide to the food of the Fallen Isles last year when AS SHE ASCENDS debuted. I also hosted another guest post with Jodi talking about the mythology of the fallen isles last year!
I'm honored to be participating on the tour for the third time, beginning with a guest post from Jodi Meadows about the world when BEFORE SHE IGNITES launched and then creating a travel guide to the food of the Fallen Isles last year when AS SHE ASCENDS debuted. I also hosted another guest post with Jodi talking about the mythology of the fallen isles last year!
To be honest, I don't read a ton of books featuring dragons. (Or fae, or elves, or really, any fantasy being save for mermaids, which is odd, I guess, since I'm such a big fan of fantasy!) It takes a lot to capture my attention when it comes to dragon books.
Jodi Meadows is an auto-buy author for me. Her first trilogy, Newsoul, which began with INCARNATE, snuck dragons into the mix in a really fun way. Fallen Isles isn't even shy about including dragons -- the series is all about dragon trafficking and saving the dragons before it's too late. If Jodi hadn't already been a beloved author, I may have skipped this at the store, and I would have missed out on a great series!
So, let's talk about some of the dragon books I love, and I would love to hear some of your favorites as well!
THE FALLEN ISLES Trilogy by Jodi Meadows
Because, of course, I have to start here! This is one of those series where each book is better than the last. BEFORE SHE IGNITES has so much set-up and our main character Mira is locked away in prison for a large chunk of the book for discovering a dangerous secret in order to keep her quiet. There's a lot of interesting mythology about the world and the unique culture of each island making up the Fallen Isles. Plus, Mira has a lot of anxiety, and it's so rare and lovely to see a fantasy book dealing with real-world issues that are often glossed over. The second book is much more action-packed and super bad-ass. I'm not comparing it to other books or expecting you to go in with any such expectations, but at its core, it has the emotional heart that resonates in books such as SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo and ROYAL BASTARDS by Andrew Shvarts and THE GILDED WOLVES by Roshani Chokshi.
I love the way this series spirals deeper and deeper as Mira and her friends uncover the horrific things being done to dragons and trying to save them despite the many odds stacked against them and powerful people trying to keep them down. I really can't wait to see how the series concludes!
THE FALLEN ISLES Trilogy by Jodi Meadows
And I have to continue the dragon bandwagon by talking about Jodi's debut trilogy, Newsoul. The use of dragons in this trilogy is much more subtle. This is a series that starts out with very little magic, but twists up more and more as readers continue and learn more about the world. There are all kinds of interesting characters, such as sylth, that aren't seen as often in fantasy worlds.
It's really hard to talk about the dragons from this trilogy, actually, because so much is a spoiler, but let's just say that they become very important later in the series and will really surprise readers!
IRON HEARTED VIOLET by Kelly Barnhill
Most people will tell you they discovered Kelly Barnhill after THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON won the Newbery Award. I, however, will tell you I discovered her years earlier when the gorgeous cover for IRON HEARTED VIOLET caught my eye.
(Although, speaking of THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, there is a spectacular small dragon in it and that book is so, so good. It was my favorite middle-grade the year it came out and was never even on my radar for something the Newbery committee might consider. I was crying so many happy tears that day, and even though the dragon is just a side character, you should also read this book, m'kay?)
I feel like this book is a little more traditional in terms of it being about a princess and a dragon! The very last dragon in existence, as a matter of fact! Hidden rooms, breathless journeys, and the power of stories promise to suck in readers and treat them to something wonderful!
And the artwork of Iacopo Bruno is just *chef's kiss*
DRAGONS OF STARLIGHT Series by Bryan Davis
STARLIGHTER introduced me to such an intriguing, desolate world, and I immediately had to grab the rest of the series and find out where it was going! This world-building is really interesting, because dragons are, of course, a myth. Dragons don't really steal humans from our world and bring them to our own. Except, they're real, and they do.
I read this book several years ago, and don't remember it super well, but whenever I'm asked to review a dragon book, this is always one of the first ones I recommend. I remember tearing through it and needing to know what happened. It was the first time I felt that connection with a dragon book. I also read this at the beginning of the dystopian fad, so I don't know how it would hold up if I read it again now!
THE DRAGON WITH A CHOCOLATE HEART duology by Stephanie Burgis
This book is just FUN and so different! I love the way Stephanie Burgis brings enchantment and whimsy to all of her middle-grade novels.
This is a book where the main character is transformed, but it has such a unique spin! A dragon named Aventurine is tricked into drinking enchanted hot chocolate that turns her into a human. She gains a sweet tooth when it comes to chocolate and works at a chocolatier, so you will be so hungry for chocolate reading this!
This is such a fast, fun read. I love that Aventurine is still very much a dragon at heart and doesn't understand human tendencies, and often thinks like a dragon!
SERAPHINA duology by Rachel Hartman
Do you ever have an author who you love so much, you will automatically buy a book s/he recommends just because you trust their taste so much? For me, one of those authors is Tamora Pierce. She has blurbed so many YA fantasy titles that I've wound up loving, and SERAPHINA is no exception!
The world building is fantastic, the nuances of the characters -- especially the ones that can be unlikable -- manage to fully worm their way into readers hearts, and oh, the romance! *swoon*
This is a world where it a travesty to be half-human and half-dragon and stars a girl in just this predicament. The politics are so different and engaging, and this is the type of dragon novel where dragons can shapeshift into human form. To shift, however, means they must take on messy human characteristics such as emotions, even if it is too learn more about the species and make their own stronger!
And goodness, that ending!
EON Duology by Alison Goodman
Remember how I mentioned that I'll pick up any book Tamora Pierce blurbs? Yeah, she blurbed this one, too. PLUS, I have such a soft spot for the "girl disguised as a boy" trope thanks to Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet (And okay, also probably thanks to Disney's Mulan!) So I immediately wanted EON, of course! Plus, the series takes place in East Asia, and having lived in Japan and visited various Asian countries, I am always up for a book with such a setting!
Gosh, it's hard to talk about major plotpoints without spoilers, but suffice to say, the fact that she is a girl fuels so much of this book.
And those covers are to die for, aren't they? I adore the redesign when the first book came out in paperback and the new book released.
Gosh, it's hard to talk about major plotpoints without spoilers, but suffice to say, the fact that she is a girl fuels so much of this book.
And those covers are to die for, aren't they? I adore the redesign when the first book came out in paperback and the new book released.
HANDBOOK FOR DRAGON SLAYERS by Merrie Haskell
I wish there were more books from Merrie Haskell in the world, to be honest. I discovered her when she released her debut THE PRINCESS CURSE (Featuring elements from The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Beauty and the Beast, and Persephone and Hades). I was really excited to hear that HANDBOOK FOR DRAGON SLAYERS had loose ties to that first book because I wanted so badly to return to that world and those characters.
I wasn't sure the book would be for me based on the title and the fact that I didn't read a lot of dragon books, but I gave it a try anyway, and fell right back in love with the author, the world, and the characters. Plus, the main character has a club foot, and it is always so nice to see characters with disabilities represented, especially in fantasy, and having adventures and doing really cool things like "normal" people!
This is definitely a lesser-known author and dragon title that I'd love to bring more attention to! This book doesn't have the fairy tale whimsy of her first two releases, but it has elements from such tales, and is still an engaging read.
I wasn't sure the book would be for me based on the title and the fact that I didn't read a lot of dragon books, but I gave it a try anyway, and fell right back in love with the author, the world, and the characters. Plus, the main character has a club foot, and it is always so nice to see characters with disabilities represented, especially in fantasy, and having adventures and doing really cool things like "normal" people!
This is definitely a lesser-known author and dragon title that I'd love to bring more attention to! This book doesn't have the fairy tale whimsy of her first two releases, but it has elements from such tales, and is still an engaging read.
How to Train Your Dragon Movie Trilogy
Okay, I AM CHEATING.
....in more ways than one.
I love these movies fiercely. Also, I have never read the books. *hides in shame*
I've tried. Believe me, I've tried. I've wanted to love the series. I always struggle with epistolary writing, and it wasn't for me. Plus, the movie changed so much. Which normally makes me hate a movie, but not in this case. I think it helps that series author Cressida Cowell helped adapt her books for film. She knew when things worked and didn't work. For example, in the books, Toothless is a tiny dragon with one tooth. But they thought that having Hiccup ride a dragon would be more captivating to audiences. The movies feel more mature and accessible to me.
Also, I'll tell you a secret: Every single movie in the trilogy has made me cry. Every single one. Heck, I teared up watching the trailer for the final movie! And if Toy Story 3 hadn't come out the first year as the first HTTYD movie, I still believe it would have won the Oscar for Best Animated Picture. It was the best shot Dreamworks ever had at the award and it really hit me emotionally -- especially that ending.
This is one of those rare times when I love the movie so much more than the books and don't really have an interest in continuing on with the print edition. *hides*
What are your favorite books featuring dragons???
^_^
PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN
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GIVEAWAY
BEFORE
Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.
But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.
AFTER
Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.
No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.
MIRA, THE HOPEBEARER
Mira Minkoba is on the run with her friends after a fiery escape from the Pit, where she’d been imprisoned for defending the dragons she loves. And she wants answers. Where have all the dragons been taken? Why are powerful noorestones being shipped to the mainland? And did the treaty she’s been defending her whole life truly sell out the Fallen Isles to their enemies?
MIRA, THE DRAGONHEARTED
As her connection to the dragons—and their power—grows stronger, so does Mira’s fear that she might lose control and hurt someone she loves. But the only way to find the truth is to go home again, to Damina, to face the people who betrayed her and the parents she’s not sure she can trust.
Home, where she must rise above her fears. Or be consumed.
The second page-turning novel in Jodi Meadows’ Fallen Isles trilogy scorches with mysterious magic and riveting romance as one girl kindles a spark into a flame.
THE FIRST DRAGON
The Great Abandonment has begun. Panic has seized the Fallen Isles, where no one knows which god will rise next. Mira Minkoba believes her dreams hold the secret to bringing an end to the destruction, but in order to save her people, she’ll have to find a legendary treasure: the bones of the first dragon.
THE LAST HOPE
Mira’s desperate search leads the Hopebearer and her friends on a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory: the Algotti Empire itself. The empress is more than willing to help—for an impossible price. And as tensions escalate beneath the shadows of the risen gods, Mira grapples with a terrifying question: What will she have to sacrifice to preserve what she loves?
The explosive finale to Jodi Meadows’s Fallen Isles trilogy is ablaze with sizzling romance and fiery magic as Mira’s fight to save dragons from extinction evolves into a mission to save her world from annihilation.
....in more ways than one.
I love these movies fiercely. Also, I have never read the books. *hides in shame*
I've tried. Believe me, I've tried. I've wanted to love the series. I always struggle with epistolary writing, and it wasn't for me. Plus, the movie changed so much. Which normally makes me hate a movie, but not in this case. I think it helps that series author Cressida Cowell helped adapt her books for film. She knew when things worked and didn't work. For example, in the books, Toothless is a tiny dragon with one tooth. But they thought that having Hiccup ride a dragon would be more captivating to audiences. The movies feel more mature and accessible to me.
Also, I'll tell you a secret: Every single movie in the trilogy has made me cry. Every single one. Heck, I teared up watching the trailer for the final movie! And if Toy Story 3 hadn't come out the first year as the first HTTYD movie, I still believe it would have won the Oscar for Best Animated Picture. It was the best shot Dreamworks ever had at the award and it really hit me emotionally -- especially that ending.
This is one of those rare times when I love the movie so much more than the books and don't really have an interest in continuing on with the print edition. *hides*
~*~
What you get:
- A signed WHEN SHE REIGNS bookplate!
- WHEN SHE REIGNS dragon stickers!
- WHEN SHE REIGNS bookmark!
- WHEN SHE REIGNS dragon card!
If you order a book from One More Page, then you get all of the above plus:
- Exclusive 3” round sticker designed by Hey Atlas Creative (will arrive with your book).
- A signed, personalized, and stamped edition.
How you get it:
- Preorder WHEN SHE REIGNS.
- Forward the receipt to unicornwarlord@gmail.com (Feel free to delete any personal information you don’t want me to see.)
- Make sure to include your address at the top of the email — and write it out exactly as it needs to be to write it on an envelope. International readers, this is you especially since I don’t always know where the line breaks should be!
- If you order multiple books, then you get multiples of all the things! Just be sure to tell Jodi at the top of your email.
- Supplies are limited, especially the exclusive!
- Offer ends 11:59 pm Eastern, September 9, 2019.
- And yes, this giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.
Here’s where to preorder:
~*~
GIVEAWAY
Win a custom enamel pin and a $25 Amazon gift card!
This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!
You must be at least 13 years old to enter or have a parent's permission!
Enter now!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~*~
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: BEFORE SHE IGNITES
Author: Jodi Meadows
Release Date: September 12, 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen / HarperTeen
SUMMARY:
BEFORE
Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.
But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.
AFTER
Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.
No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.
Title: AS SHE ASCENDS
Author: Jodi Meadows
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Katherine Tegen / HarperTeen
SUMMARY:
MIRA, THE HOPEBEARER
Mira Minkoba is on the run with her friends after a fiery escape from the Pit, where she’d been imprisoned for defending the dragons she loves. And she wants answers. Where have all the dragons been taken? Why are powerful noorestones being shipped to the mainland? And did the treaty she’s been defending her whole life truly sell out the Fallen Isles to their enemies?
MIRA, THE DRAGONHEARTED
As her connection to the dragons—and their power—grows stronger, so does Mira’s fear that she might lose control and hurt someone she loves. But the only way to find the truth is to go home again, to Damina, to face the people who betrayed her and the parents she’s not sure she can trust.
Home, where she must rise above her fears. Or be consumed.
The second page-turning novel in Jodi Meadows’ Fallen Isles trilogy scorches with mysterious magic and riveting romance as one girl kindles a spark into a flame.
Title: WHEN SHE REIGNS
Author: Jodi Meadows
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Publisher: Katherine Tegen / HarperTeen
SUMMARY:
THE FIRST DRAGON
The Great Abandonment has begun. Panic has seized the Fallen Isles, where no one knows which god will rise next. Mira Minkoba believes her dreams hold the secret to bringing an end to the destruction, but in order to save her people, she’ll have to find a legendary treasure: the bones of the first dragon.
THE LAST HOPE
Mira’s desperate search leads the Hopebearer and her friends on a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory: the Algotti Empire itself. The empress is more than willing to help—for an impossible price. And as tensions escalate beneath the shadows of the risen gods, Mira grapples with a terrifying question: What will she have to sacrifice to preserve what she loves?
The explosive finale to Jodi Meadows’s Fallen Isles trilogy is ablaze with sizzling romance and fiery magic as Mira’s fight to save dragons from extinction evolves into a mission to save her world from annihilation.
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