I received an advance ebook through NetGalley.

This charming middle grade adventure explores an icy queendom where the seasonal visits of dragons leave humans wary and fearful. Princess Toli isn't even a teenager yet, but she knows the weight of guilt and loss--the year before, her father was killed by dragons, and Toli knows it was all her fault. She's determined to be a fierce hunter to protect her people, especially her younger sister, Petal. But when her mother the Queen is captured by dragons, Toli discovers that dragons are as complex as human beings--though still far more dangerous.

There's so much to love about this book. First of all, the original snow-bound secondary world is great fun, with unique perils (beetles! the cold!) and a fascinating, distinct human culture. Second, DRAGONS. Can't help but love a book with well done dragons, and there's an especially cute one named Ruby who threatens to steal the whole show. Third, Toli. She's a complicated, realistic kid who is dealing with heavy grief and self-hatred. She's trying so hard, and she manages to antagonize the people who really loves best, like her mom, sister, and best friend. I especially enjoyed how her relationship with Petal changed throughout the book. Fourth, the pace. This is a fast read with lots of action, and the emotional growth is perfectly paced throughout.

Apparently, this book stands alone for now, but I hope it sells well and the author gets a full series. This world has incredible potential to be explored!

Let’s start off with that absolutely gorgeous cover! I love it and I know it will attract a lot of readers to it. It really gives you an overall feel of the book too. This is a book full of adventure and of course dragons. It has a strong female protagonist, who is also feisty and brave.

Toli is the sole narrator of this story, and it was a delight to spend time with her. She has her flaws, she was deeply affected by her father’s death, which she feels guilty about as well. She is not afraid to stand up for herself when it counts, and is very brave to undertake the journey to the mountains on her own. Toli is surrounded by many caring adults, who would have been happy to help her, but of course she doesn’t go that route. She does grudgingly accept the help of her younger sister and friend Wix, and it was a good thing she did too. They both contributed a great deal to their survival on the trip. I really liked both of these characters as well. They were a great support for Toli on her journey.

The world this story is set in is very interesting. It is similar to the Arctic, in that it appears to be frozen all of the time, with very little sunlight. I was a little bit confused with the references to the Daughter Moon and the Father Moon. Were they both moons? or was one of them a sun? There is nothing mentioned about a sun, but the Father Moon seemed like that was what it was? A little confusing. But otherwise a very creative and well done world, with interesting creatures and plants to populate it.

Which brings us to the dragons. They were very fierce creatures, with their own culture and issues. There were some very evil dragons and some that seemed to be good, and of course some that you are never quite sure about, like the Queen Mother. They all had very distinct personalities, which I really enjoyed. Little Ruby, the baby dragon Toli finds and rescues, was just adorable. Being a baby she had no clue about the issues between the humans and dragons. So she attached herself to Toli, because she was kind to her. Loved the relationship that developed between them.

The overall plot and writing were good. The pacing and flow were good. I had a hard time putting the book down as I was just as excited as the characters about the journey and how everything was going to work out in the end. There were a couple of instances where the narrative stalled or got confusing, but for the most part the writing was quite good. The plot kept you invested in the characters and the outcome of the story as well.

This is a stand alone, but the ending was open ended enough for there to be a series. I certainly hope so. I would love to see how Toli grows into her new role and what happens to her and the dragons. A good debut middle grade book that will be enjoyed by many dragon fans.

Anatolia (Toli) is the firstborn daughter of Queen Una, but she has a terrible secret-- she feels responsible for the death of her father while the yearly tithe to the dragons was being delivered. While she loves hunting dragons (who are fairly evil, after all), she doesn't feel ready for all of the other training her mother thinks she should undergo as heir to the throne. When the queen is kidnapped by the dragons, Toli, her sister petal, and her friend Wix set out to find her. They have as a bargaining chip a dragon youngling, Ruby, who was stolen and hidden by two dragons, Krala and Dral, who hope to fight the reigning dragon queen. They let the children escape, only to try to traverse the exceedingly treacherous pass to get to the mountain where the dragons live. Ruby doesn't do well, and once Toli reaches the dragon kingdom, there is still plenty of danger ahead. Luckily, the queen is somewhat sympathetic. The two learn to trust each other, and eventually Queen Una is freed and Toli finds an unexpected place to practice skills.

Strengths: Toli's kingdom is a matriarchy, and a sort of vague, medieval, Frozen-ish sort of one. This gives it some automatic readers! Toli's relationships with Petal and Wix are solid, and there are some good secondary characters that add a lot to the story, like Spar. The dragon in-fighting has its moments, and make it seem more reasonable that Toli's people kill them. The trek over the mountains is filled with excitement and peril. A quickly moving fantasy novel with strong female characters.

Weaknesses: Toli's guilt over her father's death always seemed weak to me, even after she starts to tell people later in the book. I know it is important as a motivating factor, but it just didn't have the punch I wanted it to.

What I really think: I'm going to have to ask my avid dragon fans if this book will be one they would like. I'm still not entirely sure the dragons will ever be good; on the one side, we have Toli with her own baby dragon for a while, which is a plus, but there's also a lot of talk of killing the dragons, which Wings of Fire fans may not appreciate. Great cover, though!