Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for review!

In many ways “The Color of Dragons” was a very nostalgic read for me. A Merlin origin story, it reminded me greatly of books I enjoyed in my youth. It is a familiar tale—in a good way—of a young orphan with hidden magical abilities caught up in the court politics of a corrupt kingdom. Complete with warring noble families, marriage alliances, murder plots, and dragons, this medieval-inspired fantasy kept me captivated from start to finish. The characters were likeable and the romantic arc was well developed with perfect chemistry.

However, while this tale reminded me of childhood favourites in many good ways, it also brought with it a bunch of things I think really ought to have been left in the past. As far as I can tell, the cast is all cishet and white. A queer woman myself, I prefer diverse books, but I am also of the belief that authors don’t owe us diversity. So that in and of itself isn’t a deal breaker for me. However, when coupled with an uncomfortable dose of fat shaming, slut shaming, and paragraphs that might have been taken out of a “not all men” spokesperson’s diary, it does paint the book in an unfortunate light. It also includes another trope that is usually a miss for me—that of the absurdly gorgeous protagonist who doesn’t really know she’s pretty despite the fact that every man comments on it, as though it makes a woman vain to enjoy her own appearance.

Overall, I enjoyed this book from a non-critical standpoint, meaning the plot was enticing and the characters were captivating. However, there was enough in it that I felt could be harmful that I couldn’t give it more than three stars. It was nostalgic, yes. But maybe also a little bit stale.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Concept is very cool. I love a book with dragons. Execution could have been better. Although it seems to be a standalone (as far as my knowledge goes) it should have been planned as at least a duology. I feel like there were a lot of things that did not get wrapped up, and some things felt rushed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Dragons, magic, and a merlin origin story!? Sign me up!! Sadly this one just didn't work out. Right at the start I was confused and then just bored out of my mind. It was super confusing about what was going down and where things were. As the descriptions just didn't work out at all. It is mentioned on Amazon that this book is for grades 8 and up. Maybe those who read low juvenile might enjoy this one.

I did purchase this for the library! I love the potential of this book because if a student enjoys it then there are a ton more books by this author that are written for adults. So this book has the ability to build up a reader and turn them into a life long reader! Love this book! Plus the cover rocks!

<i>**Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced e-copy of this book.**</i>

Initial review on finishing the book: Y'all. WHAT. This book ended up being so good!? Some serious YA cliches which made me wonder at first... but the ending was sooooo good. And I became quite connected to these characters!

Now, I will attempt to actually put my thoughts into a coherent review and proper sentences - haha!

Wow! I ended up being so pleasantly surprised by this book. I was so excited to see a YA fantasy standalone, something that is not super common, and even more excited when I realized that it would have dragons! While I wish the dragons had come into the story a bit more, just having any kind of dragon in a story makes it epically better, don't you think!? But I digress...

Salvatore and Lewis did a fantastic job of setting up an intriguing fantasy world - one which mirrors so many aspects of our real world that it was complex and different enough to make you escape into the world of fantasy while noticing the many similarities to the hierarchy we have in our society. The history and the set up of the world helped to shape so many aspects of the plot. Things were happening because of past events and relationships - and we had plenty of information to link them and make some theories about what might happen.
I think that was one of the great things about this book. I kept trying to guess how things would turn out, and a twist would throw me off here and there. I thought I had it all figured out at one point when the greatest twist happened and I was FLOORED. I didn't see it coming. Some people might, but I thought that the authors did a really good job of making you like so many of the characters while also being suspicious of almost all of them... You can't guess everyone's motives or moves at every plot point, and I loved that for a fantasy book. There was so much court and political intrigue in motion alongside the magic, the romance, and the friendships. It was so wonderful woven together.

I loved the characters. They all had flaws in some way or another, and they were all realistic people. I was rooting for some of them, intrigued by others, and honestly wanted to be friends with a few of them. I will say the one thing that I found difficult was that there are so many side characters for a standalone fantasy. It was difficult to keep track of a whole host of characters at the beginning, and I easily mixed them up a couple times. BUT they all come to play a role in the story, no matter how small. I think some could easily have spinoff stories if the authors choose, and depending on the characters, I could be easily enticed to pick up their stories.

I will admit that I hope the book went through another round of editing, but I would never hold that against an arc and did not factor it into my rating. I did, however, factor in the few blatant YA cliches that were used... a couple are honestly mocked at this point so I am not sure if the authors used them in jest or not, but I feel like we could move on from some of them in the mess of 2021 and leave them behind... but alas, they definitely didn't break the book for me.
I think that the book does take a little bit to set things up since it begins en media res, but I generally like that.

If you are looking for a YA fantasy that is easy to follow, has great characters and court intrigues, friendship, romance, and DRAGONS, then I think this is a fantastic book to pick up - especially since it's a standalone! Perfect for when you want a touch of fantasy but don't want to commit to multiple books.

TW: animal cruelty/death, blood, confinement, death, death of a parent, emotional abuse, grief, injury/injury detail, scarring, misogyny, murder, toxic friendship, violence

I loved almost everything about this book: the fresh and compelling magic system(s), the lush and vibrantly-described settings, the driven and intriguing plot, and just a whole new world of epic fantasy to explore from R.A. Salvatore, the master himself.
Full review to come on YouTube.

I went through a really long reading slump and this book got me out of it. It was such an enjoyable read for someone who hasn't read a book in a while. As someone who grew up on Eragon and wanted something similar, this book has a new home in my heart.

The fantasy elements sucked me into a whole new world, but I will admit it could have used a little work. However, the characters really pulled me in. Maggie and Griffin do follow the themes of characters you would expect to see in a fantasy book: one is an orphan while the other is incredibly poor.

I think this book could have improved by having the pacing be more consistent throughout, but I personally didn't mind too much. I would recommend this book.

I'm a couple of days late with this post, but I was so happy to share a birthday with The Color of Dragons! When I say that I love Arthurian legend and Merlin I mean l am OBSESSED. As a kid Quest for Camelot was  my favorite movie, the BBC Merlin TV show is my go to comfort show, and It's also the reason why I love fantasy, especially medieval based fantasy. So, when I had the chance to read The Color of Dragons as an eARC I was beyond excited! I had hyped it up so much in my mind that it got to the point where I was scared to read it because lately everything has been a little bit dissapointing. But It was amazing! I could not have asked for a better Merlin origin story.

If you love:
⚔Fantasy
⚔Merlin/Arthurian Legend
⚔Kickass Heroins
⚔Dragons
⚔Magic
You will LOVE this!

I read it in  3 days  and I could not put it down! I've only wanted to read contemporary/romance lately, but this book has made me want to start reading fantasy again. Also, did I mention that this book is a STANDALONE. Truely a fantasy dream! I don't know about you, but I need more fantasy standalone in my life.

If you're a fan of Throne of Glass, Fire by Kristin Cashore, or The Remenant Chronicles or you're in a slump, this is the one for you! Also, since it's a standalone, which having read only contemporary for a really long time now  was amazing to find out, it doesn't take as much brain power as most fantasy series do. perfect for a no bones day! This book is definitely not one to miss!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Released: October 19, 2021
[Disclaimer: I was gifted this eARC from Harper Collins Canada in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!]

Salvatore is a legend in fantasy circles. Who hasn't read a Drizzt book!!!! Fans of Game of Thrones, Tamora Pierce and Merlin type stories will fall immediately in love with Maggie and Griffin.

Maggie was found as a baby by Xavier, a wondering magician, near some woods. He raised her to be his assistant in this shows. They travel the kingdom putting on magic shows, just simple tricks like making a coin disappear or pulling a rabbit out the the hat. However Xavier believes magic is real and will go to any means to possess it.

Griffin was a kid born in poverty in the gutters of the castle. He snuck into the upper reaches and made himself useful be rescuing the prince one day. The king rewarded his bravery and he is now the king's champion, fighting draignochs in the stadium for the king's amusement. Scarred from battle but with a caring heart he protects the weak but knows he should do more.

Maggie has a fateful encounter with a draignoch that brings strange changes to herself. She is afraid to tell anyone, afraid of being made an experiment or killed. When Xavier is "invited" to come to the castle to perform for the king, Maggie is forced to go along. Her first meeting with Griffin isn't a good first impression but as they are together more things change in so many ways.

Can the two of them do what needs to be done? What is their destiny? This is one of those books you can't put down.

I read this book with my daughter to introduce her to one of my favorite authors (Salvatore). Because of that, it took a bit longer for us to read and was a little more broken up than a normal read. Because of that, we didn't notice as much the shift in the perspective of the different pov characters as others have mentioned.
The majority of this book was enjoyable and interesting... in fact, my daughter got very invested in the characters.

Speaking of the characters, the main (pov) characters had very distinct voices and personalities. It was fairly obvious that they were written by the individual authors. The other main characters were mostly fairly one dimensional though well written.

The two problems I had with the book were:
1) the title "Color of Dragons" implies that there will be more than one dragon or that the dragons themselves will be a major portion of the book. They were not. In fact, while a very interesting personality was hinted at for the one dragon in the book, it was never explored and I felt like this was a missed dimension in the book.
2) the ending. The close of the book felt rushed. There were a lot of revelations near the end that weren't really dealt with. Then, A LOT of action was implied/waved away in just a few sentences. In addition, After reading the last paragraph, both ​my daughter and I said, "What?!?" The tying in of the book to a greater legend felt a bit shoehorned into the story and even cheapened the story.

I will (and currently am) read more R.A. Salvatore. As far as this new author, I would certainly give her another chance, and my daughter as well, but hopefully if they collaborate again the ending will be as well thought out as the rest of the book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

HIGHLIGHTS: Character development and distinctive POVs were well done and enjoyable to read. I like that the book focused on an relatively unknown point in an otherwise extremely famous story, so there was a lot to work with and tons of room for creativity and originality. They worked well together as their arcs developed--well, until the end......

which brings us to:

LOWLIGHTS: The pacing was erratic--especially at the end, to almost a disorienting degree--and the worldbuilding fell pretty flat. It was like the authors relied on the reader's knowledge of the legend which gave inspiration to this book (sorry, no spoilers!) and a general medieval fantasy backdrop, failing to develop any of it beyond a very basic sketch.

This one’s an alright fantasy, but the fantastical elements and world building aren’t as present or developed as I’d have liked. I appreciate a character-driven novel, so Maggie and Griffin’s arcs were enjoyable, but the villains fell a bit flat and I wanted a bit more from the world-building and magic system.

ARC from Netgalley.
Like pretty much everyone who reads this book, I come to it through my love and affinity for R.A. Salvatore. The Drizzt novels are a pillar of my life and had me heading into this with high hopes. I don't want to say they were destroyed, but I'm not incredibly happy with how this book turned out.

The Color of Dragons is the story of Maggie and Griffin. Maggie is an woman who was taken in at a young age as an orphan by a magician who does no real magic. She lives in the world south of the Walled City and aches for something more. Griffin is a low-born commoner from the Bottom area of the Walled City. He has risen through the ranks and is now a champion of the arena, one of the favorites of the King. When a draignoch (what they call a dragon) is captured and taken to the city, Maggie and Xavier (the man she is apprenticed to) get brought along to entertain the King. But a lifetime under the tyranny of the King hasn't made Maggie amenable to the comforts of the city.

If you've read any fantasy at all, you could guess that these two fall in love. You could probably guess that Maggie is the one who really uses magic and her master is a hoax. You might even be able to guess (correctly) that the story would end with the overthrow of the evil King and a happy ending. But the path to get there is troubled. I do like this book somewhat, but I can tell what was written by Salvatore and what was written by Erika Lewis, the co-author. The difference is palpable and I don't like the way Lewis handles things. (Most of the writing Salvatore does stands out to me, or at least I think it does.)

Overall, this would be higher rated if not for the ending. At 402 pages, I'm assuming that they were shooting for something close to that page count... but when writing it, they realized that the end was coming up fast. Within 20 pages, the villains are defeated, the nefarious plot destroyed, magic back in force, all the dragons freed and the revelation that Maggie and Griffin not only lived happily ever after, but had an extremely famous child, whose name you definitely would know. Seemed incredibly rushed...

Would I recommend you read this book? Yes and no. Yes because I think it could function as a stepping stone to the amazing works of RA Salvatore. No because there are much better examples from fantasy and Salvatore himself. But, as always, judge for yourself.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in for an honest review.
This story is written in two voices, Maggie and Griffin. Maggie is traveling with a magicless magician. She finds out she has powers. Griffin is the king’s champion. There’s political corruption, dragons, and magic, Maggie finds out she’s connected to a dragon and sets about to free her. Griffin figures out where his loyalties lie.
One thing that I wish there was more of is, more dragons. I wish they played a bigger role.
I bought this for our high school library and can’t wait to recommend it.

This book was… fine. Honestly, it was good and I enjoyed it enough but I feel like there wasn’t enough dragons for a book with the word “dragon” in the title. I also really wish there was more of Maggie’s magic in the book. The ending also felt a little rushed to me.

What an eye catching cover, I just wish the rest of the story was just as amazing, but alas not to be. It was close but not so great that I couldn't put it down. I always enjoy multiple POV's in stories and the start of the dragons and magic were great but I just wanted more details and more dragons, way more dragons. I shouldn't be complaining though as I feel like it is a rarity that we get a standalone fantasy book and I was excited about that but I just feel like it is missing something.

Thanks to NetGalley & HarperTeen for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I was unable to continue reading after 20%.

This book is very dialogue heavy that feels like it went nowhere in terms of developing characters. Despite the "Dragon" title this was more about humans which greatly disappointed me. Perhaps more appear later in the book but it's a big pet peeve of mine to include something like "Dragons" or "Wizards" etc in the title and not have them appear until halfway through the book. Very slow as well.

Gosh, I love this cover!!!
Dragons and medieval magic, what else could I possibly need?

This was a fun fantasy book, very reminiscent of the kinds of stories I grew up loving. Unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Which could very well just be because I'm outside of the intended audience. But at this point, I just expect a bit more from my books. The pacing was a little bumpy and it just felt like this story could have benefitted from .... something. I can't say what, exactly -just something to make it stand out from countless similar stories.

That being said, a younger reader (that hasn't read more complex and developed stories with similar themes and genres) may have a better time with this one, and since that is more the intended readership for the book, I'm still bumping up my rating. All the bones are there for a great story so I really hope this one finds it's audience.