Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book! I truly enjoyed this story. And the last word blew me out of the water...but don't look ahead it will make the book all that much better. The whole story is well written and well told. There were a couple of spots that felt a little rushed and I would have liked them to slow down a bit and have a little more detail. But overall this was a great book that I would recommend to any fantasy reader or to a reader who wants to start reading fantasy. Very well done!I woul dhappily give this title a 4.5 stars if half stars where allowed.

This book is listed as a standalone, but it felt really incomplete like there should be more to it. I was left with a lot more questions than answers. I really enjoyed it, but I wasn't quite sure how to rate it not knowing if there's going to be more. I really loved the magic system and political intrigue. I just hope we get more!

Sadly this book never seemed to live up to its potential. In the end there was still quite a lot of things that didn't make sense and were never fully explained.

Maggie’s chapters are told in the first-person point-of-view, while Griffin’s chapters are from the third-person. I have mixed feelings about this. I liked the first person and felt that I got more perspective on Maggie’s thoughts and feelings. It delved deeper into her character this way. Griffin’s story, though interesting, felt a little more detached. I think this might be an interesting way of showing the differences in their personalities, but I would have loved to know more of Griffin’s thoughts and feelings in the first person as well. I oddly enough didn't feel like dragons were included in this story enough? Overall, a solid fantasy read!

I love dragon stories and I love Arthurian legend (ok... I really just love the BBC show "Merlin" if I'm being honest) so this book appealed to me. I was satisfied by the story and enjoyed the world building. The deaths could be a little gruesome but on the same level of description of Wings of Fire with detail so definitely not bad for middle school and up.

Well done and masterfully told story. It will make you fall in love with magic in books again. It was easy to read and the story is amazing.

***3 Stars***

This book caught my attention because of the title, the cover and the fact that R.A. Salvatore was one of the authors and, despite the fact that I don’t read much fantasy, his books were ones that I’ve had on my TBR for a minute, so figured why not give this one a go? And I liked it.

I wish I could say that I loved it, but I wish there had been more. More with Maggie and Griffin, more with dragons/draignoch and definitely more at the end. The world was a big one and I will say there were a few twists and turns in there that I didn’t see coming, but did like how they played out.

All in all, I can see how there are those that will absolutely love this book and some that won’t. It’s all about expectations.

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

I went into this book with higher expectations than I normally do because I have read R. A. Salvatore’s Legend of Drizzt D&D books and his writing is impeccable.
•
I was NOT LET DOWN!!!
•
This books is everything you could want in a fantasy, it has;
Dragons
Magic
Romance
And the FIGHT SCENES!
I can’t even tell you the spectacular and lyrical way Salvatore writes his fight scenes, but damn he is the master!
Erika Lewis made a great choice in partnering with Salvatore. They are a writing powerhouse!!
This book is amazing!

Writing this review has been really hard. I mean, I enjoyed it a little. I didn’t hate it for sure. But it didn’t blow my mind in any way. To be honest, it took me a few weeks to write the review because I forgot everything about it just days after reading it. Yeah. It was one of those books for me. Was it the books fault? Or is it the fact that I had to read a fantasy so I could write a review while I was in the middle of the worst “fantasy specific reading slump” I’ve ever been in? I don’t know what to tell you. But I can say, this reading slump that only seems to apply to the genre of fantasy alone, may have influenced my enjoyment of this one. So take my review with a grain of salt.

First off, this book has so much going for it! First off, it’s a standalone fantasy – that’s right; stand alone! I love this because we get the adventure, magic, and a beginning to end all in the same book. Not that I have a problem with a series! I love a lengthy story! But still, getting a beginning and resolution in the same novel is magic!

This also offers up dragons and magic. Call me old school, hut dragons and magic are two keywords that go SO well in fantasy! This is also a Merlin origin story (really caught your attention now, huh?). It felt so very nostalgic and comforting! It felt like something I read and loved as a younger human and would reread multiple times just so I could live in the adventure again and again. Yeah, ok, so the tropes were familiar and I could spot plot direction a mile away. It didn’t matter though. It felt like I was coming home to a hug in a book in a way.

This was also a story for the underdog and I LOVE me an underdog! I love watching characters who have no possessions or expectations coming into their own and making their own way. The characters felt very realistic and I had a bit of a soft spot for them. Maggie especially. Maggie is the strong sort who stick with their convictions and knows exactly who they are.

I just felt a little like the story wasn’t quite built to completion. I wanted so much more of the dragons and the magic. Give me some good old fashioned info dumping! I want to know the details of how it all works! Paint me a story. Give me a history. Along with the world building, I just felt like there was something missing there.

The flow of this book was probably my biggest issue. It’s written by two authors so maybe that had something to do with it? Or maybe it was the fact that the perspectives were different? One character was told in first person while the other was in third person. It wasn’t a big deal necessarily but, the changing of perspectives was jarring enough to make me have to recalibrate upon the change. I adjusted easily, but it was a little weird.

There’s also the fact that there are quite a few characters. Some obviously played a larger role than others, but there was so much name dropping from beginning to end. It felt a little like an attempt to make the world/story a grander feel but it only confused me. I either couldn’t remember who they were or I spent a lot of Tim trying to remember inconsequential characters in the event they played a larger role to the story in the end. I felt like I needed a character map or something!

This was a quick and (somewhat) enjoyable read. The ending felt way too rushed for me but it was, like I mentioned earlier, nice to have the story wrapped up by the end. I know quite a few of you will totally love this but I just wasn’t that person. I enjoyed myself while reading but, in the end, it was a bit of a forgettable story.

The Color of Dragons by R. A. Salvatore and Erika Lewis is a breathtaking read and is sure to take your breath away. A young adult fantasy standalone full of mystery and intrigue with a hint of romance that is sure to keep you turning the pages. The world-building is complex and different enough for you to escape into a world of fantasy while noticing the many similarities to today's society. The characters are well-written with flaws in some way or another, and they are all real people. The Color of Dragons is perfect for when you want a touch of fantasy but don't want to commit to multiple books.

The Color of Dragons is a fairly typical YA fantasy with a girl who doesn’t know she has powers, a knight trying to win glory in the arena, and a prince trying to live up to his evil father’s unrealistic standards.

To be quite honest, I would have DNFed this book if I didn’t feel obligated to finish it because I found the characters unrelatable and slightly annoying throughout the whole first half. I am actually glad that I did finish it though because they got a lot better in the end.

Most of the twists were ones that I saw coming a ways before they actually occurred, and this could just be because it very much followed the typical YA fantasy format. I’m not saying that this means it’s not a good story, it’s just a little predictable.

The only unique thing was the powers bestowed upon the main character, Maggie, and I won’t elaborate on that because of spoilers, but that was the main aspect that kept me interested!

Overall, it wasn’t a terrible read, but it’s not one I would go back to.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperTeen, HCC Frenzy, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie, a young orphan, is assistant to a traveling magician who has little skill beyond some sleight of hand tricks. But when she encounters a draignoch that has been captured by the cruel king’s soldiers and is being taken to his Walled City, something within her awakens and she soon realizes that she is the one with actual magical powers. Maggie knows she has to keep this hidden, but she also needs to learn how to control it. When she meets Griffin, the king’s champion and famed draignoch slayer, the two of them must work together to figure out her abilities, even as Griffin participates in a gladiatorial style tournament to defend his title from his latest challengers.

It’s no secret that I adore books about dragons, so when I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. This story is reminiscent of traditional fantasy novels in the best way, with a pre-Arthurian style setting and a kind of Merlin origin story. The world building, beyond some of the history mentioned, was pretty minimal and most of the emphasis seemed to be on explaining how cruel the king and his enforcers were. As a regular fantasy reader, I’m more accustomed to this medieval kingdom type of setting and didn’t require the elaboration to imagine it, but for those who are not, it might seem quite vague.

Maggie and Griffin were both interesting characters and realistic ones. Having alternating POVs definitely helped with character development in the presence of so much else going on. Maggie’s abilities and the magic connected to the moon, while intriguing, could have used a lot more development. While Maggie was arguably the main protagonist, I found that I liked Griffin’s arc better as we got a much more thorough idea of his past and how he rose from a foundling in the poorest part of the city to become the king’s champion, now dealing with the dangerous politics that are part and parcel of being close to the throne. The romance was very much in the background and I rather liked it, despite there not being too much time to focus on Maggie and Griffin’s relationship.

My biggest issue with this book was the pace of the plot. While things remained interesting throughout and the narration was sufficiently paced to keep the reader’s interest, this book took far too long to get to the point. If at the 50% mark, I still can’t tell you where the main plot of a standalone novel is heading, that’s a problem. The way this story unfolded was more along the lines of what I’ve seen for first books of trilogies, but in a standalone, it was extremely frustrating, especially when it turned out to be much more simplistic than expected.

The eleventh hour twist was definitely a good one, and very unexpected at that. There were some hints throughout that something about a couple of the characters felt off, though not nearly enough to predict the scale of the reveal. But I think the efficacy of that twist was reduced largely by how abrupt it was, and also how abruptly it was resolved. A few more chapters to draw out the climax would have definitely helped, not to mention answer some of the immediate questions that arise in the aftermath, especially with the last sentence of the book. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and there is potential for a spin off at the very least, so I’m interested to see if one will be written. I would definitely recommend this book!

Maggie has magic that she can't control, with no one to help teach her. Griffin has almost nothing to his name but his record in the arena, fighting draignochs, and the fickle favor of the once-beloved king. When the two of them meet within the ramparts of the Walled City, they have no idea that their choices over the next week will be a cornerstone of history.

I wanted to love this one. Dragons and magic are two of my most favorite things. The feeling was only bolstered by Salvatore's big name on the cover (he's like, a fantasy genius for some.) But alas, I did not enjoy this one as much as I had hoped. 2 stars.

The novel is told through the dual perspectives of Maggie and Griffin, which was one of the things I didn't much care for. Dual narrators are fine. But Maggie's chapters are written in first person and Griffin's in third, which was jarring, and has never been a favorite style of mine. Furthermore, I feel like I did not get enough depth to any of these characters; Maggie was brash and headstrong, Griffin was... I'm not really sure. The villains are obviously villains, the heroes obviously heroes, and I can't help but say I was a little disappointed.

I also think that the plot was lacking a little for me. At this time, I haven't seen anything that suggests that this would be a series, which is a shame--there is, or was, so much possibility. Instead, I felt like I was plodding along for the majority of the story, only to feel rushed in the final chapters.

THE COLOR OF DRAGONS was a novel that I struggled with from the very beginning. I had believed that this would be a quick read for me, probably days at most. Those days stretched into weeks as I pushed aside reading this, eventually to the point where I had to reread the first few chapters (I hadn't gotten farther than 10%, previously.) I think all in all, it's not a story for me.

Posted to Goodreads 10/19/2021

I am a member of the HarperCollins Canada influencer program and attended the HCC #FrenzyPresents YA fall preview event where this was one of the titles covered. I was then granted the opportunity to access an eARC of this title via NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Saltvatore + YA fantasy + dragons + Merlin origin story? The marking for this book had me extremely excited to get my hands on it and devour it! What a great combination of things I already love to read! I expect this book will attract a huge audience regardless of the reviews coming in, and I do hope those who choose to read the reviews won't be scared off by the less than perfect 5 out of 5 average.

The first half of this book is full of absolutely gorgeous, intricate world-building and character introductions that made me want to just hang out in this world forever, even if nothing else happened. Maggie's story is a classic nobody from nowhere turns out to be the Chosen One bonded to a misunderstood dragon sort of deal, while Griffin's is the young nobleman unsure of how he measures up to the expectations put on him flavour of character arch. When their paths cross, interesting things are sure to happen. I particularly love the magic system in this book and how we got to watch Maggie discover and learn her powers. The set-up, magician's assistant who turns out to be the real source of power behind a stage trick turned miracle, reminded me of the premise behind Hutchinson's latest, Before We Disappear.

The storytelling is split between two POVs, Maggie's and Griffin's, but while Maggie's parts are first person, Griffin's are third person. I've seen this done in YA recently and sometimes it's very effective, but something about the combination just didn't work for me in this one. When it works (like Reintgen's Ashlords duology) the different type of perspective serves a purpose. In that example, one POV is second person because the reader is meant to take that character's view of the world and understand how completely different the other two POVs are from the second person POV. In this book, I didn't see a point to the different POVs. If it's simply because "this is Maggie's story" then why give us a Griffin POV at all?

Around half way through this book it suddenly devotes a whole bunch of time to the tournament, and at this point the experience becomes more flat and detached. The sheer depth of detail that made the first half so immersive is left out. My editor's mind wonders if the first half of this book got more revisions than the second. Are Salvatore and/or Lewis chronic revisionists who backtrack before sitting back down to write more? It really feels like that first half got more attention and care.

Overall this is a charming YA Fantasy that vaguely resembles an Arthurian origin story. It has a few more YA tropes than I'd like to see and not enough on-page dragon action, but otherwise it's a solid debut for Lewis and a great first stride into YA for Salvatore. I'm looking forward to more YA Fantasy from both authors and I would encourage fans of the subgenre to check this out!

The Color of Dragons is a new YA fantasy story that had my attention with its cover. Seeing the cover and title of this book, I was so excited to have more stories with dragons. I was a little disappointed with the total lack of dragons incorporated into the actual story. The main thing I took away from reading this book focused on a few things: 1) a Champions Tournament. 2) Politics within the Kingdom and its court 3) One (singular) dragon 4) A Curse 5) Magic. I think with all these things incorporated into a story, the reader is prepared for one wicked world-building experience. But sadly, I was a bit let down by the WOW department. I really REALLY enjoyed that this gives off major medieval vibes with Knights, castles, and likable characters, but I was expecting a bit more. It takes a while for things to get set up, which sometimes seemed to drag out.

This is obviously my opinion after reading the eARC provided by Netgalley (THANK YOU!)), but it just was a bit incomplete and the reader is left asking more questions, than getting answers. Overall, this book got three stars from me and I do recommend you pick up this book to form your own opinion. YOU may enjoy it!

What a GREAT story! I loved it! Dragons? Dragon fighters? Magic? YES PLEASE!!! A world that seems familiar and yet one you haven't heard yet! If you have a great love for dragons, this is perfect for the classroom library for middle schools. Your kiddos would love it and so would you. 8th grade and high school. HIGHLY recommend.

Unfortunately this book fell just a little short for me!!

I had a fine time with it, and was enjoying it mostly up until the 50% mark. I really liked the world, and the magic system. I liked the build-up and the relationship between our two star-crossed lovers. But at some point it seemed like the tone of the book changed, and we went from this really rich picture to just a surface level experience. I really would have loved to have seen more about the dragons since this was the main point of the title, and how they related to our MC. I also thought the deaths included in this book were just throwaways meant to push the plot. I didn’t care much that they happened and honestly wasn’t surprised that they did.

My favorite part was probably the length of the tournament. I really liked seeing our champion compete and the struggle he was having because he was hurt/tired, but also him knowing he had to do it to keep the king’s favor. The politics were really nice, and I wish they hadn’t been cut short.

I also wish that this hadn’t been sold to me as a King Arthur retelling/ based story. I didn’t see the relevance of this and I get that it was included in the end of the book but it didn’t seem like it fit given that there was nothing about it until the last page.

Overall a fine read, and would recommend to fantasy romance readers who are looking for a YA base level standalone. I’m sure others would like this book, it just wasn’t for me!

Xx
-Christine

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley and author R.A. Salvatore and Erika Lewis for an e ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I felt this book was like Game of Thrones meets Galdiator with a quick blooming romance and a layer of magic thrown on top and I loved every second of it!

The story follows Maggie, a young orphan with an unknown past who is given a home with a traveling wannabe magician who is all tricks. But when Maggie turns out out be the one with real powers she has to learn how to control them while also keeping them hidden.

When fate brings her in the path of Griffin, the king's champion and slayer of draignochs (small dragon-like creatures), he and Maggie must work together to control her powers all while Griffin is competing in the king's tournament to keep his title of champion.

With magic connected to the moon, a past that she can't remember, and an unrelenting pull toward a dragon she can't seem to stay away from, Maggie has to learn who she is and what she will do to survive.

I loved being able to discover who she was right along with her throughout this book. And Griffin is certainly a champion for the ladies to swoon over. And even though the ending did seem a bit quick/rushed, I look forward to learning more of the story in the future!

This has been one of my favorite reads this year and if I could buy all the versions I would. I already preordered this right away after reading. The rotating POV kept the pacing fast. Also, they were long enough so you got into the story without being transported into the next POV too quickly. Dragons are fierce and this story showed their fierceness but also there fall from something more. Unexpectedly, this story tied into the myth of Merlin which I was so here for. Definitely recommending this book!