"Dragonfruit" by Makiia Lucier is a dazzling and romantic fantasy inspired by Pacific Island mythology. The story revolves around Hanalei of Tamarind, the cherished daughter of an old island family. When her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, Hanalei is forced into exile. During her exile, she finds solace in studying majestic seadragons in the Nominomi Sea.

The narrative takes an intriguing turn when, one day, an encounter with a female dragon offers Hanalei the chance to return home and rectify a terrible wrong. Meanwhile, Samahtitamahenele (Sam), the last remaining prince of Tamarind, faces a dilemma in a matriarchal society. With his mother and grandmother both facing health issues, Sam is left with the choice of marriage or finding a cure for his mother's long-standing sickness. The return of a childhood companion, Hanalei, brings hope and a new set of challenges.

The plot unfolds as Hanalei and Sam, accompanied by the search for the dragonfruit, face enemies both near and far. Amidst their battles, they discover another danger that they cannot escape—the very essence of the dragonfruit itself.

"Dragonfruit" promises a rich blend of fantasy, romance, and mythology set against the backdrop of Pacific Island lore. The novel explores themes of exile, hope, and the pursuit of redemption, with the magical and mythical elements adding depth to the narrative.

Dragonfruit is an adventurous story set in a lush and vibrant island world with a rich set of characters you find yourselves attached to. I absolutely loved this world filled with dragons, magic and wonder. Hana is a scholar and a girl with a past and when she reunites with her childhood friend Sam they find themselves on a great quest for dragonfruit in order to save his mother from her sleeping fate. I loved the animal tattoos that came to life, this was such a cool part of the book. Fetu the bat and Nomi the seadragon were also awesome animal characters. This book is an absolute must read!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier managed to deliver everything I look for in a fantasy book—fantastic worldbuilding, layered characters, a unique plot, and (of course) magic and mythical creatures. It was a breath of fresh air with its imaginative plot and character-driven story.

As a Polynesian-American who loves fantasy and romance books, it’s rare to find ones that celebrate my culture, history, and mythology. I absolutely loved this vivid, fast-paced adventure and for me, the mythical creatures were a stand-out feature of the book. It was definitely one I could not put down.

Overall, I gave this book a five-star rating because it had an exciting plot, unexpected twists, endearing characters, and a lush world. At times this book was heart wrenching, but overall, the tone was hopeful and inspiring. This is an absolute must-read!

June of last year I sat down and enjoyed Year of the Reaper by Makiaa Lucier, after ignoring it for six months I was frustrated with myself for not picking up and reading it sooner. I can say I did not make the same mistake with this book! Upon seeing that Lucier had another book coming out, read the wonderfully interesting concept, and then seeing the utterly stunning cover I knew I had to get and read Dragonfruit. I'm so thankful to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Dragonfruit follows Hanaleiarihi, Hanalei or Hana for short, as she returns to her home of Tamarindi after spending 10 years in exile due to a crime her father committed to save her and Prince Samahtitamahenele, Sam or Samahti, as he searches desperately to locate a Dragonfruit, A wish granting egg of a Seadragon, in ordered to reawaken his mother, Princess Oliana, from a poisoning that has left her in comatose state for ten years. The two have end up having to face Dragoners, sailors who hunt dragons for their valuable parts, while trying to retrieve a dragonfruit, knowing that "Every wish demands a price"

Going into this I had promised myself I would pace myself and not read the book in one sitting, but I could not put this book down I was so captivated by the lush Polynesian inspired setting, the interesting and lovable characters. Sam and Hanalei both have well thought out and explained motivations, and seeing Hanalei's conflict over wanting to help Sam's mother, but not wanting to see Sam have to pay the God of the Seadragon's price. Sam's guilt over the hardships and pain that Hanalei has suffered due to her fathers crime felt very real, and I greatly appreciated that Sam, and his grandmother Queen Maga'lahi, both saw and recognized Hanalei was an innocent in her father's crime and every time she expressed guilt for her father's crime they are so quick to reassure her that she did nothing wrong and that they are thankful she is there. The magic was also a wonderful addition, people from Tamarindi in the young adult years sometimes gain a tattoo like marking that is a guardian animal that can manifest and help them is various ways, Sam has a marking of a fruit bat named Fetu that was originally his mothers, who carries messages for him along with helping him with other tasks, while the Queen has a banana spider, Viti, who helps her sense danger.

I really loved this one and can't wait until it officially releases!