Robert is a dragon exterminator who really just loves dragons and wants to be doing anything else. Princess Cerise is used to being admired, but when Prince Reginald, (off on a hopeless ‘Don Quixote-esque’ mission to prove himself) comes to her kingdom Cerise decides she must do whatever she can to capture Reginald’s attention. Enter Robert who must rid the castle of all its dragon inhabitants (picture cute little rabbit sized dragons). Ultimately a hero’s quest will end up presenting itself to our three protagonists and we get to enjoy a wholesome, silly adventure.

I'm Afraid you've got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

This book makes me think of Eragon mixed with Princess Bride. Dragons, royalty, wizards, and hunter/exterminator - all character roles we love to see in fantasy. Peter S. Beagle explores and challenges these roles by providing the characters with their own twists. Peter highlights a theme in his book that we are limited to what we believe we deserve.

The writing style and humor adds to the appeal of this fast paced adventure novel. The world building is vast but simple and unique. A world where dragons are common, too common perhaps, in varying sizes and colors. A hero whose dreams were of a station not fit to be his and a princess who would rather be treated as a person rather than royalty. Along with a vengeful wizard that I honestly cannot find fearful.

If you want a clean YA fantasy dragon read, this book is for you!

Thank you for Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced reader copy

What a quirky, fun read. Lots of laughs and clever wordplay. As always with a Peter Beagle book the characters are all likeable and I was invested in their stories. It's sort of in between cozy and adventurous perfect for someone who wants to read fantasy but maybe doesn't want to jump into a huge series.

Review: I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

Are you looking for a dragon-filled adventure? I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons may very well be the book for you. With quirky characters, quest-like adventures, twists on common archetypes, and a bit of silliness, this story feels similar to The Princess Bride or a Hobbit-esque adventure. I enjoyed this read and devoured the book in about three days.

I did find it reminded me a bit of The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munch, but a lengthened and slightly more complicated version. The story does deal with princesses, dragons, and a prince, but also a dragon slayer and a wizard and friends. The theme of bravery is approached in several different ways and contrasted with heroism, so while a fun romp in a dragon infested medieval world, it touches on some important themes in interesting ways.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and hope you do too - in stores May 14th. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Simon & Shuster Canada and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a cute and whimsical tale of three characters on an adventure of self discovery (and dragons).

I think that this would be a great book for those who like cozy fantasy mixed with quick moments of high adventure.

I didn’t love it the way that I hoped that I would, but that was because I found myself more interested in the overall worldbuilding that was going on in small pieces in the background than the main plot of the story that was being told. There would be mentions of things that I found myself saying “wait, go back and talk about that more”, but it wasn’t integral to the actual plot, so we didn’t get that expansion that I would have loved. For me, we were pulled in too many directions between Robert, Cerise and Reginald without the page length to flesh each of them out enough to get the development that they all deserved. I would have loved more focus on Robert's storyline on his own.

Note for the publisher - early in the eARC there is a ethnic slur used as a adjective without any contextual purpose, which I’m hoping gets removed in the final copy.

I loved everything about this book. There was great world building and character development. Indeed, it is a great ensemble cast of characters. I found the story very imaginative with great pacing. There was some very clever wording that was worth rereading. And amongst all that, Beagle manages to work in a good deal of humour and lightness. His social commentary as well did not go unnoticed. Overall this is a great read. Thank you to Netgalley and S&S/Saga Press for the advance reader copy.

This was such a fun book to read! I haven’t read anything by Peter Beagle before, and I wasn’t too sure at the start of this book, but this was such a fun and enjoyable story!

This book is set in a time where dragons are so common, they’re often seen and treated as pests and vermin. The story centres around three characters who are not the stereotypical fantasy trope you’d expect. Robert Thrax is a local exterminator who has inherited his job from his father, but despises his job and keeps quite a few dragons as pets. Princess Cerise is the only daughter of the king and queen of Bellmontagne, the local country, and has been dismissing eligible princes who have sought her for marriage, and is teaching herself to read and write. And finally, Prince Reginald is the crown prince of Corvinia, the neighbouring country, and looks the part of a valiant prince, but would rather be anything else. Through a series of sheer coincidences, the three of them are brought together, and they set out on a quest to find what they truly want to be.

What drew me in to this story was the humour; there were multiple times I was laughing at the commentary and outcomes of the decisions some of the characters made in this book! It’s quite irreverent in how fantasy characters are stereotyped, and doesn’t take the characters too seriously, in a Douglas Adams-like way. There were a few passages that left me wanting more, but overall I really enjoyed this book!

I received this book as a digital ARC from Simon & Schuster, and am very grateful to receive this for early review!

This is cute. It's everything a ya fantasy should be. It has royalty and wizards and dragons. The main characters who are trying to find their place in the world and go on an adventure together. This was an enjoyable read. Thank you Simon and Schuster canada and NetGalley for the arc.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. This is a highly imaginative, whimsical fantasy and a nostalgic tale containing characters we feel we have met before in fairy tales. Still, none are content with the roles expected of them. There is wit, whimsy, dry, satirical humour, pathos, and darkness.

The leading character is named Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax, but he prefers to be called Richard. He inherited his late father's work as a dragon exterminator. Dragons are considered vermin, and his profession places him at the lowest rung of society in the small, impoverished kingdom of Bellemantogne. Many species of dragons range from tiny winged creatures to ferocious fire-breathing beasts that can obliterate entire villages and destroy tall buildings.

Richard hates his work but has a fondness for dragons. He has several as pets at home. He yearns to become a prince's valet, give up his demeaning work, and slightly improve his social standing.

Princess Cerise is strikingly beautiful but bored with her royal role and her parents' expectations. She finds no joy in interviewing princes who have gathered in the small, dilapidated palace to seek her hand in marriage. She is brave and forthright, longing for adventures and to teach herself to read and write. She catches a glimpse of the handsome Crown Prince Reginald of Corvina and is dazzled by his bearing and good looks.

Prince Reginald is the son of the cruel King Krije of a wealthy country who aims to conquer the surrounding kingdoms. Cerise fears Prince Reginald would not be impressed by the small crumbling castle with dragons in its walls. She implores her parents to hire a dragon exterminator in case Reginald visits. Robert manages to rid the castle of seven thousand small dragons but is sorrowful. He was ordered to bring the dead and injured beasts to the Dragon Market to be butchered for food or their hide.

Cerise is getting little attention from Prince Reginald when he visits. He knows he cannot get involved unless he impresses his father by becoming a hero, but he has no intention of doing anything heroic and is as dull as he is handsome. His scheming valet, Mortmain, accompanies Reginald. He tells Robert that he will teach him to become a valet. In exchange, Robert must help Reginald kill a dragon. Robert, Reginald and Cerise begin a quest and find some giant, terrifying dragons of an unknown species. They are controlled by an evil wizard, Dahr, who uses magic spells for revenge on King Krije, who is said to have killed Dahr.

Prince Reginald was ill-prepared for their quest to kill a dragon to impress his father. During the journey, he fell off his donkey into the mud. When the dragons appeared, his first impulse was to hide. Cerise dared to face them, but the encounter was unexpected, dangerous, and unpleasant. In the end, all three were well on their way to changing their self-concepts and emerging as new and better people. I can see a second book as part of an adventure/fantasy series.

I noticed that the book was recommended for children aged three and up. However, the vocabulary and concepts are too complex for young children. I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't easy to read. I had never read Peter S. Beagle's popular The Last Unicorn, but I have now added it to my reading list. The publication is set for May 14.

I absolutely loved this!! An entertaining and whimsical high fantasy adventure.
While the plot seems to cover familiar ground -- with a beautiful princess, a handsome prince, and an overabundance of dragons -- Beagle puts a clever, whimsical twist on the traditional fairytale, centering the story squarely on Robert, a lowborn dragon exterminator who hates his job and loves dragons.
Overall, an absolute joy to read!

A fun classic fantasy feeling adventure with princes princess's and dragons! It's a short quick read that was a lot of fun with some serous moments and even some mystery!
Really enjoyed it

Awesome fantasy book! Love the creativity and imagination behind it all. I also really enjoy the writing. I recommend it!