It's getting hard to write or find a fresh twist on a fairy tale these days. Here is one. Skael is a typical fairy tale village, though there's no mention of a royal family. Dragons are real, though they dislike humans and have been avoiding Skael. Magic is real, though nobody in Skael knows how to use it. People are regularly exhorted to wait for the return--as a magically preserved living person, or an instruction book--of the Dragon Mage, a fearsome warrioress whose teachings are relayed to the people by the Warden. Only young Ciara knows the Warden is corrupt (he's hoarding the magic medicine her mother needs to cure the Skael Cough). She knows that even before she finds an old book and learns that she's the heir to one of the six students the Dragon Mage had persuaded six dragons to teach. When she tries to read the book, she summons the dragon Scorch.

He doesn't want to be her teacher, but, because this is a fantasy aimed at middle school readers, you know how it will end. They will confront the Warden. They will cure Ciara's mother. They will find out what really happened to the Mage, the dragons, and their "apprentices." Scorch will decide he likes Ciara after all. Adults know this has to happen but why spoil the fun of finding out how. The story will make even adults chortle, if not chuckle.

What's not to like? The cover illustration seems to me to invite a younger audience than the story addresses. Adults and older children may be asked to read this book aloud to younger children. How bad is that?

Her city is being taken over by a sinister man. The citizens must work for him and then give him back their pay to live. They are also becoming sick from the Skael cough. Ciara needs to help,to save her money there and her town. Will the book she discovered hold the key? Full of adventure and goodness, this book will delight readers of all ages.

James Riley does such a great job of writing for middle grades. His books are great adventures with characters that learn lessons along the way. I loved this story and really can't wait to read the next in the series and see where the story takes us. Even the synopsis of this story catches and brings in readers.

This book was great! I could really see some middle grade readers getting into this. I am going to reccommend it to my kids and those who appreciate dragons and magic.

A truly adorable read, Ciara's voice is really well done and Scorch is hilarious. It does take a little bit to truly kick off but I think it will be a fun family read or some reluctant reader's first favorite book.

After trying to start this one multiple times and still not being pulled into the story I think I just have to admit it's not for me. I think the multiple layers of timeline just overloaded my brain with information from the get go. I can definitely see a younger reader getting past that and being drawn into the mystery of the magic.

12-year-old Ciara lives in a small mining village in Draconic empire, a place where magic is forbidden. The cruel Warden of the village has been looking for the journal Ciara found 5 years ago. It’s the journal of the dragon mage, Bianca. When her father dies and her mother gets sick, Ciara’s mom sells the farm. But, before they can trade the proceeds for medicine, the warden imprisons her mother. Ciara manages to escape with the journal. Soon, a spell appears that summons Scorch, Bianca’s magister and crotchety dragon. His job: to teach her magic. To save her mother and her village, she’ll need to learn to use her magic. Will she succeed?

The plot is engaging, well written, and fast-paced. The characters are likable, well rounded, and authentic. The world building is well done and draws the readers into the story. Readers who like fantasy, adventure, and dragons will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections. 4 stars, Gr 4 through 8.

What happens when you find a magic book in a land in which magic is banned? Such is the quandary of 12-year-old Ciara, who soon discovers she can perform the spells in this book with a little help from her teacher dragon. The story is entertaining and the relationship between student and teacher is engaging. The story slows a bit with the longish explanation as to what is actually going on in this land without magic. It excels when portraying Ciara's bravery and heart. This book is the first in a series and will answer more questions as it proceeds.

5 years ago, Ciara found a journal written by the dragon mage, Bianca. Now, 12 years Ciara’s life is difficult. The warden of the mining village her family lives in is cruel and determined to find the journal Ciara has. When her father dies from Skael Cough and her mother becomes sick, the two sell the home to pay for her mom’s medicine. Before she can get the cure, however, the warden imprisons Ciara’s mom. Managing to escape with the journal, Ciara unlocks a spell that summons a dragon. Scorch, Bianca’s magister, is a crotchety dragon who is Ciara’s only hope. To save her mother and her village, Ciara must learn how to wield magic from Scorch. Will she succeed? Bianca’s magister and crotchety dragon. His job: to teach her magic. To save her mother and her village, she’ll need to learn to use her magic. Will she succeed?

The plot is magical, well written, and enchanting. The characters are authentic, believable, and easily draw the reader into the story. The world building is well done and brings the world of Ciara to life. Readers who like fantasy, adventure, dragons, and saving the world fiction will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections.

I liked the premise of The Dragon's Apprentice which was well executed and Ciara was the right fit to be the main character. As for Scorch I found him a right grump but he grew on me and his interactions with Ciara were hilarious at time and my least favouite was the Warden as I found them too cliched for my liking..

I have giving The Dragon's Apprentice 4 stars and will be continuing on with the series as I liked where it was leading to.

Another fun, fantasy outing from James Riley. Unlike many of his other books, this one stays rooted firmly in one, magical world--one that's not as magical as it's supposed to be. Magic is restricted to just the ruling class, even though it was supposed to be accessible to everyone. Ciara is a young girl who finds the journal/spellbook of a long-gone magical apprentice and becomes an apprentice magician herself, teaming up with Scorch, her reluctant dragon mentor to help save her town. This book is as fun as all of Riley's others with some good themes about historical revisionism and rising up against tyrant bullies but I wish there had been a bit more depth to the main characters. The epilogue sets up a cliffhanger that will clearly lead into future installments, but the story stands well on it's own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Labyrinth Road for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.

Having read quite a few books by James Riley (including Story Thieves, Half Upon a Time, and Once Upon Another Time), I was excited to dive into the first installment of his new series!

"The Dragon’s Apprentice" follows 12-year-old Ciara as she stumbles upon an ancient journal and accidentally summons a dragon named Scorch. Chaos ensues, but this coming-of-age story is filled with laughter, sarcasm, heartbreak, strong family bonds, and plenty of twists and turns.

The prologue is essential for understanding the backstories of Bianca, Cillian, and the Dragon Mage. It sets the stage for the series and explains the initial magic system – dragons were meant to take on human apprentices to teach them magic, with the goal of spreading it to humanity so that no one would go hungry, there would be no more wars, and everyone could live in peace. Of course, things didn’t go as planned.

Fast forward one thousand years, and Ciara is in a dire situation. Her mother is gravely ill, they’ve had to sell their farm to afford a magical cure, and now Ciara is a wanted criminal for refusing to hand over the ancient journal to the Warden. Things were looking awfully bleak for Ciara until she summoned Scorch, and he decides to take her on as his apprentice in order to save Ciara’s mother and her village from the horrible Warden.

My only major complaint, with this being the first book in the series, is that there’s a lot of information and numerous characters introduced – which felt overwhelming. Some of these details don’t come into play in this book, so it led to confusion. It might have worked better if some of the information had been revealed gradually throughout the series, rather than all at once.

That said, James Riley has a knack for writing from the perspective of a 12-year-old, capturing the voice and thought process of middle schoolers perfectly. It’s spot-on with how my 6th-grade daughter and her friends think and react to situations. This book is an ideal choice for middle-grade readers who love sci-fi, adventure, and fantasy, and I highly recommend it. I’ll definitely be ordering a copy for my daughter!

TL;DR: The Dragon’s Apprentice is a fantastical and magical adventure-filled tale. With a feisty and exuberant leading character fighting for justice against evil rulers and trying to uncover what happened to the most powerful mage in the land alongside a grumpy dragon to teach her all about magic, I think this is a story that many middle-grade readers will enjoy!

I was hooked from the moment the story started. The voice of the first pov we encounter leaped off the pages and immediately had me eager to keep reading to see what happened next. The "mystery" element of the story was particularly intriguing, and I couldn't wait to learn how the present-day situation came about following the events of the first chapter. I will say that I found the world-building and explanation of the use of dragon magic a bit cumbersome... The magic in particular was explained in such a roundabout way that, when combined with the liberal use of humour, it didn't entirely work for me. I think it will be okay for young readers who may not pay particular attention to these aspects, but I would've liked for it to have been sharper. That said, there is still clearly much of this world left to explore, so I hope that it's done so in a simpler way in future books!

There are two main POVs with this other “side” pov interwoven throughout, but the author did a great job in creating vibrant character voices that keep the reader engaged. I also think the author did a great job in capturing the naive and precocious nature of childhood through the children in the story, but especially through Ciara, our human main character’s perspective.

Ciara is feisty and hard-headed, but she’s fiercely loyal and has a hunger for adventure and justice that I think many young readers will enjoy. Of course, she makes some horrible and thoughtless decisions at times, but the naiveté of youth is that they think they know better than the adults in their lives, so I think that was realistically captured. 😂 There were other characters that I wished we got to see more of, especially Meg, her father and Ciara's mum, but at 240 pages, there's only so much that can be fit in. I hope they will play a more prominent role in the sequel(s)!

I loved how The Book within this book felt like a character on its own, and of course, I highly appreciated Scorch, the talking dragon! There was a somewhat childish quality to this grumpy dragon and reluctant taker-on of apprentices that reminded me very much of Mushu from Mulan. Much like Mushu, Scorch also had the same wisdom to impart when it came down to more serious business. Scorch tended to err on the side of caution more than necessary, which made the struggle between him and Ciara more pronounced. However, I appreciated his growth and acceptance as much as I appreciated Ciara's in the end.

Unfortunately, this does end on a cliffhanger, and I'm very curious to see where the author will take the story next! Hopefully, we don't have to wait too long for the next book to come out. 😃

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Labyrinth Road for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up!

Now, this was a fun ride!

The story follows Ciara as she discovers a book (quite the naughty one) that will totally change her life and give her the adventure of a lifetime! And what does this adventure involve, you may ask? Dragons? ✅ Magic?✅ Despicable villain?✅ Cliffhanger? ✅ ✅ ✅

With this book, the author only scratched the surface of what is yet to come in this world full of magic, dragons, and a fun, witty and quite bold 12-year-old protagonist who would do anything to try to find a cure and save her mother and the villagers of Skael from the Warden and the evils that have befallen those people. With the help of Scorch (a cute but stern-looking dragon) and her close friend Meg, they join forces for one epic quest! Or more epic quests… I just need the second book to find that out!

I found some characters very likeable and funny, especially in the voice of the owner of the said found book! (but shuushhh, I’m not going to say more about who that person is; you need to read the book to find out!) Others were quite mysterious, and we didn’t see enough of them as this was a hint there would be a following book to come, and no, the ginormous cliffhanger was not a clue!!

I just need the second book, really!

It clearly is a middle-grade book, so sometimes, the actions and dialogue did make me cringe a little, and at one point, the “name callings” became a tad irritating...

This aside, this was a solid 4-star read for me that I quite enjoyed, and I will be absolutely looking forward to the second book! I do recommend it!

Ciara summons a dragon using a spell from an old book she found that the emperor has been searching for a long time. The wardens find out that Ciara has the book and comes after her and her sick mother. Ciara escapes the wardens and that is when she summons the Dragon to help her save her mom.
This is a fun book and the narrator is a hoot. The dragon is moody and Ciara isn’t going to stop until she saved her mom. The characters are wonderful and the book has its funny and serious parts. There is a bit more suspense than action but still a can’t put down kind of book. I enjoyed it a lot and hope to see Ciara again soon.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy for review.

This is a good book for upper elementary or middle grade students. The author utilizes the use of italics, ellipses, and multiple exclamation marks in the text to help bring you into the story, emphasizing different thoughts or words.

A good adventure book for those who enjoy fantasy.

A middle grade fantasy novel that includes a snarky, ancient dragon and a spunky twelve-year old girl with a mission? Sign me up! Scorch has been asleep for a thousand years, so when Ciara accidentally summons him after finding a hidden magic diary, it takes him a bit to understand what has happened to his apprentice and the world. As they work together to save her mother and village, the reader starts to also see the mystery and problems in their world. I think most middle grade readers would enjoy this and be excited for a new world and series.

This is so sweet. I loved their relationship, learning that she is the descendant and that is why she can do more than the others. A very easy and enjoyable read, fun too , and brings me some nostalgia to P. Wrede, and like that this one will enchant reader and reluctant readers as well. I fell in love with the cover and illustrations. It's a great start for a new series.

Thank you to NetGalley, ARC of this book! A cute, fast-paced story about dragons, magic and a young girls heart to help people. It is perfect for middle grade readers and really hooks you into the story. It ends with a cliffhanger, setting up the possibility for a series. Looking forward to reading the next book!

This was such a fun read! With all of the adventures and antics between Ciara and Scorch I couldn't help but laugh and enjoy every minute I spent reading this story! There's also a deeper side and I really enjoyed that. It's a story about friendship, family, the truth and standing up for what you believe in and what's right! Overall it's an entertaining, funny, exciting and fast-paced story and most of all it has dragons! Who doesn’t enjoy a good dragon book! Thank you Tbr and Beyond Tours and James Riley for sharing this book with me!