What worked:
The story opens with a prologue that presents an enticing hook. It’s a journal entry by a homeless girl named Bianca on the day she meets the Dragon Mage. Bianca is recruited along with five other children to become apprentices to six dragons. The Dragon Mage’s hope is for all humans to eventually have magic and Bianca assumes readers must have the ability years later. However, Ciara, the main character, finds only one journal entry, and only royals are allowed to practice magic today. This will lead readers to wonder what happened to Bianca and the other apprentices and why the royals forbid anyone from ever speaking Bianca’s name. Each chapter begins with a short sentence or two from Bianca that adds anticipation or a touch of humor.
Ciara finds the journal in the Dragon Mage’s rundown, neglected tower but chooses not to hand it over to the new Warden. She summons a dragon called Scorch and readers will enjoy their unusual relationship. Scorch doesn’t think much of human intelligence and doesn’t miss many opportunities to point that out to Ciara. He explains the importance of tracing draconic symbols precisely and laughs hysterically when Ciara’s spell results in a horde of rats instead of a sumptuous meal. Scorch becomes cranky when Ciara wants to use the term spell instead of dragon magic. He refuses to call Bianca’s journal a spell book! Maybe he’s still testy since Ciara changed him into a horse.
Ciara’s sole motive is to cure her mother of the deadly Skael Cough that’s already taken her father. The Warden says he has enough medicine to save the whole village but people must pay everything they own to receive it. The Warden isn’t an honorable man as he often fails to follow through with his promises and deals. This makes him a ruthless antagonist who’s easy to hate. Scorch agrees to help Ciara save her mother but his motivation is to discover what happened to his original apprentice, Bianca, and the Dragon Mage. Ciara and Scorch make an unlikely pair and their sarcastic, playful relationship still makes a formidable team against a clear-defined bully.
What didn’t work as well:
The book leaves unanswered questions that readers must assume will be dealt with as the series progresses. What happened to the Dragon Mage and is her dream of universal magic a mistake? What kind of person is the emperor? Most of what readers know comes from the Warden who is a dishonest man. The characters of Ciara and Scorch could have been more developed.
The final verdict:
The amusing interactions between Ciara and Scorch make the book an entertaining adventure. The story has minimal violence and has a wholesomeness to it. I recommend you give it a shot!

The Dragon's Apprentice by James Riley is one of my favorite new Middle Grade reads! It is hilarious and had me laughing out loud multiple times. The Dragon's Apprentice follows Ciara, a young girl who accidentally summons a dragon when she opens a mysterious book. Dragons and spellbooks are common in middle grade fantasy, but this read still felt so original! The book PURRS and is adorable. The dragon sounds adorable too, but he probably wouldn't appreciate that. Great for all the middle grade readers looking for something fun!

Thanks to NetGalley, James Riley, and Random House Children's for the chance to read and review! My opinions are my own!

Thank you to Random House/Labyrinth Publishing, NetGalley, and James Riley for the e-print ARC!

2.5 stars

If you are looking for a perfectly harmless read for your young children, this book is perfect (with the exception of some very moderate violence—no death or anything as heavy as that—and some pointed insults such as calling someone a “butt”).
However, don’t be duped by the picture of the dragon on the cover; Scorch is a little lame for a dragon, in my personal opinion, and I feel as if young audiences would share my opinion. His dry humor would definitely have been annoying to me at that age. He’s not the only thing to fall flat, however; from the sentence structure to the too-localized setting in which the story takes place, this book simply wasn’t with it. I was hardly intrigued. Rather, I was bored. The writing style was very amateur and that was a big barrier for me.
I will admit that I picked this book based off of two things, so my expectations were probably different from other people’s. One, I saw the name James Riley and was immediately transported back to my middle school years, when I spent many hours in the land of the great Story Thieves, a book I would wholly recommend. THAT was an engrossing book. I embraced the opportunity to leap back into this sort of fiction, expecting a feeling of sweet nostalgia (that I never found, by the way).
Two…I saw the dragon (what can I say? Even at eighteen years-old, I’m a sucker for dragons). I may or may not have been expecting a slightly more ferocious mythical beast. My bad.
So my review may be a little harsh, but it’s still true. Read if you’d like, but don’t make the mistake that I did and expect too great an adventure.
Happy reading!

3 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Ciara, slowly starving in a mining town distant from the capital of the empire, has found an old journal. She keeps it to herself even when the Emperor sends troops to find it, and even when her father and then her mother are forced to work in the mines and contract disease. But then one day, when the troops finally find the book, it somehow summons a dragon.
Review
The Dragon’s Apprentice takes a while to get it’s feet on the ground. It’s so intent on being cute (“STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book…”) that the story itself has to fight to make its way through. After the first few chapters, though, it finds its stride.
While competently put together, there are few surprises here, beyond what seemed to me a mismatch between a simple plot and somewhat more sophisticated vocabulary that left me unsure of the intended audience. Given a premise of a spellbook, a young girl, and a dragon, the plot is largely what you’d expect. There are villains and very little violence, which fits the mostly young seeming tone. More disappointing is a very intentional cliffhanger ending. There’s some mystery here to explore, but it all felt a little too manufactured for me.
I wish I’d been able to engage with the characters more. The viewpoints are split between girl and dragon, but I didn’t find either one appealing or well developed enough to really draw me in, and the pace of the book felt rushed. Overall, it’s inoffensive, and a quick read, but unlikely to stay with me for long.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This is the start of a new middle grade series by this author, and I really wanted to like it. It has everything: magic, dragons, and mystery. I really liked the characters Ciara and Scorch, and the bond that they form throughout the book.

Unfortunately, it did feel a bit rushed and very much like a middle grade read that does not translate well to older readers. I think this would be a good book for younger (ages 10 and under) readers but sadly was not for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this early arc!

"The Dragon's Apprentice" by James Riley is a captivating read that seamlessly blends humor, heart, and high-stakes adventure. The story follows a young protagonist who stumbles upon a life-altering secret, drawing them into a world of dragons, magic, and perilous quests. Riley's writing is engaging and accessible, making it a perfect pick for middle-grade readers while still offering plenty to enjoy for older audiences. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep you hooked until the very end.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to balance lighthearted moments with deeper emotional themes. The story explores themes of friendship, courage, and self-discovery, all while maintaining a sense of fun and excitement. The world-building is also impressive, creating a vivid and imaginative backdrop for the adventure to unfold.

Overall, "The Dragon's Apprentice" is a fantastic start to what promises to be an exciting series. It's a must-read for fans of fantasy, adventure, and stories with a touch of magic.

3.5 stars
I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
I'm a huge fan of Riley's work but this story felt rushed at times. It could be the shorter format. Readers meet Ciara in a very difficult situation that she feels she originally created. She found an ancient journal from one of the Dragon Mage's apprentices. The Warden has been sent to retrieve it and has enforced cruel sanctions and sacrifices on the entire village as no one gave him this book when he came. From here, the story begins with she and her mother facing arrest if they do not give up the book. Her mother is arrested and Ciara flees to the ancient tower. There, she opens the book and reads the journal entry. To her shock, a dragon arrives, and not just any dragon, but one of the original dragons tasked with teaching magic to humans by the Dragon Mage. I appreciate the tension between Scorch and Ciara as each learns to trust the other. The plot is a bit predictable but elementary level readers will enjoy following it. As expected, the final chapter sets up other characters and a major cliffhanger to be resolved in future books. I am looking forward to reading more from this series.