Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon

I was worried that this would seem trite or over done (teenager, "different", magic powers) but it felt fresh and original And was well written. Highly recommend!

I first saw this in the Pitcharama contest run by Aussie Owned and Read. It intrigued me back then, and so I waited for this release eagerly.
This story didn't disappoint! Action packed, full of adventure, friendship, and a sassy heroine, this novel with an extremely long title that really grabs your attention, has the makings of a fun read for anyone seeking something for pure pleasure. Allyson was an absolute delight to follow as she rushed through a steep learning curve. She reacted naturally, and often humorously to the situations thrust upon her, and with a heart full of fierce loyalty.
A clean read I'd definitely recommend!

This was a cute story of a teen girl who finds out that she has been uninformed for her entire life about her true identity. It all comes crashing down on her in, of all places, a mall. She is swept up in a whirlwind adventure that takes her away from her overbearing, overprotective mother and into the arms of an evil magician. The characters are enjoyable if somewhat shallow. It all comes together well and makes for an enjoyable read.

*The publisher provided this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.*
Allyson doesn't fit anywhere! Despite the fact that she moves so much that she never has the chance to really adapt and make friends, she also battles acne and asthma, making her the perfect kid to make bully and make jokes about. When she arrives to Albuquerque she finally makes a friend, Beth, who can really relate to, since the popular people from her school also bully her, but Beth is very strong and doesn't give them much credit.
One day, as they stroll through the mall a group of very big kidnappers tries to take them and causes Allyson to spit fire. Beth seems to know a lot about what she is and that confuses her! How can someone know this stuff? After all, dragons don't exist.
When Beth admits that she's a half-troll and that those guys in their school are half-unicorns, Allyson's world is turned upside down. Maybe her father, who she didn't know, was a dragon! What did that mean?
Suddenly other halfs start disappearing and when a unicorn boy from their school goes missing the elders point their fingers at Beth. Together they will have to escape the abductors and find the missing halves, or the elders will kill Beth.
Allyson finally starts to compose the puzzle her family is... and she's scared whit what she's finding.
Even though this is certainly not one of the best books ever, the real life teenage struggles present in this story do make it almost believable for those of us, readers, that sometimes like to think that fantasy is real.
The main characther, Allyson, is so strong minded and strong that sometimes, during the story, I couldn't believe she was just a teenager, she had to be older than that to have such maturity and toughtfullness. Beth was also great and she is really knowledgeable which is really cool, in a world where trolls are supposed to be really stupid she is the one who teaches everything to Allyson.
Family dynamics is a really big part of the plot and it contributes with a lot of mysteries that Allyson has to solve and gives a different vibe to the whole story by itself so, when you join magic to the mix it gets even better.
Unfortunately the book is a little too fastpaced and some of the plot elements seem too surreal to happen in such a short amount of time.
This is a great book for all the fantasy lovers out there who might be able to relate to a bullied teenage girl, but even if you don't you should give it a try, diversity is great a and it goes a long way.

http://thebewitchedreader.blogspot.pt/2016/01/review-acne-asthma-and-other-signs-you.html

It was a spectacular read. If you want a book that keeps you on your toes and waiting in anticipation for the next scene then this is the book for you!

I haven’t read too many books involving dragons. So I really was quite curious about to be given the chance to read this book. And it was f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c! It did felt a little rushed in the beginning and the maincharacter had 1.000.000 less questions than I when she found out about being a dragon. But once the story had moved on and I’d accepted that Allyson is much more accepting than anyone else it was a thrill ride. I was sucked in to the story from page one. Hoped that Beth gets her prince Charming, got way to upset when said prince seemed to betray her and hated the BIG BOSS with all my heart.
The story paced well and was packed with action, humor and (of course) romantic. I didn’t put the book down more than for the necessary breaks: to eat and sleep. I highly recommend the book to all who likes a fast paced story filled with lots of fantasy creatures in a modern surrounding. I hope that there will be a second book with Allyson and Beth because I really want to see where the story goes with them and their love interests.

I was first attracted Acne, Asthma and OtherSigns You Might be a Half Dragon by the lovely cover; the title then “sealed the deal” for me. I was looking for some light fun reading and hoped that based on the title I’d get that and hopefully some sassy, quirky one-liners as well.

Rochford’s book did provide all that – it was fun and a bit sassy, though there were parts that I felt needed to be fleshed out a little more.

The protagonist of Rochford’s novel, Allyson, has never known her father and her mother moves them around the country a great deal with each new job offer and promotion. She’s always the new kid and outsider, without many friends.

In the town she currently lives in she has finally made a friend – Beth. Allyson dreads hearing that her mother will move them yet again. Events rapidly unfold that make this the least of Allyson’s worries. She discovers an entire supernatural community lives around her and that her recurrent acne is really one of the signs that she is a half dragon – everybody else seems to know what’s going on except Allyson. Allyson and Beth get caught up in territorial wars between various supernatural races and find themselves prey to those involved in an evil plot which they must try and foil.

What I loved about this book was that the unicorns were not squeaky clean – they were just as prone to hatred and the desire for revenge as any other race. They had suffered years of persecution only to adopt a “shoot first” policy in their dealings with others. Also the political intrigue between races was rife in this novel and I felt the world building and history in this regard was good. The pace was generally excellent.

I would like to have seen this story fleshed out a little more, particularly in terms of the initial set up. The book immersed the reader straight into the action, but at the expense of setting up the main character. It was clear from the title that Allyson was going to discover she was a dragon, that’s not the type of set up I’m referring to. Rochford revealed too little about Allyson’s character, her desires and her past early on. We learnt more about this as the story progressed, but the result was that I didn’t empathise with or care about Allyson until over half way through the book. I did, however, like her best friend from the beginning.

Overall I really enjoyed it. I’d definitely read the next one. So if you’re after a light fun read give this one a try.

I loved this book an unreasonable and foolish amount. It's so ridiculous. Like just reading the synopsis is ridiculous but it WORKS. Trolls, unicorns, dragons, nerdy teens, magical realism! IT WORKS. It's fun it's inane, it's wonderful. I loved every bit and demolished it. Definitely adding it to my classroom library ASAP!

Allyson is fifteen has acne and asthma and has never met her father. Allyson only stays in one place a few months at a time as her mom has to travel for new jobs and promotions. Then Allyson finally made a friend and her name was Beth . Beth and Allyson goes to the mall and gets attacked by three young men who try to kidnap them. Allyson trying to protect herself ends up breathes out fire and is totally astounded at what happened, Then Allyson learns there is a whole supernatural community around her. Then she finds she is half dragon and Beth is half troll. Beth promises she will help Allyson through all changes she goes through as well as the supernatural world. Especially since at this time there is a territorial war between some of the races. I like this story alot. I felt the plot was good and also the writing. This was a fast read but a good read. In the beginning it was hard to follow this story and there wasn’t enough information to know what was going on but as time goes on we find out what we need to know to enjoy the story. The biggest thing I absolutely loved was Allyson had to accept herself for who she was . That was a beautiful lessons. I loved the ins and out that Allyson went through. I recommend.
I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.

When I saw Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might be Half-Dragon by Rena Rocford on NetGalley, I immediately fell in love with the cover and title. Dragons? Acne? This looked like a fun book. On a hunch, I put in my request and it was luckily granted. My instinct paid off as it was a very fun read.

I enjoyed the friendship between Allyson and Beth. Both are outcasts and when Allyson moves to Albuquerque, they quickly become friends. Beth turns out to be half Troll, so when Allyson turns fifteen and starts to show strange abilities (like breathing fire), Beth is there to reassure her that she is not going crazy. I also liked that Beth was not just a side-kick to Allyson, but had her own story and romantic interest. They have a great rapport and tease each other when boys flirt with them. Loved it!

Allyson goes to great lengths to hide her acne (and later, her scales). I could see how these are an analogy for the not being comfortable with your true self. As Allyson starts to understand that she is half dragon, she starts to let go of worrying about what people think of her, and embraces her heritage. The character is also half Japanese. This aspect of her life wasn't explored much in the book, but I hope it will be part of any sequel.

If there is one criticism I would have, it would be that the book needed a bit more exposition in the beginning. There were times where I was lost because I didn't have enough information to know what was happening. I suppose that we, the readers, were to be as confused as Allyson about what was happening. But I wish I could have understood a few basic things like how can there be magical creatures such as trolls, unicorns, and dragons, and yet they look like everyone else? Shouldn't Allyson be more freaked out, especially since no one will explain anything? If I could have understood some of the rules of this universe, I would have been able to buy in to the story faster.

Overall, I found this a delightful fantasy. The action made it a page-turner as I needed to find out how it would all turn out. It makes me want to read more about this universe and find out what further abilities each character has.